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In several recent works, Bart Ehrman has argued that Jesus frequently taught about the coming of a figure called the Son of Man who was a divine figure, cosmic judge, and ruler of the kingdom of God. Although Jesus did not see himself as this Son of Man, his disciples mistakenly identified him as this figure as a result of their belief in Jesus's resurrection. This article surveys the use of the title Son of Man by Jesus and Jewish literature and generally confirms Ehrman's view of the meaning of the title. It further argues that the standard criteria of authenticity which Ehrman confidently employs in his works also confirm that Jesus identified himself as the Son of Man. Thus, the high Christology of early Christianity is not the result of "legend" as Ehrman claims but resulted from Jesus's own divine claims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]