Johann
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JOHN’S EGO EIMI SAYINGS REVISITED
A careful examination of the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, typically known as the Septuagint (LXX), with that of John’s Gospel will conclusively prove that Jesus’ “I AM” statements are clearly intended to identify him as the human incarnation of YHWH God (cf. John 1:1-18). The way in which John has communicated Christ’s words into the Greek tongue makes it obvious that the Apostle is making a direct connection with the “I AM” sayings of YHWH in the Hebrew Bible, specifically the book of Isaiah.
In the following chart, I cite from the LXX version of Isaiah in order to help readers see how Jesus’ “I AM” statements deliberately echo that of YHWH’s.
“Therefore shall my people know my name in that day for I am he, the one who is speaking to you (ego eimi autos ho lalon).” Isaiah 52:6 LXX
“All the nations are gathered together, and princes shall be gathered out of them: who will declare (anangelei) these things? or who will declare (anangelei) to you things from the beginning? Let them bring forth their witnesses (martyras), and be justified; and let them hear, and declare the truth. Be my witnesses (martyres); and I too am a witness (martyrs), says the Lord God, and the servant whom I have chosen (exelexamen)so that you may know, and believe, and understand that I am he (hina… gnote pisteusete… hoti ego eimi): before me there came to be (egeneto) no other god, nor shall there be any after me. I am God, and besides me there is none who saves. I declared (anengeila) and saved; I reproached, and there was no stranger among you: You are my witnesses; I too am a witness, says the Lord God.” Isaiah 43:9-12
“The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When he comes, he will proclaim (anangelei) all things to us.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am he, the one who is speaking to you (ego eimi autos ho lalon).’” John 4:25-27 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)
“Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I have ever done.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.’” John 4:39-42 NRSVUE
“In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid. I am (ego eimi) the one testifying (martyron) about myself, and the Father who sent me testifies (martyrei) on my behalf.” John 8:17-18
“He said to them, ‘You are from below, I am from above; you are from this world, I am not from this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he (pisteusete hoti ego eimi).’” John 8:23-24 NRSVUE
“So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he (gnosesthe hoti ego eimi) and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.’” John 8:28-29 NRSVUE
“‘Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.’ Then the Jews said to him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham came to be (genesthai), I AM (ego eimi).’ So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.” John 8:56-59
“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going to God (pros ton theon)… ‘I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen (exelexamen). But it is to fulfill the scripture, “The one who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.” I tell you this now, before it occurs, so that when it comes to be you may believe that I am he (hina hotan genētai pisteusete hoti ego eimi).’” John 13:3, 18-19
What makes the septuagintal rendering of Isa. 43:10 rather intriguing is that the servant is depicted as being distinct from both YHWH and the nation of Israel, whereas in the Hebrew version the servant and Israel are equated:
“You are my witnesses, says the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.” NRSVUE
“Be my witnesses; and I too am a witness, says the Lord God, AND the servant whom I have chosen so that you may know, and believe, and understand that I am he.” LXX
Notice how the LXX gives the impression that the servant whom YHWH has chosen is personally distinct from the Israel that is summoned to also bear witness to YHWH being the only God that exists.
This comports with the fact that in Isaiah there are two servants, both of whom are called Israel, namely, the nation and the specific individual whom the NT and later Jewish tradition identifies as Messiah (Cf. Isa. 42:1-7; 49:1-10; 50:4-6; 52:13-15; Matt. 8:14-17; 12:17-21; Luke 22:37; Acts 8:30-35; 1 Peter 2:21-25).
Jesus’ ego eimi statements in John 13:19 is also significant in light of its context where John tells us that the Son “had come from God and was going to God (pros ton theon).”
These words deliberately the Prologue where Jesus is identified as the eternal Word who was with God (pros ton theon) from before the creation of all things:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God (pros ton theon), and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God (pros ton theon). All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people… The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him… And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-4, 9-10, 14
Elsewhere in John, Christ plainly speaks of his coming down from the Father to enter into the world, and of his leaving the world to go back to the Father:
“‘I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures but will tell you plainly of the Father. On that day you will ask in my name. I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf, for the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and am going to the Father (pros ton patera).’ His disciples said, ‘Yes, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure of speech! Now we know that you know all things and do not need to have anyone question you; by this we believe that you came from God.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Do you now believe?’” John 16:25-31 NRSVUE
Note, once again, John’s use of the preposition pros, which again points us to Jesus being the divine, uncreated Word who was pros (“with”) God from before the creation.
In fact, the Lord makes this very same point in his prayer to the Father:
“So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed… for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me… Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” John 17:5, 8, 24 NRSVUE
Here, Jesus affirms that he personally existed alongside the Father where they both shared the same glory from before the creation the world. This is why he could say that he had come forth from the Father and was now returning back to the glory that he had shared alongside of him.
Nor is this the only time where Christ spoke of his prehuman, heavenly existence with the Father:
“No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.” John 3:13 NRSVUE
“‘for I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day.’ Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’” John 6:38-42 NRSVUE
“Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?” John 6:62 NRSVUE
“Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God, and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but he sent me.’” John 8:42 NRSVUE
Clearly, then, Jesus’ ego eimi saying in John 13:19 means much more than “I am the Messiah who was foretold by the prophets.” The context shows that Christ is deliberately echoing the “I AM” sayings of YHWH found throughout Isaiah, specifically in Isa. 43:10, in order to make it known to his disciples that they were beholding the God of Israel himself in human flesh.
answeringislamblog.wordpress.com
J.
A careful examination of the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, typically known as the Septuagint (LXX), with that of John’s Gospel will conclusively prove that Jesus’ “I AM” statements are clearly intended to identify him as the human incarnation of YHWH God (cf. John 1:1-18). The way in which John has communicated Christ’s words into the Greek tongue makes it obvious that the Apostle is making a direct connection with the “I AM” sayings of YHWH in the Hebrew Bible, specifically the book of Isaiah.
In the following chart, I cite from the LXX version of Isaiah in order to help readers see how Jesus’ “I AM” statements deliberately echo that of YHWH’s.
“Therefore shall my people know my name in that day for I am he, the one who is speaking to you (ego eimi autos ho lalon).” Isaiah 52:6 LXX
“All the nations are gathered together, and princes shall be gathered out of them: who will declare (anangelei) these things? or who will declare (anangelei) to you things from the beginning? Let them bring forth their witnesses (martyras), and be justified; and let them hear, and declare the truth. Be my witnesses (martyres); and I too am a witness (martyrs), says the Lord God, and the servant whom I have chosen (exelexamen)so that you may know, and believe, and understand that I am he (hina… gnote pisteusete… hoti ego eimi): before me there came to be (egeneto) no other god, nor shall there be any after me. I am God, and besides me there is none who saves. I declared (anengeila) and saved; I reproached, and there was no stranger among you: You are my witnesses; I too am a witness, says the Lord God.” Isaiah 43:9-12
“The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When he comes, he will proclaim (anangelei) all things to us.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am he, the one who is speaking to you (ego eimi autos ho lalon).’” John 4:25-27 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)
“Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I have ever done.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.’” John 4:39-42 NRSVUE
“In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid. I am (ego eimi) the one testifying (martyron) about myself, and the Father who sent me testifies (martyrei) on my behalf.” John 8:17-18
“He said to them, ‘You are from below, I am from above; you are from this world, I am not from this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he (pisteusete hoti ego eimi).’” John 8:23-24 NRSVUE
“So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he (gnosesthe hoti ego eimi) and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.’” John 8:28-29 NRSVUE
“‘Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.’ Then the Jews said to him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham came to be (genesthai), I AM (ego eimi).’ So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.” John 8:56-59
“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going to God (pros ton theon)… ‘I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen (exelexamen). But it is to fulfill the scripture, “The one who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.” I tell you this now, before it occurs, so that when it comes to be you may believe that I am he (hina hotan genētai pisteusete hoti ego eimi).’” John 13:3, 18-19
What makes the septuagintal rendering of Isa. 43:10 rather intriguing is that the servant is depicted as being distinct from both YHWH and the nation of Israel, whereas in the Hebrew version the servant and Israel are equated:
“You are my witnesses, says the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.” NRSVUE
“Be my witnesses; and I too am a witness, says the Lord God, AND the servant whom I have chosen so that you may know, and believe, and understand that I am he.” LXX
Notice how the LXX gives the impression that the servant whom YHWH has chosen is personally distinct from the Israel that is summoned to also bear witness to YHWH being the only God that exists.
This comports with the fact that in Isaiah there are two servants, both of whom are called Israel, namely, the nation and the specific individual whom the NT and later Jewish tradition identifies as Messiah (Cf. Isa. 42:1-7; 49:1-10; 50:4-6; 52:13-15; Matt. 8:14-17; 12:17-21; Luke 22:37; Acts 8:30-35; 1 Peter 2:21-25).
Jesus’ ego eimi statements in John 13:19 is also significant in light of its context where John tells us that the Son “had come from God and was going to God (pros ton theon).”
These words deliberately the Prologue where Jesus is identified as the eternal Word who was with God (pros ton theon) from before the creation of all things:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God (pros ton theon), and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God (pros ton theon). All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people… The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him… And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-4, 9-10, 14
Elsewhere in John, Christ plainly speaks of his coming down from the Father to enter into the world, and of his leaving the world to go back to the Father:
“‘I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures but will tell you plainly of the Father. On that day you will ask in my name. I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf, for the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and am going to the Father (pros ton patera).’ His disciples said, ‘Yes, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure of speech! Now we know that you know all things and do not need to have anyone question you; by this we believe that you came from God.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Do you now believe?’” John 16:25-31 NRSVUE
Note, once again, John’s use of the preposition pros, which again points us to Jesus being the divine, uncreated Word who was pros (“with”) God from before the creation.
In fact, the Lord makes this very same point in his prayer to the Father:
“So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed… for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me… Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” John 17:5, 8, 24 NRSVUE
Here, Jesus affirms that he personally existed alongside the Father where they both shared the same glory from before the creation the world. This is why he could say that he had come forth from the Father and was now returning back to the glory that he had shared alongside of him.
Nor is this the only time where Christ spoke of his prehuman, heavenly existence with the Father:
“No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.” John 3:13 NRSVUE
“‘for I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day.’ Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’” John 6:38-42 NRSVUE
“Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?” John 6:62 NRSVUE
“Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God, and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but he sent me.’” John 8:42 NRSVUE
Clearly, then, Jesus’ ego eimi saying in John 13:19 means much more than “I am the Messiah who was foretold by the prophets.” The context shows that Christ is deliberately echoing the “I AM” sayings of YHWH found throughout Isaiah, specifically in Isa. 43:10, in order to make it known to his disciples that they were beholding the God of Israel himself in human flesh.
JOHN’S EGO EIMI SAYINGS REVISITED
A careful examination of the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, typically known as the Septuagint (LXX), with that of John’s Gospel will conclusively prove that Jesus’ “I AM” statements are clearly…
answeringislamblog.wordpress.com
J.
