'I am' statements in John's Gospel Flashcards
How does Jesus identify himself in John’s gospel?
By using the phrase, ‘I am’
State John 8:58
‘Before Abraham was, I am’
What was the response to John 8:58?
The remark was seen as so shocking that the priests tried to stone Jesus to death there and then
Why was John 8:58 so offensive?
Because ‘I am’ is the holy name of God himself - the way he identified himself to Moses when he spoke out of the burning bush
State Exodus 3:14
‘I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I am has sent me to you” ‘
What is ‘I am who I am’ in Hebrew?
Ehyeh-asher-ehyeh
What four letter code is ‘I am who I am’ normally represented by?
YHWH
How is God’s name pronounced?
Yahweh
Why do Jews not pronounce God’s name?
Because it is too holy to be said by ordinary people
What were refernces to YHWH replaced by?
Adonai (The Lord), as YHWH was too holy to be written down
How do modern Jews refer to God?
They use the phrase Ha-Shem (The name)
What was Jesus doing by referring to himself as ‘I am’?
Linking himself to God and taking the holy name of God for himself
Because the gospels are written in Greek, what does Jesus say instead of ‘Yahweh’?
Ego Eimi
Why did Jesus not actually pronounce the name of God out loud?
Because he spoke Aramaic rather than Hebrew. However, listerners still recognised the reference to the name of God and the subsequent claim to be God
List the 4 I am sayings that relevant to this course
- I am the Bread of Life
- I am the Light of the World
- I am the Good Shepherd
- I am the True Vine
Where does Jesus use an ‘I am’ statement in the synoptics?
Mark 14:62; where the High Priest demands to know if Jesus is the Son of God and Jesus replies ‘I am’
How are the ‘I am’ statements reacted to in the synoptics?
The stunned or angry reaction of the listerners show that they understand that Jesus is making a shocking claim
