אני יי רפאך: A Short Note on ἐγώ εἰµι Sayings and the Dangers of a Translation Tradition
In: Novum TestamentumSearch for other papers by Rebecca Scharbach Wollenberg in
Current site
Google Scholar
It is sometimes debated whether the absolute “I am” sayings in the Gospel of John should be read as a claim to divinity, in light of their similarity to the Hebrew text of Exod 3:14. What has not been recognized is that the Johannine “I am” sayings with predicate nominatives also echo the Hebrew Bible text, which includes an extensive collection of verses in which God uses the phrase “I am” with a predicate nominative. This essay offers an analysis of a selection of these Hebrew Bible parallels and proposes an explanation for why this connection has gone unremarked until now.
Purchase
Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your brill.com account
-
1
E. Schweizer, Ego Eimi: Die religionsgeschichtliche Herkunft und theologische Bedeutung der johanneischen Bildreden (Göttingen: Vandenhoek & Ruprecht, 1939) 32-33.
-
3
C.H. Williams, I am He: The Interpretation of “Ani Hu” in Jewish and Early Christian Literature (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2000) 1.
-
6
As H. McArthur remarks, “it is immediately clear that these [statements, such as ‘I am Rafael’ and ‘I am Michael’] differ from the Johannine ‘I am the bread of life…’” (“Christology in the Making” in Christology in Dialogue [ed. R. Berkey and S.A. Edwards; Cleveland: Pilgrim, 1993] 127).
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 410 | 45 | 7 |
| Full Text Views | 350 | 11 | 1 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 173 | 27 | 3 |
אני יי רפאך: A Short Note on ἐγώ εἰµι Sayings and the Dangers of a Translation Tradition
In: Novum TestamentumSearch for other papers by Rebecca Scharbach Wollenberg in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
It is sometimes debated whether the absolute “I am” sayings in the Gospel of John should be read as a claim to divinity, in light of their similarity to the Hebrew text of Exod 3:14. What has not been recognized is that the Johannine “I am” sayings with predicate nominatives also echo the Hebrew Bible text, which includes an extensive collection of verses in which God uses the phrase “I am” with a predicate nominative. This essay offers an analysis of a selection of these Hebrew Bible parallels and proposes an explanation for why this connection has gone unremarked until now.
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 410 | 45 | 7 |
| Full Text Views | 350 | 11 | 1 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 173 | 27 | 3 |