Date

5-16-2024

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Chair

Tom Campbell

Keywords

John, Gospel of John, I am, ego eimi, biblical theology

Disciplines

Christianity | Religion

Abstract

When it comes to the "ἐγὼ εἰμι" statements (translated as "I am" in English), in the Gospel of John, there has been a heavy emphasis from scholarship on the seven declarations which contain a metaphor. These are the ἐγὼ εἰμι statements such as “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35, English Standard Version) or “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). However, there are seven other ἐγὼ εἰμι statements in John’s Gospel which do not contain a metaphor, such as, “I who speak to you am he” (John 4:26, emphasis mine). Consequently, scholars have tended to separate these declarations based on their form without any significant connections made to one another. However, David M. Ball’s work, I Am in John's Gospel, has shifted how scholars approach the “I am” statements. Ball correctly identified that all of Jesus’ ἐγὼ εἰμι statements were meant to be understood together. Furthermore, he identified the correct background to understand these declarations, which is through the lens of the Old Testament and Judaism. Since Ball’s work, there has been no significant treatment of the ἐγὼ εἰμι statements in John. This dissertation aims to further the idea that the 14 ἐγὼ εἰμι statements are interconnected under the biblical-theological theme of Jesus’ surpassing greatness compared to what came before Him in the Old Testament, Judaism, and common beliefs in the first century AD. Each pericope where Jesus’ “I am” statements are found reveals His surpassing greatness by indicating He is greater than what came before Him. Moreover, there are occasions when the text reveals that Jesus is the greater fulfillment of an Old Testament type. Additionally, each "I am" statement is related to the overall themes presented by John in his Gospel. This dissertation aims to demonstrate that John intended these declarations to reveal the surpassing greatness of Jesus, further revealing His identity and work in the world.

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