Re: A cautionary word on EHYEH/YHWH

Jack Kilmon (jpman@accesscomm.net)
Fri, 09 Aug 1996 18:13:12 -0600

Alan Repurk wrote:
>
> BibAnsMan@aol.com wrote:
> >
> > In a message dated 96-08-08 17:12:46 EDT, EHOBBS@wellesley.edu (Edward Hobbs)
> > writes:
> >
> > << In the flood of discussion of John 8:58, several posts have stated
> > or implied something about the Hebrew of Exodus 3:14 which is not
> > accurate. Hebrew YAHWEH (or, unreconstructed, YHWH) is not
> > translated into Greek as EGW EIMI. >>
> >
> > Thanks you very much for the clarification. You are right in the sense that
> > YHWH is not found in Exodus 3:14 and is not the LXX translation EGW EIMI.
> > The LXX EGW EIMI hO WN is the translation of the EHYEH ASHER EHYEH you
> > quoted. I did look back and see one reference could be misunderstood. I
> > previously said,
> >
> > << ...it is striking to note the similarity between Jesus' claim and the
> > familiar EGW EIMI of the LXX of the Old Testament in reference to Yahweh. >>
> >
> >
John 8:58 has a parallel in Gospel of Thomas Logion 19 and reflects the gnostic
character of one of the late redactors of the Gospel of John. Sayings used by the
original author of John do not reflect this style. The "I am" sayings in the Yohannine
literature were the creations of the late redactor of the Gospel. This redactor was
Greek and not Jewish, so they may not be related to early Jewish literature and probably
not genuinely Yeshuine. I think Brown covers this in "Gospel of John."

Jack Kilmon
JPMan@accesscomm.net