John 8:58 - Before Abraham I Am
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Arguments against the claims that Jesus statement in John 8:58 equates to him claiming to be God.
The phrase "I AM" in John 8:58 does not necessarily equate Jesus with God as described in Exodus 3:14. The Hebrew phrase in Exodus 3:14 is often translated as "I will be what I will be," which is in the future tense, whereas Jesus' statement in John 8:58 is in the present tense. This discrepancy suggests that the two statements are not directly comparable and that Jesus' use of "I AM" does not imply divinity in the same way.
Another argument is that if Jesus were claiming to be the Elohiym (God) of Exodus 3:14, it would imply that he is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit simultaneously. This contradicts the Trinitarian doctrine, which maintains that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct persons within the Godhead. Therefore, Jesus' statement would either violate the principles of the Trinity or suggest that he did not adhere to Trinitarian beliefs.
Critics also argue that equating Jesus' "I AM" with God's "I AM" is a fallacy of false equivocation. Just because both use the phrase "I AM" does not mean they are the same entity. This is akin to saying that because two different people claim to be "the president," they must be the same person, which is clearly not the case. Additionally, in John 9:9, the blind man says "ἐγώ εἰμι" (I am he) to identify himself as the one who was healed, without any divine connotation.
Jesus used metaphorical language in other parts of the Gospel of John, such as "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35) and "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12). Therefore, "I am" in John 8:58 could be another metaphorical expression emphasizing His preeminence rather than a literal claim to divinity.
Some scholars suggest that the context and linguistic nuances of John 8:58 do not support the interpretation that Jesus was claiming to be God. They argue that the phrase "I AM" could simply be a statement of existence rather than a declaration of divinity. Additionally, the Greek phrase "ego eimi" used in John 8:58 can be translated in various ways, and its interpretation as a divine claim is not universally accepted. This is also aligned with Arianism, where Jesus was God's first creation.
Jesus was a Jew, and would not make a claim that directly contradicts the foundational Jewish belief in the absolute oneness of God. Therefore, the statement should be understood in a way that aligns with Jewish monotheism, possibly as a claim to a special role or status rather than divinity.
Verses such as John 14:28 ("The Father is greater than I") and Mark 13:32 ("But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father") emphasize a distinction between Jesus and God the Father, suggesting that Jesus did not claim to be equal with God in essence.