The Trinitarian
Claim
Trinitarians claim that Jesus was here intentionally using unique language to identify himself as Yahweh who pre-exists as a person before Abraham and for this reason the Jews wanted to stone him.
Examination of the Claim
Trinitarians are actually making three distinct claims with regard to this verse:
A. Jesus was invoking the divine name (YAHWEH) given to Moses at Exodus 3:14 and is therefore identifying himself as God, that is, YAHWEH.
B. Jesus was claiming to be a pre-existent person who existed as a person before Abraham existed.
C. The Jews wanted to stone Jesus for claiming to be their God.
A. The Divine Name Claim
1. Ego eimi
Trinitarians claim that the Greek words ego eimi, "I am," are an intentional language technique implemented by Jesus to invoke the divine name and identify himself as Yahweh God. The words ego eimi are used often in John. For example, Jesus uses the term in chapter 4 to simply mean he is the Christ. He uses the words, "I am" to mean "It is me" in chapter 6. In chapter 18, we find the Romans looking for Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus responds by saying "I am," meaning "I am Jesus of Nazareth." This term is common in John's gospel and is not intended to convey the concept of "YHWH." Trinitarians go well beyond John's use of the term in his gospel to promote their doctrine.
In the Greek Septuagint, the actual divine name given to Moses was not simply, "ego eim," but was rather, "ego eimi ho on which means "I am the being" or "I am the existence" or "I am the existent one" or some similar concept. The divine name was not simply the two words ego eimi as Trinitarians suggestively imply here for this verse.
2. The Blind Man who said "I AM"
Let's have a look at a passage in the very next chapter of John's Gospel.
As he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him. We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." As he said this, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man's eyes with the clay, saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.
The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar, said,
"Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?"
Some said, "It is he."
Others said, "No, but he is like him."
He said, "I AM."
The Greek does not say, "I am he" or "I am the man" or anything of the sort. This man simply said, "ego eimi, "I AM." In fact, when the people were identifying him they did not say, "It is he," but simply "This is" in the third person, the very same thing as saying "I am," in the first person. This is John's vocabulary. But Trinitarians do not seem to have any diligence or respect for these matters. Indeed, the blind man when asked to be identified said only the two words, "I AM" and he is the only person to use these two words alone in the New Testament.
So why don't Trinitarians claim this fellow was invoking the divine name? The answer to that question is plainly obvious: because it does not suit their agenda. They simply have granted themselves a license to claim the words "I am" mean "YAHWEH" at John 8:58 but these selfsame words do not mean "YAHWEH at John 9:9. We can see quite clearly here that the words "I am", ego eimi where used by John in a variety of ways.
Since the blind man uses the exact same type of language, it is quite plain that Jesus was most definitely not implementing a unique language convention to identify himself as Yahweh God. These words did no such thing as we can see in the example of the blind man.
3. The Extent of the Trinitarian Folly
Now, let us even suppose, just for the sake of argument, that Jesus did intend to use the divine name YAHWEH. If he did, could we then say "Jesus is God?" Absolutely not as we shall now see. It gets quite amusing when we go back to Exodus 3:15 where we are first informed of the name "YAHWEH" (Yahweh).
And the angel of Yahweh appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when Yahweh saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. And Yahweh said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.
Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Yahweh, God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. (KJV, "LORD" shown to read "Yahweh" as the word "LORD" is intended to indicate).
This was an angel of Yahweh. Stephen testifying before the Sanhedrin also says plainly that it was an angel that appeared to Moses (7:30-31).
Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw it he wondered at the sight; and as he drew near to look, the voice of the Lord came, "I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.' And Moses trembled and did not dare to look. (Acts 7:30-33 RSV).
Many times in the Old Testament we see this very same thing occurring.1 An angel of the Lord appears and he speaks, and is spoken to, as if he were Yahweh himself. In fact, Yahweh says that his "name is in him" referring to an angel of Yahweh and in the context of forgiving transgressions. And indeed Jesus tells us that his Father's name was in him and he made his Father's name known to the Jews (Jn 17:6, 11-12,26; cf. 5:43; 10:25; 12:48). Now let us also be reminded that Jesus teaches that no one has ever seen God or heard his voice but he himself. Let us also be reminded Jesus' sheep do hear his own voice. Because the angel of Yahweh is speaking in the name of God, he is acting as God's voice, and so when one dialogues with the angel he is dialoguing with an ambassador and emissary of God. The angel was an agent through which God spoke and was speaking in the name of Yahweh.
Now why is it that when an angel says, "I AM," he is not to be misconstrued as God himself, but when Jesus says "I AM" the Trinitarian expects everyone to accept that he is most definitely saying that he, Jesus, is God? Again, the answer is simple: it suits his Trinitarian agenda. Jesus made it abundantly plain what is happening here, but just like the Jewish Pharisees before him, he doesn't want to see what Jesus really taught. All he wants to see is what suits his Trinitarian agenda.
Let us go even further and discover what Jesus had taught.
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God. (1:1)
For he [the Word] whom God has sent utters the words of God, for it is not by measure that he gives the Spirit. (3:34).
Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever he does, that the Son does likewise.(5:19).
I am able to do nothing from myself, just as I hear I judge (5:30)
I have come in the name of my Father, and you do not receive me, if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? (5:43-44).
My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me, if any man's will is to do his will, he shall know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory, but he who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. (7:16-18).
I [the Word] know him, for I [the Word] come from him, and he sent me [the Word]. (7:29).
Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing from myself but as my Father teaches me I speak. (8:28).
For I [the Word of God] do not speak out of myself. The Father who sent me has himself given me commandment what to say and what to speak. (12:49).
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak from myself but the Father who abides in me does his works. (14:10).
I have given them the words which you gave me, and they have received them and know in truth that I [Your Word] came from you and they have believed that you have sent me.(17:8).
Father.... I made known to them your name (17:1, 26).
Jesus was the Word of God. He was God's expression of himself to Israel. As God's Word he was God's voice to Israel. He was "sent" by God; the word "sent" is the verb form of the word "apostle" which means "one sent." And then at John 20:21-22, he says, "Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, now I also send you.... Receive the Holy Spirit." As the Father sent him, now he sends his disciples. As he was the Word of God, now they are a Word of Christ, speaking that Word, that Good News which is Christ. They will express him to the world in what they say and what they do and they will be his witnesses, his voice. They will speak things in his name and do things in his name, that is, under his reputation and authority. In the very same way, Jesus was the "Word of God." He was God's voice to Israel and revealed the name of God his Father, that is, God's character. What he sayeth, the Lord God YAHWEH sayeth, and this is why Jesus says he only spoke and did what he saw the Father teaching and doing. If Jesus is the Word of God, what do you expect him to utter but "I AM." it does not mean God's Word is "I AM" but that God is "I AM."
[YAHWEH]: I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. (Deuteronomy 18:18)
Moses said, "The Lord God [YAHWEH] will raise up for you a prophet from your brethren as he raised me up. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. And it shall be that every soul that does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.' And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came afterwards, also proclaimed these days. You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God gave to your fathers, saying to Abraham, "And in your posterity shall all the families of the earth be blessed.' God, having raised up his servant2, sent him to you first, to bless you in turning every one of you from your wickedness. (Acts 7:22-25 RSV).
Pr Jesus is God's Word. YAHWEH will put HIS words in Jesus' mouth. And Jesus tells us straight up in the Gospel of John that this is exactly what God is doing. Peter tells us that particular Old Testament passage refers to Jesus at Acts 3:22 where he explains that Yahweh sent his servant-son Jesus to Israel. So when God speaks what do you expect to hear? Do you not expect to hear his word? Jesus was that word. John opens this very gospel by identifying him as the Word of God. He was God's Logos, his Word. The Greek word "Logos" means much more than "a word." It is a word which means Jesus was God's full expression of himself since that word came out of his very bosom (1:18). He was God's word sent out from him and since God's word is true, he was true, and since God's word fulfills his purpose, he fulfilled God's purpose, because he was that word. So when God says, "I AM," through an angel of the LORD, you hear him speak and when God's very own word is standing before you in the form of a man, you hear God speak in and express himself in an even more profound way. His ways are marvelous. Jesus was not Yahweh; he was his Father Yahweh's word and to hear Jesus his Word say "I AM" was to hear Yahweh his Father's voice say, "I AM."
So even IF Jesus WAS using the words to mean "YHVH" the Trinitarian still would have no case. But as we shall now see, Jesus never intended his words as a reference to Yahweh in the first place.
B. The Pre-existent Person Claim
1. Angels, including Satan, can say "Before Abraham was I am."
Trinitarians often claim that if Jesus existed as a person before Abraham that he must therefore be God since only God could possibly exist before Abraham and still be existing. However, the folly of this argument is seen when it is realized that many angels existed before Abraham and they are still quite alive and well, including Satan and his angels, and it seems to this writer that we can be quite certain that this would not mean any of them are "God."
Jesus is the Word become flesh, the same Word which was with God in the beginning. This Word existed before Abraham. Once the Word became flesh, henceforth and thereafter that flesh named Jesus could then say that he existed before Abraham because the Word which has existed before Abraham had become that flesh named Jesus. In other words, when Jesus made this statement, the Word which had existed before Abraham had become an equivalent thing to the man Jesus. Whatever had been true of the Word is now true of Jesus.
C. The Trinitarian Blasphemy Claim
Trinitarian apologists have an unwarranted interpretation of John 8:58. They claim that these Jews understood Jesus was claiming to be YAHWEH and that is why they wanted to stone him. They will further claim that these Jews would not have attempted to stone Jesus unless he was claiming to be God. However, we shall soon see this is quite ridiculous. They also stoned Stephen. Was Stephen claiming to be God too? The Jews completely understood through John's gospel that he was claiming to be God's Son, that is, YAHWEH's son and that is what really irritated them. This can be seen quite clearly at John 19:7 where the Jews finally charged him with claiming to be the Son of God. At John 5:18 we discover the Jews want to kill Jesus because he is claiming that God was his own Father. And if we look closer and read further we find at John 8:41 Jesus and the Jews having a bit of a showdown and these Jews themselves claimed God was their Father. The difference was that Jesus was claiming to be God's Son in the sense that he was a person conceived by a divine father and they were not and this is why they wanted to kill him. Jesus was affording himself a status higher than these Jewish rulers of Israel and this was a major cause for jealousy and anger. Indeed, Mark tells us plainly this is why they conspired to hand him over. And in the end they conspired to have him arrested and brought to trial for claiming to be the Son of God their Father. Anything which was perceived to be defiling God's name was considered blasphemy. One did not need to claim to be God to blaspheme his name.
To claim that these men would only stone Jesus if he was claiming to be God, not only ignores the motives that men of the same stock had when they stoned Stephen, it also assumes that these men were righteous Law abiding Jews and it also completely ignores what Jesus had just said about these men. He had called them children of the devil and as such indicated they were liars and murderers.
You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 8:44.
These were the men who conspired to murder the son of God. They didn't need a Law to want him dead. We are also told in the Scriptures that they killed an innocent man.
Analysis of the Claim
1. The Context
The Jews had asked Jesus if he claimed to be greater than their forefather Abraham. In their minds, there was no one greater among them or any other Jew greater than Abraham who was counted as a friend of God. It was for this reason they made claims like, "we have Abraham as our father" to justify themselves.
Do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. (Matthew 3:9).
2. Before means Greater
Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I am." In this selfsame Gospel, John gives us the very principle believed by Jews which brought them to this anger:
John testified concerning him and cried out saying, "This is he of whom I said, 'He who comes before me has precedence because he was before me.'" (1:15; cf. 1:30).
Obviously, this is the reason the Jews were angry at Jesus and wanted to stone him and not because they thought he was claiming to be Yahweh. These Jews had just asked Jesus, "Are you greater than our father Abraham?" Jesus' answer at John 8:58 was, "." This is what angered the Jews. He was not only claiming to be greater than these Jews themselves,> but greater than their father Abraham who they considered to be greater than all of them. They knew that because he was claiming to be the Son of God that Jesus was claiming not only to be greater than them, which really angered them, but now he was illustrating he was greater than Abraham, and none of them would dare to ever make such a claim for themselves. This incited huge jealousy and anger among them. The whole world was following after Jesus and this was not only threatening their role as leaders but Jesus was also instructing the people they were not doing things right against the Jewish establishment. Jesus was before Abraham and thus greater than Abraham. And this is why they wanted to stone him and finally charged him, not with claiming to be "God," but claiming to be the Son of God. And of course, these Jews were not Trinitarians who presumed the term "Son of God" meant Jesus was also "God."
He who is of God hears the words of God; the reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God. (John 8:47)
Last Updated: March 12, 2011
