The Gospel according to John

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The Gospel according to JohnAmen, Amen I AM

• Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.
• Loyola Institute for Spirituality, Orange, CA
• http//catholic-resources.org

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Amen in the Hebrew Bible

• Amen agreement, certainty, faithfulness
• Comes from Hebrew noun for faith
• Greek transliteration aµ??
• Used at end of some psalms, curses, blessings,
  prayers, and prophecies
• Hearers reply, "So be it!" "Yes, I agree!"
• Deut 2715-26 1 Kings 136 1 Chron 1636 Neh
  513 Ps 10648 Jer 286
• Sometimes repeated twice for emphasis
• Num 522 Neh 86 Ps 4113 7219 8952

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Amen in the New Testament

• Used 28 times at end of doxologies, blessings,
  and other prayers
• Rom 125 95 1136 1533 1627 1 Cor 1416
  2 Cor 120 Gal 15 618 Eph 321 Phil
  420 1 Thess 313 1 Tim 117 616 2 Tim
  418 Heb 1321 1 Peter 411 511 2 Peter
  318 Jude 125 Rev 16, 7 314 514 712
  2x 194 2220
• Used 101 times in four Gospels
• Only person who says "Amen" is Jesus (except Mark
  168)
• Jesus begins statements, "Amen, I say to you..."
• Thus, it emphasizes what he says subsequently
• Synoptics 50 times (14x in Mk 31x in Mt only
  6x in Lk)
• John 25 times, always doubled, Amen, Amen

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AMEN, AMEN, I say to you

• Translations
• Amen, amen, I say to you
• Truly, Truly, I tell you
• Very truly I say to you
• I tell you the truth
• Meaning/Effect
• Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
• Listen Up!
• Heres a key point!

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AMEN, AMEN, I say to you

• To Nathanael in Galilee
• 151 Truly, truly, I tell you, you will see
  heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and
  descending upon the Son of Man.
• To Nicodemus in Jerusalem
• 33 Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see
  the kingdom of God without being born from
  above.
• 35 Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter
  the kingdom of God without being born of water
  and Spirit.
• 311 Truly, truly, I tell you, we speak of
  what we know and testify to what we have seen
  yet you do not receive our testimony.

6
AMEN, AMEN, I say to you

• To the Jews in Jerusalem after a Sabbath Healing
  
• 519 Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do
  nothing on his own, but only what he sees the
  Father doing for whatever the Father does, the
  Son does likewise.
• 524 Truly, truly, I tell you, anyone who
  hears my word and believes him who sent me has
  eternal life, and does not come under judgment,
  but has passed from death to life.
• 525 Truly, truly, I tell you, the hour is
  coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear
  the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear
  will live.

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AMEN, AMEN, I say to you

• To Galilean Crowds after Multiplication of the
  Loaves
• 626 Truly, truly, I tell you, you are looking
  for me, not because you saw signs, but because
  you ate your fill of the loaves.
• 632 Truly, truly, I tell you, it was not
  Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it
  is my Father who gives you the true bread from
  heaven.
• 647 Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever
  believes has eternal life.
• 653 Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat
  the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
  you have no life in you.

8
AMEN, AMEN, I say to you

• To Jews in Jerusalem during the Feast of
  Tabernacles
• 834 Truly, truly, I tell you, everyone who
  commits sin is a slave to sin.
• 851 Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever keeps
  my word will never see death.
• 858 Truly, truly, I tell you, before Abraham
  was, I am.

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AMEN, AMEN, I say to you

• To the Pharisees after Healing of the Man Born
  Blind
• 101 Truly, truly, I tell you, anyone who does
  not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in
  by another way is a thief and a bandit.
• 107 Truly, truly, I tell you, I am the gate
  for the sheep.
• To the Disciples after Jesus Entry into
  Jerusalem
• 1224 Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a grain
  of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it
  remains just a single grain but if it dies, it
  bears much fruit.

10
AMEN, AMEN, I say to you

• To Disciples after Washing of the Feet
• 1316 Truly, truly, I tell you, servants are
  not greater than their master, nor are messengers
  greater than the one who sent them.
• 1320 Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever
  receives one whom I send receives me and whoever
  receives me receives him who sent me.
• 1321 After saying this Jesus was troubled in
  spirit, and declared, Truly, truly, I tell you,
  one of you will betray me.
• To Simon Peter at the Last Supper
• 1338 Will you lay down your life for me?
  Truly, truly, I tell you, before the cock crows,
  you will have denied me three times.

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AMEN, AMEN, I say to you

• To all Disciples at the Last Supper
• 1412 Truly, truly, I tell you, the one who
  believes in me will also do the works that I do
  and, in fact, will do greater works than these,
  because I am going to the Father.
• 1620 Truly, truly, I tell you, you will weep
  and mourn, but the world will rejoice you will
  have pain, but your pain will turn into joy.
• 1623 On that day you will ask nothing of me.
  Truly, truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of
  the Father in my name, he will give it to you.

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AMEN, AMEN, I say to you

• To Simon Peter after the Resurrection
• 2118 Truly, truly, I tell you, when you were
  younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to
  go wherever you wished. But when you grow old,
  you will stretch out your hands, and someone else
  will fasten a belt around you and take you where
  you do not wish to go.

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Jesus in the Fourth Gospel

• Amen!
• Amen!

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.
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I AM

• Hebrew YHWH Greek EGW EIMI

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I AM in the HB/OT

• Hebrew YHWH Greek EGW EIMI
• Gods Proper Name I Am Who Am
• Pronunciation Yahweh? (not Jehovah)
• Exod 314 God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM.
  And he said, Say this to the people of Israel, I
  AM has sent me to you.
• Exod 62 And God said to Moses, I am the
  LORD.
• Deut 64-5 Hear, O Israel The LORD is our
  God, the LORD alone. You shall love the LORD your
  God with all your heart, and with all your soul,
  and with all your might.
• Deut 3239a See now that I, even I, am he, and
  there is no god beside me
• Most of these are translated EGW EIMI in the
  LXX.

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I AM Sayings in John

• Absolute Emphatic Claims I Am.
• 426
• 620
• 824, 28, 58
• 1319
• 185-8
• Predicate Emphatic Images I Am
• Familiar biblical images
• Bread, Light, Life, etc.

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Absolute I AM Claims

• Caution Some modern English Bibles translate ego
  eimi as I am he, but the pronoun he is not
  explicitly written in the Greek text.
• To the Samaritan Woman at Jacobs well near the
  town of Sychar
• 426 - I who speak to you am (he). lit. I
  am, the one speaking with you.
• To his disciples in the boat while Jesus is
  walking on the Sea of Galilee
• 620 - It is I (lit. I Am) do not be afraid.
  (par. Mark 650 Matt 1427)

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Absolute I AM Claims

• To the Jews in Jerusalem at the Feast of
  Tabernacles
• 824 I told you that you would die in your
  sins, for you will die in your sins unless you
  believe that I am (he).
• 828 When you have lifted up the Son of man,
  then you will know that I am (he), and that I do
  nothing on my own authority but speak thus as the
  Father taught me.
• 858 Truly, truly, I say to you, before
  Abraham was, I am.

20
Absolute I AM Claims

• To his disciples at the Last Supper in Jerusalem
• 1319 I tell you this now, before it takes
  place, that when it does take place you may
  believe that I am (he).
• To soldiers and guards who come to arrest Jesus
  in the Garden in the Kidron Valley (Gethsemane)
• 185a They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth.
  Jesus said to them, I am (he).
• 186 When he said to them, I am (he), they
  drew back and fell to the ground.
• 188 I told you that I am (he) so, if you
  seek me, let these men go.

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Predicate Images I AM

• the bread of life
• the bread come down from heaven
• the light of the world
• the one bearing witness
• the door of the sheep
• the good shepherd
• the resurrection and the life
• the way, truth, and life
• the true vine

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I AM(some image used for God)

• To the crowds in Galilee after the Feeding of the
  5000 (in Bread of Life Discourse)
• 635 - I am the bread of life he who comes to
  me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me
  shall never thirst.
• 641 - The Jews then murmured at him, because he
  said, I am the bread which came down from
  heaven.
• 648 - I am the bread of life.
• 651ab - I am the living bread which came down
  from heaven if any one eats of this bread, he
  will live for ever

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I AM the Bread of Life
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I AM(some image used for God)

• To the Jews in Jerusalem at the Feast of
  Tabernacles
• 812 - I am the light of the world he who
  follows me will not walk in darkness, but will
  have the light of life. (cf. 95)
• 818 - I bear witness to myself (lit. I am the
  one witnessing...) to myself, and the Father who
  sent me bears witness to me.
• 823 (twice) - He said to them, You are from
  below, I am from above you are of this world, I
  am not of this world.

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I AM the Light of the World
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I AM(some image used for God)

• To the Jews after Jesus gives sight to the Man
  Born Blind (Good Shepherd Discourse)
• 107 - Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door
  of the sheep.
• 109 - I am the door if any one enters by me,
  he will be saved, and will go in and out and find
  pasture.
• 1011 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd
  lays down his life for the sheep.
• 1014 - I am the good shepherd I know my own
  and my own know me,

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I AM Sheepgate / Shepherd
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I AM(some image used for God)

• To Martha of Bethany, just before Jesus raises
  her brother, Lazarus, back to life
• 1125 - I am the resurrection and the life he
  who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he
  live,
• To his disciples at their last meal together (the
  Last Supper Discourse)
• 146 - I am the way, and the truth, and the
  life no one comes to the Father, but by me.

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I AM Resurrection Life
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I AM the Way, Truth, Life
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I AM(some image used for God)

• In the Last Supper Discourse (cont.)
• 151 - I am the true vine, and my Father is the
  vinedresser.
• 155 - I am the vine, you are the branches. He
  who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that
  bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do
  nothing.

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I AM the Vine
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Further Resources

• Amen, Amen sayings
• http//catholic-resources.org/John/Themes-Amen.htm
  
• I Am sayings
• http//catholic-resources.org/John/Themes-IAM.htm