Re: A cautionary word on EHYEH/YHWH
Alan Repurk (lars@repurk.mw.com)
Fri, 09 Aug 1996 13:47:48 -0700
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. >>
>
>
> I have corrected the above statement to " ...it is striking to note the
> similarity between Jesus' claim and the familiar EGW EIMI of the LXX of the
> Old Testament in references to God. The LXX does not translate YHWH into EGW
> EIMI. It translates EHYEH ASHER EHYEH into EGW EIMI hO WN. Neither does
> YHWH translate into EGW EIMI in Deuteronomy 32:39 or Isaiah 43:10, two other
> passages that were cited.
>
> What I was trying to say was the New Testament writer reproducing Jesus'
> words knew well of the LXX as do a number of New Testament writers. They
> seem to make clear reference to the God or YHWH of the Old Testament.
>
Jim, if I understand the Greek of verse 54, it appears to me that Jesus
is clearly identifying YHWH (the God of those to which he was speaking, the Jews)
with his Father. Surely the idea that the person of Jesus is the same as the
person of his Father would be a foreign concept at that time.
Joh 8:54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is
my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: (KJV)
Joh 8:54 APEKRIQH IHSOUS EAN EGW DOCASW EMAUTON H DOCA MOU OUDEN ESTIN
ESTIN O PATHR MOU O DOCAZWN ME ON UMEIS LEGETE OTI QEOS UMWN ESTIN (WH)
If anyone feels that this thread no longer belongs in B-GREEK, please let me
know either publicly or privately. I tend to feel it may have reached the end of
it's natural life.
Respectfully,
-lars