Beit Yahuwah: Journal of the Charismatic Church

This Journal aims to increase the prostration to and service of Yahuwah, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit in all the earth, to bring glory to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through the encouragement here contained the Church may rise up to her calling to govern and judge the world in Christ Jesus.

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Scriptures of the Early Church

The Scriptures of the Early Church

The Church in Israel was living in a nation which had been reconstituted after is exile to Babylon. Around 586 BC they had been exiled and began to return in about 539 BC. A community of Hebrews continued and in Babylon but the language of Judah or Hebrew was becoming less and lee know and the language of Babylon Aramaic was becoming the lingua franca for the Ordinary Jews. In order of them to understand the scriptures they needed translation from Hebrew into Aramaic. The Persian empire of Cyrus, which ruled in Eretz Israel from around 539 BC to 332 BC used Aramaic. So the use of Translators increased and the Targumim were developed. Hence from eretz Yisrael eastward the scripture was in Hebrew and Aramaic.
Greeks.
In 334 BC Alexander the Great defeated the successor to Cyrus, and in 332 BC he took eretz Israel. And the process of the spread of Greek culture Hellenization, from Egypt to India took place after his death in 323 BC. The diadochi or four generals of Alexander took over his kingdom. In Syria the dynasty of the Seleucids took over and in Egypt the Ptolemies ended up in control. Eretz Israel came under the rule of either one of these families. The communi9ties were speaking dialects of Greek. In Egypt the family of Ptolemy saw Lagi Soter take the rule of Egypt in 323 BC. He ruled until 285BC. His son was Philadelphus (285-246 BC). He had a very large library and it is reckoned that he desired to have all the books of the world in his library. He heard of the Jewish scriptures and commissioned a translation under his librarian Demetrius[1]. Thus began the beginning of the Pentatuech or Torah into Greek. The work of translation is believed to have continued over the next two centuries. The Greek Scriptures continued as dominant in the Hellenistic world even when the Romans took over. And the languages in the west of the empire were Greek. In Alexandria, Greek, in Eretz Israel the scriptures were the Masoretic Text (MTT), the Targums in Aramaic and the versions of a Greek text Lxx were in use. In the north, in Syria, the Lxx (Septuagint) or another the Old Greek were in use. Lxx, in the major cities like Antioch but if you went out to the villages Syriac a dialect of Aramaic was in use in the Synagogues and they had the forerunner to a text known as the Peshitta meaning simple in Aramaic. Over in the east in the area of Edessa Nisibus there were Greek speaking people but the text in use was probably a Masoretic tradition Syriac text, probably the Peshitta. So as the Church arose out of the synagogues, the community scripture would become the bible of that Church


The Scriptures of Paul
By the times of the first century BC, there were then scripture in a number of languages available.
The Scripture was divided into the Torah, the Prophets and the Psalms. They were read in the synagogue each Shabbat and as we can see from Acts, Paul had the policy of going into the town and finding the synagogue and joining the worship on Shabbat. During this service the Torah would be read and this was followed by the reading of the Haphtorah.[2] Someone would then get up and give a word based on the reading or some other matter. In Eretz Yisrael as the Torah was read each verse (parasha) would be interpreted by the meturgeman (professional translator). In the Prophets the translation would take place after every three verses[3]. In the end the Targumim took set form and were written.
Aramaic: The Targumim. The Targum was not read in the synagogue but private collection were permitted and could be read in private study.
The Targums were not always direct literal translations. Indeed they had the function of
1 Harmonising difficult texts
2 Reconciling Biblical texts to tradition
3 spread traditions
4 providing specificity for the listener

So we can hear the culture and beliefs of the community where they operated. This is also true of the Greek versions of the Bible. They too included aggadic supplements in their version. They also were not only translated word for word but included addition and removals, for example in t book of Esther is longer in the LXX and the book of Job shorter, than the MT.

The First Century Scripture or Targums
Aramaic
1 Targum to Job: There is a tradition that one was circulating in the reign of Gamaliel I the teacher of the Apostle Paul.

2 Targum Onkelos: the official Babylonian Targum was redacted by the third century AD. From Israel and exported to Babylon. A literal translation, sometimes paraphrases are used and poetic portions reduced. They
Israeli Targums of Torah
3 Codex Neofiti I Galilean Targum

4 Targum Jonathan (Pseudo Jonathan in the West), Yerushalayim I (Galilean Jewish Aramaic)
free aggadic handling of the text, no figurative speech, no anthropomorphisms for God. Source of Jewish teachings during Talmudic period.

5 Fragmentary Targum (Yerushalayim II) 850 verses
three quarters history of the Penta one quarter Ex Lev Num Legal portions

Targum to the Prophets
1 Targum Jonathan. Orginated first centuries AD in Israel. Believed to be written by Jonatham ben Uzziel, Hillel’s most famous student , first century BC. A voice came from heaven when he was translating it. “Who has revealed my secrets?Quoted in the Talmud by san 94b meg.3a mk 28b.
Aggad in Is 12:333:22,62:10, Mich 6:4

Syriac (Eastern Aramaic): Peshitta and other versions
A tradition says that this was made for King Abgar of Edessa who sent 5 scholars to Israel to translate the bile into Syriac. We can see this in the commentary of Bar Hebrseus to Psalm 10. Some identify King Abgar with King Izates II of Adiabene who converted to Judaism in the first century CE (Ant 20:69-71)
Greek Versions
1 The Lxx where the name of Yahwah was regularly transliterated into Greek letters, or Aramaic letters or was left in paleo Hebrew.
After Paul.
2 Acquila second century
3 Theodotion (convert to Judaism) Tried to reconcile Septuagint to MT
4 Symmachus (samaritan or Christian)
[1] Testified in the Letter of Aristeas 2nd century BC
[2] These were reading from the prophets, similar in theme to the readings of the Torah. During the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Jews were banned from reading the Torah. So they substituted readings from the prophets instead. These were the Haphtorah reading. Paul will have heard this when he entered the Synagogues. In Luke 4 we see Yeshua carrying out a reading from a Torah scroll.
[3] The rules for reading the Targum are a part of Halakha and are recorded in Meg. 4:4-10; Meg. 23b-25b; Tosef., Meg.4:20-41. Fro Encyclopedia Judaica “Bible”: Translations Aramaic: The Targumimim.

Paul and Yahuwah

Introduction
In the thirteen letters of the Pauline literature of the New Testament, the title Jesus is Lord plays a very significant role. For example in 1Corinthians 12:2 Paul says

“no man can say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Spirit”[1]
oudeis dunati eipein Kurious Iesous ei meh en pneumati agio[2].

Also in Romans 10:9 Paul states

“If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised from the dead, thou shalt be saved”

“Hoti ean homologeses to rema en to stomati sou oti Kurious Iesous kai pisteuses en to kardia sou hoti ho Theos auton egeiren ek nekron sotheseh

So we see that the this confession and this saying Jesus is Lord is a source of salvation and a saying which is so important to Paul, that only by the Holy Spirit can it be said. So the task of this investigation is to see what Paul means when he takes the noun Kurious and applies it as an absolute title to Jesus.

Context of the Words
In the first century there were two main empires prevalent in the regions of Europe, Asia and Africa where Paul and the early Church operated. The first is the Roman Empire whose languages were Latin and Greek with Greek being the lingua franca of the day. From the days of Alexander the Great (336-323 BC) Greek was being spoken from Greece southward to Egypt and eastward all the way over to India. Also in the first century the Parthian Empire had inherited the lands east of the River Euphrates. In this Parthian world the language was that of Aramaic which had a literary branch which was Syriac. There are many dialects of Syriac even as there were many dialects of Hellenistic Greek. In Palestine we can add the language of the Masoretic Text of the Bible which was Hebrew. These are the three main languages which in the world which Paul ministered in. And so in trying to understand what a man was saying when he said Jesus is Lord or Kurious, will require us to take into account the languages of Hebrew and Aramaic, which lay behind the Greek confession Kurious Iesous. The confession in Hebrew could be Adon Yeshua, Adon Yehoshua, Adonai Yehoshua[3] or Adonai Yeshua[4] could it also read Yahwah hu Yeshua?[5] or words to that effect. In Aramaic, which both Paul and Yeshua spoke[6], the confession could be Mara Yeshua.[7]

Kurious, Yah’wah and Jewish tradition
It is apparent that there are a number of possibilities as to what Paul meant when he said Kurious Iesous. The first is that the person would be saying Jesus is Yahwah. That is Kurious here represent a translation of the Hebrew name of God, the tetragrammaton. This would be the highest use of the title Kurious. In the Christian copies of the Septuagint Kurious [8]is the word used to transliterate the tetragrammaton. Clearly for someone to say Jesus is Yahwah in the hearing of a Jew in the first century would be considered blasphemy. The Mishnah, although redacted in the third century, contains within it information on this matter. And the accepted position is that if someone used the name it would be considered blasphemy and worthy of death[9]. The evidence we have from this period appears to there were differing position of the used of the Tetragramaton during the second temple period.
There appears to be at least tradition where the name is actually used.
The first is by the high priest on Yom Kippour, second it was used at baptism by the Hemerobaptists (Morning bathers) after immersion, thirdly it was used by the Pharisees without immersion and fourthly it was used to greet people except in the case of the Minim who refused to use it. In all these cases the Expressed name Yahwah is referred and as we see the ideas behind using the name are in subject matter linked with the ideas in Paul’s mind when he speaks of confessing Jesus is Lord.

1 The High Priest on Yom Kippour and the Tetragrammaton
the confession of the High priest at Yom Kippor are recorded in Mishna Yoma 3 and 4.The high priest is said to say the name 10 times on Yom kippour. “ten times …the high priest mentioned the Expressed name on the Day of Atonement” (Alon 1977 p.237). And in his prayer he was beseeching Yah’wah to atone for his sin and the sins of Israel. This could help us to understand why Paul considers that there is so much power involved in the confession. Jesus is Lord. For if by confessing Jesus is Lord salvation is effected for “with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”[10] and we know that salvation in early Christian thought is tied to forgiveness of sins[11] just as Yom Kippor into do with confession and the forgiveness of sin.
According to Jewish tradition from this period the name was only spoken by the high priest once a year on Yom Kippour in the holy of holies[12].

Interestingly enough this would tie the name with the idea of atonement and the forgiveness of sins which are connected with the day of atonement, and this is what Paul connects the name with in Romans 10. For there it is connected with salvation. And if we compare this spiritual connection with the idea that belief in the resurrection is demonstrated through baptism[13], which is connected with the forgiveness of sins[14].



The Background to the Title Kurious Iesous Jesus is Lord
In the studies at present to understand where the early Christian community derived the absolute title Kurious for Iesous from the focus of the scholars has been the cultural environment of the proclamation of the gospel. Fitzmyer (1997) has summarised the four main positions relating to the source of the title Kurious.[15] The four main positions he outlines are
(1) It has a Hellenistic Pagan Background. As perhaps illustrated by Paul’s statement in 1 Cor 8:5-6[16] The case is that the title is taken over from the use of Kurious as a title for gods in the near east of that period. Fitzmyer gives a list of scholars present in this case.
(2) It has a Hellenistic Jewish background. The case here is that the title Ho Kurious (The Lord) developed out of the Greek equivalents of Biblical titles of Yah’wah whether in Hebrew or in Aramaic. So we have Adon and its from with suffix Adonai which literally means My lords but became an absolute title for Yah’wah[17].So in translating this in the Old Greek or the Septuagint Kurious would have been used.
(3) It has an Israeli Semitic Religious Background. Here the title is said to have “originated in the post-Easter Jewish-Christian community of Palestine” (Fitzmyer 1997 pg 117) In this case Yeshua would have been confessed as Adon in Hebrew or Marah in Aramaic. And these title would have arisen from the use of these title for Yah’wah in Israel among Israeli Jews of the first century. The case is based on the evidence of the use of the term Marah (Lord) in Aramaic with its suffixes as in Marai (my Lord) or Maron (our Lord). Often in the construct for giving a title of Yah’wah
(4) It has an Israeli Semitic Secular Background
That is it developed in the context of the use of Adon or Marah as “Sir” or as terms of respect. These develop into their forms with suffixes i.e Adoni (my Lord) and Marai. We see this then in Marks gospel 7:28 where Kurie is used and Yeshua addressed as “Sir”.

Our task is not to see where the early Church got the title from, rather our task is to understand what Paul understood the believer was saying when he confessed or said Kurious Iesous. We know that Paul when speaking or writing used both Greek and Aramaic.[18] We know that he quoted the Septuagint and when sharing in Synagogues he would have heard either the Masoretic Text, The LXX, and the Targumim. And we know these three sources would have represented the scriptures in most places where Paul would have preached. My contention is that the understanding of the confession Kurious Iesous. In the Pauline literature comes not simply by seeing how Paul quotes the scripture to refer to Yeshua but seeing how he views the Apostolic ministry and the postion of Yeshua in his reflections on Scripture. Much scripture is reflected in his writing although not a direct quote it can be seen as commentary on the fulfilment of scripture and points us to Paul’s understanding of the confession Kurious Iesous.
T H R E E
Adonai and Yah’wah and Kurious and in the Septuagint (LXX)
What is the confession Kurious Iesous Christos since two Hebrew words lie behind the common noun Kurious? The first is Yah’wah[19] the proper name and eternal and personal name of the God of Yisrael[20]. The second is Adonai a common Hebrew noun meaning Lord or Sir. The blurring of the two words was originally felt to have come with the Jewish Hellenistic translation of the Hebrew Scriptures in Greek in the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus[21]. However with discoveries of manuscripts in the last century it is by no means certain that the LXX (Septuagint) did not maintain the distinction between Yahwah and Adonai in translation. Royse (1991)[22] in the Hebrew scriptures, there is a clear difference in the use and the importance of the name Yah’wah and the title Adonai and the terms are used many times as a title of God as in Adonai Yahwah[23], the Lord Yahwah[24]. The Septuagint manuscripts of the 4th century and much of the Greek New Testament manuscripts we had up until 100 years ago, translated both words as Kurious. However it is now certain that many Greek manuscripts of the Tanakh, including both the LXX and Aquila’s translation included a specific representation of the Tetragrammaton distinct from Kurious. A number of scholars have gone as far as to try to chronicle the movement in translation policy towards Kurious[25]and they suggest four stages in the process. First Yah’wah was transliterated as Iao (iota, Aleph, Omega) And this is witness by Diodorus the Sicilian[26] from the first century BC. Then they transliterated Yah’wah into Aramaic script. Then they used Paleo-Hebrew and finally Kurious substituted Royse (1991 ibid). A discussion of the evidence is found in (Metzger, 1981) [27], for support of the idea that Kurious was in the LXX see N.A. Dahl and A. F Segal (1978)[28]. Back in 1959 Kahle could confidently say “We now know that the Greek Bible text as far as it was written by Jews for Jews did not translate the divine name by Kurious, but the Tetragrammaton written with Hebrew or Greek letters was retained in such Mss”[29] Now if this is the case and the first century manuscripts of the Greek Bible had a form of Yah’wah in the text different from Kurious what of Paul’s letters back in the first century? Some have said the Christians translated Yah’wah to Kurious when the Hebrew was not understood any more (in Royse 1991). Well at the time of Paul they did know the name and it was understood and Paul was a Jew. It is quite possible that if we found Paul’s manuscripts from the first century and he was quoting as he often does the LXX we would find that Jesus is Lord could be Jesus is Iao (Yah’wah). And that this was as Edwin Blackman states “The irreducible minimum of Christian faith” (TIOCB 1971 pg 787) and a part of the “earliest baptismal confession” (ibid)[30].
The Role of the Words as a Confession at Baptism

Romans was written from Corinth around AD 55/56 winter (Murphy O Connor pp 104-105) or in AD 57 Barker(1985 p1665).

Romans 10:9
“Hoti ean homologeses to rema en to stomati sou oti Kurious Iesous kai pisteuses en to kardia sou
That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart
Hoti ho Theos auton egeiren ek nekron sothese. Kardia gar pisteuetai eis dikaisunen stomati de omologeitai eis soterian
That God raised from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses resulting in salvation.”

The passage draws our attention again because of the apparent simplicity of the action to believe that Yeshua had risen from the dead by God’s power and to confess or say the words Kurious Iesous. The result being salvation. There are a number of issues raised by this text in the context of Pauline Theology and the New Testament. For example where is the Christ and him crucified of I Corinthians? What does it means to confess Kurious Iesous? What does it mean to be saved? Saved from what and perhaps even saved for what? Our need however is really to understand what we are confessing when we say “Kurious Iesous” and what is the significance of saying or confessing in the mind of the first century Church of AD 52- AD 57.

The Role of Confession
At least three aspects of the confession Kurious Iesous need to be explained. The first is the significance of confession in the New Testament and first century Church as opposed to the thinking of the words Kurious Iesous. Secondly the meaning of the words actually expressed and why those words carry so much significance. And what perhaps are they equivalent to in Paul’s pre Apostolic Pharisaism? What did those words mean to the Jews who they were confessed by or among and what did they mean to the Greeks and the Barbarians who confessed them. Thirdly how is it that by saying them salvation could operate in the confessor. And why is it that to Paul the whole universe and plan of God is moving towards the confession Kurious Iesous Christos.

Confession, Proclamation, Speech and Sayings
The early Church had as Scripture the Torah, the Prophets and the Psalms[31]. The Church had a message the life death and resurrection of their Lord Jesus Christ. Before the letter to the Philippians around AD 52-54, it would appear that very little literature had gone out into the Church[32]. Even if we accept AD 45 as a possible date for James it still represents a miniscule amount of literature for the 15 years since the birth of the Church of Mashiach on Shavuoth AD 30. The reason for this is clear the Church was sent to make disciples (matheteusate) to baptize them (baptitzontes autous) teaching (didascontes) the same disciples to observe the commands Yeshua had given the disciples by the words of his mouth[33].
According to Mark (16:16) the Apostles were commissioned to preach (cherutsate) the good news to all creation (paseh teh chtisei) and everyone who believed and was baptised would be saved [34](sothesetai[35]) would person not believing would be condemned (katachrithesetai) or judged against[36]. Again in Luke(24:44-9) we have the idea that the Church is sent to proclaim (herald) the message which would usually go beyond mere writing into speech. Luke’s words again have parallels with Roman (10:9) and are worth seeing
“Thus it is written that Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; and repentance for forgiveness and (for) forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in (on the bases of) his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” Here in common with Romans10 we have the resurrection and a notice of the name, salvation is missing and baptism is missing . We may ask is this the name simply as in authority? Or is it the name as in the name he received after the resurrection which Paul gives us in Philippians 2:9 which most scholars hold to be the tetragrammaton, Yah’wah[37] This name then on baptism would be confessed, the person then would not be judged against, but saved[38]. In Matthew and Mark baptism is seen as an essential ingredient of the Apostolic proclamation. But in Luke it is missing altogether. Luke in early Church tradition[39], in the book of Acts (see chapter 21-where Luke uses We when travelling with Paul) and 2 Timothy 4:11, is considered a close associate with Paul. And Paul distinguishes between preaching, which he considered his mission and baptizing which he did but was not sent to do. As he said in 1 Corinthians “Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel” So for Paul words (admittedly not clever or eloquent words 1 Cor 1) were very important.
The Church then of the first century saw preaching, sayings, speech, combined with Baptism and faith, as very powerful and it was the means appointed to build the Church and spread the gospel.





The Role of the Words as a saying in the Spirit a “prophetic level” saying
1 Corinthians O Connor (1996) dates as April / May, AD 54 and was written from Ephesus, towards the end of Paul’s residence in there
I Corinthians 12
“Peri de ton pneumatikon adelphoi ou thelo umas agnoein…gnoritzo umin hoti oudeis en
Now concerning spiritual gifts brethren I would not have you ignorant. Wherefore I give you to understand that no man
pneumati Theou lalon legei Anathema Iesous , kai oudeis dunati eipein Kurious Iesous ei meh en pneumati agio”
speaking by the spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: that no one can say that Jesus is the Lord , but by the Holy Ghost”
This passage draws our attention not because they who are speaking by the Holy Spirit will not say Jesus be accursed, because this would appear quite naturally. Indeed it is very likely that Paul is giving this instruction because some one carried away in the Corinthian meeting cried out “Anathema Iesous”. And the Church not being wise in the discerning of spirit’s accepted it as a word in the Holy Spirit. However at least one person got upset and reported to Paul along with the complaints about every one speaking in tongues and no one interpreting. So even as Moses gave instruction how to judge whether a word came from Yah’wah or no[40] so Paul gives instructions to discern whether a word came from the Spirit or no. John gives similar instruction about discerning the Spirit of Antichrist[41]. What draws out attention is when Paul states “No one is able to say Kurious Iesous” except in Pneumati Agio. We also know that people can mouth the word “Jesus is Lord’ and walk away the same way they came. So the problem here is what does Paul mean by this statement. His advice is to inform the Corinthians about spiritual activities.
It is the absoluteness of Paul’s statement that leaves a problem which needs addressing. What does it actually mean to say Kurious Iesous. And is it as W Harold Mare in his comment in the NIV Study Bible pg1750, notes that someone is saying not “Jesus is master” or “Jesus is Lord” using the word Kurious to reflect the Hebrew word Adonai (emphatic form of Adon) or Adon (from an unused root meaning to rule, sovereign or controller[42]) but rather that some one saying Jesus is Yahwah that is to say Jesus is “God of Israel the Creator of the heavens and the earth. That when a Jew proclaims “Shema Yisrael Yahwah Eloheinu Yahwah Echad” They are referring to Jesus the Messiah who was crucified, buried rose again on the third day and ascended into heaven? For a Hellenistic Greek are they saying that the man Jesus who walked the earth in material flesh is the same “To On” (The Existent[43]) of Philo or the same deity who Josephus in his conservative Pharisaism refuses to talk about for his name is ineffable. To be sure to Philo as a Hellenistic Greek coming from a philosophical background influenced by Plato, the Stoics and even the Sophists, name was not a glorifying thing for his ‘To on’ but a concession to the weakness of material man. To Josephus it was too holy to be uttered. If indeed Paul is saying Kurious Iesous means Jesus is Yahwah it would mean there was a time that to say such a thing would to him be blasphemous on two counts. The first would be to say the name[44] and the second would be to identify the man Jesus with the creator. to Once he was a Pharisee and to them the name of Yah’wah could only by used once a year by the high priest in the temple on Yom Kippour. If someone used the name elsewhere they would be accused of blasphemy and could be stoned to death[45], Stephen is a case in point. He was stoned to deaf however it is not certain if it was the legal process or mob violence which brought this about[46].The fact that he was tried and witnesses brought and the fact that he was taken outside the city and stoned all point to legal procedure. The fact that they rushed together upon him and dragged out of the city suggest a mob in action. But looking at is from the legal angle. For what was he stone? Blasphemy. But Klausner(1944)[47] makes a very pertinent point the death penalty should only be applied if he named the name itself.

Stephen is a case in point. He was stoned to deaf. However it is not certain if it was a the legal process or mob violence which brought this about[48]. The fact that he was tried, witnesses brought in, taken to the edge of the city and stoned all point to a due legal process. Baird (1971 pg 739) believes the fact that the mob “cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears, and they rushed upon him with one impulse” suggests mob violence. He was taken out and stoned. And why then was he stoned for according to Klausner (1944 pg 292) the Mishnah (in the Talmud) [49]asserts “the blasphemer is not culpable unless he pronounces the name itself”[50]. According to record of Luke, Stephen had just said “Behold I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God”. So there were no grounds for his conviction. However it appears possible that the confession about “The Son of Man being at the right hand of God” may have reached the level of blasphemy in first century Judaism because Yeshua on making the same confession, not long before, was convicted of blasphemy[51] by the Sanhedrin[52].
The point is clear, although our launching point was the Church in Corinth in southern Greece or Achaia, the Church in Phillipi northern Greece or Macedonia, both places outside Eretz Yisrael and not part of the seven Toparchies of Judea proper[53] where the Sanhedrin would have had authority, we can still say that if in Hebrew the early Church made as the Confession, Yeshua is Yahwah, this would have been counted as blasphemy. This would go far to explaining why the Pharisees and Paul persecuted that name to the death and sought to have the disciples blaspheme.

The Role of Kurious Iesous as a confession of the whole creation
Philippians 2: 9-11[54]
. We hold that Philippians was written, not in Paul’s Roman[55] or Caeserian imprisonment, but in his inferred Ephesian imprisonment, during the years AD 52-AD 54[56].
“Dio kai ho Theos auton uperupsosen Kai echarisato auto to onoma to uper pan onoma
Wherefore God hath also highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name
Ina en to onomati Iesou pan gonu kampse Epouranion kai epigeion kai katachthonion
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of the things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth
Kai pasa glossa exomologesetai hoti “Kurious Iesous Christoseise” doxan Theou
Patros” [57]
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father

To Paul then this confession is the ultimate confession of the entire heavens, earth, and under the earth. The whole result of Yeshua’s incarnation, humiliation on the cross, resurrection and ascension[58] is the glory of God the Father. And when all the universe confesses Kurious Iesous Christos God the Father gets the glory. So this text is here because it very universal scope challenges ask to ask the question Why is the confession “Kurious Iesous Christos” so important?
















[1] King James Bible
[2] Westcott and Hort Text which I have transliterated very basically. The words underlined are the verbs in the sentence.
[3] In the Greek New Testament Iesous is used to translate the name Yehoshua in Hebrews 4:8 which is referring Yehoshus son of nun
[4] The name Yeshua is used of Yehoshua son of Jehozadak after the exile by Ezra (3:2) but in Zechariah 3 he is called Yehoshua.
[5] The Translation of the Peshitta Aramaic Text into Hebrew (Jerusalem: The Bible Society 1986) in Philippians 2:11, translates the Aramiac Marya hu Yeshua Meshicha as Yahwah hu Yeshua ha Mashiach. Admittedly the “Aramaic in which the Bible called “Assahta Peshitta” is written , known as the Peshitta text, is in the dialect of northwest Mesopotamia as it evolved and was highly perfected in Orhai, once a city-kingdom, later called Edessa by the Seleucids” and may not have been the same used in Israel but the Eastern Church claim that they got the Gospel especially in Aramaic from the Apostles. Aramaic has many dialects and for a survey read pp i-v Ibid. As for the translation of the Philippians 2:11 this is in modern Hebrew and so not directly relevant to our case but the translators “attempted to follow the Aramaic as closely as possible, even at the expense of somewhat forcing the Hebrew”. I introduce the quote to illustrate the possibility among scholars of this interpretation. Yahwah hu Yeshua.
[6] Acts 21: 40 Here the Greek read Ebradi which the commentators explain is the “Aramaic vernacular”. NBCR 1971 and Interp ovc 1971
[7] These Hebrew and Aramaic titles Adon and Marah are title which Jews in first century Israel used for Yah’wah. Paul also writes Maranatha (1 Cor 16 which can be interpreted as a prayer O Lord Come (Zodhiates NASB), or as a confession AV Maran our Lord atha has come or Our Lord comes. There are many discussiona about its rendering. See NBCR (1971) p1074 and see Fitzmyer (1991) The Semitic Background of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Michigan/ Cambridge UK: William B Eerdman’s Publishers pp115-141 for a general discussion of Jesus is Lord including Maran atha.

[8] Joyce (1991), Metzger 1981
[9] According to Klausner (1944) the death penalty was only due if the name itself was actually spoken
[10] Romans 10:10
[11] So Jesus is name Yeshua because he shall save his people from their sins Matt 1:21
[12] [12] Gedalyahu Alon point to a mishnaic tradition in the second temple which permits or rather enjoins the use of the name in greeting one another during the second temple period. “It may be desireable to examine the tradition in m. Berakhotix, 5: ‘And it was ordained that a man should greet his fellow with the Divine Name’etc. For Geiger deduces from it that the later Halakhists , reacting against the Minim who were merticulous in observing ancient Halakha, decided to permit the use of the Expressed name (even in salutations)
[13] Romans 6:4, Colssians 2:12
[14] cf Rom 10:9 with Mark 16:16 and Luke 24 :46-47
[15] Fitzmyer J. A (1997) The Semitic Background of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Michigan/ Cambridge UK: William B Eerdman’s Publishers
[16] (ibid pg 117)
[17] See Isaiah 6:8
[18][18] I Cor 16:22, Acts 22:2
[19] David Weisberg a lecturer from Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincnatti pronounced the Tetragrammaton Yod Heh Vav Heh as Yah’wah basing his pronounciation on Cuneiform Inscriptions from 5th or 6th century BC Babylonia. He presented this in a lecture in Jerusalem University College on Thursday, May 4th 2000 “The Impact of Assyriology on Biblical Studies”.
[20] See Exod 3:15ff , 6 and Isaiah 43-45
[21] See Letter of Aristeas and New Catholic Encyclopedia “Septuagint”.
[22] J Royse (1991). Philo, Kurios, And the Tetragrammaton. The Studia Philonica Annual 1991Vol 3 “Heirs of the Septuagint” Ed’s Runia, D., Hay, D., Winston, D.
[23] See Ezekiel 34-36
[24] In a rare case the title Adonai is used as a proper name for Yahwah and it is also used as his title as “Lord” or “My Lord”.
[25] Martin Hengel (1989) “The Interpenetration of Judaism and Hellenism in the pre Maccabbean” Period. The Cambridge History of Judaism 2
[26] in Stern Vol 1974 pg 192/172), Menachem Greek and Latin Authors on Jews and Judaism, 3 vols (1974-1984)
[27] B. M, Metzger Manuscripts of the Greek Bible (New York: Oxford)
[28] N.A. Dahl., A. F. Segal Philo and the Rabbi’s on the names of God. Journal for the study of Judaism 9 1978. There arguments are based on Philo’s etymological notes and don’t change the fact that many manuscripts have the name represented differently to Kurious by paleo Hebrew or a transliteration of some kind.
[29] P.E Kahle The Cairo Geniza (Oxford 1959) in Royse 1991pg 169
[30] However according to Meztger (ibid) “No New Testament manuscript contains the Tetragrammaton written in Old Testament quotations” (Metzger 1981, p35 footnote 70)
[31] Luke 24:44
[32] The only literature we really have record of from that time would have been the Letter from the council of Jerusalem held somewhere between AD 44 (New Cath Encl, and Oct AD 51 Murphy O Connor pg 105 Ibid. Then 1 an 2 Thessalonians in AD 52. There may be others but it it not much and most scholars hold 1 Thessalonians as Paul’s first letter
[33] Matthew 28:18-20
[34] The Mark16:16 can shed light on the Romans 10:9 passage. They both begin with believing and end with being saved. However in the place on confessing Kurious Iesous the make passage has the act of being baptised. This then would suggest that the confession Kurious Iesous in the Romans 10:9 was spoken at Baptism. A comparison also helps up with what a person is being saved from. The hearer of the gospel in Mark, who responds is being saved from being judged against or condemned.

[35] The word here is a future tense from of the verb Sozo. Zodhiates in Lexical aid to the New Testament says “Sozo; to save, and the noun soteria salvation. Salvation in regard to (1) material and temporal deliverance from danger, suffering etc…sickness.”
Preservation; (2) “the spiritual and eternal salvation granted immediately by God to those who believe on Christ”. (3)” the present experience of God’s power to deliver from bondage to sin”. (4) “the future deliverance of believers at the second coming” The Strongs Greek Dictionary of the New Testament says it is from a primitive root saos (safe) and means to save that is to deliver or protect.
[36] From the Strongs Greek Dictionary of the New Testament. This last word is made up of the word Kata a preposition with the primary meaning of down. When it is used with the Genitive it means a movement from a higher place to a lower place. And Krino a verb meaning to divide or separate, make decision, make a distinction. The two words combined making Katakrino meaning to pronounce a sentence against as in a court of law.

[37]. After his death Paul says “God highly exalted him , and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven , and on the earth , and under the earth, and every tongue should confess” Kurious Iesous Christos “to the glory of God the Father”. C F Moule hold the name to be Jesus with exalted respect because of his obedience. Most Scholars hold the name to be Yah’wah see FF Bruce on Good News Commentary on Philippians
[38] The idea of salvation being tied to acquittal or not being condemned is not just a Biblical idea. It is illustrated by a papyrus from 218 BC in Egypt. Where a dealer in wool writes to King Ptolemy with a complaint about a shepherd saying “I am being wronged by Seos a Jew living at Alabanthis. He sold me …” He complains that the wool he was sold was taken by the Jew before he had the chance to shear the sheep. The Jew then refused to return the wool. The merchant act so that he could get his wool back. He continues “If this happened I shall no longer be wronged…And thus we shall obtain justice by our appeal to you, impartial saviour of all men” from L Feldman and M Reinhold (1996) Jewish Life and Thought among Greeks and Romans Minneapolis: Fortress Press pg 29
[39] Hippolytus of Rome on the Seventy whom Yeshua sent out says Luke left Jesus after he told the disciples they had to drink his blood and eat his flesh but was won back to the faith by Paul (page 255 Hippolyus in the Ante Nicene Fathers Edinburgh 1896 Vol ? pg 255. Ireneus of Lyons says The Gospel Luke wrote was the gospel Paul preached Ireneus Against Heresies BkIII Chp I ANF Vol ? page 414



[40] Deu 18:21-22
[41] 1 John 4:1-3
[42] from Strongs Concordance dictionary in Hebrew Greek Key Study Bible Spiros Zodhiates (1990) AMG
[43] See Philo and his comments on Exodus 3:15ff
[44] This naming the name of Yah’wah would occur at least every time a Hebrew speaker became a believer perhaps beyond that.
[45] Gedalyahu alon point to a mishnaic tradition in the second temple which permits or rather enjoins the use of the name in greeting one another during the second temple period. The authority is the story of Boaz and when he greeted his workers with the greeting Yah’wah be with you and they responded Yah’wah bless you. This may inidicate that there was stream of Judaism which did allow the use of the name in ordinary life.
[46] William Baird in The Interpreters one volume commentary of the Bible pg 739
[47]
[48] William Baird in “The Int
erpreters One Volume Commentary of the Bible pg 739
[49] The Mishnah was only redacted early in the third century and the Talmud in the fifth century so we can only apply it rules of first century Judaism with great reservations. Certainly the rules for blasphemy applied while the temple was standing although in their redacted version they may be changed.
[50] Joseph Klausner (1944) From Jesus to Paul pg 292 he refers us to Mishnah, Sanhedrin 7:4
[51] See Matthew 26:63-65, Mark 14:61-63 for other angles see Luke 22:67-70. The case is helped by the fact that it is Matthew and Mark who confirm the idea that saying Yeshua is the son of Man at the right hand of God was considered equivalent of saying Yah’wah or perhaps even worse Jesus is Yah’wah.
[52] Alfred Edersheim, Jesus the Messiah 1889(reprinted 1987 pp585-587 in a one volume abridged edition) states that it was not a formal trial nor was their a formal conviction but the preparation of a case to give to Caiaphas.
[53] See Murphy O Connor Paul a Critical life pg 66
[54] These lines are the final words and climax of a Christian Hymn starting in Phil 2:6. Some Scholars maintain that these words are pr Pauline and that the hymn “could hardly be composed by Paul” Keck 1971 TIOCO pg 850 other maintain that the words came from the Pauline Churches (see FF Bruce Good News Commentary on Philippians for discussion pg 51.
[55] Spiros Zodhiates The Hebrew Greek Key Study Bible NASB pg 1570
[56] So K Barker (1985 pp1664-1665) Gen Ed The NIV Study Bible (1985) Michigan: The Zondervan Corporation
[57] The Greek Transliteration is my own and based on Westcott and Hort Text (1881) 1948 Macmillan Company Edition.
[58] The resurrection and ascension are seen as one event in this Hymn

Amulets in Late Antiquity

Amulets of Late Antiquity from Egypt, Palestine, Turkey and Syria

We begin our investigation with the definition of the term amulet. The term is defined by ISBE as “any object supposed to be able to ward off evil influences”. I would to add to this the idea of an object benefiting a client by the spiritual forces attached to the object. It is a part of the world from magic from millennia BCE even to this day. It will help us in our investigation if we look at the ancient terms used to refer to these objects. The term amulet is held to come from the term amuletum used by Pliny in his Natural History (28:28,30:2). The Greek equivalent is phylaktrion. This Greek word can actually be used in two senses. Firstly it means a guarded post, a fort or a castle and secondly it means a safe guard or a preservative. LS states “among Jews phulaktria were strips of parchment with texts from the Law written on them, used as amulets”. The Hebrew words connected with this idea are Lehashim which means magic but in Isaiah 3:14 is translated as amulet by the RSV. The ISBE lists mezuzah, tephillin and tzitzit as representative of this word.of this word. The word used in the Talmudic period is Kemia. Most of the Aramaic inscriptions we have use this word. This words come from a root meaning something bound or hung over. The etymology of amulet is unknown but some scholars (ISBE) suggest it come from an Arabic root himlat which also means to carry something, however the connection is rejected by some scholars (JE). This means ‘to hang around” refers to the external application of the amulet not to its content.
Amulets carried out various functions. According to JE “were used to protect man or his possessions, such as houses, cattle, etc, from the evil influences of witches, demons and other mischievous powers likely to be encountered or to counteract misfortune” Some scholars maintain that originally all ornaments worn by man were in some sense amulets. The example sis drawns from the Scriptures. Proverbs 17 : 8 says “A bribe is a stone of favor (even hen) in the sight of its owner; where he turns he prospers. Here we see a stone which si supposed to give favor to the owner. Proverbs 4:9 speaks of a “garland of grace” which can be read as a garland which gives grace. The garland and the stone are seen as amulets. Amulets were very popular in late antiquity and this is the period from which our amulets come from.
As can be seen from the above amulets go back to a very early period. An excavation in Ketef Himmon, Jerusalem 1979 uncovered two silver plaques which were rolled up. They were not deciphered until 1986 and Ada Yardeni was seeking to draw them. They turned out to be a from of the priestly blessing given in Numbers 6:24-26. This blessing was designed to put Yahwah’ name on the Israelites, by its recitation. They were found in a burial cave. These plaques were made of silver and inscribed upon and so have been called amulets. However a cursory glance at the contents of these plaques and that of the other 35 to 40 plaques we have published to dater will illustrate the world of difference in content. These plaques contain only scripture and the name of no individual. Nor do that have references to any angels or spirits. Almost all the amulets we have from late antiquity are assigned to a person and are trying to gain power, health or exorcism of demons. Nor do the amulets we have, as far as I have read address people. They are addressed either to God, angels or the spirits that want to overcome. These silver plagues are addressed to a human. The script they uses they use fits the 6th century BC . Although this may not represent the typical amulets it does gives us an early example of the practice of writing on metal strips. Other precursors not to the outward form of amulets but to the contents of our amulets are observed in the book of Jubilees, Maccabees and the Dead Sea Scrolls, the powers of objects is seen in the Testament of Job.-

Calendar and Chronology

The Calendar and Chronology

The Calendars used in Biblical times are vitally important in helping us understand the Bible and biblical events. In Genesis it is stated that the sun, moon and stars were given for sign (otot) and for appointed times (moadim). The knowledge of the calendars and chronologies of the biblical period is very important for our dating of biblical events and their position relative to the societies contemporary with the Bible. This project is an investigation into chronology and calendars. We hope to collect together data regarding the calendars and methods of measuring time in biblical days.

An Old Palestinian Calendar
In about the 10th century BCE a farmer of writer of some sort inscribed an agricultural calendar on to a small soft limestone plaque. It laid out the year in terms of the work of a farmer. The year went as follows:
His two months are (olive) harvest, (Sept-Nov)
His two months are planting (grain), (Nov Jan)
His two months are late planting; (Jan- Mar)

His month is hoeing up flax, (Mar-Apr)
His month is harvest of barley (Apr-May)
His month is harvest and feasting (May June)

His two months are vine-tending, (June –Aug)
His month is summer fruit (Aug- Sept) (41,Madeline 1978)

This calendar was found in 1908 by R.A.S Macalister at the biblical site of Gezer. We see that the writer describes a 12 month period covering the work of one particular farmer. This calendar is important because being the 10th century BC that is running from 1000 to 900 BC it is contemporary with the reigns of King David and King Solomon. Gezer lies west of Jerusalem in lowlands between the Judean hills and the Philistine coast. It is slightly north east of what was later Yavneh and is historically important because of it proximity to the north south trade route along the via maris. The calendar shows forth some aspects of the agricultural society at that time.
We see a number of agricultural products filling the year of a farmer in Gezer 3000 years ago. He is working with olives, grain (wheat and barley), flax (Hebrew-peset, Gk Linon), barley, grapes and summer fruit. His jobs over the year included harvesting olives, planting various seeds, hoeing flax, harvesting barley, tending his vines and gathering summer fruits. This calendar is based on the agricultural seasons but it will be useful for us to see in a little more detail what our farmer in an agricultural society would spend his time in those days.
The agricultural season would be divided into three main periods: planting or sowing, harvesting and threshing, and vintage, and the gathering of olives and grapes. The Encyclopedia of Bible Life of Miller gives two main jobs to the farmer, grain cultivation and vine cultivation.
Biblical Time
It very important to get a basic biblical perspective on how it measured time, how does the Bible describe units of time? In the modern days we speak of minutes and hours, days, months, years, decades, scores centuries and millenniums, but our intention now is to look briefly over biblical description for the passage of time. We see that the Gezer calendar as translated by Albright uses the term months (chodeshim linked to chadash for the new moon), but the Bible uses many other terms also.
The first “time” term used in the Bible is the very first word of the Bible, it says “in the beginning” “bereshit”. And the second was with the creation of light which God called “day”. But we are not told what measure of time a day represents at that time. The Bible describes “evening and morning one day”, and we get our first measure of divided time, evening and morning equal one day. The Bible goes one to label days by number, so instead of the modern Sunday (Day of Sun), Monday (Day of moon) as English has developed days are not names in the Bible but numbered. In Genesis 1:14 we have mention of certain other units of time and the source of their calculation. Elohim creates a greater and a lesser light to divide day from night. These two lights have five functions to separate day from night; to serve for signs (ototh), seasons (moadims-appointed times), days and years and to give light on the earth. Interestingly the month is not yet mentioned and nor is the week. On the seventh day God rested and blessed it and sanctified it. The whole seven days is not at this point called anything special. Our time vocabulary to this point is
Yom day
Lilah night
Erev evening
Boqer morning
Moadim seasons or appointed times
Ototh signs
Shanim years

In chapter 2 of Genesis the term yom is used with a more general meaning than in the seven days it’s the day in which Yahwah created the heavens and the earth. As is clear from our observations of Genesis 1 the scripture considers time very important, it is the Elohim who is revealed as the organizer of the heavens to give time measures. This early observation continues through Genesis and the rest of the scripture. Genesis 3 has day used in various ways. Satan warns eve that the day she eats of the tree she will become wise. Yahwah Elohim tells Adam cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow thou shalt eat of it all the days of Thy life” so we see here the measurement of a life duration in terms of days. The concept of eternity is also brought in in this chapter with man being driven out of the garden lest he eat of the tree of life and ‘live forever”.
In Genesis 4 we are introduced to further concepts of time. “And in the process of time “vahi miqetz yamim”. Cain brought of the fruit of the cursed ground an offering to Yahwah and Abel brought the firstling of the flock. Here perhaps we get an insight into more than just the fact that the ground bore fruit for the farmer normally on a cyclical basis and that the flock also bore children usually on a seasonal basis. These two activities are both regulated by time and that at the ordering of the creation by Yahwah. Cain is what scholars call today a farmer. The scripture calls him a tiller of the ground.(oved adamah) and Abel is called a keeper of sheep “hevel doeh tzon”.
The keeper of sheep and the tiller of the ground or the shepherd and the farmer represent two important parts of biblical society and they both relate to the calendar in one way of another. Cain no doubt after the harvest brought a mincha or offering to Yahwah.and Abel brought from the firstling of his flock (Mibecorot tzono). Here we see in the story of Cain and Abel some aspect of the competition between the farmer and the shepherd which went on through out the biblical times. If not controlled the sheep and goats of the shepherd nomad will eat the crops of the farmer and leave him no harvest. If not controlled the sheep and goats of the shepherd nomad will eat the crops of the farmer and leave him no harvest. Yahwah respected Abels offering (mincha) but not Cain’s. Perhaps points, to some, bias in favor of shepherd nomad during this period.
Genesis four again using day focuses on the creation but then we are introduced to the first genealogy with times recorded. The times are recorded in terms of years and days. The first is that Adam lived 130 years and then “all the days of Adam were 930 years”. This is the formula followed in the rest of Genesis “all the day of …were so many years. The counting and the recording of the years of important people then was a part of the Bible interest in the importance of years.

In the story of Noah the Bible enters a new measure of time, the month. Firstly Yahwah decrees that mans days would be restricted to 120 years. He then warns Noah that in 7 days it would rain for “forty days and forty nights” and this rain would be caused directly by Yahwah. And the purpose was to destroy everything he had made. Do we see here that seven days is a period of warning and forty days and nights becoming a period of judgment on the creation bringing death and destruction to the wicked and those effected by their wickedness. According to the Bibles Masoretic Texts chronology the flood would come in the year 1656. What we are not told up until now in Genesis is what the measure of a year is. We do not know which kind of years is being used. However we perhaps get a hint in the next few verses where we are given the detailed dates of the flood. It came in Noah’s 600th years in the second month and on the 17th day of the month it lasted for forty days and forty nights. It then prevailed upon the earth for 150 days. In the second month “bachodesh ha shenei” this is as we have seen the first mention of chodesh as a measure of time in Genesis. We still have the question is it the second month of his years or of a calendar used by the writer of Genesis, and how long is a chodesh, and how long is a shanah? It took another 150days for the waters to abate according to Gen 8 and so we have a period of 7 days, 40days and nights, 150days, days from the causing of the flood to it abating. On the 17th yom of the 7th chodesh the ark landed on the mountains of Ararat. Here then we have 5 chodeshim passing and 150 yamim. In the tenth chodesh the tops of the mountains were seen and so we have it that the writer numbers the days and the years and the month they are not given names in this calendar but numbers. On the new moon of the tent month Noah landed.

The Year
We see from the introduction of the chodesh in the Noah story that a chodesh can be thirty yamim. Most scholars agree that Noah’s year was one of 30 yamim times twelve months, that is 360 days. This brings us on to the possible calendars of the biblical days.

According to Fauslich’s and many other scholars calculations the Masoretic Text observes that Moses was writing between 1460 BC and 1420 BC. We can calculate this using the chronology in the Masoretic Text (MT). Bishop Ussher used the dates in the MT and came out with a date for creation of 4004 BC.

Let us assume, most modern scholarship notwithstanding, Moses wrote Genesis in the period from 1460 BC to 1420 and we look at the data he gives us regarding the calendar of Noah we can then compare this with the evidence regarding calendars from the period of 1656AM after Adam or 2354 BCE which is the date of the flood. We know that in 2354BC the Sumerians were flourishing in Mesopotamia. The Sumerians are believed to be the world’s first centre of civilization. Moses is claiming that the descendants of Adam down to Noah are the world’s first community or even settled community for Noah settled long enough to have a vineyard produce fruit and cause him to get drunk. So history tells us that Sumeria were the first civilization, Moses tells us that the family of Adam are the first of the families on earth. Moses also tells us that that family measured time using an artificial 30 day month. The interesting question is their any evidence that the Sumerians had a 30 day calendar at the time Noah lived according to the MT dates. We will need that to make some observation on the Sumerian calendar.
Mesopotamia
The Sumerians are credited with being the first civilization. And we have a lot of information on Sumerian Society. We also have the Sumerian Kings lists, which mention kings before and after a flood. In the 2700’s BC the Sumerians were using artificial time units. They used the period of the rule of an official to describe time. For example they might say “N Day of the turn of office of X, Governor. The financial year would start two months after the barley harvest. And with the agriculturul cycle the year might be divided into three seasons: delivery of the new barley, settling of the accounts and the next crop. Around 2400 BC the Sumerians had a calendar in place which used a years of 12 months with 30 days a month. According to the Masoretic text this would be around half a century before the flood of Noah. According to the record in Genesis Noah was also on a year made up of 30 day month. This would fit then with the Sumerian way of measuring time. This information we have gleaned from the Encyclopedia Britannica (1977) and it’s article “Calendar”. We see then the tradition preserved by Moses in Genesis regarding the time period of Moses is consistent with the evidence found independently representing calendars of that period.

Let us return to our observation of how Moses in Genesis refers to time and it progression. We have a references to the seasons in Gen 9:22
“while the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease”. These words are recorded as the words of Yahwah heart. They come as a promise to the people of the earth who have just offered sacrifices of clean beasts to Yahwah. We notice that time is divided into 4 dichotomies and are attached peculiarly to the existence of the earth. The first to measure by the agricultural phases of a settled civilization, or the agricultural society; the second by the climate on earth arising from the position of the earth or parts of it in relation to the sun; the third being the same as the second and the forth begin the distinction between day and night arising from the rotation of the earth on it axis. No time per4iods are given of any specific measure.
This promise is shown to arise in the heart of Yahwah in the context of covenant and the duration of the earth. Showing that Moses had it revealed to him that these measures of time are fundamental to the nature of life on earth.
At this time a measure of time is introduces which seems to indicate perpetuity but measures in terms of men not abstractly. This is the phrase “perpetual generations’. Yahwah made a covenant with Noah and his seed for “perpetual generation”. This covenant for “perpetual generation” in Gen 9:12 is later called by God an “everlasting covenant” which again seems to introduce the idea of a very long time.

When it came to referring to a period of time they could be referred to a particular individual. In English we might refer to the Elizabethan age. But in the society of Moses thay referred the days of a particular person or God. So we have “In the day that God created man” or “in the day that Yahwah Elohim made the heavens and the earth” . We have the “days of Adam” referring to a specific portion of his life and “all the days of Adam were 930 years “ referring to his whole life. A person could be named a particular event for of Peleg it was said “In his days was the earth divided”.















Eugene Faustlich in his Bible Chronology and the Scientific Method, sought to develop a testable chronology of the Bible. The way he did this was to develop a computer program which could calculate the position of the stars in the skies over Biblical lands going back 6000 years. He could then go through dates in biblical or extra biblical literature and compare the astronomical claims of the particular chronologies or calendars with the sky as it would actually have been at the time. For example in the reign of the Pharoah Amenemhet III the Egyptians astronomers had not a number old moons, that means the end of a month when the moon disappears. He could compare the date in the Egyptian calendar with the sky as it was. If there would have been an old moon in Egypt at that time we have an astronomically fixed date in the reign of Amenemhet III. The same can be done with references to Eclipses. In the case of a biblical date you can add other testable factors. For example we have with the Jewish calendars 7 years cycles and Jubilee cycles. We also have the weekly priestly cycles which say when the priests ministered in the temple. With all this data we can compare, for example if a date is said to be a Shabbat and if it really would have been a Shabbat. Faustlich also developed a conversion program so that you can see the date of any given day on 5 different calendars:
The Biblical and Babylonian Calendar

The Julian Solar Calendar propounded by Julius Caeser
The Gregorian Solar Calendar first established in 1582
The Egyptian Sliding Calendar
The Egyptian Fixed Calendar
In his calculations Faustlich also included a calculation of the number of days from the creation of Adam as calculated using the chronology of the MT. His calculations give him 3 years differences from Usshers calculation. He has March 4001 BC on the Gregorian calendar for the date of Adams first years.
Faustlich in his Bible Chronology and the Scientific Method includes around 200 tested moon dates. His book will be very helpful in studying the Biblical period calendars.
In order to understand the chronology and calendars of the Biblical societies we need to have a clear context for looking at the data. We need to know the various rulers who lived in the biblical times. We need to know what calendars they used, the names of the month and whether the calendar is Solar, Lunar or Lunisolar or even Sidereal. Let us look at two main civilizations, their rulers and their calendars to get a context of the Biblical data. These are the Mesopotamian and the Egyptian societies, they form the background to the Biblical data. In between then we have the Levant the area where Israel, Phoenicia, Philistia and Syria flourished.
Mesopotamia
The Sumerians are credited with being the first civilization. And we have a lot od information on Sumerian Society. We also have the Sumerian Kings lists. There are also a lists of 6 kings from Mari. In the 2700’s BC the Sumerians were artificial time units. They use the period of the rule of an official to describe time. For example they might say “N Day of the turn of office of X, Governor. The financial year would start two months after the Barley harvest. And with the agriculturul cycle the year might be divided into three seasons: Delivery of the new barley, settling of the accounts and the next crop. Around 2400 BC the Sumerians has a calendar in place which used a years of 12 months with 30 days a month. According to the Masoretic text this would be around half a century before the flood of Noah. According to the record in Genesis Noah was also on a year made up of 30 day month. This would fit then with the Sumerian way of measuring time.
Sometimes in Sumer the royal year would begin with the Barley harvest and the offering of the first fruits. The king would celebrate a new agricultural year by offering first fruits. And the year would be named according to some important event taking place in that year. For example the year might be the year”the temple of Ninjinu was built. Until the event the year would be called the year following a year already named. This reminds of two biblical references. The first when Israel was told that the month of their escape would be the first of the months for them. This was the time of the Barley harvest, one of the plagues having destroyed Egypt’s barley harvest. It would seem that Yahwah was reestablishing an old calendar, which Israel while in Egypt had not observed. Modern scholarship dates Israel adoption of the Babylonian calendars as being from the exile. This may be the case with the month names, but for clearly the text of Exodus points to an early adoption of a spring new years for the newly born community. In this paper we follow Faustlich astronomically tested 1460 date for the Exodus and not the later 12 century date held by most scholars. The second reminder is of Isaih when he describes his vision of Yahwah. “In the Year King Uzziah died” This fits a little with the Sumerian way of expressing or naming years.
After 17th century BC date formulas were supplanted in Babylonia by Regnal years whereas lunar reckoning began to take precedence in the 21st century BC. Around the 18th century BC a Lunar calendar with 29 and 30 day months was in use in Mari and the Old Babylonian Empire adopted the calendar of the Sumerian city of Nippur. Agriculturally the Babylonian years was divided into two, the wet season and the dry season. It will be helpful for us to know the Babylonian months. These were:
Nisanu
Ayaru
Simanu
Duuzu
Abu
Ululu
Tashriti
Arakhsamna
Kislimu
Tebetu
Shabatu
Adaru
Adrau II
Their months began with the new moon and their days began with sunset.
The Akkadian word for years is sattu, for month arhu, and for day is umu. The month names for the Ur III calendar are:
Bara zag gar duku
Gu sisa apindua
Sig ga gangane
Su numun abe
Ne ne gar ra ziza
Kin inin sekinkud
These names were from Nippur. The month were divided into 2 for fiscal and cultic purposes. There were called sapattu mahritu and sapattu arkitu.

Egypt
In that period the Egyptians had two or three calendars. It was originally a lunar calendar plus a sidereal calendar. The Egyptian calendars consisted of 365 days. One of them was called a fixed calendar and the new years began when Sirius arose. The Sirius years was 365.25 days and so every fourth years there was a leap year with an extra day (Ap 1 Faustlich, 1990). According to Encylopedia Britannica “Calendar”, because of problems between the Lunar and the Solar year Egyptians builts a schematic civil year. 365 days, 3 seasons with 4 months a season and 30 days a month with 5 epagomenal days each year. This calendar served for governement and administration, but the lunar month regulated every day life. The thirty day month were split into three decades. The three seasons were called aht inundation, prt emergence or the seaon for farming and smw or dryness. (ABD Calendars). They divided the day into 24 hoursd of unqual length and later Hellenistic astronomers changed to hours of equal length and later these were divided into 60 minutes.

Biblical Months
We find 2 certain canaanite month names Ethanim and Bul and 2 assumed to be Canaanite, Abib and Bul. We also find 7 Bablonian month names: Nisan, Sivan, Elul, Chislev, Tebet, Shebat and Adar.

Liturgy of Nestorians

The Sources and Structure of the liturgy of the Nestorian[1] Church

The Nestorian Church known by some as the Holy and Apostolic Church of the East is a Church which started with the roots in East Syrian orthodoxy grew and developed in the realm of the Persian Empire and Eastward, even from the river Euphrates to China and the Far East. The language of this Church is Aramaic and it has its own distinct liturgy claiming to go back to two second generation Apostles Addai and Mari. For much of the history of the Nestorian Church it was hidden from the west due to political, religious and geographical factors. The political reason being due to the political division between the Roman and Byzantine empires on the one side and the Parthian and Persian Empires on the other. These empires ruled distinct areas and were often hostile to one another from the first through the seventh century. This made it difficult, especially for the Christians in the Persian Empire to foster relation with those in the West with out being considered traitors by the Persian. The religious factor stemmed from the fact that Nestorius was condemned as heretic by the council of Ephesus a judgment which the Church of the East of the Persian Empire never accepted. Indeed Nestorius is regarded with great reverence in this area. This meant a religious barrier stood between the East Syrian Church and it daughter the Nestorian and Western Christendom including Byzantine orthodoxy. Thirdly the Church developed it jurisdiction in seat in Persian such as Nisibus and Selucia Ctesiphon and eastward so they were thousands of miles away from the west and with the rise of Islam a very large barrier was created which lasted at least from the 7th to the 15th century with the movements Eastward of the Portuguese.

A Short Bibliography on the History of the Liturgy
As a result of the division the church developed it liturgy in Aramaic and independently of the Church in the four Western Patriarchates, Rome, Constantinople, Jerusalem and Alexandria. Literature on its development is scarce so I will include short bibliography on sources on the liturgy. Around AD 595 Ishu’yabh of Arzon wrote Question on the Mysteries. George of Arbela’s Exposition of all the ecclesiastical offices and his Questions on the ministry of the altar gives us a perspective from the end of the tenth century. Yaballah II from the early 13th century wrote Questions on betrothals and marriages on the sacred liturgy. In the early 14th century Abdhishu of Nisibus wrote The Pearl,[2]. We can read some of The Pearl in English translation in Badger’s The Nestorians and their rituals ii London 1852, pg 380-422. Timothy II again in the early 14th century wrote On the causes of the seven mysteries of the Church, this like George of Arbela is abstracted in B.O iii p572-80.
The Nestorian law book is called Ashiatha Sunhadus has section on liturgical history in The Book of the Father’s or The heavenly Intelligences, it is attributed to Shimon bar Sabbae of the 4th century but is considered much later.[3]
Finally one modern author who may be helpful is Neale History of the Holy Eastern Church p 319-323 where he discusses the originality of the Persian rite.



The liturgy of the Nestorian church is called the Persian rite because of it’s development and usage in the Persian Empire. It is contrasted with the other Eastern Liturgies which include: the Syrian rite, the Egyptian rite and the Byzantine rite.
More specifically the Nestorian liturgies are distinguished from those Churches which sprung divided from it to join other Churches. These being the two Chaldean Uniates who arose firstly in the 17th century that is the western Uniate whose center is in Mosul in Iraq, the second is the Christians of S. Thomas from Malabar India who are in union with the Roman communion.

The Books of the Liturgy
The books needed to celebrate the Nestorian liturgy are four
(i) The Tachos: This book contains the liturgy and includes the manual of the deacons Shamashutha (this is sometimes found separately)
(ii) The Davidha: The contains the Psalms and the litanies
(iii) The Lectionary: This has 3 volumes, the Old Testament and Acts, The Apostles that is the Epistles of Paul and the Gospels
(iv) The Hudrah: This contains the hymns[4]

The Text
We will be looking at the translation of the editions published by Urmi the archbishop od Canterburry’s Mission in 1889. Lections, Apostles and Gospel. They form the principle edition of the Nestorian rite and were published in three volumes.
Volume 1 Ordo Communis and the three anaphoras of the Apostles, Theodore and Nestorius from an Alkos manuscript.
Volume 2: The Prothesis and Prayers
Volume 3: The Tables of Lections for the whole year
The Hymns in our volume come from an unpublished manuscript from used by Maclean in Kurdistan.






[1] Historically this term is a misnomer for Nestorius never ruled in this Church whose centers were generally to the East of the river Euphrates and which is called the Catholicos of the East. The name Nestorius became associated with this Church because they never condemned him as the council of Ephesus did he is a saint in their Church. We will use the term for convenience sake.
[2] This is the official history of the Nestorian Church according to Aziz Attiyah History of Eastern Christianity and Mar Uzziyah Bar Evyon a metropolitan of the present day Church of the East in Jerusale.m
[3] See Maclean and Brown p183 and Wright Syriac Literaturep 30 This whole Bibliography comes from Brightman and Hammond see note 4, p lxxx. The evidence of the
[4] See Brightman, F. and Hammond, C., Liturgies Eastern and Western Vol I OUP, 1965 and they refer us to Badger., The Nestorians and their rituals ii, 19-25 and Maclean and Browne The Catholicos of the East and his people

Jesus and Yahuwah in John

Analyzing “Ego Eimi” in John
The phrase “Ego Eimi” is quite a common phrase in Greek. It is used as a normal phrase in common Diakonia Greek of the first century. It basically means “It is I” or “I am the one”. However perhaps because of its relationship to being and existence it took on a religious use in the Greek speaking world. This was especially in the case of the LXX, pagan Greek religious writings and Gnostic literature.[1] These were some of the worlds surrounding the gospel of John but it is what the eyewitness John[2] claims to have heard from the lips of Jesus which interests us right now. Did this phrase take on a more than common meaning in the sayings of Jesus?
Because of the variety and the significance of the way the phrase is used various scholars have analyzed its use. Bultmann classified it into four distinct uses. Firstly simply as an introduction answering the question “Who are you?” eg “I am (Ego Eimi) Jesus”, secondly as Descriptive, “I am a prophet” that is according to Brown answering a second question “What are you?” Thirdly where the person is identified with something else, so Jesus says “I am the bread of life’[3], finally there is the form which help recognition of a person, i.e Who is it? “It is I” as can be seen “I” in this case is the predicate.[4] So we have four forms according to Bultmann: Presentation, Qualification, Identification and Recognition.
We are really interested in analyzing the use in John into two categories “I am” as applying God’s name to Jesus and “I am” as used in other ways which are not our particular concern at this time. Does the Gospel of John apply the term “I am” in its meaning as a name of God to Jesus?
This clearly begs the question how will we know that Jesus is applying the name to himself in this way? And the answer has to be through the language, the context of the situation which the saying is set in, and allusions to other literature circulating in the first century particularly the Old Testament which Jews of the first century would have been familiar with. If Jesus says “I am” And the audience cry out blasphemy, we can ascertain from their reaction that he was probably alluding to the name of God, for according to the Mishnah a blasphemer had to actually say the name of God to be blaspheming.[5]
There are many uses of “I Am” in John but clearly where it is being used as the subject with a separate predicate there is no question of it referring the name “Eheyeh” or “Ani Hu” directly to Jesus, for in these cases the phrase is simply a way of pointing to the roles of Jesus.[6] When Jesus says
I am…the bread of life, the light of the world, the gate, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, the way the truth the and life and the vine, he is clearly using the verb to establish his role in relation those who believe in him or the world and he is using metaphor in this respect. In saying he is all these things although he is not using the term “Ego Eimi” as an absolute name for him. Rather he is pointing to the roles he plays in relation to life, the world, the sheep, the dead, man and the Father. He is definitely connecting with the meaning of Yahwah’s statement to Moses, “I am he who is” but not in its Greek form with the focus on existence but in its Hebrew form with the focus on Yahwah being what ever he chooses to be. Thus even as “Eheyeh asher Eheyeh” in the context of Exodus 3 probably means “I will be whatever I will be”, this is expressed concretely in the Old Testament with Yahwah later saying to Israel “I will be to you an Elohim and you will be to me a people”. Or saying to David regarding his Son “I will be to him a father and he will be to me a son” So Jesus comes in that spirit but not in potentiality in actuality. Instead of Jesus saying I will be, imperfect, he says “I am”, this is a present reality. We might compare Luke where Jesus says of a scripture “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing”. It was potential until that day. The Law was all potential until Jesus came to fill it out. The fact that Jesus is using this mode of speech points more to his role in relation to various things not to his absolute identification with God in his name, so all the sayings do not show us that the name of God was applied to Jesus, absolutely.
The next group we could look at are the sayings where it is possible he was applying the name to himself but it is possible he was just speaking in the mode of recognition.
These tend to be the places where the I becomes the predicate. When Jesus speaks we expect him to finish his sentence but he leaves us hanging because he has finished. You might say he has identified himself absolutely with the verb to be. It is in this arena we will final John claims to have heard Jesus applying the name of God to himself absolutely.































Jesus coming in his Father’s name
The build up to these sayings which can help us discern that Jesus was saying more than simply “I am the person referred to” is perhaps started with Jesus saying 5:43:
I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive
This saying is in a context where we are driven to look at various scriptures and characters to see what Jesus alludes to, The section runs from John 5:17 to John 5:47. He first calls God the creator his Father so we are referred to the promises of Yahwah to David about his son. For Yahwah said to David about his seed
He will be a son to me and I will be to him a Father
There is also an allusion to Psalm 89
He shall cry unto me “My Father My God[7]

The Psalm describes how Yahwah spoke in “vision” to David and Jesus says that he does what he “sees” his Father doing. Jesus then goes on to the resurrection which could point us to Ezekiel or Daniel. In Ezekiel the prophet called the “son of man” prophesies unto the bones and the dead live. So the Son in John will raise the dead. His connection in the speech with the title Son of Man and Judgment points to Daniel 7 where the Son, Bar Enosh receives the Judgment. As the speech progresses we come to his Mosaic role. Moses too judged as he heard, when there was a problem in the wilderness. Not only so but we see Jesus say a number of things which place in line with the prophet like unto Moses from Deuteronomy 18.[8] Firstly the works that he does testify of him[9], even as Moses was given the sign of the water to blood so Jesus was given the sign of the water to the blood of the grape, wine. Secondly Jesus says of the Father to the group of Jews he was talking to “”Ye have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his shape”[10] This allusion to seeing his shape or form parallels a reference to Moses seeing Yahwah’s form in a dispute about his role in Numbers 12. Here Miriam and Aaron dared to challenge the authority of Moses and Yahwah said a distinctive role of Moses was that he speaks mouth to mouth and he see’s the form or shape of Yahwah. The ordinary prophets had visions and dreams and learned through dark sentences or parables. The prophet like Moses would also see the shape or form of Yahwah. After all these allusions Jesus tells them to search the scriptures for they testify about him, and refers to the fact that the life which the scriptures promised come through him.[11] It is at this point the name of the Father first gets its mention. The fact that they reject him as the prophet Moses prophesied means they will come into judgment with Moses as their hostile witness for Moses wrote
I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee and I will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I command him. And it shall come to pass that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him[12]
We see here some parallels with the language of Jesus in John. He says often this commandment I received of my Father, and we have just seen him say that he came in his father’s name. Coming in his Father’s names in first century Israel would be difficult. For although the name was in use possibly daily at the temple[13] by the priests and possibly even in some groups greeting one another with “Yahwah imaq”[14] there were groups of Jews who considered that naming the name Yahwah could be a blasphemy worthy of death.[15] Jesus in his speech appears to be combining the role of the prophet with the role of the Messiah for in Psalm 89 where the allusion is to “my Father” the writer also emphasizes the name Yahwah and what can only be described as eternal life
My Faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him
And in my name shall his horn be exalted…
He shall cry to me “Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. Also I will make him my first born, higher than the kings of the earth. My mercy I will keep for him for ever more and my covenant shall stand fast with him, His seed I will make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven[16]
Allusions to these scriptures are possibly the background to the usage of “Ego Eimi” pointing to the name of God being, Jesus[17].
So John alludes to the Father’s name being connected uniquely with Jesus in his generation, in the context as described. The idea of the Father’s name being the driving force behind all of Jesus activity is confirmed by the later references to it.

The Use of Onoma in the Gospel of John
Now before we go on to the actually application of the name to Jesus an analysis of the use of the term name (onoma) in the Gospel of John will be helpful again in helping us to see if the name is actually applied to Jesus and in what form.
We find the word is used in various ways according to who is speaking whether Jesus or the author. The 25 uses of the term onoma, translated name it seems that they are all speaking of an actual proper noun. The five times the term does not refer to the Father or the Son it refers to John (1:6), Nicodemus (3:1), another coming in his own name as opposed to the Father’s name (5:43), which makes it clear we are not only dealing with name as a reference to reputation, and the sheep of the good shepherd are called by their names and the name of the High Priest’s slave (Malchus).
The rest of the uses are referring to the Father’s name and the Son’s name. Here we find quite particular usages. For example Jesus says to the Jews that he came and did his work in his Father’s name. He says to the Father “I have manifested thy name (17:6)… I have made known to them [the ones given to him by the Father] thy name (17:26), I have kept them in thy name (17:11). So in the second person he speaks to the Father about his name. But in the whole Gospel we never see any one being told to believe into the Father’s name. We see the name is manifested by Jesus, made known by Jesus and used to guard the disciples by him. We are reminded, especially by the term “made known”, of the prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. They often used to say “And you shall know that “I am Yahwah”[18] or “Therefore my people shall know my name this time they will know my might and my power”. So Jesus is witnessed as coming to fulfill these repeated messages of the prophets.
We also find Jesus praying to the Father to “glorify his name”, that is the very name in which Jesus came, worked in, manifested and made known. When Jesus is speaking to the Jews in general he speaks of them rejecting him although he came in his Father’s name.
John himself explains the benefit to those who actually receive him and that they receive the power to be children of God (1:12), and receive life in his name (20:31). These two references act almost as an alpha and omega of the purpose of the Gospel. The name they believe in is that of Jesus, the Christ (Messiah), the only Son of God.
Finally we have Jesus talking to the disciple, given to him by the Father and here he never tells them to believe in the Father’s name but rather to ask the Father in his name. First they are taught that if they ask anything in his name he will do it (14:13-14). The Holy Spirit will come in his name and finally if they ask the Father anything his (the Son’s) name he will do it (15:16, 16:24, 16:26). The name then is quite important in terms of prayer in relation to the disciples. There is a development in the relationship of the disciples to the name. In chapter 16 Jesus says that they had not asked anything in his name to that point. This would have been right up until near the end of his earthly ministry in AD 30[19]. Then he tells them to “ask and receive that their joy might be complete”. The context of their asking is the fruitfulness of the disciples in producing believers. They would bear lasting fruit and so they could ask for anything and it would be done for them.[20]
We still need to look at the passage linked with name or onoma which might tell us what the actual name was that they were to believe in and ask in. It was according to Jesus “my name” according to John “his name” or “the name”. Then we have to wonder was “my name” distinct from “my Father’s name”. Unfortunately we only have one passage based on onoma, to help us clarify what the name was which was being referred to. Here we are looking the difference between the name of so and so and the name so and so. To make it clear we can see an illustration. Is the name Jesus the name above every name or is the name of Jesus (that is the name he as a person bares) the name above every name? In the first case we are dealing with the name written, Jesus, in the second case we are dealing with a name owned by the person Jesus which could be Yahwah or Lord or Son. The passage in John which seems to clarify the situation is John 12:13.
In the first passage we find that John fills out Jesus statement that he came in his
Father’s name. For the crowds in Jerusalem sing

Blessed is the King of Israel who comes in the name Yahwah[21]

The text refers, with slight addition to Psalm 118:26[22] and in that Psalm the word in the text is definitely Yahwah. So Jesus says he comes in his Father’s name and “much people” sang he came in the name Yahwah. This is consistent with everything we have discovered so far. The Fathers name is Yahwah, and that is the name Jesus came in. That was the name he manifested and made known and worked in. There are other hints in John that one name being applied to Jesus in the gospel was Yahwah. Later in John chapter 12:41 John said “These things Esaias said when he saw his glory and spake of him” The context of the things Isaiah said point us to Isaiah 6 where Isaiah saw Adonai sitting on a throne high and lifted up and the Seraphim crying
Holy holy holy, is Yahwah Tzevaoth : the whole earth is full of his glory

His glory in Isaiah 6 is referred to Jesus in John 12, making him Yahwah Tzevaoth.

According to some scholars Yahwah is related to an ancient form of the verb to be either hayah or hawah. Eheyeh is a form and “Ani hu” is related to it. We come now to the scriptures which appear to indicate “Ego Eimi” as a divine name applied to Jesus:
Unless you believe that EGO EIMI, you will die in your sins (8:24)…
When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that EGO EIMI (8:28) …
Before Abraham was, EGO EIMI (8:58)
When it does happen, you may believe that EGO EIMI (13:19)_

The first statement stands out because of the serious consequences of not believing or should we say the amazing consequences of believing. Jesus is saying that to die not believing he was Ego Eimi meant that they would die in their sins. The reverse implies that to believe that he was Ego Eimi would mean they would live in their righteousness. The statement gives one condition as the difference between death and life, belief that Jesus is Ego Eimi. Here is one place where he does not give the expected predicate. They expect him to say Believe that I am the bread of life or some other things but he simply says Ego Eimi. This Ego Eimi could represent either Ani Hu or Eheyeh both are translated by the term in the LXX. The context of John 8:24 with Jesus saying he was from above and that when they have lifted up the “son of man” seems to point to the writings of Moses. This would put weight on Eheyeh over Ani Hu. In 8:32 the theme of freedom is brought in pointing to his role as a deliverer like Moses.

[1] p533 Brown, R., Anchor Bible Dictionary
[2] For convenience sake we will call our author John
[3] The predicate sums up the identity of the subject. I am not clear how this class is truly distinct from the second class they appear to me to over lap.
[4] These are all listed I Brown p533
[5] Tractate Sanhedrin 7:5 “The blasphemaer is not culpable until he pronounces the name”
[6] This kind of used can be seen in Hellenistic religious literature of the period. Brown cited Bultmann as citing Isis “I am all that has been , that is and that will be”, p 533 Anchor Bible Commentary
[7] We see a clear reference to this in John 20 :17 where Jesus refers to my father and my God. We also find parallels with the development of the promises in the Psalms and the speech of Jesus in John
[8] We must remember it was Moses to whom Yahwah revealed the name “Eheyeh” and a prophet like Moses would at least have that level of revelation.
[9] John 5:36
[10] John 5:37 cf Deu 4:12, John 1:18
[11] cf. Deu 30:15
[12] Deu 18:19-20
[13] Mishnah Tamid 7:2
[14] Mishnah Berakoth 9:
[15] The crime of the blasphemer in wilderness is translated not as blasphemy but as naming the name of Yahwah in the LXX. This kind of attitude is also reflected in the Mishnah with Abba Shaul who said that he whe spoke the name Yahwah as it is written would have no place in the world to come.
[16] Ps 89:24-29
[17] We must remember that Eheyeh is tied to the verb to be as is Yahwah.
[18] We have already noted, above, one place where “I am Yahwah’, is translated as Ego Eimi in the LXX
[19] In the Synoptic Gospels we see the disciples casting out demons the his name but we do not see this ministry in John. It is clear however that John being an eyewitness saw many deliverances but he clearly does not see that executing a deliverance is the same as asking in Jesus’ name.
[20] It appears to me that the asking is really an allusion to the Messiah, son of God in Psalm 2. There the Messiah is told to “Ask of Me and I will give you the nations as your inheritance and the ends of the earth as your possession”, the disciples then are being encourages to ask to be fruitful and to be more fruitful. The connection between fruitfulness and perhaps the possession of the earth goes back to the promises to what Luke calls the ‘the son of God” Adam. There in Genesis 1 he is told to be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it” perhaps prayer to the nations and the earth in Psalm 2
[21] Yahwah is the way the name is transliterated in cuneiform inscriptions of ancient of the 5th or 6th century BC, Babylon, according to David Weisberg from Hebrew Union College, Cincinnatti Ohio,in a lecture at Jerusalem University College, on may 4th 2000, “The Impact of Assyriology on Biblical Studies”. Vetus Testamentum has and article “Det Gottename Yahwa” from some in year 2000 or 2001.
[22] This event and this song is referred to in all four of the gospels eg Matt 21:8ff, Mark 11:8ff, Luke 19:35ff