I think from academic point of view: there is a good reference: The Revelation of the Name YHWH to Moses Perspectives from Judaism, the Pagan Graeco-Roman World, and Early Christianity.
Here are the list of scholars who present from Judaism to Greco-roman to early Christianity.
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M.F. Burnyeat, Laurence Professor of Ancient Philosophy at the
University of Cambridge (1984–96) and currently Senior Research
Fellow in Philosophy at All Souls College, Oxford
Albert C. Geljon, Teacher of Classics at the ‘Christelijke Gymnasium’,
Utrecht
Bert-Jan Lietaert Peerbolte, Lecturer in New Testament Studies,
Theological University of Kampen
Gerard P. Luttikhuizen, Professor Emeritus of Early Christian
Literature and New Testament Studies, Faculty of Theology &
Religious Studies, University of Groningen
Ronit Nikolsky, University Lecturer in Hebrew, Faculty of Arts,
University of Groningen
Riemer Roukema, Professor of New Testament Studies, Theological
University of Kampen
Horst Seebass, Professor Emeritus of Old Testament Studies, Faculty
of Protestant Theology, University of Bonn
Eep Talstra, Professor of Old Testament Studies, Free University
of Amsterdam
Eibert J.C. Tigchelaar, Fellow of the Netherlands Organization
for Scientific Research (NWO) at the Qumran Institute, Faculty
of Theology & Religious Studies, University of Groningen
Wout Jac. van Bekkum, Professor of Semitic Languages and Cultures,
Faculty of Arts, University of Groningen
Robbert M. van den Berg, Lecturer in Ancient Philosophy, Department of Classics, University of Leiden
George H. van Kooten, Professor of New Testament & Early
Christianity, Faculty of Theology & Religious Studies, University
of Groningen
Jacques T.A.G.M. van Ruiten, Senior University Lecturer in Ancient
Israelite Literature, Old Testament Interpretation, and Early Jewish
Literature, Faculty of Theology & Religious Studies, University of
Groningen
Basically, this selection of papers allows us to conclude that the Name of God and its revelation to Moses constitute a major theme which runs from the book of Exodus through the Old Testament, early Judaism, and early Christianity. It also attracted pagan philosophical interest, both positive and negative. One of the most important results to emerge from this volume is the insight that the Name of God was not only perceived from an insider’s perspective, but also provoked a reaction from outsiders. The combined perspectives show the fundamental importance of the divine Name for the formation of Jewish and Christian identities.
Even the critics from the Greco-roman world knew and assumed that is what the early Jewish believes.
1) The classical world e.g. te philosopher Pythagoras dependent on the mysteries of Moses-Mochos, and characterized Moses’ God, in an ontological way, as ‘He who is’, as ‘the noetic light’, and ‘the highest God’. These authors considered him unnameable and invisible, called him the ‘one true God’, ‘He who is above the seven celestial spheres, i.e. the creator’, and named him1 not only ‘Iao’ (Greek for ‘Yahweh’) and ‘Sabaoth’ but also ‘Dionysus’ and ‘Jupiter Sabazius’.
2) Greek philosopher Numenius of Apemea shows Moses holds a special status as a Platonist avant la lettre, and that the episode of the revelation of God’s Name as ‘Being’ (ontology).
3) Numenius, a Platonist philosopher, has positive evaluation of Moses, the Jews and their God contrasts sharply with the attack by another second-century ce Platonist, Celsus, on the Christian Origen. This issue is treated in a
Whereas Numenius considers the Jews to stand out from the other peoples who claim to possess age-old wisdom, Celsus criticizes the Jews and the Christians for claiming a monopoly in this. He argues ‘that the Jews and the Christians were wrong not to worship Zeus, for this
is in fact the same god as theirs, be it that the Greeks just happen to call him differently.’
The Greeks knew what the Jewish was talking about.
It is no surprise that in this Gospel of John, Jesus is presented as the Old Testament Kyrios, YHWH.I end with this quote on John:
First of all, Jesus’ I am-sayings allude to the Old Testament name of God. Like many other exegetes, David Mark Ball associates these sayings not in the first place with Exod 3:14 LXX (§g≈ efimi ı vÖn), but predominantly with Deutero-Isaiah (cf. also Lietaert Peerbolte, this vol., §4 on the Deutero-Isaian background of Phil 2:9), where yna, awhAyna, and awh ykna frequently occur as sayings of YHWH, which were translated in the Septuagint as §g≈ efimi. 14 We will look at some of the I am-sayings in the Gospel of John.
In John 6:20 Jesus says, when he walks on the water and a strong wind was blowing: §g≈ efimi: mØ fobe›sye. 15 Ball points to several Old Testament texts where YHWH combines the very same expressions, ‘I am’ and ‘do not be afraid’ (Gen 26:24; 46:3; Jer 1:8; 1:17; 26:28 LXX = 46:28 MT; 49:11 LXX = 42:11 MT).16 One might add that the story that Jesus walks on the water also corresponds with YHWH trampling the waves of the sea, according to Job 9:8 and Ps 89:10.
In John 8:12 Jesus says: ‘I am the light of the world’. Thus the evangelist identifies him with the Logos in the Prologue, who is called the light of men ( John 1:4–9).17 In the Old Testament YHWH is repeatedly called the light (Exod 13:21–22; Ps 27:1; Isa 60:1; 60:19).
In John 8:18, 24, and 28 Jesus again says §g≈ efimi; in vv. 24 and 28 it is used without predicate. Ball interprets these texts as allusions to words of YHWH in Deutero-Isaiah (43:10; 43:25; 52:6).18
In John 8:56–58 Jesus refers to Abraham who rejoiced to see ‘my day’, after which he says: ‘before Abraham was, I am’. The day that Abraham saw may be interpreted with regard to the three angels, one of whom was YHWH, who visited Abraham and Sarah (Gen 18:1–15),19 but the day of Jesus has also been identified as the eschatological day of YHWH.20 In the commentaries Abraham’s vision of Jesus’ day in John 8:56 is often related to Isaiah’s temple vision of Jesus ( John 12:40–41), but it must be admitted that the purport of John 8:56 is less precise.21 In any case, in John 8:58 Jesus clearly alludes to his pre-existence. Since §g≈ efimi occurred in John 8 several times already, and since these words could be interpreted as references to YHWH, it may be assumed that in John 8:58 as well
the Johannine Jesus alludes to his
essential nature.2
John 10:11, ‘I am the good shepherd’, refers among other texts to Ezek 34, where YHWH is the shepherd who will take care of his people (Ezek 34:12–22; 34:31; only in 34:23 the shepherd is David). Some other texts that depict YHWH as a shepherd are Pss 23:1–4; 79:13; 80:1; Isa 40:11.23
In John 18:5–6 Jesus’ twofold saying ‘I am’, without predicate, was so impressive that those who had come to arrest him drew back and fell to the ground. This looks like a theophany. In John 18:8 Jesus confirms his ‘I am’ for the third time.2
Ball concludes from these and other texts in the Fourth Gospel that by the application of §g≈ efimi to the Johannine Jesus, an identification with the words and salvation of the God of DeuteroIsaiah, i.e. YHWH, is implied.25Urk, the quotes are hard to copy paste. But the point is clear. Cheers!
Mar 18 2020, 02:16 PM
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