The final 'I am' saying is remarkable
for the reaction to it. When the cohort who come to arrest Jesus say that they
seek Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus identifies himself with the words 'I am'. 'When
therefore he said to them "I am", they retreated backwards and fell
to the ground' On 18.6). This dramatic reaction further suggests that the 'I
am' statements are intended to recall Old Testament passages such as Exodus
3.14 and Isaiah 52.6, and to hint thereby at Jesus' deity. We shall see that
this is not the only reason for regarding the Johannine account of Jesus'
arrest as the product of secondary rewriting. (Maurice Casey, is John’s
Gospel True? [London: Routledge, 1996], 42)
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