“I who speak to you am he”: lowly self-disclosure, compared with other “I am” words
Jesus says to her, “I am, the one speaking to you.” We should ask where else he proclaims himself the Christ, and set those sayings side by side — for example “I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me” and “If you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me.”
From the wording here we also learn that he is humble in heart: he does not boast great things about himself to the Samaritan woman.
Greek
Λέγει αὐτῇ ὁ Ἰησοῦς · Ἐγώ εἰμι, ὁ λαλῶν σοι. ζητητέον μετὰ τούτου καὶ εἴ που εὐηγγελίσατο ἑαυτὸν εἶναι τὸν Χριστόν, καὶ συγκριτέον ἀλλήλοις τὰ τοιαῦτα, ὥσπερ · Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ μαρτυρῶν περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ, καὶ μαρτυρεῖ περὶ ἐμοῦ ὁ πέμψας με πατήρ · καί · Εἰ ἐπιστεύετε Μωϋσεῖ, ἐπιστεύετε ἂν ἐμοί · περὶ γὰρ ἐμοῦ ἐκεῖνος ἔγραψεν.
πλὴν ὅσον ἐπὶ τῷ ῥητῷ μανθάνομεν ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ὅτι ἐστὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ, μὴ ὑπερηφανῶν περὶ ἑαυτοῦ μέγαλα λέγειν πρὸς τὴν Σαμαρεῖτιν.
About this text
Origen’s Commentary on John, Book 13 (later tomoi). Complete on this page: §§1–64.
English follows Preuschen, Origenes Werke IV (GCS 10, 1903). Heine FOTC was not used as wording. This page is Book 13 §§1–64 of the later books (13, 19, 20, 28, 32).
Witnesses
- Copy-text Preuschen, Origenes Werke IV = GCS 10 (1903) (Greek · Book 13 §§1–64)
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.