Jiva

MIND, MATTER AND GOD : JIVA, JADA AND ISVARA
M.M.NINAN
JEWISH UNDERSTANDING OF THIS “I AM” BEING
In the Hellenistic Greek literature of the Jewish Diaspora the phrase "Ehyeh asher
ehyeh" was rendered in Greek "ego eimi ho on", "I am the BEING".
Septuagint Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I am HE WHO IS (ho on):
and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, HE WHO IS (ho on)
hath sent me unto you. [3]
Philo : And God said, "At first say unto them, 'I am (ego eimi) THE BEING,'(ho on,
nominative of ontos) that, when they have learnt that there is a difference between
THE BEING (ontos, genitive of ho on) and that-that-is-not (me ontos), they may be
further taught that there is no name whatever that can properly be assigned to Me
(ep' emou kuriologeitai), to whom (oi) only (monoi) belongs (prosesti) the existence
(to einai). (Philo Life Of Moses Vol.1 :75) [4][5]
ho On, "He who is" (Philo, Life of Moses I 75)
to On, "the Being who is" (Philo, Life of Moses II 67),
tou Ontos, "of Him that is" (II 99)
tou Ontos, "of the Self-Existent" (II 132)
to On, "the Self-Existent" (II 161)
This usage is also found in the New Testament:
Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord,
the BEING (ho on), and THE WAS (ho en), and THE IS TO COME (ho erchomenos),
the Almighty (ho pantokrator).
Rev 4:8 holy, Lord God Almighty, the WAS (ho en), and the BEING (ho on), and
the IS TO COME (ho erchomenos).
The Roman Catholic Church's interpretation has been summarized in the Catechism of
the Catholic Church. The interpretation is found in numbers 203-213.
203 God revealed himself to his people of Israel by making his name known to them. A
name expresses one's essential identity and the meaning of one's life. God has a name;
he is not an anonymous force. To disclose one's name is to make oneself known to
156