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Pre-existentials become existential in the seven Absolutes, and existentials become functional in the triunities, the basic association of Absolutes. And concomitant with the eternalization of the triunities the universe stage is set--the potentials are existent and the actuals are present--and the fullness of eternity witnesses the diversification of [[cosmic]] [[energy]], the outspreading of Paradise spirit, and the endowment of mind together with the bestowal of personality, by [[virtue]] of which all of these [[Deity]] and [[Paradise]] derivatives are unified in [[experience]] on the creature level and by other techniques on the supercreature level.
Pre-existentials become existential in the seven Absolutes, and existentials become functional in the triunities, the basic association of Absolutes. And concomitant with the eternalization of the triunities the universe stage is set--the potentials are existent and the actuals are present--and the fullness of eternity witnesses the diversification of [[cosmic]] [[energy]], the outspreading of Paradise spirit, and the endowment of mind together with the bestowal of personality, by [[virtue]] of which all of these [[Deity]] and [[Paradise]] derivatives are unified in [[experience]] on the creature level and by other techniques on the supercreature level.
==Historical Traditions==
'''I am that I am''' (|Hebrew: אהיה אשר אהיה, pronounced ''Ehyeh asher ehyeh'') is a common English translation ([[King James Bible]] and others) of the response [[God]] used in the [[Bible]] when [[Moses]] asked for his name (Exodus 3:14). It is one of the most famous verses in the [[Torah]]. Hayah means "existed" or "was" in Hebrew; "ehyeh" is the first person singular imperfect form. ''Ehyeh asher ehyeh'' is generally interpreted to mean ''I am that I am'', though it more literally translates as "I-shall-be that I-shall-be."
The word ''Ehyeh'' is used a total of 43 places in the [[Old Testament]], where it is usually translated as "I will be" -- as is the case for its first occurrence, in Exodus 3:12 -- or "I shall be," as is the case for its final occurrence in Zechariah 8:8. It stems from the Hebrew conception of [[monotheism]] that God exists within each and everyone and by himself, the uncreated Creator who does not depend on anything or anyone; therefore ''I am who I am''. Some scholars state the [[Tetragrammaton]] itself derives from the same verbal root, but others counter that it may simply sound similar as intended by God, such as Psalm 119 and the Hebrew words "shoqed" (watching) and "shaqed" ([[almond]] branch) found in Jeremiah 1:11-12.
==Roman Catholic Church interpretation==
The Roman Catholic church's interpretation has been summarized in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catechism_of_the_Catholic_Church Catechism of the Catholic Church]. The interpretation is found in numbers 203-213.
Some of the salient points are the following:
;203:God revealed himself to his people Israel by making his name known to them. A name expresses a person's essence and identity and the meaning of this person's life. God has a name; he is not an anonymous force. To disclose one's name is to make oneself known to others; in a way it is to hand oneself over by becoming accessible, capable of being known more intimately and addressed personally.
;206:In revealing his mysterious name, YHWH ("I AM HE WHO IS", "I AM WHO AM" or "I AM WHAT I AM"), God says who he is and by what name he is to be called. This divine name is mysterious just as God is mystery. It is at once a name revealed and something like the refusal of a name, and hence it better expresses God as what he is - infinitely above everything that we can understand or say: he is the "hidden God", his name is [[ineffable]], and he is the God who makes himself close to men.
;207:God, who reveals his name as "I AM", reveals himself as the God who is always there, present to his people in order to save them.
;210:After Israel's sin, when the people had turned away from God to worship the [[golden calf]], God hears Moses' prayer of intercession and agrees to walk in the midst of an unfaithful people, thus demonstrating his love. When Moses asks to see his glory, God responds "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you my name 'the LORD' [YHWH]." Then the LORD passes before Moses and proclaims, "YHWH, YHWH, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness"; Moses then confesses that the LORD is a forgiving God.
;211:The divine name, "I Am" or "He Is", expresses God's faithfulness: despite the faithlessness of men's sin and the punishment it deserves, he keeps "steadfast love for thousands"... By giving his life to free us from sin, Jesus reveals that he himself bears the divine name: "When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will realize that "I AM"."
;212:In God "there is no variation or shadow due to change."
;213:The revelation of the ineffable name "I AM WHO AM" contains then the truth that God alone IS. The Greek [[Septuagint]] translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, and following it the [[Magisterium|Church's tradition]], understood the divine name in this sense: God is the fullness of Being and of every perfection, without origin and without end. All creatures receive all that they are and have from him; but he alone is his very being, and he is of himself everything that he is.
==Kabbalist interpretation==
Kabbalists have long deemed that the [[Torah]] contains [[esoteric]] [[information]]. The response given by God is considered significant by many Kabbalists, because it is seen as proof in the [[divine]] nature of God's name, a central idea in Kabbalah (and to a lesser degree [[Judaism]] in general).
==Other views==
Some religious groups believe that this phrase or at least the "[[I am]]" part of the phrase is an actual name of God, or to lesser degree the sole name of God. It can be found in many lists where other common names of God are shown.
In the [[Hindu]] [[Advaita Vedanta]], the [[South India]]n sage [[Ramana Maharshi]] mentions that of all the definitions of God, "none is indeed so well put as the biblical statement “I am that I am”". He maintained that although Hindu scripture contains similar statements, the [[Mahavakyas]], these are not as direct as Jehovah. <ref>''Talks with Ramana Maharshi'', Talk 106, 29th November, 1935</Ref> Further the "I am" is explained by [[Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj]] as an abstraction in the mind of the Stateless State, of the Absolute, or the Supreme Reality, called [[Parabrahman]]. It is pure awareness, prior to thoughts, free from perceptions, associations, memories.
It has also been argued that while "I am who I am" is a literal translation, a more accurate translation on meaning is "Mind your own business".
==References==
*Talks with Ramana Maharshi, Talk 106, 29th November, 1935
==External links==
*[http://www.gracecathedral.org/enrichment/brush_excerpts/brush_20040218.shtml Brush Up on Your Bible: The Many Names of God (I am that I am)]
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