Greek
3 items across 1 content type
Debate Excerpts (3)
Individual points from debates discussing this topic
“How is the first-and-last claim answered in terms of language?”
The reply is that language matters: the Arabic awwal and akhir are not identical to Greek Alpha and Omega, and the same expression can have different ranges in different languages. The argument is that you cannot simply move a title from one scriptural language into another and assume it carries the same theological weight.
“How does the Muslim side answer the Revelation 22 argument?”
The reply is that the verse still has to be read through the Bible's own linguistic and historical context, not through an imported Islamic semantic rule. The speaker argues that Greek and Arabic usage are not interchangeable and that the title can be read differently in the Christian textual world than in the Qur'anic one.
“Who else uses ego imai in the New Testament, and does it always signify divine identity?”
Uthman cites multiple New Testament uses of ego imai by non-divine beings. In Luke 1:19, the angel Gabriel says: I am Gabriel, ego imai, who stands before God and I am sent to speak to you. In John 9, the blind man healed by Jesus uses ego imai when asked if he is the man who was healed — I am. Paul uses ego imai. Rabbis use it. In Matthew, a rabbi says I am the rabbi using ego imai. Uthman lists at least six or seven examples of ego imai used by people other than God. If ego imai is a secret divine name from Exodus, then the New Testament is full of gods — Gabriel, the blind man, Paul, rabbis. The form is a common Greek first-person expression meaning I am, not an exclusive divine claim.