The central theme of the Gospel of John is an assertion of the identity of Jesus, addressed in almost every chapter. There are at least two parts to the gospel’s exploration of Jesus’s identity, which conforms to the ­Christian doctrine of his two natures, being both fully human and fully divine.

Showing the divinity of Jesus is the gospel’s primary concern, as can be seen in the opening prologue, which identifies Jesus as the pre-existent Word of God, the active agent of creation existing in eternal union with God, and the Son of God who has been made incarnate as a human being. Further assertions of his divinity are made throughout the gospel, often in one of three ways: through the supernatural power evident in his miraculous signs; in his repeated use of “I Am” rhetoric, which borrows the terminology of the personal name of God from the Old Testament (see Exodus 3:14); and in his many statements about the unity he shares with God the Father. Sometimes he combines these strategies, simultaneously claiming the personal name of God and the attribute of divine pre-existence: “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am” (8:58).