I AM and ॐ
24 December 2023
Introduction
Does God have a name? If so, what is it—and who gave it to Him?
Throughout Scripture and tradition, we hear many names used for God: Yahweh, Jehovah, the Lord, and more recently, the phrase “I AM.” This naturally raises questions. Which name is correct? Where did these names originate? And what do they truly tell us about the nature of God?
God Reveals His Name
The first clear revelation of God’s name appears in the Book of Exodus. When Moses encounters God in the burning bush, he asks how he should identify the One who sends him:
“If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
(Exodus 3:13–14)
The phrase “I AM” is a first-person, present-tense expression of the verb to be. In Hebrew, it is rendered as YHWH, often pronounced as Yahweh. Because ancient Hebrew was written without vowels, later pronunciations such as Yehowah or Jehovah also emerged. This sacred name appears throughout the Torah and the Old Testament as the revealed name of the God of Israel.
What Does “I AM” Mean?
Jesus Himself explains the depth of this name when He speaks about God as the God of the living:
“I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” He is God not of the dead, but of the living.
(Matthew 22:32; see also Mark 12:26–27; Luke 20:37–38)
God speaks of the patriarchs in the present tense, even though they lived generations earlier. This reveals something profound: God is not bound by time. He is eternally present—equally present to the past, the present, and the future.
This truth is echoed in the Book of Revelation:
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
(Revelation 1:8)
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.”
(Revelation 21:6)
Using the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, Scripture proclaims Jesus as the eternal I AM—the One who transcends all time and existence.
The Transfiguration:
Jesus Reveals the Eternal God
The Transfiguration, recorded in all three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 17, Mark 9, Luke 9), is the moment when Jesus reveals His divine glory to Peter, James, and John. It is also a foretaste of His glorious return.
During this event, Jesus speaks with Moses and Elijah—two prophets who lived centuries apart and who had both encountered God intimately in their own time.
Moses encountered God face to face on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:9–18), and Scripture tells us:
“The Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.”
(Exodus 33:11)
“Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.”
(Deuteronomy 34:10)
Similarly, Elijah encountered God personally on a mountain (1 Kings 19:11–18). At the Transfiguration, Jesus’ appearance mirrors Daniel’s vision of the Son of Man:
“His clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool.”
(Daniel 7:9)
Here, time collapses. The Father speaks from heaven, the Son stands revealed, and the Holy Spirit is present in the cloud. This moment reveals Jesus as the eternal I AM—the God who transcends time.
What Does This Have to Do with ॐ (AUM)?
In recent years, the symbol and sound ॐ (AUM) have begun appearing in some Christian spaces, especially in India. This has raised understandable concerns. To address this, we must first understand what AUM represents.
Understanding ॐ (AUM)
- अ (A) – the beginning
- ऊ (U) – continuation
- ं (M) – completion or end
Together, these sounds express beginning, continuity, and completion as one unified reality—an eternal presence beyond time.
AUM and the Christian Understanding of God
Seen through a Christian lens, this symbolism closely aligns with our understanding of God as the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. When Christians use AUM to point to the God revealed in Jesus Christ, they are confessing faith in the eternal I AM.
Can Christians Use Symbols from Other Religions?
St. Paul provides a powerful answer when he addresses the Athenians:
“I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.”
(Acts 17:22–23)
God was not created by any culture. He created all peoples. Throughout history, men and women across cultures have reached toward the same eternal Creator—even if they did not fully know Him.
Conclusion
In my earlier post titled “The Universality of Christmas,” I pointed out the origins of various Christmas symbols. Christianity is not about cultural separation but about universal communion. When symbols—whatever their origin—lead us toward Jesus Christ, they can serve as authentic expressions of faith.
If AUM today points us toward Christ, the eternal I AM, then it stands as a reminder of both our faith and our cultural roots. What matters most is not where a symbol comes from, but whom it points to.
References
- Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. © 1989 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
- Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) Part One, Section Two, Chapter Two, Article 3, Paragraph 3, Verse 555
- Encyclopaedia Britannica - Yahweh
- Wikipedia - Tetragrammaton
- The Gospel Coalition - The Transfiguration and the Question about Eijah
- Understanding the Bible - The Universality of Christmas
- Acharya - Learn Sanskrit through self-study
