‘The tour de force is Franklin’s focus on the Deity’s “I” in the Hebrew Scriptures, inviting the reader to enter the original world of the Jerusalem Temple and experience it – perhaps for the first time.’ – Margaret Barker, D.D., author and biblical scholar

In this original and thought-provoking exploration of one of the Bible’s most profound mysteries – the Divine Name ‘I AM’ – the author uncovers striking patterns woven through biblical texts that have long remained unnoticed. Drawing on the Hebrew Tanakh, Jewish tradition and the spiritual insights of Rudolf Steiner and Jakob Böhme, I AM that I AM outlines a revitalised approach to the sacred affirmation that has shaped religious thought for millennia.

At the heart of the book lies a remarkable investigation into the Hebrew verses containing the words ani and anokhi – the divine ‘I’ spoken by God throughout the Old Testament. The author argues that these passages reveal striking structural, linguistic and symbolic meanings that were part of Jewish wisdom before reappearing with the ‘I am’ sayings in the Gospel of St John.

Beginning with the symbolic image of the Twenty-Four Elders and the twenty-four books of the Tanakh, the author guides readers through biblical structure, sacred language, syntax, symbolism and esoteric traditions, including the phases of the Moon in Hebrew. The result is a fresh encounter with Scripture as a living revelation in which language itself becomes a vessel of spiritual reality. Both scholarly and contemplative, I Am that I Am invites readers to rediscover the hidden riches of the Old Testament and the enduring power of the Divine Name.

N.V.P. FRANKLIN is a retired university lecturer now living in South Devon. His first study concerned Jacob Boehme and William Blake’s The Four Zoas (1979) whilst his second addressed Rudolf Steiner’s Christology and Freemasonry (1989). He has also published on Boehme’s understanding of speech sounds and has taught in the Open University and the University of California. His studies in theology were with the Russian Orthodox St Sergius Institute in Paris. Since 2014 his main task has been helping to edit the Complete Works of Hermann Beckh in English translation. He is the author of Freemasonry and Rudolf Steiner (Temple Lodge Publishing, 2020).