SBG said:
No. As Didaskomenos points out John's words, which report what Jesus said, are not co-equal with Jesus. Even Jesus' statement is not co-equal with Jesus. However, given that Jesus' statement is true, then the Way, the Truth and the Life are co-equal with Jesus since they are what Jesus is.
I think Didaskomenos earlier post on the noumenal vs. the phenomenal is pertinent here. Jesus' statement is phenomenal. Truth (with a capital T) is noumenal---the absolute Truth. Jesus' phenomenal statement is an individual instance of Truth (that is what makes it true), but it is not identical with the Truth. It is only one small ray of the blazing sun of Truth.
Jesus identifies himself here with the Truth in the full noumenal sense of absolute Truth. But the statement he uses to make that identification is only one particular phenomenal expression of Truth in the physical world, not the Truth in its entire and eternal glory.
Similarly, each living creature is a phenomenal expression of Life in this physical world. But none is to be identified with Life itself. Jesus, on the other hand, is identified with Life itself. Life and Jesus are equal because they are identical. That does not make individual living creatures equal to Life/Jesus. If it did, each and every one of us would be equal to Jesus and we should all be pantheists.
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hehe.
