"I am" in context : the literary function, background and theological implications of 'egó 'eimi in John's gospel.

This thesis studies "I am" on the lips of the Johannine Jesus.
Although previous studies of this phrase have discovered many formal
parallels, insufficient attention has been devoted to the function of
the words in John. Thus there is a danger of imposing on the Gospel
ideas that are foreign to it. The "I am" sayings should first be
studied in the Gospel context to determine their function there. It
is then possible to delimit any background material in terms of its
relation to John's use of the phrase.