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What the Fathers say
Eastern Fathers
John Chrysostom
"Jesus saith unto them, Before Abraham was, I Am. Then took they up stones to cast at Him." Seest thou how He proved Himself to be greater than Abraham? For the man who rejoiced to see His day, and made this an object of earnest desire, plainly did so because it was a day that should be for a benefit, and belonging to one greater than himself. Because they had said, "The carpenter's son" and imagined nothing more concerning Him, He leadeth them by degrees to an exalted notion of Him. …
Cyril of Alexandria
Again does Christ advance to His wonted and favourite contrivance, for He speaks at times exceeding obscurely and overshadowing His exposition with diverse veils suffers it not to be open to all. But when He sees that the hearers understand nothing at all, then having stripped His discourse of its obscurity, He sets it before them plain and clear. And this He studies to do on the present occasion. …
Theophylact of Ohrid
What then does the Lord say? "Before Abraham was, I am." See, He did not say "before Abraham was, I was," but "I am." For this expression "am" is more proper to God, because it signifies continuous and eternal existence. So too His Father in the Old Testament said of Himself: "I am He Who Is" (Ex. 3:14). Of Abraham, as one subject to corruption, He fittingly said "was." For that which received existence is also subject to dissolution. But the word "am" points to freedom from all corruption and to divine eternity.
Western Saints
Augustine of Hippo
The angry Jews replied, "Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?" And the Lord: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was made, I am." Weigh the words, and get a knowledge of the mystery. "Before Abraham was made." Understand, that "was made" refers to human formation; but "am" to the Divine essence. "He was made," because Abraham was a creature. …
Gregory the Dialogist
Our Saviour mildly draws them away from their carnal view, to the contemplation of His Divinity; Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Before is a particle of past time, am, of present. Divinity has no past or future, but always the present; and therefore He does not say, Before Abraham was, I was: but, Before Abraham was, I am: (Exod. 3:14) as it is in Exodus, I am that I am. …
Thomas Aquinas
To counteract their ridicule, our Lord answers the Jews by explaining his words, saying, Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I am. These words of our Lord mention two things about himself that are noteworthy and efficacious against the Arians. One is that, as Gregory says, he combines words of present and past time, because before signifies the past, and am signifies the present. …
Translation