WHAT GREEK SCHOLARS REALLY THINK!

Sosthenes · WHAT GREEK SCHOLARS REALLY THINK!

WHAT GREEK SCHOLARS REALLY THINK!

About the New World's translation :

"...the Word was a god."

Dr. J. R. Mantey (who is quoted on pages 1158-1159) of the
Witnesses own Kingdom interlinear Translation): "A shocking
mistranslation." "Obsolete and incorrect." "It is neither scholarly
nor reasonable to translate John 1:1 'The Word was a god.'"

Dr. Bruce M. Metzger of Princeton (Professor of New Testament
Language and Literature): "A frightful mistranslation." "Erroneous"
and "pernicious" "reprehensible" "If the Jehovah's Witnesses take this
translation seriously, they are polytheists."

Dr. Samuel J. Mikolaski of Zurich, Switzerland: "This anarthrous
(used without the article) construction does not mean what the
indefinite article 'a' means in English. It is monstrous to translate
the phrase 'the Word was a god.'"

Dr. Paul L. Kaufman of Portland, Oregon: "The Jehovah's Witnesses
people evidence an abysmal ignorance of the basic tenets of Greek
grammar in their mistranslation of John 1:1."

Dr. Charles L. Feinberg of La Mirada, California: "I can assure you
that the rendering which the Jehovah's Witnesses give John 1:1 is not
held by any reputable Greek scholar."

Dr. James L. Boyer of Winona Lake, Indiana: "I have never heard of,
or read of any Greek Scholar who would have agreed to the
interpretation of this verse insisted upon by the Jehovah's
Witnesses...I have never encountered one of them who had any knowledge
of the Greek language."

Dr. Walter R. Martin (who does not teach Greek but has studied the
language): "The translation...'a god' instead of 'God' is erroneous and
unsupported by any good Greek scholarship, ancient or contemporary and
is a translation rejected by all recognized scholars of the Greek
language may of whom are not even Christians, and cannot fairly be said
to be biased in favor of the orthodox contention."

Dr. William Barclay of the University of Glasgow, Scotland: "The
deliberate distortion of truth by this sect is seen in their New
testament translations. John 1:1 is translated: '...the Word was a
god, ' a translation which is grammatically impossible...It is
abundantly clear that a sect which can translate the New Testament like
that is intellectually dishonest."

Dr. F. F. Bruce of the University of Manchester, England: "Much is
made by Arian amateur grammarians of the omission of the definite
article with 'God' in the phrase 'And the Word was God.' Such an
omission is common with nouns in a predicative construction...'a god'
would be totally indefensible." [Barclay and Bruce are generally
regarded as Great Britain's leading Greek scholars. Both have New
Testament translations in print!]

Dr. Ernest C. Colwell of the University of Chicago: "A definite
predicate nominative has the article when it follows the verb; it does
not have the article when it precedes the verb...this statement cannot
be regarded as strange in the prologue of the gospel which reaches its
climax in the confession of Thomas. 'My Lord and my God.' - John
20:28"

Dr. Phillip B. Harner of Heidelberg College: "The verb preceding an
anarthrous predicate, would probably mean that the LOGOS was 'a god' or
a divine being of some kind, belonging to the general category of THEOS
but as a distinct being from HO THEOS. In the form that John actually
uses, the word "THEOS" is places at the beginning for emphasis."

Dr. J. Johnson of California State University, Long Beach: "No
justification whatsoever for translating THEOS EN HO LOGOS as 'the Word
was a god.' There is no syntactical parallel to Acts 28:6 where there
is a statement in indirect discourse; John 1:1 is direct....I am
neither a Christian nor a Trinitarian."

Dr. Eugene A. Nida, head of Translations Department, American Bible
Society: "With regard to John 1:1, there is of course a complication
simply because the New World Translation was apparently done by
persons who did not take seriously the syntax of the Greek."
[Responsible for the Good News Bible - The committee worked under
him.]

Dr. B. F. Wescott (whose Greek text - not the English part - is
used in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation): "The predicate (God)
stands emphatically first, as in IV.24. It is necessarily without the
article...No idea of inferiority of nature is suggested by the form of
expression, which simply affirms the true deity of the Word...in the
third clause 'the Word' is declared to be 'God' ans so included in the
unity of the Godhead."

Dr. J. J. Griesbach (whose Greek text - not the English part - is
used in the Emphatic Diaglott): "So numerous and clear are the
arguments and testimonies of Scriptures in favor of the true Deity of
Christ, that I can hardly imagine how, upon the admission of the Divine
authority of Scripture, and with regard to fair rules of
interpretation, this doctrine can by any man be called in doubt.
Especially the passage, John 1:1-3, is so clear and so superior to all
exception, that by no daring efforts of either commentators or critics
can it be snatched out of the hands of the defenders of the truth."

Mr. Jehovah's Witness: Are we to simply ignore these eminent Greek
scholars, and stubbornly cling to the Man-made teachings of the
Watchtower, none of whom had any education to speak of in Greek Grammar?!

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