In our latest Watch Tower Wednesday on the Facebook page we saw the Watch Tower Society teaches, 'The New World Translation is based on up-to-date scholarly research and the most reliable ancient manuscripts.
'Unlike paraphrased translations, the New World Translation renders words literally as long as doing so does not result in awkward wording or hide the thought of the original writings. Translations that paraphrase the Bible’s original text may insert human opinions or omit important details.'
This is a big issue with Jehovah's Witnesses, who confidently believe they are bringing the very best translation today to our homes. How would you respond to such claims? Is the NWT superior to other translations?
On the Facebook page Bavesh Roger observed, ‘...the NWT actually paraphrases words to fit their teachings. For example, Dr. Bowman correctly points out the paraphrasing of the Greek word "pneuma" in the NWT which has been paraphrased as "inspired expression" in various passages of 1 John 4 and "inspired utterances" in 1 Tim. 4:1. To defend this they pick a less literal and more paraphrastic Christian translation like the CBW and compare the NWT with it because obviously they can't compare it with the likes of ESV and NASB. Another example is the Greek phrase "tou pneumatos sou" which is literally translated "the spirit of you", has been translated as "the spirit you show" in 2 Tim. 4:22 and Philemon 25 in the NWT. This is again paraphrasing because the literal translation does not fit their teaching of humans not possessing an eternal spirit.’
Jehovah or Yahweh?
It is worth pointing out that their claim of accuracy backfires on them because ‘Jehovah’ is the least likely spelling and pronunciation of God’s name. We looked at this in my previous article. How can Jehovah’s Witnesses claim strict accuracy when they get the Name wrong?
It is also worth noting that the claim of strict faithfulness to ’up-to-date scholarly research and the most reliable ancient manuscripts' falls apart when we read the New Testament. Here they have added the name of God more than 200 times when the Name doesn’t appear in any of the most reliable ancient New Testament manuscripts, indeed, in any manuscripts.
What is written in the ‘most reliable ancient New Testament documents,’ where the Jehovah’s Witnesses insert ‘Jehovah,’ is the Greek kurios, translated ‘Lord.’ If they are going to be consistent, they should translate kurios as Jehovah when it appears as a title for Jesus. However, they revert to the correct translation, ‘Lord,’ when Jesus is in view, and sneak in Jehovah when they feel it safe to do so.
John’s Gospel Theme
What about that troublesome text, John 1:1? We have heard and rehearsed the arguments so often, but I want to point out the bigger picture. Each gospel writer has a key purpose in view.
Matthew wrote for a Jewish audience about fulfilled prophecy, the arrival of the Messiah.
Mark wrote for the wider church, bringing Peter’s testimony of salvation through the risen Christ.
Luke wrote for everyone, emphasising salvation for Jews and Greeks, and the truthfulness of the Christian tradition.
John’s is a cosmic gospel, beginning with the Creation, with an emphasis on the deity of Christ. While Jehovah’s Witnesses debate the use of the definite article in John 1:1, John brings us a heaven’s-eye view, takes us to an understanding of Jesus as God with us, Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14; Mt. 1:23).
He was in the beginning with God – John 1:1 As Doug Harris used to say, ’when the beginning began he was already there.’
He created everything, ‘...apart from him not even one thing came into existence’ – John 1:3, NWT
Creation motifs of life, light, and darkness are used in describing Jesus, who is the life and light of men, overcoming the darkness – John 1:4,5; Genesis 1:3-5
The Word became flesh and dwelt among men, literally ‘pitched his tent among us,’ referencing the dwelling of God in the tabernacle among his people – John 1:14
John writes, ‘we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.’- John 1:14. Christ’s glory was unveiled on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mt.17:1-9) referencing the glory of God manifesting in the Old Testament in theophanies, in the tabernacle, and in the temple.
That glory is now manifest in the Incarnate Word, God’s ultimate revelation, the exact imprimatur of God’s nature (Heb.1:1-5). We are told that later, through the Holy Spirit, Jesus will make a temple of the church (1 Cor.3:16), as well as of the believer’s body (1 Cor.6:19); God dwelling in his people by his indwelling Spirit. In these very verses we have the Trinity of God.
As if to bracket these 18 verses as he started, John writes, ‘No one has ever seen God; the only God who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.’ - John 1:18 (the ‘most reliable ancient New Testament documents,’ say ‘the only God’)
Reading these verses, one cannot reasonably return to John 1:1 and translate ‘the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.’ Everything here, everything John wrote, points to Jesus’ deity. Paul writes of Jesus, ‘For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily…’ (Col.2:9 ESV) As Doug would often ask, ‘how full is full?’
The Greek literally gives, ‘all the fullness of the divinity,’ The NWT gives ‘the fullness of the divine quality,’ describing this as, ‘...a quality or condition that could be obtained or lost as a result of one’s behavior.’ So these divine qualities are not Christ’s, and he is capable of losing them. Can such a Saviour be entirely trusted?
The Watch Tower claim to literal accuracy falls down in the most important aspects of the Salvation story, the identity of the true God, and the identity of Jesus. The NWT translation may surely be ‘close’ to the original Greek, but it is certainly not faithful to the original Greek.
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