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. 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. 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. 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. 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 favour 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."
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. 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. 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. 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' and so included in the unity of the Godhead."
©2019 Helpmewithbiblestudy.org.
A resource for learning how to read the Bible.