Divine Name in NT contradicts WT's own teaching on inspired (mis)quotations

by M.J. 4 Replies latest watchtower bible

• 

  M.J.

  Insight, vol 1, under the heading "Inspiration", pp. 1205-1206, makes the statement that the Hebrew manuscripts were the inspired and inerrant pre-Christian scriptures. Yet it also makes the admission that the NT quotes of the OT weren't always verbatim quotations from the Hebrew text. At times the NT quoted the Greek-translated Septuagint, which, in some cases altered the wording and meaning of the quoted verse considerably from the Hebrew.

  One such example given was "Paul's" quotation of Psalm 40:6 in Hebrews 10:5-6. Yet it reasons that, " God’s spirit guided Paul in his quotation, and therefore these words have divine authorization...those portions quoted by the inspired Christian writers did become an integral part of God’s Word." (p. 1206)

  Yet, throughout the NT, when the writers quoted the OT and used "Lord" instead of the divine name, the WTS attributes the difference not to inspiration and "divine authorization", but to a lack of integrity of the existing NT manuscripts to the original. The ONLY justification given for such a conjecture is that the original Hebrew was not quoted verbatim.

  But...didn't they say quotations didn't have to be verbatim to become "an integral part of God's Word"?

  The kicker here is when they go on to say, " God’s own purpose in preparing the Sacred Scriptures and the inspired declaration that 'the saying of Jehovah endures forever' give assurance that Jehovah God has preserved the internal integrity of the Scriptures through the centuries.—1Pe 1:25." (p. 1206)

  Just an observation.
• 

  jwfacts

  Good point By adding the word Jehovah to the NT the Watcthower Society undermines the integrity of the entire Bible. If Jehovah was removed without trace, then nothing in the Bible can be trusted.

  When attempting to build faith in the Bible the Watchtower explains that the New Testament is complete without omissions.

  Awake! 1972 June 22 p.8 "Thus modern scholarship gives reason for complete confidence that the Bible has come down to us today essentially unaltered."

  Reasoning from the Scriptures p. 64 """No striking or fundamental variation is shown either in the Old or the New Testament. There are no important omissions or additions of passages, and no variations which affect vital facts or doctrines.""

  All Scripture is Inspired of God and Beneficial p. 319 "Not only are there thousands of manuscripts to compare but discoveries of older Bible manuscripts during the past few decades take the Greek text back as far as about the year 125 C.E., just a couple of decades short of the death of the apostle John about 100 C.E. These manuscript evidences provide strong assurance that we now have a dependable Greek text in refined form."

  When attempting to convince a person that the Bible is accurate Watchtower publications are silent in regards to their belief that the most important word has been removed without trace. The story changes when explaining why the Watchtower Society added the word Jehovah into the New Testament, asserting that Jehovah was removed from the New Testament during the second century.

  New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures - With References p.1564 1D The Divine Name in the Christian Greek Scriptures "Sometime during the second or third century C.E. the scribes removed the Tetragrammaton from both the Septuagint and the Christian Greek Scriptures and replaced it with Ky´ri·os, "Lord" or The·os´, "God.""
• 

  M.J.

  The main point I was trying to make, in a nutshell is the WT is saying that a NT quotation of the OT need not be an exact quotation to be "inspired". Whatever differences in wording used by the NT author in quoting OT scripture become "inspired expressions" regardless of what the "original" material actually says. This totally contradicts their reasoning for insterting "Jehovah" in the NT.

  If they consistently applied their justification for inserting "Jehovah" in the NT, they'd have to make a whole lot of "corrections" to OT verses quoted throughout the NT.
• 

  M.J.

  (crickets chirping)
• 

  loosie

  Jehovah God has preserved the internal integrity of the Scriptures through the centuries.—1Pe 1:25." (p. 1206)

  Then why can't anyone pronounce YHWH?

  If I wrote a book and had super powers I would make sure people could prononuce my name.