hey all,
I saw a discussion on Yahoo Answers about changes in the NWT. I watchtower apologist posted a long list of commendations made regarding the NWT.
I thought we could have some fun picking this apart.
One in particular was a comment made by Rolf Furuli. He made no disclosure that he is a JW and a renowned WTS apologist.
Another quote from Alan S Duthie was of course not fully included below. the posted selectively chose to omit this statement (in red):
Alan S. Duthie stated that the "Jehovah's Witnesses' NWT, which is certainly not 'filled with the heretical doctrines' ...even though a few aberrations can be found. ...Some have to condemn out of hand any version made by Jehovah's Witnesses...because they must be full of heresies...It is true that there are some heretical doctrines to be found in NWT (eg. the incoherent polytheism in Jn.1:1,... but the percentage of the whole Bible thus affected... does not reach even 0.1% of the whole, which is very far from 'full'. How To Choose Your Bible Wisely, Alan S. Duthie. pp. 30, 216.
funny how that 0.1% is all that is needed to change the interpretation of countless of scriptures regarding the deity of Christ despite an accurate translation of actual words. AND what is that actual percentage of error when just considering just the NT if all or most of the errors occur in the NT and not the OT?
how many of these "sholars" are actually JW's? How many of these scholars have been taken out of context or have actually criticized the NWT in other writings?
Have a look at all the POSITIVE things JW's are pointing to that "scholars" are saying about the NWT:
An independent chart of which bibles agree with the "critical text"
http://web.archive.org/web/2004060221150…
Jason BeDuhn associate professor of religious studies in his book compares nine? translations including the KJ, "the New World Translation “is one of the most accurate English translations of the New Testament currently available”
Rolf Furuli: "I read the English text of the NWT against the Hebrew text, word for word...the translators of the NWT have been extremely faithful both to their own translation principles and to the Hebrew text."
-Lecturer in Semitic Languages at Oslo University
Steven T. Byington: Of the NWT, "If you are digging for excellent or suggestive renderings, this is among the richer mines."
-Christian Century, "Review of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures"
Frederick Danker: "Not to be snubbed is the New World Translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, Rendered from the Original by the New World Bible Translation Committee."
-"Multipurpose Tools for Bible Study"
Alan S. Duthie: The "Jehovah's Witnesses' NWT,...is certainly not 'filled with the heretical doctrines'...even though a few aberrations can be found...but the percentage of the whole Bible thus affected... does not reach even 0.1% of the whole, which is very far from 'full'.
-"How To Choose Your Bible Wisely"
S. Maclean Gilmore: "The New Testament edition was made by a committee...that possessed an unusual competence in Greek."
-Andover Newton Quarterly
Edgar Goodspeed: "I am...much pleased with the free, frank, and vigorous translation. It exhibits a vast array of sound serious learning, as I can testify."- professor of Greek at the University of Chicago.
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Samuel Haas: "This work indicates a great deal of effort and thought as well as considerable scholarship."
On the NWT -Bible Scholar in "Journal of Biblical Literature"
Benjamin Kedar: "I find my feeling repeatedly confirmed that [the OT] reflects an honest endeavor to achieve an understanding of the text that is as accurate as possible....Giving evidence of a broad command of the original language...I have never discovered in the New World Translation any biased intent to read something into the text that it does not contain."
-Professor of Jewish, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Dr. Bruce Metzger: "On the whole, one gains a tolerably good impression of the scholarly equipment of the translators."
-Professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and Scholar in Greek, OT Studies and NT Studies in "The Bible Translator"
J. D Phillips: "Last week I purchased a copy of your New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures of which I take pride in being an owner. You have done a marvelous work...but you have made a marvelous step in the right direction, and I pray God that your Version will be used to His glory. What you have done for the Name alone is worth all the effort and cost!"
Charles Francis Potter: In "the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures...the anonymous translators have certainly rendered the best manuscript texts...with scholarly ability and acumen."
-The Faith Men Live By
Alexander Thomson Hebrew and Greek scholar: "The translation is evidently the work of skilled and clever scholars, who have sought to bring out as much of the true sense of the Greek text as the English language is capable of expressing."
-in "The Differentiator" (a private, published journal)
Allen Wikgren: It is "independent reading of merit."
-Scholar on the NRSV committee, as well as on the committee which produced the UBS Greek text
Thomas N. Winter: "The translation by the anonymous committee is thoroughly up to date and consistently accurate...In sum, when a witness comes to the door, the classicist, Greek student, or Bible student alike would do well to place an order."
-Professor of Koine Greek at the University of Nebraska