Is there anyone at Bethel who knows Greek or Hebrew?

by VM44 40 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Theocrat

  Yeah, I always wished that I knew who exactly was on the committee in the 50's. I think we can say that Fred Franz was on it, if the chairman, for sure. But like I said, if somebody as common as my friend who teaches at Patterson knows Greek well enough to translate from original Koine texts, I'm sure many others up there have the knowledge. And this guy is only like 50 or 60 years old.

  I'm thinking the trick is actually getting the training. For instance, with me, I would be looked down upon at Bethel or in the local congregation for getting a degree from a worldly university in Greek.
• 

  VM44

  sir82, you have said some interesting things.

  Essentilally then, The Watchtower doctrines are now "self contained", with no need for further research. In fact, further Bibical research might show up some "flaws" with the current doctrines, and so such research is frowned upon and discouraged. Only "research" using Watchtower publications is favorably allowed.

  Using the Kingdom Interlinear Translation too much might get a person into trouble though.

  Very interesting indeed.

  --VM44
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  AK - Jeff

  
  Perhaps a bigger question is: Even if some do know the languages, are they consulted and trusted to aid in interpretation and subtle meaning of those Biblical languages? Or is it already 'set in stone' what the religion accepts as doctrine and little in the way of linguistic understanding is really needed today?

  I fear the latter.

  Jeff Edited to add: Sorry VM44 looks like I repeated your basic thought. Unintentional.
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  sir82

  Don't know how far back you may go in the JW organization, but in the 60's / 70's Watchtower studies were quite a bit deeper than now. Original Greek and/or Hebrew words were studied, dissected, nuances & shades of meaning were discussed. Not all the time, mind you, but several times a year, we'd be instructed on original Greek terms to help refute the trinity, or define love, etc.

  Now, Watchtower studies are extremely dumbed down, with pictures of Goofus and Gallant in case the 5-letter words are too tough for you to figure out what a "true Christian" should be doing (riding around in an SUV heading for a picnic - B-A-D...tromping off to knock on the doors of everyone else who is not at home, because they are at the soccer field - G-O-O-D).
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  stillajwexelder

  It would seem to me a sensible move to send a really loyal bethelite or two to college and let them major in Greek , Hebrew and Latin - it would give JWs credibility - well some anyway
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  metatron

  Karl Klein is dead. I think all the NWT committee members are dead. Penton could be right.

  metatron
• 

  TD

  
  

  I remember when the KIT was released in 1969. The audience was encouraged to study/learn Koine Greek. Although the speaker seemed to think that the KIT alone was all the student would need, that encouragement was still there.

  There are certainly individual JW's that read Koine and Attic Greek. Even I know a few and I'm not a JW. (And as was pointed out in another thread, any modern Greek speaker can muddle their way through the archaic dialects.) But when it comes to the executive offices and the JW Governing Body, I stongly suspect that Penton is correct.
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  moggy lover

  No, I am not aware of any G[r]eek scholars in the WTS ..... But having said that I believe there are several GEEK ones there

  Cheers
• 

  greendawn

  They will probably pay for outsiders to make translations, I think that's how they got the NWT done.
• 

  Trojan

  Now, Watchtower studies are extremely dumbed down, with pictures of Goofus and Gallant in case the 5-letter words are too tough for you to figure out what a "true Christian" should be doing (riding around in an SUV heading for a picnic - B-A-D...tromping off to knock on the doors of everyone else who is not at home, because they are at the soccer field - G-O-O-D).

  sir82: LOL , I remember when we had that WT study at Bethel and I painted a few stacks of magazines all over the SUV....A friend of mine had a good laugh and I said to him: I'm the guy in the SUV, go out to the Beach, let a few mags fly out of that very cool SUV and count ALL the time being at the beach...hilarious! Have you seen how that other family looks away...not even greeting their fellow christians, because they ONLY going to the beach? The shunning starts very early. As regard to the quality of the literature, I have read the older literature and although it contains the errors everybody here knows, it was a higher writing standard. Nowadays: WTBTS has converted the Bible scholar knowledge to some kind of easy meal. Now we have the McBible combo, the McShakeWatchtower with a little Fried Awake on top ;-) It has to be that way to "mass-produce", translate and get the message out to the masses. Specially in Third world countries you need that kind of "spiritual fast food", because people there hardly understand who Adam and Eve was....(according to my experience)....most of the folks in these countries understood a didlisquat about the Daniel book.... Here's that favorite picture of mine (that guy in my picture is "placing" lots and lots of mags with this newly invented method....LOL) Trojan.