Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD – Amos 8: 11
Most of us who have been raised as Jehovah’s Witnesses since at least the 1960’s were occasionally reminded of the scholarship of Fred Franz and his command of eight or more languages, including the biblical languages of Hebrew and Greek. While growing up in the 1960’s and 70’s, I remember hearing from different ones at times that Franz was a Rhodes Scholar. At other times I heard that he was at least offered a Rhodes Scholarship but turned it down to “pursue kingdom interests”. This was usually presented in the context as an example to be looked up to.
I had just assumed that those who knew him well verified these facts without any doubt. I often wondered what it must be like to be so intelligent and how a person could learn so many languages. So, I recently did a little research concerning the claims that surrounded Fred Franz.
Shortly after the New World Translation (NWT) had begun to be translated in 1950, and before its completed release, The Watchtower Society made available in Kingdom Halls copies of A.H. Macmillan’s 1957 book, “Faith on The March” (Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.).
Macmillan wrote of Franz in his book: “he carried away the honors at the University of Cincinnati and was offered the privilege of going to Oxford or Cambridge in England under the Rhodes plan” (pg. 181). “Besides Spanish, Franz has a fluent knowledge of Portuguese and German and is conversant with French. He is also a scholar of Hebrew and Greek as well as Syriac and Latin, all of which contribute to making him a thoroughly reliable mainstay on Knorr’s editorial staff” (pg. 182).
So, here apparently was one source of the rumors regarding Mr. Franz’s intellectual and linguistic prowess that I had heard so much about as a young boy. However, the facts I’ve found about his education prove problematic for the support of such claims. Readily available now are copies of the scholastic transcripts of Mr. Franz’s work as a student at the University of Cincinnati. They show that Mr. Fredrick William Franz quit his university education well before completing his bachelors’ degree (first tier 4 year degree).
So, how could it be true that Franz “carried away the honors of the University of Cincinnati” when he didn’t even graduate? Additionally, simply being told what a student must do or accomplish in order to be invited to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, is certainly not the same as “being offered the privilege of going to Oxford or Cambridge in England under the Rhodes plan”. This started me to thinking that there might be more to this story than met the eye. I wondered if there was anything else here that was different than what I’d been led to believe?
First, let’s consider the other linguistic claims about Mr. Franz that was distributed in all the Kingdom Halls in the late 1950’s. Macmillan wrote: “Franz has a fluent knowledge of Portuguese and German and is conversant with French. He is also a scholar of Hebrew and Greek as well as Syriac and Latin.”
However, according to Mr. Franz’s college transcript, his major language studies were in classical Greek (21 semester hours), not Koine Greek in which the New Testament was written. The Greek Franz studied has different grammar and syntax from that of biblical Greek.
At that time, there was only one course in biblical Greek even offered at the University of Cincinnati.
According to the 1911 university catalog, page 119, that course was titled: “The New Testament – A course in grammar and translation.” Although Franz did take this class, this was not a full 3-hour college credit course. This was simply a survey course of New Testament Greek. Therefore it could legitimately be said that Franz never completed not even one typical college course in New Testament Greek. The one short course he did take was in a sense, well….anti-typical; if I may use a favorite phrase of his.
As for Hebrew and Syriac, they were not even offered at the University of Cincinnati. Franz did take 15 hours of Latin, but that would not qualify him as a scholar of that non-biblical language. Since there is no record of Franz attending other universities and the one he did go to is easily checked, the additional claims of him being a scholar of “Hebrew, Syriac and Latin” are apparently not true either.
Franz himself seemed to hold an inflated estimation of his scholarship credentials all the way to near the end of his life evidenced by what he wrote in his autobiography in 1987 :
“What a blessing it was to study Bible Greek under Professor Arthur Kensella! Under Dr. Joseph Harry, an author of some Greek works, I also studied the classical Greek. I knew that if I wanted to become a Presbyterian clergyman, I had to have a command of Bible Greek. So I furiously applied myself and got passing grades” (The Watchtower, May 1, 1987, pg. 24).
You’ll note that this autobiography gives the impression that the majority of his Greek studies were ‘Bible Greek’ under ‘Professor Kensella’ and that classical Greek was secondary under ‘Dr. Joseph Harry.’ The only problem with this proclamation is that the opposite is the truth. Franz only took one, shortened 2-hour credit class of “Bible Greek.” The other 21 hours of Greek he took were Classical.
Also noteworthy, according to the course catalog of 1911, is that Arthur Kensella was not a professor of Greek as Franz claimed, but an “instructor in Greek.” The reason was that Kensella did not have a Ph. D. degree. Therefore, Kensella only taught entry-level courses.
As if Franz’s personal academic records weren’t embarrassing enough when compared with his self-perception; he also seems to have perjured himself in a 1954 Scotland courtroom when he claimed under oath that he could read Hebrew, but then failed to translate a short verse in Genesis when challenged by the prosecutor:
Prosecutor: Have you also made yourself familiar with Hebrew?
Franz: Yes …
Prosecutor: So that you have a substantial linguistic apparatus at your command?
Franz: Yes, for use in my biblical work.
Prosecutor: I think you are able to read and follow the Bible in Hebrew, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French.
Franz: Yes. . .
Prosecutor: Can you, yourself translate that into Hebrew?
Franz: Which?
Prosecutor: That fourth verse of the second chapter of Genesis?
Franz: No.
(Cross Examination of Fred Franz. Pursuer’s Proof of Douglas Walsh v. The Right Honorable James Latham, Clyde , Scottish Court of Sessions, Wednesday, November 24, 1954 , p.7, pars. A-B. and p. 102, par. F.)
Now with his scholastic record and testimony under oath in mind, please re-read Franz’s claims about himself:
“What a blessing it was to study Bible Greek under Professor Arthur Kensella! Under Dr. Joseph Harry, an author of some Greek works, I also studied the classical Greek. I knew that if I wanted to become a Presbyterian clergyman, I had to have a command of Bible Greek. So I furiously applied myself and got passing grades” (The Watchtower, May 1, 1987, pg. 24).
Does this seem like a man in touch with reality, in love with truth and animated by the humbling effect of the indwelt Holy Spirit? Or does he appear to be a fleshly man playing fast and loose with the truth, and motivated by pride to cover over his real qualifications?
The reality is that Fred Franz, although apparently above average in intelligence and somewhat self-taught in Hebrew and other languages, was not a biblical scholar at all. He did not even complete a first tier Bachelors degree, much less a Masters’ degree or a Ph. D., which of course is needed for competent biblical language translation work. In the real world where you and I live, he would have simply been forgotten and would have probably had a hard time finding a good job with such incomplete college work. However, with the help of a religious publishing company he could be esteemed as much as many heads of state, revered as a quasi-prophet or “oracle” with multitudes hanging onto his every word at conventions as if an angel from heaven himself were speaking. Not bad for a college drop out.
These findings raise important and troubling questions. Why did Franz never object to the false claims in Faith on the March? His later claims in his autobiography certainly suggest that he himself was the source of these statements distributed by the Watchtower since they closely mirror those in Macmillan’s book. So, why would someone take such a risk in promoting these claims that would someday surely be found out as false?
The answer is obvious to me as to why the risk was worth taking. It was at this time that the monumental task of translating the entire Words of God (as edited by Wescott and Hort) from the original languages into English had begun at Watchtower headquarters. This “work” was being released piece by piece to all the brothers at this time and no doubt questions were naturally raised about the competency of this work. In my opinion, The Macmillan/Franz illusion served the purpose of creating an air of legitimacy surrounding the attempt of re-interpretation of Scripture by the Watchtower Translation Committee. People needed to believe that competent and learned people were in charge of this complicated work. And so, this competency seems to have been simply conjured up for the brothers and sent out into the congregations as “truth”.
Although the “translators” of the NWT are officially anonymous, according to several Bethel sources including a former Governing Body member, the translation committee included these other men in addition to Fred Franz:
Nathan H. Knorr: No training in biblical languages. Entered Brooklyn headquarters in 1923; 3rd president of WTS from 1942 to 1977. Died 1977 at age 72.
Milton G. Henschel: No training in biblical languages. Private secretary and traveling companion to N. H. Knorr from late 1940s until early 1970s. 4th president of WTS from 1992 to 2000.
Albert D. Schroeder: No training in biblical languages. Took 3 years of mechanical engineering, unspecified language courses in college, dropped out in 1932 and soon entered Brooklyn headquarters. Registrar of "Gilead School" from 1942 to 1959.
Karl Klein: No training in biblical languages. Entered Brooklyn headquarters in 1925; member of Writing Dept. since 1950. Died 2001 at age 96.
George D. Gangas: No training in biblical languages. Greek-speaking Turkish national, entered Brooklyn headquarters in 1928 as a Greek translator from English to modern Greek publications. Died 1994 at age 98.
As you can see, none of the men on the translation committee responsible for the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures had any college training whatsoever in Hebrew; and only Fred Franz had one short survey college course in Biblical Greek. With this in mind the opening declaration of the 1984 edition of the New World Translation on the cover page seems particularly appropriate. Just under the title it reads:
Rendered from the Original Languages
by the
New World Bible Translation Committee
Perhaps it is precisely because there was no scholar educated in the original biblical languages of Hebrew and Koine Greek on the translation committee that the author chose the word “rendered” as opposed to the word “translated” when characterizing the New World Translation. If the Watchtower promoted a biblical “scholar” with virtually zero college work in the biblical languages, it is certainly not surprising to me they would form a “translation committee” that couldn’t actually translate … only ‘render’.
If this is the case, and there is no evidence I’ve found to the contrary, then this is nothing more than simply employing word-games to create an illusion of competency and accuracy.
By contrast, 47 Christ-following, world-class doctorate holding scholars of biblical languages at Oxford, Cambridge and Westminster were used in translating the Authorized Version of 1611.
One source, in part says this of them:
Seventeen of the translators were to work at Westminster, fifteen at Cambridge, and as many at Oxford. Those who met at each place were divided into two companies; so that there were, in all, six distinct companies of translators.
Among the rules were:
1. Each man in each company shall separately examine the same chapter or chapters, and put the translation into the best shape he can. The whole company must then come together, and compare what they have done, and agree on what shall stand. Thus in each company, according to the number of members, there would be from seven to ten distinct and carefully labored revisions, the whole to be compared, and digested into one copy of the portion of the Bible assigned to each particular company.
2. Directs, that as fast as any company shall, in this manner, complete any one of the sacred books, it is to be sent to each of the other companies, to be critically reviewed by them all.
3. Prescribes, that if any company, upon reviewing a book so sent to them, find any thing doubtful or unsatisfactory, they are to note the places, and their reasons for objecting thereto, and send it back to the company from whence it came. If that company should not concur in the suggestions thus made, the matter was to be finally arranged at a general meeting of the chief persons of all the companies at the end of the work. Thus every part of the Bible would be fully considered, first, separately, by each member of the company to which it was originally assigned; secondly, by that whole company in concert; thirdly, by the other five companies severally; and fourthly, by the general committee of revision. By this judicious plan, each part must have been closely scrutinized at least fourteen times.
When you consider that some of those brilliant scholars could speak Hebrew and Greek as young children, had completely mastered many other relevant middle eastern languages, held doctorate degrees in the biblical languages and were deans of such great learning institutions as Oxford and Cambridge; it is safe to say that no greater collection of scholars either before or since has ever been assembled to faithfully translate the bible from the original languages. They took seriously the Lord’s warnings in Revelation chapter 22 about adding anything to or taking anything away from his words. Their labors were carried out with utmost godly fear and respect against the backdrop of its eternal consequences.
The vast contrast between these two biblical works begs the question; how did the members of the Watchtower Translation Committee know how to “render” passages since they had virtually no biblical language training? Of necessity, they must have looked to others; but who?
In several Watchtower publications, the Society has favorably cited the work of Johannes Greber as supporting its theology and key bible passages. Greber’s stand on many major doctrines is identical to that of the Watchtower Society. In 1923, Greber, who was a Roman Catholic priest, became interested in communication with spirit beings. These spirits often spoke through his wife, who was a spirit medium. The spirits told him that the Bible was full of errors and couldn’t be trusted and that he should translate his own. His experiences with spirits and their communications with him are related in his book, Communication With the Spirit World, published in 1932.
As a reminder, Deuteronomy 18 commands:
10 There shall not be found among you any one …that useth divination …or a charmer… or a consulter with familiar spirits…For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD
And again in Leviticus chapter 20 He warns:
6 And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off…
In open rebellion to God, Greber consulted the demons through his wife and other spirit mediums when facing ‘difficult’ passages while working on his bible translation. I own a copy of Greber’s bible and it is identical to many passages in the New World Translation, especially those dealing with foundational Christian truths.
Here are just a few citations to demonstrate the Watchtower's early acknowledgement of Greber’s demonic involvement:
"Very plainly the spirits in which ex-Catholic priest Greber believes helped him in his translation" (W.T. 2/15/56/ p.111).
Also in that 1956 issue of the Watchtower magazine we find the following quote:
“Says Johannes Greber in the introduction of his translation of The New Testament, copyrighted in 1937: ‘I myself was a Catholic priest, and until I was forty-eight years old had never as much as believed in the possibility of communicating with the world of God's spirits. The day came, however, when I involuntarily took my first step toward such communication, and experiencing things that shook me to the depths of my soul. . .My experiences are related in a book that has appeared in both German and English and bears the title, Communication with the Spirit World: Its Laws and Its Purpose.’ "
So, if the Watchtower knew that spirits had assisted Johannes Greber in “translating” his bible version, why would he be used to support various renderings of the NWT and Watchtower doctrines for the next 20 years?
Here are a few of those citations:
The translation by Johannes Greber (1937) of these verses reads as follows: "Tombs were laid open, and . . . "(Aid to Bible Understanding 1969 p. 1134)
A report in the Bible, as translated by Johannes Greber, says that when Jesus died, "the earth quaked, and the rocks were shattered."(WT. 4/15/76 p. 231)
See also:
• Aid To Bible Understanding - Page 1669
• Make Sure Of All Things - Page 489
• The Watchtower 9-15-62 - Page 554
• The Watchtower 10-15-75 - Page 640
It seems pretty clear that since the members of the Watchtower Translation Committee could not truly understand the original languages, they were limited to simply “rendering” the words of the bible into a form that agreed with their doctrines. Since many of these unique doctrines agree with Johannes Greber, who received them via occult communication; this raises the question as to whether these doctrines are from God or from demons? And, since the NWT and the Johannes Greber Bible that was translated with the help of “God’s Spirits” are in much agreement on key doctrinal passages, this raises the question as to whether either of these “translations” are the pure Word of God or perversions thereof?
Think about it. What is the likelihood that God’s chief enemy would want to distort God’s words? Did he not make his debut on the world scene by perverting the pure words of God:
“And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden”?
Isn’t it interesting how the change of just one small word can sometimes make a sentence say the opposite of Truth? This, by the way is the first question recorded in the bible, ‘hath God said’. The devil’s main line of attack has always been and will always be the contradiction of the Word of God.
The similarity between this passage and Franz’s scholastic self-description is just too congruent to avoid mention here:
“I also studied the Classical Greek”.
He didn’t ‘also’ study the classical Greek… this is what is mainly studied.
Likewise, Franz’ insertion of his own words many thousands of times into Scripture is used to infer a different meaning than what God intended.
Like here:
KJV John 12: 45 And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me
NWT - he that beholds me beholds [also] him that sent me
(Brackets [ ] in the NWT means that part is not in any Greek manuscript at all.)
Why would Franz, who has been proven to be untruthful both during and after the “bible translating” work of the NWT, and who failed a simple Hebrew test while under oath be trusted to do this work accurately and without inclusion of his own personal opinions? Why would a body of religious leaders that has consulted and cited works of known occultists be trusted to accurately translate God’s Words with godly fear? I simply cannot understand how people could do such things and convince themselves that they love God and truth.
The influence of Fred Franz on much of current Watchtower doctrine cannot be overstated. His influence was apparently substantiated by a comment Governing Body member Karl Klein reportedly made when he once half-jokingly lamented about Franz having “been our oracle for the past 67 years”.
Those who knew him well, strongly suspect that he was also a ghostwriter for many of Rutherford’s books and lectures. His style is unmistakable. Undoubtedly, he wrote much of the Society’s books on prophecy well into the 1980’s.
Yet, while these books are now out of print, rarely if ever quoted in current WT literature, and have been relegated to the dusty shelves of history; it is his ‘renderings’ that pose as the Word of God that live on in the New World Translation, which evidently he pretty much single-handedly “translated”.
The NWT is the one book bearing his strong influence that is not out of print, and not likely to be any time soon. It is by far the most dangerous because many revere the NWT as the pure Word of God.