Why did the WTB&TS side with protestenism as regards the books of the bible

by smiddy 8 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  smiddy
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  smiddy

  Why I bring this subject up is because the publication" Equipped for every good work"highlighted that 1st & 2nd maccabees although apocryphal books did not contradict anything WT were teaching at that time,and in fact gave an insight to the living conditions of jews at the time.And they recomended students read these books to get an insight of judaisism of the time .( this would be sometime in the 50`s ) Knowing the fact that JW`S want to be different from mainstream christian religions it surprises me they didn`t incorporate these 2 books in their NWT,seperating themselves from mainstream christianity,and especially protestant denominations.

  smiddy
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  NeonMadman

  In rejecting the Apocrypha, Protestants are following the canon of the Jews rather than that of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. 1 Maccabees is a reasonably reliable historical account of the Jewish revolt against Antiochus Epiphanes. However, it is simply a historical account; I see no reason to regard it as Scripture. There are lots of histories and other documents from Jewish and Christian sources that are valuable, but not regarded as being part of the Bible. The Jewish canon was established before the time of Jesus, and the Christian church basically followed it. The Apocrypha were seen as valuable devotional literature that gave insight into Jewish history and thought, but of distinctly less value than Scripture. If I recall correctly, the RC church did not dogmatically make the Apocrypha an "official" part of their Bible (though there were certainly those in earlier times who regarded them as Scripture) until after the Reformation, as a response to the Protestant rejection of the Apocrypha.

  2 Maccabees is another matter. It appears to be a later, more embellished account and has religious issues as well for Jews and Protestants, in that it contains the idea of prayer for the dead. JW's would also have a problem with that concept. That doesn't mean that the book has no value or that it shouldn't be read; only that one must recognize that the problem exists and proceed accordingly. If you're looking for the most reliable text in a historical sense, I'd suggest sticking with 1 Maccabees.
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  sir82

  Because 2nd Adventism is based on the Protestant Bible, and CT Russell got the start to his ideas from them.
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  james_woods

  Because 2nd Adventism is based on the Protestant Bible, and CT Russell got the start to his ideas from them.

  Exactly, plus he came to Adventism from a Presbyterian (also Protestant) family background.

  Besides the fact that the Watchtower Society has historically hated anything and everything about the Roman Catholic Church.

  The Witnesses conveniently forget how much they just picked up and used from other religions while calling them Babylon the Great.
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  Cold Steel

  The Jews view the revolt as a miracle, and it's that sort of exegesis that got them into trouble with the Romans. Had not Antiochus been dealing with the Romans on his northern front, he would have swatted the Jewish rebellion like a fly.

  The Jews knew their scriptures far better than the Jehovah's Witnesses did, but not contextually. Both Isaiah and Zechariah knew through revelation that "all nations" would one day gather against them. At that day they would have the Lord's protection (see Zechariah 12-14 and Ezekiel 38). Unfortunately for them, they ignored the scriptures warning against their being scattered to the four corners of the Earth. Jesus later reminded them of this, but was ignored. The Jews were in a Messianic mood. There might have been some traditions that the mother of the Messiah would be named Mary, because it was a very popular name. When the Romans came to power, many Jews thought that the Messiah's return was imminent. Jesus' popularity led many to think that he might just overthrow the Romans. After all, he was of the royal blood and, had the nation been restored, he would have been the rightful King.

  The Maccabeen revolt was a fluke, but it gave the Jews hope that the Messiah might appear. When it became apparent that Jesus wasn't going to mount an armed rebellion, the people abandoned him in droves. Finally, he was nailed to a cross and the rest is history. The Romans scattered the Jews to the four corners of the Earth and in 1948 was reestablished as prophesied. The Babylonian conquest was the first time the Jews were restored to their homeland; in 1948, it was the second time. Isaiah wrote: "And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth." (Isaiah 11)

  Who is the "root of Jesse"? No one seems to know, but the Lord has gathered his people and the Messiah will appear when the nations of the Earth combine to destroy Jerusalem in the great battle of Armageddon. This is the battle that the Jews mistook for the Romans. In short, they gambled and lost.
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  Leolaia

  In rejecting the Apocrypha, Protestants are following the canon of the Jews rather than that of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.

  This is too broadly stated. Jerome and the later Protestant canon followed the canon of rabbinical Judaism, which is derived from the canon of the Pharisees (the Tanakh). The more inclusive canon with the Apocrypha is representive of Hellenistic (diapora) Judaism (which essentially had more books in the hagiographa than the Pharisees). The also inclusive canon of Essene Judaism was common in early Christianity (cf. 1 Enoch with inspired and/or scriptural status in Jude, Barnabas, Tertullian, etc.) and is today followed (with modifications) by the Ethiopian Orthodox church. The many different Christian canons have roots in the various Jewish canons.
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  OnTheWayOut

  Good thoughts on the founding of JW's that kind of explains this.

  Basically, JW's are in denial that they are Unitarians that use the Protestant Canon, just like they are in denial that they are a corporation in business for profit.
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  Aussie Oz

  perhaps something as basic as Russell had to choose either the Catholic or the protestant

  and it sure wasn't going to be the Catholic.

  oz