John 1:1, 2:
RS reads: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” (
KJ, Dy, JB, NAB use similar wording.) However,
NW reads: “In the beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god. This one was in the beginning with God.”
Which translation of
John 1:1, 2 agrees with the context?
John 1:18 says: “
No one has ever seen God.”
Verse 14 clearly says that “
the Word became flesh and dwelt among us . . .
we have beheld his (Jesus) glory.” Also,
verses 1, 2 say that in the beginning he was
“with God.”
Can one be with someone and at the same time be that person? At John 17:3, Jesus addresses the Father as “the only true God”; so, Jesus as “a god” merely reflects his Father’s divine qualities.—
Heb. 1:3. Even a child knows the difference from being with someone, or actually being that person.
At any time in your lifetime, have you ever thought to find out for yourself, where exactly this trinity teaching that you are clinging to came from????
The New Encyclopædia Britannica says: “Neither the word Trinity, nor the explicit doctrine as such, appears in the New Testament, nor did Jesus and his followers intend to contradict the Shema in the Old Testament: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord’ (Deut. 6:4). . . . The doctrine developed gradually over several centuries and through many controversies. . . . By the end of the 4th century . . . the doctrine of the Trinity took substantially the form it has maintained ever since.”—(1976), Micropædia, Vol. X, p. 126.
The
New Catholic Encyclopedia states: “The formulation ‘one God in three Persons’ was not solidly established, certainly not fully assimilated into Christian life and its profession of faith, prior to the end of the 4th century. But it is precisely this formulation that has first claim to the title
the Trinitarian dogma. Among the Apostolic Fathers, there had been nothing even remotely approaching such a mentality or perspective.”—(1967), Vol. XIV, p. 299.
In
The Encyclopedia Americana we read: “Christianity derived from Judaism and Judaism was strictly Unitarian [believing that God is one person]. The road which led from Jerusalem to Nicea was scarcely a straight one. Fourth century Trinitarianism did not reflect accurately early Christian teaching regarding the nature of God; it was, on the contrary, a deviation from this teaching.”—(1956), Vol. XXVII, p. 294L.
According to the
Nouveau Dictionnaire Universel, “The Platonic trinity, itself merely a rearrangement of older trinities dating back to earlier peoples, appears to be the rational philosophic trinity of attributes that gave birth to the three hypostases or divine persons taught by the Christian churches. . . . This Greek philosopher’s [Plato, fourth century B.C.E.] conception of the divine trinity . . . can be found in all the ancient [pagan] religions.”—(Paris, 1865-1870), edited by M. Lachâtre, Vol. 2, p. 1467.
John L. McKenzie, S.J., in his
Dictionary of the Bible, says: “The trinity of persons within the unity of nature is defined in terms of ‘person’ and ‘nature’ which are G[ree]k philosophical terms; actually the terms do not appear in the Bible. The trinitarian definitions arose as the result of long controversies in which these terms and others such as ‘essence’ and ‘substance’ were erroneously applied to God by some theologians.”—(New York, 1965), p. 899.
If a passage can grammatically be translated in more than one way, then what would be the correct rendering from an imperfect human that sincerely wants to know the truth that Jesus spoke of?
One that is in agreement with the rest of the Bible. Our Almighty God Jehovah has provided much inspired scripture, which I have happily shared with you so far, that more than explains who He is, who his son is, and what exactly is the Holy Spirit. When an imperfect human chooses to ignore other portions of the Bible by building his/her belief around a favorite rendering of a particular verse, then he/she is indeed making the clear statements of scripture conform to their imperfect human conceptions of what may be implied, rather than accepting God’s Inspired Scripture for what it states right there in black and white.
“But the lawless one’s presence is by the operation of Satan with every powerful work and lying signs and wonders and
every unrighteous deception for those who are perishing, as a retribution because
they did not accept the love of the truth in order that they might be saved. That is why God lets a deluding influence mislead them so that they may come to believe the lie, in order that
they all may be judged because they did not believe the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12