Bibliographic information:
Wright, Brian J. and Tim Ricchuiti, “Jehovah’s Witnesses and John 1:1: New Evidence Advances the Discussion.” Christian Research Journal 35 no. 3 (2012): 8-12.
Description:
Description
:
Many Jehovah’s Witnesses are publicizing new manuscript evidence they claim supports their preferred rendition of John 1:1c: “…and the Word was a god.” This evidence—an early translation of the New Testament—comes from the same century as the earliest Greek witness to the New Testament.
Such an understanding of John 1:1c flies in the face of what all major branches of the Christian tradition have testified about Jesus since the Nicene Creed: “true God from true God.” Therefore, if Jehovah’s Witnesses are correct concerning what this new evidence supports, it would radically alter how Christians understand Jesus’ divinity.
But are Jehovah’s Witnesses correct in how they understand this new evidence?
In the following article, Brian Wright and Tim Ricchuiti suggest they are not. Wright and Ricchuiti demonstrate that the best interpretation of this new evidence indicates that the subject of John 1.1c (“the Word”) possesses all the qualities of God (capital-G). Not only is such an understanding well-supported by existing scholarly work, it also applies best to other, similar passages in the New Testament, fits what we know the remainder of Scripture testifies to concerning Jesus, and accounts for the early Christian worship of Jesus.
Publisher:
The Christian Research Journal (website: http://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/)