Have you ever encountered this text in Acts 21:20 ? The "New King James Version" rendering is as follows: "And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law" The New Word Translation uses "thousands" instead of the word "myriads" that is clearly used in the greek original text which means "ten thousands" and not just thousands, allthough "myriads" is mentioned in the footnote. So when apostle Paul arrived at Jerusalem at the end of his missionary travel, the elders told him that there were myriads (ten thousands) of Jews in Judah that became Christians but still were zealous for the mosaic law. Because of the fact that the word myriads is used in plural, at least 20.000 Jews have to be counted as anointed Christians. Taking into account the emphasis that is used in the above verse namley "how many myriads of Jews there are..." from my point of view it is quite possible that 30.000, 50.000 or even 100.000 judaic christians existed at that time. In addition in this figure the christians from gentile origin are not included. So I think that this sole verse shows sufficiently that the number of 144.000 anointed christians had been already collected in the first century!
Acts 21:20 myriads of anointed christians
by hereticult 31 Replies latest watchtower bible
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Legolas
Welcome to the board!
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greendawn
Welcome to the forum hereticult, it is indeed a fact that the word used there is the Greek word myriads which means tens of thousands and not thousands (chiliads in Greek), now why they made that false translation I think it's obvious they didn't want the impression to be created that there were already tens of thousands of Christians at a very early stage. That would make their belief that supposedly up to 1935 there were only 92 000 sealed out of the 144 000, appear totally absurd. That number is obviously symbolic as there must have been many more than 144 000 saints in 1900 years of history.
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hereticult
I discussed that topic with a JW friend of mine and he told me that translating the greek word myriads with thousands is not false at all, because "tens of thousands" are also thousands. So for him this rendering is just a minor inaccuracy without any significance. He mentioned also same other non JW bible translations that use the term thousands instead of "ten of thousands" too. He also expressed the assumption that maybe not all of that myriads of jews were "real" christians because they retain the old jewish traditions, that is not necessary and in some cases even inappropriate for "true" christians. However I am conviced that every time the New World Translation get inaccurate in translation, there is a strong reason that motivated the "translation comittee" in doing that.
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greendawn
It may be right that other Bible translations translate myriads as thousands but that doesn't make any of them right myriads always means tens of thousands. It would not be surprising if there were several tens of thousands of Jewish Christians after 20 years of preaching by the apostles among the Jews who numbered 2 million in Palestine alone, not counting those of the diaspora.
As for the Christian Jews following the mosaic law that's how they all or almost all were doing including James Christ's brother and their leader. It was the gentile Christians that did not follow it on Paul's own advice. -
hereticult
@greendawn Do you know of any secular/scholastic source that confirms that two million jews lived in Palestine in the first century? Because one argument my JW friend used was, that he cannot imagine that so much jews (several ten thousands) converted into christians. I can only remember that Josephus mentioned that during the roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD one million of jews stayed in the city because it was the time of passover and many people of the jewish diaspora and proselytes were present.
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greendawn
There is some information here, Josephus claims that there were 2.5 million Jews when Titus attacked Jerusalem:
http://latter-rain.com/Israel/jewar.htm
Peter had baptised 3000 Jews at one go and if there were 2.5 million Jews in palestine around 50 AD then 25 000 Christians is only 1% (or 50 000 Christians is 2%) of that number.
But remember the apostles preached to Jews outside Israel not just those in Israel. -
willyloman
this sole verse shows sufficiently that the number of 144.000 anointed christians had been already collected in the first century!
The WTS knows this, too, and acknowledged as much back in the 1950s in a Watchtower about first century persecution of Christians. When they were asked how that was possible, they issued a QFR and weaseled out of it by suggesting that many of those early Christians were apparently unfaithful and couldn't really be counted.
Of course, they have no trouble counting the 8,500 or so "partakers" today, am actuarialy-impossible number that must clearly be false according their own "annointed" teachings (see "1935").
And they have no trouble counting, and publishing, a bazillion bogus hours of preaching work when every dub knows most of those hours are sheer fantasy.
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hereticult
Yes, I can remember that "Question of Readers" about the persucation of the early christians. I have read about that somewhere in the web. But it is very intresting that Acts 21:20 is nowhere analyzed in the JW publications. You cannot found even one comment to this verse and its relation to the number of faithful christians in the first century. Another argument that I have heard of my spirtiual siblings is, that the statement "how many myriads..." is a typrical oriental overstatement. It should not be taken verbatim.
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gumby
So when apostle Paul arrived at Jerusalem at the end of his missionary travel, the elders told him that there were myriads (ten thousands) of Jews in Judah that became Christians but still were zealous for the mosaic law.
You might wanna 'brush up' on a study of the number of "christians" that existed shortly after Jesus death since you will get asn entirely different picture than you will get with zealous christians today.
Many early christians were gnostics(didn't believe in a historical earthly jesus). It wasn't until three centuries later that church doctrine and authority defined who he really was......at least in THEIR minds.
Gumby
The distinction between orthodoxy and its opponents was never as clear cut as later 'official' Church historians were to maintain. Many so-called Gnostics had held positions of authority within the early Church, as did the Apologists.