What does the Word "Colporteur" mean?

by The Lone Ranger 5 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  The Lone Ranger

  The WTS used to call them Colporteurs but now calls them Pioneers.

  But what does the word Colporteur mean?

  I looked it up on www.dictionary.com It say …” A peddler of devotional literature.”

  The term “Devotional Literature” doesn’t necessarily apply to religions items , it can also apply to encyclopaedias.

  I can see why they changed the Title to Pioneers.

  Maybe the Apostle Paul was right when he said “we are NOT peddlers of the good news of the Christ” but he was referring to himself and the first Christians. It seems that the followers of the WTS are “peddlers of the good news of the Watchtower” even by their own description.
• 

  fullofdoubtnow

  They might of changed the name, but they are still colpoteurs by nature.
• 

  VM44

  I have also wondered why they used the word "Colporteur".

  Colporteur is an obsolete word, I have never heard it spoken once, and have only read it in material about the early days of The Watchtower.

  The Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictioary defines "Colporteur" as a "peddler of religious books". The word derives from the French words "comporteur" or "comporter" which mean "to bear" or "to peddle".

  So you make an excellent point, how could they claim to "Not be peddlers of the Word" if the very name they used to describe their occupation meant "to Peddle"?

  --VM44
• 

  stillajwexelder

  but the root is French - to carry
• 

  CaptainSchmideo

  Did someone say Cole Porter?!
• 

  Tea4Two

  I thought it was a door man