New World Translation

MsD

It may seem like a stupid question but who was responsible for translating their version of the Bible? I heard it was Ray Franz, several governing body members. Does anybody have any legitimate info that can prove who exactly translated it? Witnesses supposedly do not know and say it is because that whoever did translate it wanted to remain humble about it. I think that's hysterical but I guess that's how they reason not knowing.

jhine

I believe that it pre-dates Ray Franz by some time and that has some very dodgy background , especially the " the Word was A god " translation which they used an ex Catholic priest called Gruber who was into spiritualism to authenticate . They now deny that they knew his connection to spiritualism at the time ,of course . There are some excellent articles online about the NWT .

Kojack57

It was Fred Franz who had very little knowledge of Greek. He was the societies seer who translated through demon forces .

Kojack

BlindersOff1

^ Walter Martin, Kingdom of the Cults, Expanded Anniversary Edition, October 1997, Bethany House Publishers, p. 123. "While the members of the [NWT] committee have never been identified officially by the Watchtower, many Witnesses who worked at the headquarters during the translation period were fully aware of who the members were. They included Nathan H. Knorr (president of the Society at the time), Frederick W. Franz (who later succeeded Knorr as president), Albert D. Schroeder, George Gangas, and Milton Henschel."

NeverKnew

"Walsh Trial" - Scotland in all of its 800+ pages of glory...

http://archive.org/stream/WalshTrial/Walsh_Trial#page/n13/mode/2up

You can google "Walsh Trial" and "Jehovah" and be led to some very interesting snippets.

caliber

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HkKJhTYEj4

james_woods

It is generally thought to not amount to what could honestly be called a "translation" - but rather a tranliteration using other English texts.

Note that while they had no authentic ancient Greek scholar or translator, they did have a non-Witness translinear Greek/English manuscript which was left to the Society by that author's widow, and which they first published intact - and later published with Watchtower markups. (Diaglott)

scotoma

Anybody can put together a version of the Bible.

The problem is when the translators etc. believe that they have been divinely appointed to produce the "correct" version.

Mary

Freddie Franz was the one mostly responsible for the um 'translation' he did of the NWT. Before this, they were reduced to using versions that did not agree with some of their teachings, so Freddie took liberties with various scriptures and the NWT was the end result.

Wonderment

Caliber came up with a YouTube video showing that the WTBTS claimed the "NTW Committe was made up by highly trained Greek scholars." My question is, what WTS publication ever say that, literally? Could someone show me those exact words (in bold) I have never seen in print? What am I missing here?

This board apparently is composed of many anti-WT members, and I can see why. Some of these participants are oblivious to the fact that most NWT attacks originate from Evangelical sources. It seems to me that Evangelicals are just as bad as WT leaders in demonizing opponents, maybe worse.

Some keep bringing up the Walsh case and Walter Martin as clear proof of the NWT shaky beginnings.

However, the Walsh case only proves that Fred Franz ‘would not attempt to’ translate Genesis 2:4 from English to Hebrew, not that he couldn't. Was Franz obligated to answer a question from an examiner using sly tactics, irrelevant to the case at hand?

Bible versions that do not accept standard doctrine are scrutinized further than traditional versions. But this does not mean that tradition is always correct and those going against the standard are always wrong.

Besides, not all agree that the NWT is a poor translation:

The Catholic Encyclopedia stated: "The [NWT] work is excellent except when scientific knowledge comes into conflict with the accepted doctrines of the movement." The same could be said of the NIV and ESV with their evangelical agenda.

Walter E. Stuermann concluded: "When the [NWT] version is used with caution, it will be found valuable in several respects." It is strange that this professor of Tulsa, OK found some value in this Bible version, while some here with a WT past can't find any.

Andover Newton Quarterly: "This translation, as J. Carter Swain

observes, has its peluliarities and its excellences."

Jason BeDuhn: "‘Atrocious, deceitful, and inaccurate’ may be what

some call the NWT, but such a characterization is completely

erroneous."

New World Translation

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