Bobcat,
Thanks for that terrific survey. It looks like a lot of work.
In bringing up the issue "faithful and wise servant" vs. "faithful and discreet", I was acting on my notion that this another of the many tortured translations of the NWT. Tortured like "torture stake", "Today, I say to you..." etc.
I am sure there was a reason it was introduced, just like the two other examples above. Maybe it had something to do with the Olin Moyle issue - but I have been able to follow the case or connections on that in detail. Perhaps somebody else has. But for myself, I see no reason to latch on to the "faithful and wise/discreet servant" as anything more than what it was at face value: a parable.
Saying that, it did occur to me to look back at one of my favorite sources on the thoughts of Joseph Rutherford, the 1934 Yearbook. I did a search through my PDF for the word "discreet". Nada.
Now how about faithful?
The yearbook had a lengthy review of geographical "mission work" ( Germany for instance), but the remainder was a succession of daily meditations for the 365 days of the 1934 year. Each started with a Bible passage and then a paragraph from the Watchtower from the preceding year prior to publication. In these paragraphs, beside repeated raps about Armageddon, the word faithful might be used several times.
Occasionally it was used with "faithful and WISE servant".
I am attaching examples from the first six months of the year. Please excuse some of the optical character reading failures.
Perhaps new light will shed more light on the society's first "Faithful and discreet slave". I'm sure it will help make the new doctrine more clear...
February 11 (119)
They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare.
--1 Tim. 6: 9.
During the Elijah period there was a class that
stressed the importance of "character development",
deeming that to be great gain and therefore godliness,
because it would insure the developer a place in heaven.
Another class, meek and humble, desired only to
please the Lord, and while these looked forward also
to a place in heaven, and that properly, their chief
and great desire was to serve Jehovah and Christ Jesus.
At Christ’s coming to the temple for judgment
the two classes began to be made manifest, to wit, the
class moved by selfishness and which class quickly
developed into the "evil servant" class; and the other
class, moved by unselfish devotion to God and his kingdom
and which class Jesus formed into the "faithful
and wise servant". To this faithful class the Lord
committed his testimony on earth, and he invites them
to enter into his joy. W 12/15/33
February 14 (209)
Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the
host, and by him the dady sacrifice was taken away, and
the place of his sanctuary was cast down ---Dan. 8: 11.
This prophecy refers to something that is based
upon the ransom sacrifice, growing out of it and in
addition thereto, to wit, the dally, continual presentation
of the bodies of God’s faithful servant class,
publicly giving testimony to the name of Jehovah God
and his kingdom. Mark that the British-American
empire system, which is "Christendom", in which
both Catholics and Protestants operate together, did
take away the daily presentation of the testimony of
Jehovah and his kingdom, and did thus cast down the
sanctuary class to the ground; and this was done in
the year 1918. Jehovah’s servants are not to cease
voluntarily their testimony, but must continually present
it. "My praise shall be continually of thee."
--t’s. 71: 6. W 7/1/33
February
February 27 (148)
For, lo, thine enemies . . . have said, Come, and let
us cut them of/from being a nation; that the name of
Israel may be no more in remembrance.--Ps. 83: 2, 4.
Now the facts show beyond all question of doubt
that the papal religious system, the Protestant religious
system, the "evil servant" or "man of sin"
class, and all other institutions of Satan’s commercial
organization are in a conspiracy against Jehovah’s
faithful servant class . Satan knows that the faithful
servant class are God’s representatives and prospective
members of Jehovah’s new nation. Therefore Satan
seeks to prevent such from becoming a nation.
This is another evidence that Jehovah’s witnesses have
God’s approval and that all religions, religious workers
and other agencies that oppose the work of giving testimony
to God’s kingdom are a commercial organization,
carried forward under Satan’s deceptive influence
and direction to defame Jehovah’s name ’s name and
turn man away from ttlm. W 12/15/33
March 28 (312)
Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks to
the memorial of his holiness.--Ps. 97: 12, margin.
The kingdom and the King having come, together
with the time of his joy, the memorial cup now symbolizes
not merely a potion of suffering unto death,
but also the potion of joy, gladness and cheer into
which the King who once shed his blood has now entered
and into which he invites his good and faithful
servants on earth to enter. The bread loaf symbolizes
not only Jesus’ body once broken, but also the oneness
now existing between all who are "partakers [members]
of that one bread [loaf] " and the oneness of all
the body members of Christ with their Head now present
at the temple. What strength of heart this unity
imparts to all who eat worthily at the memorial! It
is indeed now the day of deliverance, the deliverance
which comes together with the everlasting vindi cation
of the memomal name, JEHOVAH. W 3/15/33
April 17 (92)
IMkeurise a~so these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise
dominion, an~ speak ew7 of dignities.---Jude 8,
No man properly takes honor or dlgmty to himself.
Jehovah has declared his purpose to give his specific
honor or dignity to his "servant". Nor does it appear
from Scripture that Jehovah gives honor to individuals
aside from his beloved Son. While Jude used the
word "dignities" in connection with creatures, yet
manifestly the reference is to the office filled by creatures,
and not to the creatures themselves as such. The
"faithful and wise servant " class on earth is counted
a part of Jehovah’s ’elect servant’. It is that "servant"
to whom Jehovah gives honor and glory and who
therefore as such "servant" is a dignity. Evil speech
against Jehovah’s "servant" is therefore speaking
against God, because against God’s honored one. The
"evil servant" class hesitates not to speak against
God’s "faithful servant" class on earth. W 2/15/33
May 25 (98)
Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me
with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield; but
I come to thee in the name of the Lord.--1 Sam. 17: 45.
Prior to the Lord’s coming to the temple the consecrated
were merely units, known only to Jehovah
and Christ Jesus. With his coming, and the gathering
together of the saints, the faithful are made one unit.
The reason for this gathering appears to be this: (1)
That Jehovah would bring his own into unity so that
they could be dealt with as one; (2) that he would
have a people for his name who must be his witnesses;
and (3) that he would make manifest his "faithful
servant " class to earth’s rulers and by so doing demonstrate
his power to produce a people on earth that
would be faithful to him under severe tests and thus
maintain their integrity. Thin people, the remnant,
must be his champions in the day of battle and hence
the true David class on earth that is openly opposed
to the monster "man of sin". W 2/15/33
June 28 (193)
And when they had received it [the penny], they tour.
m~red against the goodman of the house. Matt. 20:11.
Th6 Watchtower of August 15 and September 1,
1932, made clear that elective offices of elders and
deacons are not authorized by the Scriptures; that,
the time having come for all to be one in Christ (and
which was pictured by the twenty-four elders), there
is now no distinction among the members of the
"faithful and wise servant " class. (Rev. 4: 4) All
who are in the temple, and hence at unity in Christ,
are elders in fact, and are not made elders by votes of
other creatures. Their maturity in Christ has brought
them to that condition. These truths being brought
to light, there came forward a class of men and their
followers who considered that they were receiving
less wages than their service deserved. The new name,
Jehovah’s witnesses, put all on a common level. The
selfish ones wanted special recognition. Not receiving
it, they began to murmur and complain. W 12/1/33
