EDITORIAL INTRODUCTION:
     The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, published by the Watchtower Society at John 1:1 says, "... and the Word was a god."

FIRST: If John 1:1 had meant to say that "the Word" was merely "divine" instead of "God" then another Greek word would have been used.  Instead of "theos" (god), the word "theios" (divine) would have been used as in 2 Pet 1:4 "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the ‘divine' nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (KJV)

SECOND: If "theos" in John 1:1 is translated "a god" instead of "God" because of its anarthorous (no article) construction in the Greek N.T. then for the same reason, the other anarthorous constructions of John chapter 1 in the Greek N.T. need to be translated in the same manner.

John 1:6 would have to be translated:  "...there was a man sent from ‘a' god"
 
John 1:12 would have to be translated: "...power to become sons of ‘a' god"

John 1:18 would have to be translated: "...no one has ever seen ‘a' god"

All four of these passages have an anarthorous construction of the root word "theos."

THIRD: It doesn't matter whether one says Jesus is "God" or "a god" there is still a problem with John 17:3 when it says "...that they might know thee the only true God..."  There is only one true God and Jesus must either be the true God with the Father and the Holy Spirit or else He must be a false God.  If Jesus is a lesser god then John 1:1 must be taken as an assertion of polytheism.  If Jesus is equal to the Father in His essence of being God, then we have a triune God.

By Roger Griffith

Published by
Berean Christian Ministries
P.O. Box 1091
Webster, NY 14580

E-mail:   bcmmin@frontiernet.net
Web pages:
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jw/johnone1