Page 20 - Cults and Marginal Groups - Textbook w videos short

In court Franz was asked if he knew Hebrew and he said yes. He said he had a command of various
languages including Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Spanish, German, and French. When asked if he could read
Hebrew, he answered YES under oath. He was then asked if he could translate the fourth verse of
Genesis 2 into Hebrew. He said he could not! Again, when asked if he could read Hebrew or Greek, he
answered, NO. The fact was Franz, like the others on the committee, did not have the knowledge to
translate Hebrew or Greek. The truth is Franz dropped out of the University of
Cincinnati after his sophomore year and even while there, he had not studied
anything related to theological issues.

The New World Translation is unique in one thing – it is the first intentional
systematic effort at producing a complete version of the Bible that is edited and
revised for the specific purpose of agreeing with a group's doctrine. The Jehovah’s
Witnesses and the Watchtower Society realized that their beliefs contradicted Scripture. So, rather than
conforming their beliefs to Scripture, they altered Scripture to agree with their beliefs. The “New World
Bible Translation Committee” went through the Bible and changed any Scripture that did not agree with
Jehovah’s Witness’ theology.

Dr. Bruce M. Metzger, professor of New Testament at Princeton University, calls the NWT "a frightful
mistranslation," "Erroneous" and "pernicious" "reprehensible" "If the Jehovah's Witnesses take this
translation seriously, they are polytheists." (Professor of New Testament Language and Literature)

Dr. William Barclay, a leading Greek scholar, said “the deliberate distortion of truth by this sect is seen in
their New Testament translation. It is abundantly clear that a sect which can translate the New
Testament like that is intellectually dishonest.”

British scholar H.H. Rowley stated, "From beginning to end this volume is a shining example of how the
Bible should not be translated."

"Well, as a backdrop, I was disturbed because they (Watchtower) had misquoted me in support of their
translation." (These words were excerpted from the tape, "Martin and Julius Mantey on The New World
Translation", Mantey is quoted on pages 1158-1159 of the Kingdom interlinear Translation)

Dr. Julius Mantey , author of A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament, calls the NWT "a
shocking mistranslation." "Obsolete and incorrect." "It is neither scholarly nor reasonable to translate
John 1:1 'The Word was a god.'"

"I have never read any New Testament so badly translated as The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of The
Greek Scriptures.... it is a distortion of the New Testament. The translators used what J.B. Rotherham
had translated in 1893, in modern speech, and changed the readings in scores of passages to state what
Jehovah's Witnesses believe and teach. That is a distortion not a translation." (Julius Mantey , Depth
Exploration in The New Testament (N.Y.: Vantage Pres, 1980), pp.136-137)

…the translators of the NWT are "diabolical deceivers." (Julius Mantey in discussion with Walter Martin)

For example, here is a partial list of A FEW changes that the committee made to the Bible to get it to
agree with their false doctrines.

John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was born, I am.

19