[B-Greek] NWT: Is it an accurate translation of the Greek?

Awohili at aol.com Awohili at aol.com
Thu Feb 23 11:25:14 EST 2006


 
In a message dated 02/23/2006 2:53:02 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,  
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu writes:

It is hard  to believe that anything new will be said about it,  
but that remains  a possibility, however remote. If list-members wish  
to discuss it  anew, that's well and good, provided that the  
discussion remains  civil and steers clear of sectarian wrangling.





In the post by Dave Smith some interesting points were made about the Latin  
translation of the Greek of John 1:1c.  In a similar vein, I would like to  
make some points about an often overlooked ancient translation of that same  
verse in the Sahidic Coptic version.
 
Coptic is more like English (and unlike Greek and Latin) in that it has  both 
an indefinite article and a definite article.  The Sahidic Coptic  version 
was translated in late 2nd or early 3rd century C.E. and is of the  Alexandrian 
text variety as found in codex Vaticanus and codex Sinaiticus, two  
well-regarded ancient Greek codices.
 
So, how did this early version that employed both articles translate the  
Greek of John 1:1b, KAI hO LOGOS HN PROS TON QEON?  By using the Coptic  definite 
article, *p* before both the Coptic word for Logos  (*shaje*) and for God 
(*noute*) i.e.: "the Word (*pshaje*)  was with the God (*pnoute)."
 
What about the contested John 1:1c?  The Coptic version uses its  indefinite 
article, *ou* (contracted  to *u* following verbal *ne*)  to render  the 
anarthrous QEOS in KAI QEOS HN hO LOGOS.  In Coptic we read, *auw  neunoute pe 
pshaje*.
 
The Coptic translators had a good command of Greek.  It was their  liturgical 
language and the Coptic language itself is written in mostly Greek  letters.  
In plain English the Coptic translation says, "and a God was the  Word." 
 
It was similarly translated in the English version of the Coptic Sahidic  
made by Reverend George W. Horner and published between 1911-1924 in  volume III 
of his _The Coptic Version of the New Testament in the Southern  Dialect_ 
(Oxford: Clarendon Press): "In the beginning was being the word, and  the word was 
being with God, and a God was the word."
 
Practically the same translation of the Sahidic Coptic John 1:1c was made  by 
Lance Jenott in 2003, as found at this web site:
_http://depts.washington.edu/cartah/text_archive/coptic/coptjohn.shtml_ 
(http://depts.washington.edu/cartah/text_archive/coptic/coptjohn.shtml) 
 
As far as I know, neither the ancient Coptic translators nor the Reverend  
Horner, nor Lance Jenott  were members of the NWT translation  committee.  But 
in translating John 1:1c into another language they arrived  at similar results.
 
Different Greek scholars see different things in John 1:1c.  Thus,  they may 
differ as to what is "accurate."  But the NWT was neither the  first nor the 
last to render QEOS in John 1:1c as indefinite.
 
Solomon Landers



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