Jane,
What's interesting about your post is that the Witnesses have the only bible that is different from all others.
This would mean that every other theologian is wrong and only the Witnesses have scholarly theologians.
That is not true actually. We did not invent the NWT on our own, but used scholarly works to produce the best translation possible only using the original meaning of the Hebrew and Greek texts. We found so many errors in other translations that we felt we had no choice.
The 1981 edition of the NWT was the culmination of 35 years of studious translation and careful revision. The translating project was initiated back in 1946, and by 1960 both the Hebrew and the Greek portions of God’s Word had been rendered into English directly from the original languages. During those years of translation a great deal of careful research was done by the Translation Committee to assure that the translation was internally consistent in word choice and that the best possible readings of various manuscripts were used in the text. IOW, all scripture had to agree with what was already written....no contradictions.
Since Christendom subscribes to all of the doctrines we reject, using mistranslated old versions like the KJV, if you check with Strongs Concordance for example, the NWT is always spot on, whereas most of the other translations have never bothered to alter anything because it suits their doctrines to keep them as they are.....but none of those core doctrines originate in scripture......like the trinity....immortality of the soul....and hellfire. All are borrowed from pagan sources and a thin veneer of "Christianity" cloaks them using the power of suggestion.
Russell claimed he knew Greek and translated your first bible and he later attested that he did not know Greek.
He depended on others.
Russell was long dead when the NWT of the Greek Scriptures was first published in the 60's. The NWT Translation Committee used Westcott and Horts manuscripts for their translation......they didn't just decide 'willy-nilly' to make their own Bible to suit their own beliefs. We believe ours is the most linguistically accurate.
Professor Jason beDuhn in his book "Truth in Translation" compared many of the more popular English translations and concluded that the NWT was linguistically very accurate. From my own studies and comparing original language words using Strongs Concordance, I have never been disappointed with the NWT's renderings.
I use other translations and like to compare.
Also, you speak of the "originals".
What originals?
There are no originals from the gospels or the letters...only fragments from some manuscripts.
That being the case...what should we do then?
We would not have a Bible to read if careful scribes in the past had not painstakingly copied the Scriptures by hand. In fact, the Hebrew word for “scribe” comes from a root meaning “to count,” because the scribes would count the letters and words in each section of Scripture to be sure that they made no mistakes! The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls proved that those scribes did good work, since those ancient manuscripts agreed closely with the later Masoretic text despite nearly one thousand years of copying that separated them.....if it is indeed God's word, then that should not surprise us. His spirit would not have allowed those older copies to perish and the ancients took great care in preserving those ancient works.
The problems began when English translation took place. Works such as the original KJV were not accurately translated and many modeled their translations on the those old translation errors....not to mention outdated words and phrasing, which are no longer relevant to todays English speakers. The purpose of translation is to convey the thoughts of God's word accurately...not just the words.
And don't YOU read a translated text?
You read the bible in Greek?
Like yourself, I rely on scholars whose job it is to translate from one language to another.....English is not the only translation.
We publish the Bible online in over 210 languages....
Accuracy was the aim.....and we will stand by the NWT against any other. We can compare if you wish....
