Saturday, January 17, 2009

Scholarly Quotes on the New World Translation

*"Sanctify them by means of the truth; your word is truth."-John 17:17"*

Jason BeDuhn: "While it is difficult to quantify this sort of analysis, it can be said the NW[T] emerges as the most accurate of the translations compared."
-Greek Scholar in his book: "Truth in Translation: Accuracy and Bias in English Translations of the New Testament"

Steven T. Byington: Of the NWT, "If you are digging for excellent or suggestive renderings, this is among the richer mines."
-Christian Century, "Review of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures"

Frederick Danker: "Not to be snubbed is the New World Translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, Rendered from the Original by the New World Bible Translation Committee."
-"Multipurpose Tools for Bible Study"

Alan S. Duthie: The "Jehovah's Witnesses' NWT,...is certainly not 'filled with the heretical doctrines'...even though a few aberrations can be found...but the percentage of the whole Bible thus affected... does not reach even 0.1% of the whole, which is very far from 'full'.
-"How To Choose Your Bible Wisely"

Rolf Furuli: "I read the English text of the NWT against the Hebrew text, word for word...the translators of the NWT have been extremely faithful both to their own translation principles and to the Hebrew text."
-Lecturer in Semitic Languages at Oslo University

S. Maclean Gilmore: "The New Testament edition was made by a committee...that possessed an unusual competence in Greek."
-Andover Newton Quarterly

Edgar Goodspeed: "I am...much pleased with the free, frank, and vigorous translation. It exhibits a vast array of sound serious learning, as I can testify."
-Scholar and Bible Translator

Samuel Haas: "This work indicates a great deal of effort and thought as well as considerable scholarship."
-Bible Scholar in "Journal of Biblical Literature"

C. Houtman: "The New World Translation of the Jehovah's Witnesses can survive the scrutiny of criticism."
-"Nederlands Theologisch Tijdschrift", [Dutch Theological Magazines]

Benjamin Kedar: "I find my feeling repeatedly confirmed that [the OT] reflects an honest endeavor to achieve an understanding of the text that is as accurate as possible....Giving evidence of a broad command of the original language...I have never discovered in the New World Translation any biased intent to read something into the text that it does not contain."
-Professor of Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and has a Ph'd from Yale

Robert M. McCoy: "The translation of the New Testament is evidence of the presence in the movement of scholars qualified to deal intelligently with the many problems of Biblical translation."
-"Andover Newton Quarterly"

Dr. Bruce Metzger: "On the whole, one gains a tolerably good impression of the scholarly equipment of the translators."
-Professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and Scholar in Greek, OT Studies and NT Studies in "The Bible Translator"

James Parkinson: "The Jehovah's Witnesses' New World Translation offers a relatively accurate translation from a different theological perspective."
-Author of "How To Choose a Bible Translation"

J. D Phillips: "Last week I purchased a copy of your New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures of which I take pride in being an owner. You have done a marvelous work...but you have made a marvelous step in the right direction, and I pray God that your Version will be used to His glory. What you have done for the Name alone is worth all the effort and cost!"
-J.D. Phillips was a Church of Christ Minister who knew Hebrew and Koine Greek

Charles Francis Potter: In "the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures...the anonymous translators have certainly rendered the best manuscript texts...with scholarly ability and acumen."
-The Faith Men Live By

William Carey Taylor: The NT of the NWT contains "considerable scholarship."
-"The New Bible Pro and Con"

Alexander Thomson: "The translation is evidently the work of skilled and clever scholars, who have sought to bring out as much of the true sense of the Greek text as the English language is capable of expressing."
-in "The Differentiator" (a private, published journal)

Allen Wikgren: It is "independent reading of merit."
-Scholar on the NRSV committee, as well as on the committee which produced the UBS Greek text

Thomas N. Winter: "The translation by the anonymous committee is thoroughly up to date and consistently accurate...In sum, when a witness comes to the door, the classicist, Greek student, or Bible student alike would do well to place an order."
-Professor of Koine Greek at the University of Nebraska