Sakae Kubo and Walter Specht on "only-begotten" and the New World Translation

https://www.amazon.com/Many-Versions-Twentieth-Century-English-Bible/dp/0310456916

I have earlier talked about Sakae Kubo and Walter Specht's book So Many Versions as to how they made a monumental blunder by parroting Walter Martin's idiotic claim that "A definite predicate noun when it precedes the verb NEVER takes an article in Greek."

They didn't stop there. They continued with the NWT's rendering of John 1:18:

"No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten god who is in the bosom position with the Father is the one that has explained him." NWT

They write: What the NWT translators have done with John 1:18 is very interesting. They could have selected two other MS readings, 'the only one' and 'the only son of God,' but they steadfastly
kept the text they were following and translated it 'the only begotten god.'"

Reply: Why on earth would you translate "the only one" which would require the text to read MONOS hEIS (which it doesn't)? I also am not aware of any manuscript that has both hUIOS (son) and QEOS (god) in this one verse, so it would be silly to translate "the only son of God."

They further write: The word for "only begotten" probably should be translated "only"

Reply: The Greek already has a word for "only," it is MONOS. In the New Testament, monogenes is used in a filial way, one that is used for offspring...see Thayers Greek Lexicon & BAGD. In fact the BAGD states that it could be analogous to prototokos (firstborn). There are about 58 proper names in Greek built on the "genes" stem, like Diogenes, which means "born of Zeus" or Hermogenes ("born of Hermes). These are names given by parents to their offspring that represents birth. (See https://www.behindthename.com/names/usage/ancient-greek) There are also words like theogenes which means "born of God." Though there are exceptions, "the word monogenes is used most basically and frequently in contexts having to do with biological offspring." Charles Lee Irons (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary)

They further write: and there is absolutely no reason for not translating theos as "God."

Reply: The NWT did. Unless Kubo and Specht are referring to capitalization...they didn't specify. The original ancient Greek mss wrote only in capitals. For instance, in the ancient uncial script, Satan is called, "OQEOSTOUAIWNOS/THE GOD OF THE AGE." Yet, most Bibles, like the NASB, HCSB, Smith & Goodspeed will not capitalize theos/god here, even though it has the definite article. In uncial script, John 1:18 is written as follows (and without spaces): QEONOUDEISEWRAKENPWPOTEMONOGENHSQEOSOWNEISTONKOLPONTOUPATROSEKEINOSEXHGHSATO. Since this is the case, the translator is left to decide what words to capitalize.

Now this brings me to their review of the New American Standard Bible where they write: "John 1:18 follows Nestle (the Greek Text of the NASB) in reading 'the only-begotten God'..." They did not deride this translation in the NASB, they didn't insist that they should have "selected two other MS readings, 'the only one' and 'the only son of God.'" They did not include that "'only begotten' probably should be translated 'only'" Why? Because the NASB is a mainstream establishment Swamp Bible. The NASB meets certain expectations and has the traditional renderings that is demanded from Establishment Christianity. It is a Bible that is "safe" for Protestants. Not necessarily more accurate...just safe.

See also Sakae Kubo, Walter Specht & Byington's Bible in Living English

This Kindle book, And the Word was a god: Conversations on the Most Disputed Text in the New Testament - John 1:1 is available on Amazon by clicking here

Visit a local listing for this book here