The New Catholic Encyclopedia & the New World Translation

The New Catholic Encyclopedia & the New World Translation

The wikipedia entry at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Translation_of_the_Holy_Scriptures has the following excerpt:

"The New Catholic Encyclopedia says of the New World Translation reference edition: '[Jehovah's Witnesses] translation of the Bible [has] an impressive critical apparatus. The work is excellent except when scientific knowledge comes into conflict with the accepted doctrines of the movement.'"

I wonder what this "scientific knowledge" means? If one qualifies their own knowledge as "scientific" is this then meant to differentiate what "they" know as superior to someone else's view on the same subject. For instance, Karl Marx, in order to highlight his view of Socialism as opposed to the Utopian Socialists would claim that his theory was "Scientific." Time would tell us that his Scientific Socialism in practice was irrational and disastrous.

If by Scientific they mean actual Science, keep in mind that Piltdown Man was Science at one time.

I'm thinking perhaps they mean Scientific in the following meaning according to dictionary.com: "regulated by or conforming to the principles of exact science: scientific procedures....systematic or accurate in the manner of an exact science."

However, Bible translation is not an exact science. This is why there are so many Bible translations, including many Catholic Bible versions*, and these versions have copious explanatory notes. There are even Catholic editions of Protestant Bibles, such as the Good News Bible, the Living Bible, the Revised and New Revised Standard Versions.

If the encyclopedia is noting areas in which the New World Translation appears to deny the deity of Christ, keep in mind the words of this scholar:

"When we consider further the fact...that Christ is nowhere called God in any unambiguous passage by any writer of the New Testament and that it is nowhere recorded that he ever claimed this title, we cannot reasonably regard this abstinence from the use of the term as accidental." Ezra Abbot

 "There is scarcely one text alleged by the Trinitarians which is not otherwise expounded by their own writers".—John Locke (Common Place Book)

See also Prof. Felix Just, S.J. on John 1:1
https://newworldtranslation.blogspot.com/2017/11/prof-felix-just-sj-on-john-11.html

Catholic Confusion over John 1:1
https://newworldtranslation.blogspot.com/2018/07/catholic-confusion-over-john-11.html

A Catholic Priest Declares the Trinity Doctrine "Opposed to Human Reason."
https://newworldtranslation.blogspot.com/2018/07/a-catholic-priest-declares-trinity.html

Defending the New American Bible Against Catholics
https://newworldtranslation.blogspot.com/2018/03/defending-new-american-bible-against.html


*Catholic Bible Versions:
Douay-Rheims Bible
Westminster Version
Knox Bible
Kleist-Lilly New Testament
Francis Aloysius Spencer New Testament
Confraternity Version
New American Bible (with subsequent updates)
Jerusalem Bible
Ignatius Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
New Jerusalem Bible
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
CTS New Catholic Bible
Revised New Jerusalem Bible
Saint Joseph New Catholic Bible