When John wrote Revelation I1:17, did he write:

EvydaploTovpev ool, 0 8€6s,

0 TAVTOKPATWP
We thank you, CJjehovah) God,
the Almighty...(NWT)?

Or did he write:

EvxyaploTovpev oot, 0 9E6s,

O TAVTOKPATWP
We are giving thanks to you, the God,
the Almighty... (KIT)?
 Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2022 with funding from
Princeton Theological Seminary Library

https://archive.org/details/tetragrammatonchOOlund
THE TETRAGRAMMATON
and the

CHRISTIAN GREEK SCRIPTURES

A comprehensive study of the

divine name (717) in the original writings of
the Christian Greek Scriptures.

Second Edition, 1998

Word Resources, Inc.

P.O. Box 301294
Portland, Oregon 97294-9294
a ~

SENAY OF PRINCETG
Vv
MAR 26 1999
>FEoLocicay ¢4
sew
 "In turn he that loves me will be loved by
my Father, and I will love him and
will plainly show myself to him."

John 14:21

Jesus, J want to be loved by the father... I want to

be loved by you, too.
Alnd Jesus, J want you to show me who you really are.

But Jesus, most of all, J want to really love you!

Copyright 1998

12,000 in print

All general Scripture quotations in this book are from either the
New World Translation or the
Kingdom Interlinear Translation.
Both are published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
of New York.
In certain instances which are identified as such,
quotations are made from either the Hebrew or English portions of
Hebrew versions. Unless otherwise identified, the Hebrew
version used is J'8, Greek Scriptures in Hebrew.
 CONTENTS

Overview: The Subject of this Book i

PROLOGUE Vill

SECTION 1: The Tetragrammaton, inspiration, and a study of the

Christian Greek Scriptures.
Chapter 1: What is the Tetragrammaton? 3
Chapter 2: Inspiration and the Christian Scriptures 20
Chapter 3: A Greek Interlinear Study (Part 1) Pi
Chapter 4: A Greek Interlinear Study (Part 2) 44

SECTION 2: Hebrew manuscripts and their place in the inspired

Christian Greek Scriptures.
Chapter 5: Matthew's Gospel in Hebrew Si
Chapter 6: The Textual Source of Hebrew Versions 72
Chapter 7: The Limit of Inspiration 83

| SECTION 3: Greek manuscripts and other historical and textual

| considerations which bear on the Tetragrammaton and the -
Christian Greek Scriptures.
Chapter 8: The Greek Text in the First Century 95
Chapter 9: Manuscript Publication Dates 105
|Chapter 10: Removal of the Tetragrammaton from 119
Early Greek Manuscripts
|Chapter 11: The Tetragrammaton or Lord Quandary 137

| SECTION 4: A final summary and application concerning the evidence

for the Tetragrammaton in the Christian Greek Scriptures.
| Chapter 12: LORD, Jehovah, and Inspiration 157
| Chapter 13: But if not Heresy, Then What? 164
| Chapter 14: The Indistinct Meaning of Kgréoa > kOe
Chapter 15: What Kgyéos Means to Me 193

| EPILOGUE , . , 200
APPENDICES

Appendix A: "J" Reference Sources 205. |

Appendix B: | Comparison of 237 Jehovah References 217
Appendix C: *Kyréoes in the Christian Greek Scriptures 225
Appendix D: The George Howard Study 236
Appendix E: The Greek Text of the Hebrew Versions 245
Appendix F: Facsimiles of Early Greek Manuscripts 252
Appendix G: J29— 717 in the Greek Concordance 258
_ Appendix H: A Second Hebrew Version 262
Appendix I: A Catalog of Greek Manuscripts 263
Appendix J: Origen's Hexapla 276
Appendix K: Nomina Sacra 297
Appendix L: The Magdalen Papyrus 302.
Appendix M: Jehovah in Missionary Translations 304 }
Appendix N: Correspondence with the Society 306
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 313 |
GLOSSARY 323 |
SCRIPTURE INDEX 329
SUBJECT INDEX 332 I
 Overview: THE SUBJECT OF THIS BOOK -

Te: book examines the use of the Tetragrammaton by the inspired

writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures. But why study the
Tetragrammaton in the Christian Scriptures now? Hasn't the
presence of the Tetragrammaton already been established?

Identifying growth in biblical knowledge

Is biblical knowledge static, remaining the same today as it was a
thousand years ago? Or does biblical knowledge grow with each
successive generation, deriving benefit from discoveries made in its own
time? Without doubt, biblical knowledge grows.
Witnesses worldwide strongly defend the inspiration and inerrancy
of Scripture. The inspired Christian Greek Scriptures were complete
when John finished writing in 98 C.E.! Thus, Scripture itself does not
change. On the other hand, as more is learned of biblical history,
culture, and ancient manuscripts, our knowledge of Scripture grows.
_ The New World Bible Translation Committee understood that
biblical knowledge grows when it searched for evidence of God's name
(717°) in Christian Greek Scripture manuscripts between 1947 and 1949.
Again today, with an ever increasing availability of biblical
information, we must re-examine the same question of the
Tetragrammaton's presence in the Christian Scriptures.
This book explores the fascinating world of ancient second and
third century documents, though it was written for the reader who does
not have specialized training in Hebrew or Greek languages. However,
it does not discuss the Tetragrammaton from the perspective of
_ theology. This is a study of the ancient Greek manuscripts themselves.

Contemporary trends in manuscript research

Even the experienced Bible student is often surprised by the
3 contemporary advances made in the study of ancient Bible manuscripts.
An example of this developing new light is evident in recent
publications. The first Greek text used by the International Bible
Students Association was the Emphatic Diaglott. In the foreword of
the 1942 edition, the translator (Benjamin Wilson) credits the King
James Version of 1611 with only eight Greek manuscript sources from
the tenth century and later (p. 6, 1942 edition). Incontrast, Wilson lists

1 Scripture writing dates are not precisely known. In order to establish a

_K consensus throughout this book, we will use the writing dates given in the table
"Christian Greek Scriptures (C.E.)," Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 1, p. 310.

if
»
ogee
ee
are
Pe
 ii The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

the known Greek manuscripts of his day (the 1860's) as "nearly 700"
(the Emphatic Diaglott p.6, 1942 edition). By the publication date of |
the 1983 edition of “All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial,” |
the editors state, "...there are more than 4,600 manuscripts in the |
original Greek" (p. 315). This number grew to "...over 5,000 |.
manuscripts" by the time of the 1990 edition of the same book (p: 316).
How can ancient manuscripts "come to light" throughout the 20th |
century? Two examples illustrate the process. 5
The first example began in 1947. A Bedouin shepherd threw a rock }
into the narrow opening of a cave above the Dead Sea and heard a |
pottery jar break. The jars of manuscripts he subsequently found are a |
part of the collection now known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. (A total of 11 ],
caves containing manuscript material were eventually discovered. See }
the photo of these caves on page 322 of Insight on the Scriptures,
Volume 1.) |
| Today, there are 225 Dead Sea Scroll documents containing either }.,.
Hebrew Scriptures or commentaries on Bible books. In the 1950's, initial
translations of the Dead Sea Hebrew Scripture documents were
published. (For an example of the material which has been published ]
since the late 1950's, see the discussion under the heading, "Papyrus |
manuscripts," in Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 2, pages 315-16.)
A second example comes from manuscripts which contribute to our |
understanding of the Tetragrammaton's use in early copies of the |
Septuagint. In spite of the Watch Tower Society's insistence to the |
contrary, many questioned the claim that the Tetragrammaton was |
used in early copies of the Septuagint. Today, however, we know that
the Watch Tower Society was correct. Important finds in a Cairo }’
synagogue confirmed the place of 17’ in both the pre-Christian |
Septuagint and Origen's Hexapla. In 1959, P.E. Kahle published The |
Cairo Geneza describing the use of the Tetragrammaton in Jewish |
copies of the Septuagint. In 1958, Giovanni Mercati's study of the |
Tetragrammaton in a Hexapla copy from the same synagogue was |
published. Then, beginning in 1944 with an article by W. G. Waddell |
and continuing into the 1970's, other scholars such as Kahle, J.A. (4.
Emerton, Sidney Jellicoe, and Bruce Metzger wrote articles in f
theological journals and published books verifying the existence of the |
Tetragrammaton in Greek translations of the Hebrew Scriptures.

2 Other publications including Reasoning from the Scriptures [1989, p. 64] and
The Bible—God's Word or Man's? (1989, p.59] also give the number as 5,000.
3 These sources are identified in the Bibliography.
 Overview: The Subject of This Book iii

Thus, 2,000-year-old manuscripts which contribute new information

_ to our understanding of Jehovah's Scriptures have been published since
- the release of the Christian Greek Scriptures in 1949.
We live in an exciting age of Bible manuscript study. In the past
150 years, many ancient Bible manuscripts have been discovered. Justas
_ important, however, has been the scholarly work of publishing these
_ manuscripts. In the end, the two examples of the discovery of new
_ manuscriptsand the publication of existing material converge into the
_ single result of a more accurate English Bible as seen in the following
_ example.
Aleph (&), one of two primary Greek manuscripts on which the
_ Kingdom Interlinear Translation’s Greek text is based, was discovered
_ in 1859. (This is recent when we realize that the manuscript itself was
_ copied in the fourth century.) Because of the problems encountered in
_ obtaining the manuscript from its original owners,‘ it was not until 1911
_ that the first photographic reproductions were made available to
_ biblical scholars. It was even later (1933 to 1938) that the manuscript
_ was finally housed in the British Museum in England and carefully
_ studied. Westcott and Hort published their Greek text in 1881 froma
_hand-copied reproduction of the manuscript. Thus, there was a
substantial time interval between the discovery of this fourth century
manuscript and the time when it could make a significant contribution
to biblical understanding.

Emerging manuscript evidence today

Though many ancient manuscripts have come to light in the last 150
_ years, the discovery of new manuscript material will diminish with
_ time. Will another cave be found with ancient manuscripts comparable
to those from the environs of the Dead Sea? Probably not. How then
_ can the number of Greek Scripture manuscripts increase from "nearly
_ 700" in the 1890's to "more than 4,600" by 1983, and finally to "over
5,000" in 1990? The answer is not measured by new documents

4 The manuscript was discovered in the monastery library of a religious order

on Mount Sinai. The original edition contained both the complete Septuagint
and Christian Scriptures. The monastics had actually used a substantial
_ number of sheets from the Septuagint Hebrew Scripture portion to start fires!
_ However, when they realized its value, they were reluctant to release it until a
_ sizable price was paid. See /nsight on the Scriptures, Vol. 1,p. 323 for photos
_ of both the manuscript and St. Catharine's Monastery. Also see the photo of
_| the manuscript in /nsight on the Scriptures, Vol. 2, p. 317.
if ° These numbers are used merely for the sake of illustration. Full
i

_ documentation of the actual manuscripts is found in the work of Kurt and

1)
ss
Barbara Aland as cited in The Bible—God's Word or Man's?, p. 59.
I bs

f
iv The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

discovered in heretofore unknown caves or monasteries. For the most

part, the disclosure of new manuscripts represents the scholarly work of |
publishing previously unknown ancient documents allowing them to
become usable resources for Bible translators.
A scroll with Greek writing may have value as a curiosity piece,
but it has little value as a textual resource. Before such a manuscript |
can make a contribution to Greek Scripture translation, its age, its place
of origin, its relationship to other manuscripts of its day, and many —
other factors must be determined. In short, it will be subjected to an
intense study for evidences of its authenticity. As we have seen in the
previous examples, there is often a considerable time interval between |
the discovery of the actual manuscript and its placement within the |
body of texts used for Bible translation. We will see in a later chapter |
that 18 ancient papyrus manuscripts have been published since 1950. —
Thus, the cited references to the growth of available manuscripts |
encompass the entire process so that by 1990 over 5,000 Greek Scripture |
manuscripts had been discovered and published.
The primary focus of this book is not new manuscript discoveries |
since 1950, though the chapters reporting the papyri published since |
1950, new information concerning the Tetragrammaton, and the work of |
George Howard® certainly constitute new manuscript information. |
Nonetheless, the study of biblical manuscripts is a dynamic process. |
Material which was unobtainable 50 years ago is available to a Bible
scholar or translator today. Just as the New World Bible Translation |
Committee evaluated the known biblical manuscripts of its day, so |
again, we must re-evaluate the entire body of contemporary textual and )
historical evidence.’

6 George Howard's work with the Shem-Tob Matthew Gospel in Hebrew, which
is reported in Chapter 5, would certainly describe the scholarly work dealing with
manuscript identification. If it is finally substantiated, the result of Howard's
identification is almost as significant as if a new manuscript had been
discovered.
7 The distinction between a new understanding from existing textual evidence —
and the discovery of new manuscripts may be more easily illustrated than
explained. The Watch Tower Society has long recognized that biblical
understanding is progressive, though this certainly does not imply a continuous
process of manuscript discoveries. An interesting series of examples of this
awareness can be seen in Chapter 10, "Growing in Accurate Knowledge of the
Truth," from the book Jehovah's Witnesses Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. The
entire chapter is worth reading. On page 121, this comment is made:
Did [Charles Taze Russell and his associates] believe that they had all
the answers, the full light of truth? To that question Brother Russell
pointedly answered: "Certainly not; nor willwe have until the 'perfect day."
(Prov. 4:18, KJ) Frequently they referred to their Scriptural beliefs as
 Overview: The Subject of This Book V

The work of the New World Bible Translation Committee

In order to maintain the highest standards of Bible translation
integrity, the translation itself must be continually evaluated against
the most current manuscript information. In October, 1946, Watch
Tower Society president Nathan H. Knorr proposed that the Society
produce a translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures. The work
began in December, 1947. The Christian Greek Scripture portion of the
New World Translation was presented to a joint meeting of the boards
of directors of the Society's New York and Pennsylvania corporations om
September 3, 1949. It was released for general use in a dramatic moment
on August 2, 1950 before an assembly of 82,075 of Jehovah's Witnesses in
New York's Yankee Stadium.
The Christian Greek Scriptures of the New World Translation was
deemed necessary because of emerging biblical scholarship. Jehovah's
Witnesses Proclaimers of God's Kingdom (pages 608-609) says,
Furthermore, older and more reliable Bible manuscripts were
becoming available. The Greek language of the first century was
becoming more clearly understood as a result of archaeological
discoveries. Also, the languages into which translations are made
undergo changes over the years.
Jehovah's Witnesses wanted a translation that embodied the
benefits of the latest scholarship, one that was not colored by the
creeds and traditions of Christendom, a literal translation that
faithfully presented what is in the original writings and so could
provide the basis for continued growth in knowledge of divine
truth, a translation that would be clear and understandable to
modern-day readers. The New World Translation of the Christian
Greek Scriptures, released in 1950, filled that need.

Our task today

Since 1950, however, many advances have been made in the study
of the Greek text. Just as it was necessary to evaluate Bible translations
of that day in the light of emerging textual scholarship, so again
today, the Christian Greek Scriptures of the New World Translation
must be re-evaluated using the textual, historical, and scholarly
understanding which has become available in the past 45 years.
We must take seriously a statement of the writers of Jehovah's
Witnesses Proclaimers of God's Kingdom found on pages 146-148.
Though the topic of discussion is prophesy, their comments can equally
be applied to the new light emerging from ancient Greek manuscript
discoveries and research:

"present truth"—not with any idea that truth itself changes but rather with
the thought that their understanding of it was progressive.
vi The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

As reflected in their modern-day history, the experience of

Jehovah's Witnesses has been like that described at Proverbs
4:18: "The path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is
getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established." The
shining of the light has been progressive, just as the light of early
dawn gives way to sunrise and the full light of a new day. Viewing
matters in the light that was available, they have at times had
incomplete, even inaccurate, concepts. No matter how hard they
tried, they simply could not understand certain prophecies until
these began to undergo fulfillment. As Jehovah has shed more
light on his Word by means of his spirit, his servants have been
humbly willing to make needed adjustments.
Such progressive understanding was not limited to the early
period of their modern-day history. It continues right down to the
present...
In recent years a greater diversity of Bible study material has
been provided to satisfy the needs of both mature Christians and
new students from many backgrounds. Continued study of the
Scriptures, along with fulfillment of divine prophecy, has in many
instances made it possible to express Bible teachings with greater
clarity. Because their study of God's Word is progressive,
Jehovah's Witnesses have spiritual food in abundance, even as
the Scriptures foretold would be true of God's servants. (Isa.
65:13, 14) Adjustments in viewpoint are never made with a view to
becoming more acceptable to the world by adopting its declining
moral values. Onthe contrary, the history of Jehovah's Witnesses
shows that changes are made with a view to adhering even more
closely to the Bible, being more like the faithful first-century
Christians, and so being more acceptable to God.
This book will present a comprehensive study of the current
understanding of historical and textual evidence which has a bearing
on the Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures. To that
end, this study again asks the same question raised by the translators of
the New World Translation in 1947: "Did the original inspired
Christian writers use the Tetragrammaton in 237 instances while
writing the Christian Greek Scriptures?"®

A personal study
The material in this book is primarily the result of a personal
study. More than ten years ago, as a result of a very pleasant contact

8 We do not wish to imply that this question is an actual statement made by the
New World Bible Translation Committee. The use of the divine name within the
Christian Greek Scriptures, however, implies that this question was asked in
some form, and was subsequently answered affirmatively.
 Overview: The Subject of This Book vii

with two of Jehovah's Witnesses, the author began an intensive

Scripture search to determine the identity of Jesus. It was much more
than a study of the Greek text; it was a study with momentous personal
consequences in the author's faith. Almost two years were spent in a
meticulous study from the Kingdom Interlinear Translation. Early in
that study, the importance of the Tetragrammaton (or Kgséos) in the
Christian Greek Scriptures became apparent.
The material in this book represents some of the answers discovered
in the author's personal study.

The Kingdom Interlinear Translation published by the Watch

Tower Society in 1969 and 1985 is an indispensable resource for this
study. If possible, obtain both editions. Thisinterlinear Greek-English
Bible will give you first-hand information for the verification of much
of the material contained in this book.

May Jehovah bless your study.

Citations in this book are taken directly from materials published

by the Watch Tower Society or from sources quoted by the Watch Tower
Society within their own publications. Infrequent exceptions to this
rule are a small number of outside publications used to augment an
existing discussion, but which are never used to introduce speculative or
controversial subjects. The ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY identifies
each citation source by its acceptance for use within Watch Tower
Society publications.

The author has made every attempt to be as accurate as possible

with the information in this book. (Even so, when the book was in its
final draft, an Elder of Jehovah's Witnesses and his wife were leading
the author in a Bible study. During the study, the Elder mentioned
Luke 1:16 as a quotation of Malachi4:6. The author realized that this
reference had been omitted from Appendix B and consequently re
examined the entire appendix.) Nonetheless, no serious student ever
accepts a writer's presentation without first confirming the information
for himself. By all means, verify the information givenin this book
from the Kingdom Interlinear Translation and related sources.

If you find errors of any kind, please contact the author.

Lynn Lundquist
P.O. Box 301294
Portland, OR 97294-9294
 Prologue

"Did the original inspired Christian writers use the

Tetragrammaton in 237 instances while writing the Christian Greek
Scriptures?” is not an innocuous question. The answer will have
momentous consequences on your life as one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
The author has talked with elders and publishers who believe
that theirfaith is unaffected by the inspired Christian writers' use—
or lack of use—of 777” in the original Greek manuscripts.
Their perception of the importance of 17” in the Christian
Scripture text is profoundly inadequate!
The ancient biblical documents you will examine in this book will
confront you with the most fundamental challenge to your faith as a
Witness which you will ever encounter.
As a single example, if the Apostle John used the Tetragrammaton
at Revelation 11:17, he wrote,

Evxap.oTov pev cou) 0 G€6s, 0 TavTOKpaTwp

We thank you, Gehoval) God, the Almighty... (NW7).

On the other hand, if John did not use 717”, then he wrote,

Evxaptotavpev oot, 0 8€6S, 0 TavTOKPaTwp

We are giving thanks to you, ‘Lord) the God, the Almighty... (K/7).
The one addressed in this verse is clearly "God...the Almighty."
Did John write this of Jehovah (117°), or did he write it of the Lord
(Xgréoa)?
The answer to this question is not found in theology. Nor is it found
in personal conviction or even loyalty to an organization. The answer is
found through a careful examination of the ancient Greek manuscripts
of the Christian Scriptures.
With the help of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation, this book
will examine the earliest known Greek manuscripts and _ their
surrounding context, in order to determine whether the inspired
Christian authors wrote i717’ or Kuptos (Kgréoa) in 237 specific instances
in the Christian Greek Scriptures.
Your faith is unavoidably dependent on the answer which comes
from the early Greek manuscripts themselves!
 SECTION 1

The Tetragrammaton, inspiration, and a study

of the Christian Greek Scriptures.

Page3 Chapter 1: WHAT IS THE TETRAGRAMMATON?

Page 20 Chapter 2: INSPIRATION AND THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES

Page 29 Chapter 3: A GREEK INTERLINEAR STUDY (Part 1)

Page 44 Chapter 4: A GREEK INTERLINEAR STUDY (Part 2)

Chapter 1: WHAT IS THE TETRAGRAMMATON?

Ree: readers of Watch Tower publications already understand

the meaning of the word Tetragrammaton. However, it is
worthwhile to give some background information for the benefit
of those who are unfamiliar with the term.
The Tetragrammaton is thedivine name as it is written in Hebrew
letters. In English, God's name is written in its various forms as
Jehovahor Yahweh.
Before going further, however, it will be of interest to look at the
meaning of the word Tetragrammaton! itself. The Greek word tetra
(teTpa) is used as a prefix designating the number four. We find this
word at Luke 3:1 where it
refers to Herod as a
district ruler or tetrarchas
noted in the New World The divine Se ge
Translation Reference name as NK AF
Edition footnotes. The actually written by the earliest
tetrarch shared a kingdom Hebrew Scripture writers.
area; he was one of four
rulers. (In contrast, a
single ruler is called a
monarch.) The Greek word gramma (ypadpa) means writings or letters.
Galatians 6:11 says, "See with what large letters (ypdupa) I have
written YOU with my own hand." Thus, Tetragrammaton means four
letters.2. The term Tetragrammaton itself is not a word found in the
Bible, but is a useful word describing the four Hebrew characters used in
God's name.

Formation of the letters

The orthography (letter formation) of all written languages
gradually develops over a period of time. That is especially true of
Hebrew which has been written for thousands of years from ancient to
modern times. The Tetragrammaton as first written in the Hebrew
Scriptures is depicted in the box on this page. The Watch Tower
publication The Divine Name That Will Endure Forever (1984) gives
two excellent illustrations of the divine namein its early written form.
The first illustration on page 12 shows two occurrences found on a

1 The word may properly be written either Tetragrammaton or Tetragram.

Throughout this book we will use Tetragrammaton.
2 Aid to Bible Understanding, p. 882.
4 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

pottery shard from the second half of the seventh century B.C.E. The
second illustration on page 13 shows two occurrences from the Moabite
Stone inscribed about 850 B.C.E. By carefully studying the examples
given in that publication, slight differences in character? formation can
be detected between the two specimens. In both cases, however, the
Tetragrammaton of this period of time has the general appearance of
AMAT.
In the article "Hebrew II" found in Insight on the Scriptures (Vol. 1,
p-. 1072) the writers say,
The earliest Hebrew inscriptions known are recorded in an
ancient script considerably different in form from the square-shaped
Hebrew letters of later documents, such as those of the early
centuries of the Common Era. The square-shaped style is often
called "Aramaic," or "Assyrian." It is believed that the change from
ancient Hebrew characters to square Hebrew characters took place
during the Babylonian exile. However, as Ernst Wurthwein says: "For
a long while the Old Hebrew
script remained in use
beside the square script.
The divine name 5 The coins of the period of
as written by the MW Bar Kochba's revolt (A.D.
Hebrew Scripture writers 132-135) bear Old Hebrew
printed in modern Hebrew letters. Among the texts
characters. found in the Dead Sea
caves are some written in
the Old Hebrew Script."
Even though the formation of the characters has changed over
time, the Hebrew spelling of the divine name itself has not. That is,
both AxA+ and 7 are transliterated into English as YHWH.
Since Hebrew is written from left to right, the ancient Hebrew
character <+ and the modern Hebrew character ’ are both Y (Yohdh);
<\ and are both H (He’), and « and } are both W (Waw).
The designation palaeo-Hebrew is occasionally encountered in
technical descriptions of written Hebrew. This term identifies the
ancient style characters as represented by AxA+4

3 The word character is more correctly used of written Hebrew than /etter. We
will generally use /etterto refer to written Greek or English and character in
reference to written Hebrew.
4 The reader interested in pursuing the subject of the Hebrew language further
would profit by the useful information found under the heading "Hebrew II" in
Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 1, pp. 1068-1077. A complete table of Hebrew
character formation from the ninth century B.C.E through modern Hebrew
(including the time of Christ) is given on page 344 of the Zondervan Pictorial
 What is the Tetragrammaton? 5

In the remainder of this book, we will follow the general practice of

the Watch Tower Society in representing the Tetragrammaton of the
_ early Hebrew Scripture writers with modern Hebrew characters. Thus,
irrespective of the time period under consideration, we will use the four
Hebrew characters 717” to represent the Tetragrammaton. The reader
should understand, however, that at any time prior to the Babylonian
exile, the divine name would have been written A«A+.

The Tetragrammaton in its Hebrew background

We encounter the divine name early in the Hebrew Scriptures. At
Genesis 2:4 and 16, Moses wrote God's personal name for the first time
_when he said, "This is a history of the heavens and the earth in the
time of their being created, in the day that Jehovah God made earth
~and heaven." When Moses wrote this verse, he penned the name of God
_with four Hebrew characters as 717”.
_ Because Genesis 2:4 is the first reference to the divine name in the
Bible, the New World Translation Reference Edition (p. 17) gives the
following information in a footnote to this verse:
"Jehovah." Heb[brew], 717” (YHWH, here vowel-pointed as
Yehwah', meaning "He causes to Become" (from Heb[rew], 717
[ha-wah’, "to become"]); LXX (Gr[eek]) Ky'‘r-os; Syrian], Mar ya’;
Lat[in], Do'min-us. The first occurrence of God's distinctive
personal name, i717’ (YHWH); these four Heb[rew] letters are
referred to as the Tetragrammaton. The divine name identifies
Jehovah as the Purposer. Only the true God could rightly and
authentically bear this name. See App[endix] 1A [in the Reference
Bible].
_ Though the Tetragrammaton is God's most holy name, it is derived
from acommon Hebrew grammatical structure. Again, the New World
Translation Reference Edition (p. 1561) gives us the following
information:
"Jehovah" (Heb[brew] 777” YHWH), God's personal name... is
_ averb, the causative form, the imperfect state, of the Hebrew verb
< 771 (hawah’, "to become’).
_ This is further amplified in A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the
Old Testament by William Gesenius (1865, pp. 249-250) wherein three
primary English equivalent uses of the Hebrew verbi170 (hawah’, "to
|become") are listed. Gesenius identifies the following English

|Bible Dictionary. \|n most instances, according to this table, the Hebrew
| Character formation of Jesus' day is closely akin to the later square characters
_which are the predecessors to modern Hebrew.
| ae
6 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

meanings: 1) to come to pass, to happen, to be; 2) to begin to be,i.e. to

become, tobe made or to be done; and 3) to be. These uses of the verb )
|

11]71 give us a sense of the meaning behind the divine name. |

A related topic is the pronunciation of the divine name. To.
understand pronunciation, we must consider Hebrew vowel points.
Until well after Jesus' time, the Hebrew language was written using
only consonants. Sometime after 400 C.E. a group of Jewish scholars
called Masoretes added vowel points in order to standardize
pronunciation. We need to give an illustration of a written language |
without vowels. We can use the sentence, "Moses wrote the five books
of the law." If we write the sentence without vowels, it looks like this: -
mss Wilt tht kd
VD ksin Celi |
English, of course, uses regular vowel letters. However, later Hebrew |
script added points to identify vowel pronunciation. The points are |
marks under (or over) the consonants which inform the reader of the |
connecting sound (vowel). If we used our existing English vowels as |
points, the above sentence might look something like this:
mss
oe
‘wrtO th: e2aifv--b.ks...f-
fe) fo)
thisivw
Sx ia
(In this example, double letters and vowels at the end of words were |
eliminated. Vowel function is found only in pronounced language |
components.)
The Hebrew Scriptures were originally written without vowel |
points. Therefore, during the time of the Septuagint and the early |
Christian era, the divine name
contained only the Hebrew
consonants without vowel)
The divine name rT) rats
written with markings, and was written 7177”.
vowel points.
Le :
(The English phonetic)
equivalent is YHWH.) After
vowel points were added, the)
name of God was written 7)i7’.|
The English phonetic equivalent with vowel points is most likely
transliterated into English as YedHWaH—or very probably YeHVaH!
as we will soon see.” q

° The pronunciation of the vowel points are only known within modern Hebrew. |
The book Reasoning from the Scriptures, p.195 gives this further explanation.
No human today can be certain how [the divine name] was originally
pronounced in Hebrew. Why not? Biblical Hebrew was Originally written
with only consonants, no vowels. When the language was in everyday
use, readers easily provided the proper vowels. In time however, the
Jews came to have the superstitious idea that it was wrong to say God's
 What is the Tetragrammaton? 7

(The exact pronunciation of any Hebrew Scripture word is equally

uncertain. As stated, the entire Hebrew Scriptures were devoid of
vowel markings until centuries after the last books were written.
Presumably, when vowel points were added, the pronunciation of
proper names was subject to greater uncertainty than more common
words.)
From the above illustration of missing vowels, it should be obvious
why we do not know the precise pronunciation of the divine name
during Moses' day. We can be more confident of the pronunciation of the
consonant portion (YHWH or YHVH) of the word. However, we cannot
be certain of the vowel pronunciation because no corresponding written
information was preserved. As a written word, the divine name
without vowel points is the form we are concerned with in this study.
How did YHWH become Jehovah? Again, we quote from the New
World Translation Reference Edition (p. 1561) which says,
To avoid the risk of taking God's name (YHWH) in vain, devout
Jews began to substitute the word ‘adona(y) for the proper name
itself. Although the Masoretes left the four original consonants in
the text, they added the vowels e (in place of a for other reasons)
and a to remind the reader to pronounce adona(y) regardless of the
consonants.
The Masoretic Jews added the vowels found in the name Adonay
(which is properly translated in the English Hebrew Scriptures as
- Lord®) to the consonants of the Tetragrammaton in order to obtain a
_circumlocution’ for the divine name. The book Aid to Bible
Understanding (pp. 884-885) says,
By combining the vowel signs of 'Adho-nay' and 'Elo-him' with
the four consonants of the Tetragrammaton the pronunciations
Yeho.wah'and Yeho- wih' were formed. The first of these provided
the basis for the Latinized form "Jehova(h)." The first recorded use
of this form dates from the thirteenth century C.E. Raymundus

personal name out loud, so they used substitute expressions. Centuries

later, Jewish scholars developed a system of points by which to indicate
which vowels to use when reading ancient Hebrew, but they put the vowels
for the substitute expressions [Adonay] around the four consonants
representing the divine name. Thus the original pronunciation of the divine
name was lost.
6 It is correctly written as Lord, but not in small capitals as LoRp. In other
words, Lord is the translation of Adonay and should not be confused with the
faulty English Bible tradition which translated the Tetragrammaton as Lorp. The
New World Translation properly translates Adonay as Lord.
The pronounceable expression which’ replaces’ an_ ineffable
(unpronounceable) word.
8 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Martini, a Spanish monk of the Dominican Order, used itin his book
Pugeo Fideiof the year 1270.
The reader should also be aware that there is uncertainty |
regarding the early pronunciation of the "W" consonant. The Hebrew |
character represented as "W"in the English transliteration of YHWH
is waw (1). (This Hebrew character's name is pronounced vav, though |
when identified in English letters, it is often written as waw.® )
Interestingly, newer biblical Hebrew language texts actually |
transliterate the character in English as vav to reflect the preferred |
pronunciation.) Inall likelihood, the above combination of characters |
from the Tetragrammaton and Adonay becomes YaHoVaH. Aid to-
Bible Understanding (p. 882) says, "These four letters (written from |
right to left) are 717” and may be transliterated into English as YHWH |
(or, according to some, YHVH)." If the more appropriate phonetic |
reproduction of the divine name as pronounced in Moses’ day is truly |
YHVH, the English word Jehovah more closely reproduces the ancient |
Hebrew character waw (1) than does the English transliteration |
Yahweh. .
For further reading concerning the divine name, consult Appendix |
1A in the New World Translation Reference Edition (1984). Also, see
Appendix 3A in the Reference Edition for a brief introduction to both
Hebrew and Greek characters. The section contains a particularly |
useful description of Hebrew vowels. For a comprehensive study of the
divine name, refer to the heading "Jehovah" in Aid to Bible |
Understanding, beginning on page 882, or under the same heading in
Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 2, beginning on page 5. |

The Tetragrammaton in the Hebrew Scriptures :

God's personal name occupies a place of prominence in the Hebrew.
Scriptures. The Tetragrammaton occurs 6,961? times in the Hebrew text. |
The perspective of this book is a current historical and textual
understanding for the use of the Tetragrammaton in the Christian |
Greek Scriptures. As such, we are not emphasizing the place of the
Tetragrammatonin the Hebrew Scriptures. However, the reader must
remember throughout this book that God's name is used extensively in
the Hebrew Scriptures, and that the textual evidence supporting its |

8 New World Translation Reference Edition, p. 1570.

2 The book Aid to Bible Understanding, p. 885 says, "The Tetragrammaton |
occurs 6,961 times in the original-language text of the Hebrew Scriptures (this |
includes 134 times where the Masoretic text shows that ancient copyists |
[Sopherim] had changed the primitive Hebrew text to read ‘Adho- nay’ or |
Elo him'instead of Y@howah’." |
 What is the Tetragrammaton? 9

presence is beyond any doubt. The New World Translation is to be

commended for its use of the divine name in the Hebrew Scriptures.

The Tetragrammaton in the Septuagint (LXX)

Because there is sometimes confusion between the Septuagint and
the Christian Greek Scriptures when the Tetragrammaton is being
discussed, a brief introduction to the Septuagint is in order.
Weare familiar with the history of the nation of !srael in the
Hebrew Scriptures. During the periods of the judges and the theocracy
under such leaders as Samuel, the nation of Israel was moving toward
occupation and consolidation of the land. This consolidation as a united
kingdom reached its climax in the days of King David and his son
Solomon. However, because of King Solomon's disobedience to God, the
kingdom was divided and weakened. Though good kings occasionally
came to power, divine judgment eventually fell. The divided kingdoms
of Judah and Israel were finally conquered, with each being led into
captivity.
Without going into any of the details of the military and political
defeats of Israel, we are aware thata typical form of conquest for that
time was deportation of the popes to the conquering nation's
~ homeland. Thus, colonies of Jew s!0 were established in various areas of
the Mediterranean world. Alexandria (Egypt) became an important
center for expatriate Jews. Alexandria was also the leading center of
learning and Greek culture from about 350 B.C.E. until its conquest by
_ Rome.
The Jewish religious leaders were confronted with a problem which
they had not encountered before the days of national captivity. Many
_ Jews living in Greek-speaking cultures could no longer read and
_ understand the Hebrew Scriptures. Thus, in approximately 280
B.C.E.,!1 a group of Hebrew scholars began translating the Hebrew
_ Scriptures into Greek. There are some interesting—though uncertain—
_ traditions surrounding that translation project. The least credible
_ tradition says that the translators were supernaturally empowered and
_ completed the entire work in 70 days. A more probable tradition is that
| 72 Hebrew scholars did (or at least began) the work. Whatever the
|‘truth is, the translation became known as the Seventy. Thus, we have
_ thename Septuagint, which is abbreviated with the Roman numerals

| 10 Strictly speaking, descendants of Abraham were not called Jews until post-
exilic times. (See Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 2, p. 73 under the heading
"Jew(ess)" for more complete information.) In this book, however, we will use
_ the term "Jew" in the generally accepted sense.
Way Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial," p. 307.
10 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

LXX (70). (The name Septuagint is an Anglicized form of its early Latin |
name secundum septuaginta interpretes.) |
However, regarding the Septuagint itself, we must make five |
statements which have a bearing on our study of the Tetragrammaton:
1. We must recognize the importance of the Septuagint. The Septuagint
occupied an important place in both Jewish and Christian thought.
It was a monumental and far-reaching translation. Among other |
things, it represented an understanding on the part of the Jews who —
used it that God's revelation was not confined to the Hebrew |
language. There is much to be learned from the study of its history
and development. Though outside the scope of this book, a study of
the Tetragrammaton in the Septuagint is an interesting and .
worthwhile subject.
2.We must differentiate between the Septuagint and the Hebrew |
Scriptures from which it was translated. The Hebrew Scriptures ©
were written in Hebrew. (However, Daniel 4was originally written t
by King Nebuchadnezzar—and then included in Daniel's prophetic |
book—in Aramaic. Portions of Ezra and Esther also contain |
Aramaic. See Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 1, page 1070 under |
"When Did Hebrew Begin to Wane?") As we have noted earlier, |
the Septuagint was a specific translation of the Hebrew Scriptures ©
into the Greek language. The term Septuagint should never be used |
as a synonym for early Hebrew Scripture manuscripts written in
Hebrew.
3. We must differentiate between the Septuagint and other ancient j
Greek translations of the Hebrew Scriptures. The Septuagint was fi
not unique as a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures.!2.
However, the Septuagint version was widely accepted by both the i
Greek-speaking Jews and Gentiles Christians. By the end of the |
third century C.E., however, a number of Greek translations of the |
Hebrew Scriptures were available. Three widely used translations |
were done by Aquila, Theodotion and Symmachus. Aquila's|
translation of the Hebrew Scriptures is of particular interest. |
Although many manuscripts are available today which contain|}

12 Appendix J shows Origen's use of three—and sometimes as many as five— |

distinct Greek versions of the Hebrew Scriptures. These versions were all |
available by the end of the third century C.E. Early studies erroneously —
concluded that Origen's Hexapla used only the Greek word Kyrtos, Today, —
however, we know that both the original Hexapla, as well as Aquila's version, did
contain the Tetragrammaton in the Greek text. (See Insight on the Scriptures,
Vol. 2, p. 9 for more information regarding Aquila's version. Appendix J gives a §
complete explanation of Origen's use of 717” in the Hexapla.)) | |
 What is the Tetragrammaton? 1]

XKyos rather than the Tetragrammaton, a recent discovery was

made in Cairo in which 17 is clearly used within Aquila's Greek
text.
4.We must identify which editions of the Septuagint most likely
contained the Tetragrammaton. The Septuagint was a Greek
translation of the Hebrew Scriptures which was widely circulated
throughout the Greek-speaking world of its day. Today we know
that the Tetragrammaton was generally used in copies of the
Septuagint which were intended for Jewish readers.!3 On the other
hand, the Septuagint which was circulated in the Gentile world
used the Greek word Kyséoe (Kiptos)!4as a translation of the divine
name. In Chapter 13 we will discuss this further, including the
interesting problem of why so few copies of the Septuagint
containing the Tetragrammaton have survived until today. Aid to
Bible Understanding (p. 886) quotes Dr. Kahle from The Cairo
Geniza as saying,
We now know that the Greek Bible text [the Septuaginf| as far
as it was written by Jews for Jews did not translate the Divine
name by Ky'rios, but the Tetragrammaton written with Hebrew or
Greek letters was retained in such MSS [manuscripts]. It was the
Christians who replaced the Tetragrammaton by ky'‘rios, when
the divine name written in Hebrew letters was not understood
any more.
5. Finally, we must make a clear distinction between the Septuagint
and the Christian Greek Scriptures. The Septuagint is a translation
of the Hebrew Scriptures. The translation work began in
approximately 280 B.C.E.1° The books of the Law (the writings of
Moses) were probably completed by 180 B.C.E.; the translation of the
entire Hebrew Scriptures was probably not complete until the second
century C.E. On the other hand, the Christian Greek Scriptures were
written no earlier than 41 C.E. (Matthew) and no later than 98 C.E.

13 According to "All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial," (pp. 307 and
| 310) the Septuagint manuscripts containing the Tetragrammaton are principally
| the Fouad papyrus collection dating around the second or first century B.C.E.
For a more complete discussion of the Septuagint, see the entry in Insight on
_the Scriptures, Vol. 2, p. 9 under the heading, "In the Christian Greek
| Scriptures." For a photographic reproduction of the Fouad manuscript showing
the Hebrew lettering, see Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 1. pp. 324 and 326.
14. See the New World Translation Reference Edition (pp. 1562-1564) for a
partial list of these manuscripts.
1S “all Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial,” p. 307. Also see Insight
into the Scriptures, Vol. 2, p. 1152.
12 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

(the Gospel of John and 1,2, 3 John).!6 Despite the fact that the
early church extensively used the Septuagint, the two Scriptures are
distinctly separate. One cannot surmise that if a true statement can —
be made of one, it will be equally true of the other. Stating that the —
Tetragrammaton was used in certain Septuagint versions is not proof |
per se of the Tetragrammaton's presence in the Christian Greek
Scriptures in the absence of a thorough study of ancient Greek }
Scripture manuscripts themselves. However, this distinctiveness of
the two Scriptures does not imply that the Septuagint did not|
greatly influence the Christian Scriptures. Both Jesus and the |
Christian Scripture writers extensively quoted the Septuagint.
The Septuagint was the Bible of the early Church. In most cases :
when the Christian Scripture writers quoted Hebrew Scripture, they
used the Septuagint version rather than original Hebrew documents. |
However, important as the Septuagint is to the history and study of
the Christian Greek Scriptures, it is inaccurate to treat textual
variations which are true of one as though they must also be true of the |
other. The twodocuments are entirely independent entities, separated |
in time by over 200 years, and set apart by different cultures. |

The Tetragrammaton in the teaching of the Watch Tower Society |

The use of the Tetragrammaton in the original writings of the |
Christian Greek Scriptures is a central teaching of the Watch Tower |
Society. The Society teaches that Jehovah's name—written as the |
Tetragrammaton—was used by the original writers of the Christian |
Greek Scriptures, and that the present content of the Greek text took |
form because of heresy and changes which were made by the scribes |
who copied the Scriptures. These scribes presumably changed the four
Hebrew characters (YHWH) to the Greek word Kgtéoa.!7

A concise summary of this teaching is given in Appendix 1D of the

New World Translation Reference Edition (p. 1564). We quote in part:
Matthew made more than a hundred quotations from the
inspired Hebrew Scriptures [in his gospel written in Hebrew18].

'6 Aid to Bible Understanding, p. 318.

17 In this Study, we will repeatedly refer to the Greek word Kuptos. However, |
rather than using Greek letters, we will transliterate it as Kgréoa with English |
letters in a distinctive type face. Fora more complete discussion of the use of |
the Greek word Kgséoa, see The Divine Name That Will Endure Forever, Watch |
Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1984. Note especially the article starting on
page 23, "God's Name and the 'New Testament."
18 Inthis same section, Jerome is quoted as stating that there was a gospel
 What is the Tetragrammaton? 13

Where these quotations included the divine name he would have

been obliged faithfully to include the Tetragrammaton in the
Hebrew Gospel account. When the Gospel of Matthew was
translated into Greek, the Tetragrammaton was left untranslated
within the Greek text according to the practice of that time.
Not only Matthew but all the writers of the Christian Greek
Scriptures quoted verses from the Hebrew text or from the
Septuagint where the divine name appears. For example, in
Peter's speech in Ac 3:22 a quotation is made from De 18:15
where the Tetragrammaton appears in a papyrus fragment of the
Septuagint dated to the first century B.C.E. Asa follower of Christ,
Peter used God's name, Jehovah. When Peter's speech was put
on record the Tetragrammaton was here used according to the
practice during the first century B.C.E. and the first century C.E.
Sometime during the second or third century C.E. the scribes
removed the Tetragrammaton from both the Septuagint and the
Christian Greek Scriptures and replaced it with Ky’‘ri-os, "Lord" or
The-os', "God."
Concerning the use of the Tetragrammaton in the Christian
Greek Scriptures, George Howard!? of the University of Georgia
wrote in Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 96, 1977, p. 63:
“Recent discoveries in Egypt and the Judean Desert allow us to
see first hand the use of God's name in pre-Christian times. These
discoveries are significant for N[ew] T[estament] studies in that
they form a literary analogy with the earliest Christian documents
and may explain how N[ew] T[estament] authors used the divine
name. In the following pages we will set forth a theory that the
divine name, i117” (and possibly abbreviations of it), was originally
written in the NT quotations of and allusions to the Ofld]
T[estament] and that in the course of time it was replaced mainly
with the surrogate KS [abbreviation for ky'rios, "Lord"]. This
removal of the Tetragram[maton], in our view, created a confusion
in the minds of early Gentile Christians about the relationship
between the ‘Lord God' and the ‘Lord Christ’ which is reflected in
the MS [manuscript] tradition of the NT text itself."
We concur with the above, with this exception: We do not
consider this view a "theory," rather, a presentation of the facts of
history as to the transmission of Bible manuscripts.
As we saw in the Overview to this book, the above quotation
represents the perspective of the translators of the New World
Translation based on the textual and historical perspective of the late

written in Hebrew by Matthew. The testimony of Jerome must be accepted as

reliable. There would be no reason to doubt that Matthew wrote a parallel gospel
in Hebrew. We will evaluate Matthew's Hebrew Gospel in a later chapter.
19 See Appendix D for a partial reproduction of the George Howard paper.
14 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

1940's. Today, we are faced with the need to re-evaluate any Bible
translation on the basis of the most recent understanding of the Greek
manuscripts on which it is based. It would be the desire of all—
whether we are talking of the Watch Tower Society as a whole or
individual Witnesses—to have a copy of the Christian Greek
Scriptures which faithfully reproduces exactly that which the
apostolic authors wrote.
Throughout the remainder of this book we willbe evaluating the
most current textual and historical information available while asking
a central question, "Did the original writers of the Christian Scriptures
use the Tetragrammaton?" If so, what evidence remains today which
will verify this claim?

The format of this book

Throughout this book, our study of the Tetragrammaton's presence
in the Christian Greek Scriptures is based on historical and textual
considerations. The final answer to the place of the Tetragrammaton in
the original Christian Scripture writings will be based on ancient
manuscript evidence. These manuscripts should indicate to us whether
the original writers of the Christian Scriptures wrote the Hebrew word
mi” (the Tetragrammaton) or the Greek word Ktptos (Kgréoa) in 237
instances within the Christian Greek Scriptures. |
When we attempt a historical study of Greek manuscripts, we are
not doing light reading. Therefore, in order to make this material as
informative as possible, the following format will be used: general.
information is found within the main chapters, supplementary
information is added in footnote form, and finally, highly technical
material has been placed in the appendices. This appendix
information deals with the form of the Greek text itself, the
translation footnotes from the New World Translation, information
concerning the Hebrew versions which substantiates the 237 Jehovah
references, and much more on which this study was based. Though this
information is necessary for a proper study of the historical Greek text,
it has been separated from the main chapter material in order to
simplify reading.

Keeping our focus

We willfrequently refer to certain subtopics throughout this book.
In the interest of being as accurate as possible, four of these subtopics
need a brief explanation.
Two of these subtopics (the pronunciation of God's name and the
Septuagint version in relationship to the Tetragrammaton) need
attention now in order to avoid unnecessary qualifying statements.
 What is the Tetragrammaton? 15

A third subtopic (the use of God's name today) deserves a brief

comment in order to avoid misunderstanding. The fourth subtopic
dealing with Xgyréoa and VZheos is a mere technicality which is
important only because we need to be precise in our description without
continually referring to superfluous details.

THE PRONUNCIATION OF GOD'S NAME

The most cumbersome of these first two subtopics is the proper
pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton itself. Neither 717’ nor YHWH
(or YHVH) is entirely satisfactory. The Hebrew characters are
accurate, but they are meaningless to all but the most informed Bible
student. There is no debate by either the author or the Watch Tower
Society that 717” is best represented by the English consonants YHWH,
unless it would be to represent it as YHVH. It is the attempt to expand
these consonants to a pronounceable name that makes the topic
cumbersome in a book such as this. The English consonants are an
acceptable written transliteration, but they are unpronounceable.
Adding vowels further complicates the problem. Fortunately, F.W.
Carr makes an observation which will simplify the debate,
A common trap some translators fall into is thinking that an
attemptis being made to closely approximate the more commonly
accepted Hebrew term "Yahweh" with the English form "Jehovah."
Many fail to realize (or chose to ignore) the fact that "Jehovah" is
the English translation, not the Hebrew approximation.29
Ifwe can be content with an English translation of all other Bible
names (including Jesus rather than Jesous), we can be comfortable with
Jehovah.
A study of the pronunciation of God's name is not our intent. It is a
worthwhile topic, but it is outside the context of this book. We will
alternate between the term divine name and the translated English
name Jehovah because they are familiar. The important issue is
reverence and obedience to this wonderful God, rather than a_ specific
Anglicized pronunciation of his name. The issue of pronunciation of
God's name may best be summarized by a statement from Insight on the
. Scriptures, Volume 2, page 6:
Hebrew Scholars generally favor "Yahweh" as the most likely
pronunciation. They point out that the abbreviated form of the
name is Yah (Jah in the Latinized form), as at Psalm 89:8 and in the
expression Halelu-Yah (meaning "Praise Yah, you people!"). (Ps
104:35; 150:1, 6) Also, the forms Yehoh', Yoh, Yah, and Ya’‘hu,
found in the Hebrew spelling of the names of Jehoshaphat,

20 The Divine Name Controversy, Firpo W. Carr, p. 104.

16 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Joshaphat, Shephatiah, and others, can all be derived from

Yahweh...Still, there is by no means unanimity among scholars on
the subject, some favoring yet other pronunciations, such as
"Yahuwa," "Yahuah," or "Yehuah."
Since certainty of pronunciation is not now attainable, there
seems to be no reason for abandoning in English the well-known
form "Jehovah" in favor of some other suggested pronunciation.
On the other hand, substitution of LORD for the divine name is a
more important issue than mere pronunciation. Within the English
Bible tradition, the Hebrew Scripture translators have often used the
capitalized word LORD to represent i117. The author feels that the
removal of God's proper name from Scripture is a regrettable practice.
Even though every translation which attempts to bring the divine
name into the written Hebrew Scriptures will encounter the
problematic choice of an appropriate form, we commend the translators
of the New World Translation for their effort in moving away from the
tradition of translating 717” as LORD.
There is currently a trend within some evangelical Protestant
groups to acknowledge and use the divine name in their teaching and
singing.2! It is the author's opinion that the consistent emphasis on the
reverent use of God's name by the Watch Tower Society has borne fruit
in these branches of the Christian church. It would be impossible to
quantify that influence on a large scale, but the author is aware of the
contribution Witnesses have made to his own life in this regard.

THE SEPTUAGINT AND THE TETRAGRAMMATON

A second subtopic deserving a brief comment is the degree to which
the Tetragrammaton was used in the Septuagint version. The ©
Tetragrammaton, rather than Kgséos, was most certainly used inearly |
translations of the Septuagint. The Tetragrammaton continued to be
used through the third century C.E. in Septuagint copies used by Jews. —
Gentile Christians, on the other hand, translated 717” as Kiptos (Kgréos)
in their copies of the Septuagint. (We will discover why this was true |
in Chapter 13.) Though we will refer to the Septuagint within the.|
remaining chapters of this book because it has a bearing on our study of |
the Tetragrammaton, we wish to avoid lengthy qualifications. We |
must simply remember that new evidence today substantiates that 717” :
was used in Jewish copies of the Septuagint while Kgséos was used in |

21 The author was recently surprised—and pleased—to hear a new song which
combines the praise word Hallelujah with a direct address to God as Jah (which
the composer spelled as Yah). However, few in these churches today
understand the meaning of the word Jah, though an awareness of the divine
name is growing.
 What is the Tetragrammaton? 17°

Gentile copies. (Again, for the student interested in further study of the
use of the Tetragrammaton in the Septuagint, we would recommend the
material suggested earlier inInsight on the Scriptures, Volume 2, page
9 under the heading "In the Christian Greek Scriptures," or the
parallel reference in Aid to Bible Understanding, on page 386. In
addition, there is a section in the ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY which
lists material substantiating the Tetragrammaton in early Greek
translations of the Hebrew Scriptures.)
It may serve our purpose here to include a single quotation regarding
the presence of the Tetragrammaton in the Septuagint.
On the transcription of the Divine Name [in the LXX] B.J.
Roberts wrote in 1951: "The problem still remains unsolved and is
under discussion." If any change has taken place over the past
decade it is ina movement still further away from the position of
Baudissin. This scholar had maintained that right from its origins
the LXX had rendered the Tetragrammaton by Kuptos [Kyrios], and
that in no case was this latter a mere substitute for an earlier ASwvat
[Adonai]. Thus he denied the evidence of Origen that in the more
accurate manuscripts the Divine Name was written in ancient
(palaeo-Hebrew) script and the later testimony of Jerome to the
same effect. As Waddell pointed out, Baudissin's summary
statement is "flatly disproved" by the Fouad Papyrus, and now a
Qumran fragment of Leviticus ii-iv, written in a hand closely akin to
Fouad 266, has been found to render the Tetragrammaton by IAQ.
Kahle is also of the opinion, and claims the concurrence of C.H.
Roberts, that in the Rylands Papyrus Greek 458, at Deuteronomy
xxvi.17 where the text breaks off just before the appearance of the
Divine Name, the original bore not kvptos as Roberts originally
supposed, but the unabridged Tetragrammaton. It would seem
therefore that the evidence most recently to hand is tending to
confirm the testimony of Origen and Jerome, and that Kahle is right
in holding that LXX texts, written by Jews for Jews, retained the
Divine Name in Hebrew Letters (palaeo-Hebrew or Aramaic) or in
the Greek imitative form HINI, and that its replacement by Kuptos
was a Christian innovation.22
. With this information in hand, we can avoid _ repeated
_ qualifications concerning confirmed evidence of the Tetragrammaton in
the Septuagint. However, statements relating to the Tetragrammaton
in the Septuagint should not be understood as applying to the Christian
Greek Scriptures. As pointed out earlier, the reader must be aware that

e 22 From The Septuagint and Modern Study, Sidney Jellicoe, 1968, pp. 271-
| 272. See also the two books Studies in the Septuagint: Origins, Recensions,
and Interpretations, edited by Sidney Jellicoe and Essays in Biblical Greek:
Studies on the value and use of the Septuagint, Edwin Hatch, 1970, p. 149.
 18 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

the Septuagint and the Christian Greek Scriptures are entirely

different documents, greatly separated in time.
a

USING GOD'S NAME TODAY

In order to avoid misunderstanding, we need to clarify our position
concerning the use of God's name today. On the one hand, we are
examining the historical and textual occurrences of the
Tetragrammaton in the Christian Greek Scriptures. We could never
advocate either adding or removing words from Scripture because of
personal or theological preferences. Therefore, our viewpoint must be
that the occurrence of the Tetragrammaton within the Christian
Scriptures today must reflect the exact usage by theoriginal writers. If
the Tetragrammaton was used by the original writers, it must not be
removed. If it was not used by the original writers, it must not be
added.
On the other hand, do we feel that it is appropriate to use God's
personal name today? Most certainly! It is the author's personal
practice to do so.
We ask that the reader keep in mind that the subject of this book is
limited to the historicaland textual evidence for the Tetragrammaton
within the Christian Greek Scriptures. Nonetheless, regarding the use
of God's personal name in either public or private worship, we feelthat
it is entirely appropriate and pleasing to God to use it freely with the
highest sense of his holiness.

JEHOVAH REFERENCES
The name Jehovah appears 237 times in the Christian Greek |
Scriptures of the New World Translation. In 223 instances, Jehovah is |
used in place of the Greek word Ktpios (Kgréos). In 13 instances,
Jehovah is used in place of 0c6¢ (‘7éeas), and in one instance (James 1:12), |
Jehovah is derived from a specific Greek grammatical construction.
Generally, we will use the English transliteration Kgséos rather |
than the Greek word itself. At times, we will distinguish between |
XKyrios and 7heoa in the interest of completeness or technical necessity. |
In most cases, however, when there is no need for the precision, we will |
use Kyrios to include the 13 instances of ‘7heos, the single case in James |
1:12, and the 223 instances of Kyséoa proper.
Furthermore, the Greek language requires agreement between parts ©
of speech, depending upon the grammatical usage of a word in its —
_ sentence. For that reason, the Greek word Ktpios may have any one of |
eight spellings. (See Appendix C for a discussion of the various forms of |
this Greek word.) Again, we will let Xgséos stand inclusive of all |
grammatical forms.
 What is the Tetragrammaton? 19

CHAPTER SUMMARY. The Tetragrammaton is the four-character

Hebrew name of God. Until 400 C.E., Hebrew writing did not contain
vowel points. Prior to the addition of vowel points, the divine name
was written i117’. The Tetragrammaton is widely used throughout the
Hebrew Scriptures, giving ample textual evidence to support the use of
God's personal name in the Hebrew Scripture portion of English
translations.
1. The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures
which was begun in Alexandria about 280 B.C.E. It is a distinctly
different document from the Christian Greek Scriptures. The two
should not be confused, though the Septuagint was extensively used
by the early Church.
2. The name of God should be frequently and respectfully used in both
corporate and private worship.

Addendum to Chapter 1
Just prior to the publication of this book, an important and
scholarly work by Greg Stafford entitled JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
DEFENDED an answer to scholars and critics was released by Elihu
Books (1998). On pages 1-8 Stafford gives another example of current
thinking regarding the pronunciation of the divine name. Stafford, in
turn, refers to earlier studies done by F.W. Carr.
The book by Firpo W. Carr, The Divine Name Controversy (Stoops
_ Publishing, 1991) must also be consulted. Dr. Carr has done important
work with computer searches to reconstruct the pronunciation of the
divine name from ancient Hebrew manuscripts.
Both Stafford and Carr favor Yehowah as the closest English
approximation to the ancient Hebrew pronunciation of the divine name. —
In both cases, they agree that the word Jehovah is an appropriate
English translation.
We will gladly defer to the scholarship and opinion of these two
men regarding the pronunciation of the divine name. However, because
the type for this book has already been set, additional comments
regarding Stafford or Carr's favored pronunciation will not be added.
Nonetheless, this book is in complete agreement with the positions of
Stafford and Carr that the divine name most certainly should be used in
_ English translations of the Hebrew Scriptures.
Either book may be obtained from Stoops Manufacturing Co., 10 N.
_ Elliott Ave., Aurora, Missouri 65605.
Chapter 2: INSPIRATION AND THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES

B efore going further in our study of the Tetragrammaton, we must

consider the inspiration of Scripture. Weare primarily concerned
with the Christian Scriptures in this study.
It should be obvious that the inspiration of Scripture is of
paramount importance. Logically, if the Bible were not inspired (and
thus, infallible), the Tetragrammaton in the Christian Scriptures
would merely become a historical and textual topic of scholarly
interest. However, to those of us who hold a view of inspiration which
acknowledges that God had purpose foreach word the inspired writers
used, the inspiration of Scripture itself becomes a foundation on which
we must build our study of the Tetragrammaton in the Christian Greek
Scriptures. The author concurs with the Watch Tower Society in the
view that God inspired each word of the original Christian Scriptures.
The study of the inspiration of Scripture is not an all-or-nothing
discussion. It is not simply divided between those who believe in full
inspiration and those who categorically reject any involvement by God
in the human writing of the Bible. Christendom has introduced much
confusion into the discussion of inspiration by way of debates regarding
partial inspiration, faulty human authorship, and the like.
The author appreciates the position taken by the Watch Tower
Society regarding inspiration and inerrancy.! Before going further, we
need to review the meaning of the inspiration of Scripture, for this
will characterize the Greek texts with which we are dealing. Much of
this discussion can be verified in the book “All Scripture Is Inspired of
God and Beneficial.”?

The meaning of inspiration

The term inspiration is frequently used in reference to the Bible. In
the book already mentioned, we read,

" Inerrancy describes Scripture's freedom from error. Strictly speaking,

inerrancy applies to the original manuscripts rather than later copies or
translations. Nonetheless, we can use our Bible today with the confidence that
the Hebrew and Greek text is totally reliable.
2 Just as does the Watch Tower Society, we limit our use of the word
inspiration to the 66 canonical books of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures. That
is, we do not include the Apocrypha.
3 This is an excellent book dealing with the accuracy of both the Hebrew and
Christian Greek Scriptures. For a more complete study than we can present
here, we recommend the material from Study Fourto the end of the book. Study
Six, "The Christian Greek Text of the Holy Scriptures," is particularly helpful.
 Inspiration and the Christian Scriptures 2k

"All Scripture is inspired of God." These words at 2 Timothy

3:16 identify God, whose name is Jehovah, as the Author and
Inspirer of the Holy Scriptures. [And further that] Jesus...set the
highest value on God's word, declaring, "Your word is truth.’
Though often not addressed as such, the fundamental question in a
study of inspiration is the character of God. We must ask ourselves,
_ "What kind of book would Jehovah write?" It would bea book entirely
_ free of error. Furthermore, because successive generations would read _ it,
_ the Author would carefully protect his book so that it might be read in
the most accurate form possible. Regarding its survival, The Bible—
God's Word or Man's? says,
[The Bible] says: "The saying of Jehovah endures forever."
(1 Peter 1:25) If the Bible really is the Word of God, no human
power can destroy it. And right up into this 20th century, this has
been true. (p. 24)
"All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial,” continues by saying,
All the words of the inspired Scriptures are "faithful and true,"
bringing immeasurable benefits to those who heed them.—Rev.
205.
How do these benefits come about? The complete expression
of the apostle Paul at 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 supplies the answer: “All
Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for
reproving, for setting things’ straight, for disciplining in
righteousness, that the man of God may be fully competent,
completely equipped for every good work." The_ inspired
Scriptures, then, are beneficial for teaching right doctrine and right
conduct, setting things straight in our minds and lives, and
reproving and disciplining us so that we may walk humbly in truth
and _righteousness.°
Because we understand that the source of Scripture is Jehovah
_ himself, we do not expect a faulty Bible. However, we need to be
_ careful that we correctly understand what we mean when we say that
_ Scripture is without error. The original writings were free of error.
_ Could copies—and translations—of the original writing contain errors?
History shows us that this has happened. That does not mean we
‘ cannot have confidence in our Bible, but it means that we must remember
that we are talking about the original Hebrew and Christian Greek
Scriptures when we say there is no error.
To this point, we have only talked about the result of inspiration;
that is, thatGod as an Author would not make mistakes. But we still

oA Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial," p. 7.

> Jbid., p. 7.
22 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

have not explained the process called inspiration. We understand the |

process when we learn the definition of the word inspiration. To quote ©
our previous source, "The expression ‘Inspired of God'...is translated |
from the Greek 7he-of'nec-stos, Meaning 'God-breathed.'"© For the most |
part, we do not know how God gave his revelation to each of the —
original writers. (In some cases, however, the writer tells us. Daniel is /
an interesting example of a Scripture writer explaining how God |
communicated various revelations to him. John also describes the ©
process in the book of Revelation as, "A revelation by Jesus
Christ... And he sent forth his angel and presented [it] in signs through
him to his slave John" [1:1].) Yet, irrespective of the individual process
God used, we believe that God gave each writer his thoughts in such a
way that they wrote the very words which Jehovah intended to
communicate to the readers.

Inspiration and scribal errors

Prior to the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in
1456, all documents were hand copied. Needless to say, hand copied
texts contained errors.’
There is a fascinating history regarding the reproduction of ancient
manuscripts which is too long to tell here. However, a study of that
history will indicate the inadequacy of making simple generalizations |
about the resulting manuscripts or the scribes who produced them. In
some cases, the procedures used for hand copying texts were followed
with extreme care and resulted in few scribal errors. The Jewish scribes
who copied the Hebrew Scriptures probably developed the highest
standards for accuracy by counting numbers of lines and characters of a
copied section. However, because of this intensive labor, fewer old
manuscripts were kept, reducing the number of texts available for —
study today. On the other hand, Greek texts copied by Gentiles were

6 "All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial," p. 9.

7 Printing presses do not eliminate all errors. However, it is easier to identify
an error when it is identically repeated in all copies from a single press run.
Hand copied manuscripts produce random errors which are unique to a single
copy and thus are more difficult to locate. Of course, printed documents are
also more recent.
8 In many cases, when a Hebrew Scripture text became too worn to be used in
public synagogue reading, it was reverently buried after copies were made. In
some cases, before burial, it was kept in a special room of the Synagogue
called a Geniza. (The word may also be spelled Genizah.) Some of the richest
finds of ancient manuscripts have come from these Genizas when scrolls
destined for destruction were misplaced. A famous such find was from a
Geniza in Cairo. (See the reference to the book, The Cairo Geniza in Insights
on the Scriptures, Vol. 2, p. 9.)
 Inspiration and the Christian Scriptures 23

often copied more hurriedly, resulting in more frequent scribal error.

Nonetheless, though they are somewhat less accurate, there are many
more of these copies available for study.
Nor was scribal error always accidental. Copying mistakes
probably account for the bulk of the manuscript errors. Yet, there were
also errors which were intentionally inserted into the text, having the
objective of either introducing or removing theological biases. Origen
(who lived between 182 and 251 C.E.) was aleading writer in the early
church era. He wrote regarding intentional alteration of manuscripts in
his day:
Nowadays, as is evident, there is a great diversity between the
various manuscripts, either through the negligence of certain
copyists, or the perverse audacity shown by some in correcting the
text, or through the fault of those, who, playing the part of
correctors, lengthen or shorten it as they please (/n Matth. tom. XV,
14; P. G. XIll, 1293).9
As ones who love and respect God's written word, we would strongly
denounce any attempt to alter Scripture. We would correctly demand a
faithful reproduction of God's revelation by both the scribal copyists in
early centuries and a translator's rendering of the text into another
language today.

Inspiration and a correct text

If we believe that Scripture was inspired by God, then we want to
know the exact words he caused the Scripture authors to write. For this
reason, we desire Scripture manuscripts which are free of all scribal
error and corruption. Will we ever obtain these perfect documents?
Far from being a _ hopeless dilemma, the probability of
reconstructing the Christian Scripture text as originally written by its
human authors is high—and, in fact, has already been largely
completed. This is true because a large number of early Christian Greek
Scripture manuscripts have been discovered. First, however, we need to
briefly review a branch of scholarly study called textual criticism.1°
Textual criticism is the study of the text (the written words
| themselves) to determine the most likely wording of the original

9 Quoted in The Identity of the New Testament Text by Wilbur Pickering, Thomas
Nelson Publishers, 1977, p. 42.
10 See the Bibliography for two excellent books describing textual criticism
and the transmission of the Greek text: The Text of the New Testament by
Bruce Metzger, and /ntroduction to New Testament Textual Criticism by Harold
Greenlee.
24 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

writers. These scholars work with the oldest obtainable Greek |

manuscripts. ae
"All Scripture Is Inspiredof God and Beneficial” succinctly defines
textual criticism on page 318. The authors say, "Textual criticismis the |
method used for reconstruction and restoration of the original Bible
text."11
(We must clearly differentiate between the terms textual criticism
and higher criticism. As we have already indicated, textual criticism
is concerned with the reconstruction of the original text. This is very
different from the similar sounding term higher criticism which
describes a literary study of the Scriptures. Higher criticism has often
been extraordinarily speculative and used by some to discredit the
reliability and inspiration of Scripture.!2 Textual criticism, however,
is an important ally of those who love Scripture and desire to know
what Jehovah originally communicated to man.)
Textual criticism is probably best understood by using the following -
illustration. | Say, for instance, that the original edition of an
important historical document had been destroyed. Imagine that
printing presses did not exist before its loss. Thus, only copies—or
copies of the copies—of the document would be available for
examination. As you would expect, there would be errors made in the
copying process. If you were assigned the responsibility of establishing
the most accurate reproduction of the original document, could you do
it? You certainly could. First, you would look for as many copies as you
could find. Secondly, you would attempt to establish the date when
each copy was made, looking for the oldest manuscripts. Then you
would establish some guidelines to determine the reliability of each
copy. Finally, you would compare all the copies to each other in order
to reconstruct the original document.
The oldest manuscripts would probably be the most accurate because
fewer copies would be interposed between them and the original. A
very old copy could be a copy made froma copy of the original. If very
old, it could be a copy made from the original itself. A more recent
copy, however, may have a large number of copies between it and the
original. The greater the number of copies between it and the original,
the greater the probability of error. In the same way, the older the

4 Strictly speaking, textual criticism as indicated by this quotation is a

branch of study which is distinct from inspiration. However, for our purposes in
maintaining brevity, we are combining the subjects of the purity of the Greek
Scripture text and the study of textual criticism under the heading of inspiration.
12 See the comments on higher criticism in the book The Bible—God's Word or
Man's? pp. 31-32 and 38-43.
 Inspiration and the Christian Scriptures 25

manuscript of any portion of Scripture, the more likely is its accuracy.

(We say likely because there could be exceptions. If, for example, it
could be shown that a more recent copy had been made from a very
early copy, then the recent copy might be more accurate than other
older copies.)
Returning to the subject of Bible manuscripts, we find that many
ancient copies of the Greek Scriptures exist today.!> Furthermore, a
significant number are available with dates in the third century C.E.
Some of these manuscripts are referred to in the footnotes of the New
World Translation and are extremely important references in the
Kingdom Interlinear Translation. (See Appendix F for actual
reproductions of an early Greek manuscript.)
Today biblical scholars actually possess copies of the Christian
Greek Scriptures made between 201 and 300 C.E. The original writers
wrote between 41 C.E. (Matthew) and 98 C.E. (the Gospel and Epistles
of John).!4 This means that the oldest extant (currently existing) copies
were made within a relatively few years—to at most 150 years—of the
Christian Scriptures’ writing. In one case, a very small manuscript
portion of the Gospel of John is available which was copied about 125
C.E. This was about 25 years after the original was written.!>
Again, consider the illustration above. How would you compare
the copies after you had assembled them chronologically? Could you
actually determine what the original said? Again, the answer is yes.
Say, for instance, that each copy had ten copying errors. You would
soon find that each copy had dissimilar errors. That is, the errors in
each copy would be random—the errors would not always be in the
same word or location in each manuscript. (On the other hand, if you
found a repeated and identical error in a series of manuscripts, you could
assume that they were copies from a common source containing the
identified error.) Now you would tabulate the highest frequency of

13 See the table on page 313 in "All Scripture Is Inspired of God and
Beneficial."
14 Aid to Bible Understanding, p. 318.
15 ay Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial," pp. 316-317. From other
‘ sources (Metzger) we have a description of this very small manuscript portion.
(It measures only about 2'/5 by 31/5 inches and contains portions of John 18:31-
33 on one side and 18:37-38 on the other.) It is called the John Rylands
fragment, and is classified as P5*. Its importance comes from its date and
location. It was written—as determined by the style of its script—in the first
half of the second century and was discovered in the Nile River area of Africa.
Contrary to claims propagated by German scholarship during the first half of
_ this century, it establishes that the Gospel of John was written early enough to
have been circulated from Ephesus and copied in Africa by this sony date. See
Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 1, p. 323 for a color photograph of P®-.
26 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

agreement (that is, copies which were the same for a given sentence or —
word) for determining the most likely possible reading of the original.
(Again, there are exceptions. One exception to the highest frequency of |
agreement is made when a large number of copies can be traced to an ©
earlier copy with errors.)
Needless to say, we have oversimplified the problem of
identifying errors. In practice, there are many steps which must be
taken to determine the authenticity of any variation within a Greek
manuscript. The process is not done simply or casually; however a high
degree of certainty can be attained.
In this way, biblical scholars (such as Westcott and Hort, the
textual critics who produced the Greek text used in the Kingdom
Interlinear Translation) have been able to compare the available
manuscripts and determine the content of the original Greek Scriptures
withamazing accuracy. This is aided by the fact that there are over
5,000 ancient manuscript portions in the original Greek language |
availabletoday.1®© A very accurate summary of the reliability of our
Greek text is given in the reference cited:
F.J.A. Hort, who was co-producer of the Westcott and Hort text,
writes. . . "If comparative trivialities.... are set aside, the words in
our opinion still subject to doubt [in the Greek text] can hardly
amount to more than a thousandth part of the whole New
Testament...." Sir Frederic Kenyon [says] "The interval then
between the dates of original composition and the earliest extant
evidence becomes so small as to be in fact negligible, and the last
foundation for any doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us
substantially as they were written has now been removed."!/
Inspiration and today's Bible
Before leaving the subject of inspiration, we need to apply the truth
of inspiration to the Bible we possess today. The subject of inspiration —
forces us to recognize the intervention of Jehovah himself in the entire
process. Not only has he revealed his message to inspired Scripture
writers, but he has made provision throughout history to assure its |
availability to each generation as a trustworthy guide to faith.
Jehovah's concern with Scripture did not stop after he gave it tothe
inspired writers. We often fail to recognize Israel's great care for its
preservation. In spite of their times of idolatry and careless walk with
Jehovah, they nonetheless possessed a consuming passion for the
accurate safeguarding of their Scriptures. The Hebrew Scriptures we

16 "ay Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial, " p. 316:

17 Ibid., p. 319.
ea
eT
Oe
Inspiration and the Christian Scriptures 27

possess today owe much to countless Jews throughout history who

sacrificed their lives for it. God himself intervened in that process so
that his Word was not lost during Israel's wanderings, their military
defeats and captivities, and the times of their political turmoil.
Jehovah continues to intervene in the transmission of his inspired
writings since the completion of the Christian Greek Scriptures.
Throughout the history of the early church, the rise of the political
church of Rome, the dark ages in Europe, and the awakening of both
secular and religious scholarship in our own cultural history, God has
preserved the Scriptures so that we can know him in truth today.
Jehovah has used men and women of diverse callings and interests
to assure accurate transmission of the biblical text. There have been
martyrs willing to risk their lives in order to hide precious scrolls.
There have been unknown copyists who devoted their lives to
accurately reproducing Scripture in spite of the pressure of the political
and religious institutions to produce a "Bible" in support of sectarian
dogma. There have been scholars who combed the monastery libraries
of the Sinai Peninsula and Northern Africa for ancient manuscripts,
always in search of older and more reliable copies of the Greek
Scriptures.
However, as important as the means of preservation is, we must
never overlook the author of Scripture himself. The God who inspired
Scripture will certainly take the necessary precautions to preserve it.
Thus, we can be certain today that we have a faithful reproduction
of the very words the apostolic writers penned almost 2,000 years ago.
On page 64, Reasoning from the Scriptures says,
In the introduction to his seven volumes on The Chester Beatty
Biblical Papyri, Sir Frederic Kenyon wrote: "The first and most
important conclusion derived from the examination of them [the
papyri] is the satisfactory one that they confirm the essential
soundness of the existing texts. No striking or fundamental
variation is shown either in the Old or the New Testament. There
are no important omissions or additions of passages, and no
variations which affect vital facts of doctrines. The variations of text
affect minor matters, such as the order of words or the precise
words used...But their essential importance is their confirmation,
by evidence of an earlier date than was hitherto available, of the
integrity of our existing texts."

Is the Greek Scripture text trustworthy?

No better conclusion for this chapter can be given than a brief
quotation from the book The Bible—God’s Word or Man's? found on
pages 59 and 60 under the heading, "Is the Text Trustworthy?"
28 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Is it possible that these eyewitness testimonies [of the disciples]

were accurately recorded but later corrupted? In other words, were
myths and legends introduced after the original writing was
completed? We have already seen that the text of the Christian
Greek Scriptures is in better condition than any other ancient
literature. Kurt and Barbara Aland, scholars of the Greek text of the
Bible, list almost 5,000 manuscripts that have survived from
antiquity down to today, some from as early as the second century
C.E. The general Testimony of this mass of evidence is that the
text is essentially sound. Additionally, there are many ancient
translations—the earliest dating to about the year 180 C.E.—that
help to prove that the text is accurate.
Hence, by any reckoning, we can be sure that legends and
myths did not infiltrate into the Christian Greek Scriptures after the
original writers finished their work. The text we have is substantially
the same as the one that the original writers penned, and its
accuracy is confirmed by the fact that contemporaneous Christians
accepted it.

CHAPTER SUMMARY. The question of inspiration and the reliability of

the Greek text of the Christian Greek Scriptures has been the primary
concern of this chapter.
1. The source of the Scriptures is Jehovah himself. We can be certain
that God would not give us a Bible with errors. By this we mean
that theoriginal writings were without error.
2. The process of inspiration is best understood from the definition of
the word. Inspired of God comes from the Greek word 7he-ofp'neu-atos, —
meaning God-breathed. Jehovah gave the original writers his —
thoughts in such a way that they wrote the words that he intended |
to communicate to mankind.
3. The Greek text of the Christian Greek Scriptures which we have |
today is essentially error-free. We can verify this because:
a. Wehave many early manuscripts—some dating little more than a |
hundred years after the time when the ofiginals were written.
b. We have a large number (over 5,000) of ancient Greek manuscripts to
study. |
4. Inspiration must also consider the intervention of Jehovah in the
continued faithfulness of his written revelation to man. We believe
that the God who is capable of inspiring Scripture is also capable of
assuring its preservation.
Chapter 3: A GREEK INTERLINEAR STUDY (Part 1)

e have reached a point in our discussion of the

WV rezzrammatn at which we must examine each of the 237!
Jehovahcitation references in the Christian Greek Scriptures.
The translation work on the Christian Scriptures of the New
World Translation was started in December, 1947 and completed in
September, 1949.2 Consequently, the footnote references supporting the
Tetragrammaton are now more than 45 years old.3_ In Chapters 3 and 4,
we will re-examine these references in the light of present
understanding of textual and historical information published by the
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.
These two chapters will also give the reader a concise explanation
of the footnote reference system employed in the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation. (Surprisingly, the footnote references are not well
understood by most Witnesses who use this helpful interlinear edition
for study.)

The Kingdom Interlinear Translation and its footnotes

The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures*
contains an immense amount of information regarding the 237
occurrences of the name Jehovah in the New World Translation’s
Christian Greek Scriptures. The bulk of the information in the
following chapters comes from the 1969 edition because it is the more
comprehensive of the two. However, the 1985 edition includes
additional Hebrew version citations which are not found in the earlier
edition.
The footnote and reference system used in the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation is comprehensive and easy to use. Nonetheless, a_ brief

1 Appendix 1D of the New World Translation Reference Edition (1984) lists an

additional 72 references where the name Jehovah appears in the footnotes of
the Kingdom Interlinear Translation, but not in the main text. For the sake of
brevity, these references will not be included in the final study summary of
Appendix B.
2 See "All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial," (1990), p. 324.
3 We do not mean to imply that the footnote reference material has not been
edited since 1949. The publication of the 1969 and 1985 editions of the
Kingdom Interlinear Translation are themselves significant examples of more
recent editing.
4 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1969 and 1985. After using the
Kingdom Interlinear Translation in personal study for a number of years, the
author has developed a great appreciation for this publication.
30 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

explanation is necessary in order to enhance their usefulness. The

Kingdom Interlinear Translation contains three complete Christian
Scripture texts. The main section contains both a faithful reproduction
of the original Greek text and an interlinear word-for-word English
translation. The right-hand column consists of a parallel New World
Translation text.
Each time the divine name appears in the New World Translation
text, an attached asterisk (i.e. Jehovah*) identifiesa footnote for that
verse. Within each footnote, the reader is given a first group of
citations consisting of Hebrew translations containing the
Tetragrammaton, and a second group of citations identifying early
Greek manuscripts which use Kyséoa (Lord ).
1.The first group of textual sources consists of Hebrew translations
which use the Tetragrammaton in that verse. These occurrences of
1177” substantiate the English translation Jehovah. The Hebrew
translations are identified as J!, J*, 8, and so on, continuing to 27.
Each of the letter and superscript symbols are known as "J" references
because they support the name Jehovah in the New World
Translation.
2. The second group of textual sources consists of a select number of early
Greek manuscripts and Armenian, Syriac, and Latin versions which
substantiate the Greek word Xgséos (or, on occasion, 7heos). The
Greek manuscripts are identified by a uniges symbol assigned to each
as & A, B, C, D? E, P*,.P*6, p47) pe6 p78 SndiP > et ear
versions are identified as Arm, It, Sy, SyP, Sy, Syh, Syhi, SYP, OY",
Vg, Vgc, and Vg’. These manuscripts support the word Lord (from
Kyéos) in both the Greek and English portions of the
Kingdom Interlinear Translation. (Refer to AppendixA for
identification of each notation symbol.)
In a helpful introductory section of the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation, each of these footnote reference texts is enumerated with a
brief description and publication date. For example, J’ of group 1 above
(which is the document cited most frequently) is listed as the "Greek
Scriptures in Hebrew." This is a translation (version) of the original
Greek Scriptures into Hebrew published by Elias Hutter of Nuremberg
in 1599. Thus, the footnote reference "J/" in the New World Translation
tells us that the choice of the name Jehovah in a particular verse is
based on the use of God's name in this 1599 Hebrew translation.

D (the Bezae Codices) is identified in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation as

including both a Greek and Latin text. The Kingdom Interlinear Translation
footnote does not differentiate between a Greek or Latin citation. Presumably
the reference is parallel in both texts. |
 A Greek Interlinear Study (Part 1) 31

This same Jehovah footnote also lists Greek manuscripts identified

in group 2 which support the choice of Westcott and Hort in the
‘Kingdom Interlinear Translation. In most cases, their choice from the
best extant manuscripts was the Greek word Xgséos (Kvpios) and is
translated Lord. If, for example, the footnote lists "B" as the Greek
manuscript evidence, it is referring to a Greek Scripture manuscript
called the Vatican MS. No. 1209 which is a fourth century Greek
manuscript. (That is, the evidence supporting the Greek word used in
the Kingdom Interlinear Translation shows that Kgéoe was known to
have been used as early as the fourth century—between 301 to 400 C.E.)
In almost all cases, both the "J" references and the Kyxéos references
will cite multiple Hebrew versions or Greek manuscripts.

The Kingdom Interlinear Translation format

Itis possible that some readers are unfamiliar with the format of
an interlinear Bible. Though we will be referring to Matthew 1:24 in

22 tovtTo S€ OdoOVv ye yovev iva 22 All this actually

This but whole as happened in order that came about for that
TANpwen pndev wud Kuptou to be fulfilled which
might be fulfilled the(thing) spoken by Lord was spoken by
dud Tov tTpodytou Eeyovtos 23 ’ IdouU Jehovah* 2 3 "Look!
through the prophet saying Look! The virgin will
become pregnant
N TapSevos Ev yaorpi €Eet Kai
The virgin in belly willhave and and will give birth to
a son, and they will
Te EeTaL vLOv, Kal KadAE€GOVOLVY TO call his name
will give birth to son, and they willcall the Immanuel," — which
Ovowa auvToU " Eupavounr fo) E OTL means, when
name of him Immanuel; which is translated, "With Us
yeSeppnvevopevov Med nudv o Geds. Is God."
being translated With us the God. 24 Then Joseph
24 ” Eyep@etc sé 0 ‘Im@ond ano woke up from his
Having been awakened but the Joseph from sleep and did as the
angel of Jehovah*
ToD UNMVOD ENMOINCEV MS TpooETacEV aAdDTA O
the sleep did as directed tohim the had directed him,
and he took his wife
ayyeros Kuptov Kot napéAafev thv yuvdiKxa home.
angel ofLord and he tookalong the woman
av ToD
of him;

22* Jehovah, ji4 7-14, 16-18, 22-24, 26. Lord, XB. 24* Jehovah, ye-4, 7-14, 16
18,22-24- 1
ord, XB.

Figure 1: Format of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation.

32 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

the following chapter, it may be helpful to the reader to see a

reproduction of the actual format consisting of the Greek text, the word-
for-word English translation beneath each corresponding Greek word,
and the New World Translation column on the right. The footnotes for
all verses are grouped together at the bottom of the page. Figure 1
shows Matthew 1:22-24 as these verses appear in the Kingdom
Interlinear Translation.

The study and its headings

Before reading further, look carefully at the example of the study
shown on the following page. You will see that each of the 237
Jehovah references occupies a horizontal line. On that single line, you
will find the various categories of information (represented by the
individual column headings) which are true of that verse. Six
headings (including the verse reference) come directly from the
Kingdom Interlinear Translation. The remaining four columns are
derived from Hebrew Scripture quotations.
There are ten headings in the study. We will briefly explain the
meaning of each of these categories which are shown on page 33 before
looking at the information in greater depth. (The complete study is
given in Appendix B.)
(1) GREEK SCRIPTURE REFERENCE. This column identifies the 237
references which use the name Jehovah in the New World
Translation. They are listed in many sources, such as Appendix 1D of
the Reference Edition.© (Also refer to Appendix A.)
(2) GREEK WORD USED IN KIT. This column exactly reproduces the
Greek word used in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation. It is
generally a form of the word Kgséos, though there are some
exceptions. Spelling is not always identical because the final letters
of certain words must be in agreement with corresponding
grammatical functions according to the word's use as an object or a
subject, and whether it is used with a preposition or is possessive.
Refer to Appendix C for a complete description of the Greek word
K yrtos.
(3) ENGLISH TRANSLATION IN KIT. This column lists the English word
used to translate Xgséos in the Greek portion of the Kingdom
Interlinear Translation.
(4) EARLIEST MANUSCRIPT DATE SUPPORTING "LORD" (OR "GOD"). This
column lists the date of the earliest Greek manuscript footnote

6 The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures Reference Edition,

pp. 1565-1566.
 A Greek Interlinear Study (Part 1) 33

A comparison of the 237 Jehovah references

Information from the Kingdom Interlinear Translation Hebrew Scripture references

Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society S
oS
fe) ° == @ >
)
c K
=
<
oO
= * = c
pene
a
6 &
=
5 2 ®
2
®
Ne >
x Ou
TO re 25 =T @ oS 2o Cc = y=
es
®
= ¢
£c i
a:
g2$
© Oo
s
3
S—7
2G
O°
2S
2© 8%
o ‘=
w =— 0 Rois +2) oc ® Le fy = —

@
hed
3o 2&
re a5 ae6| c @
Oz?
2sbed
£8 22g ro
c Oo = o© xe)
(0)
oR)
=BB
} = D rie = c- 2353 2c Ss) 5%
‘=a
iS)
‘s
2)
©c
=
2
ese (=
Bp
o£
>t
a maaan
oS6
o Oo
Os
re ¢
DB oe
Qs
5°
B o
©®= oun
5 2oO
=
) S = Be we eae £6 2 poh— ches
x x 7) og ®o ® > Z>o > S-= Oo ®
@ ® = =5 = 5 S Oceo Oo .- (7) Syee
2 2 ves oa oa a> GO a 5 To
® @ ©) = = ® a) — @ cd

a Med ee ya ttee ep tO
Matthew
|1:20_| Kupiov| Lord | 301-400!| 1537 | Jehovah] TC CX
|1:22 _|Kvpiov*| Lord | 301-400 | 1385 | Jehovah [Is 7:14 | =|
|1:24 | Kupiov| Lord | 301-400 |1385 | Jehovah} | CCX
|2:13_ | Kupiov| Lord | 301-400 [1385 | Jehovah] | CCX
|2:15_| Kupiov| Lord | 301-400 |1599 | Jehovah | | Host: |
|2:19 | Kupiov| Lord | 301-400 |1385 | Jehovah} TC CX
|3:3 | Kupiov| Lord | 301-400 | 1385 | Jehovah |ts 40:37 | |
[4:4 | Gcot* | God _|301-400 | 1385 | Jehovah |Dt8:3 | =|
|4:7__ |Koptov| Lord | 301-400 | 1385 | Jehovah |Dte16 [| |
|4:10_| Kuptov| Lord | 301-400 | 1385 | Jehovah |Dt@:13 [| |
|5:33_| Kupigr |Lord | 301-400 | 1385 | Jehovah |1v19:12 | |
|21:9 | Kupiov| Lord | 301-400 | 1385 | Jehovah |Ps118:26, ||
|21:42 |Kvpiov| Lord | 301-400 | 1385 | Jehovah |Ps118:23) |
22:37 am | 301-400 |1385 | Jehovah |Dte:s ||
22:44 =o MEP es eel CRT a EESTI
23:39 Lord 301-400 |1385 |Jehovah |__j ps1igize/ |
|27:10 | Kvptos |Lord | 301-400 | 1385 | Jehovah |Zch 11:13] |
San 0 SRE EELS Pere eae eT
301-400 |1599 |Jehovah |Is40:3 | |
30124007/91599 [etiova [U.N ) ST ss PE18:8 1)

Mark 11:9 and following is found in Appendix B.

1 Early Greek manuscripts do not bear precise dates. The section entitled
EXPLANATION OF THE SYMBOLS USED in the foreword of the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation lists the most probable date of each given Greek manuscript.
(Generally the listing is by century, though in rare cases it is more precise.) To
give a more understandable comparison with the adjacent column which
precisely dates Hebrew versions, the century designation is given as a date
range. That is, the fourth century C.E. is written as 301-400.
2-6 See Appendix B for other footnotes found in this section.
34 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

citation using Kyrios! In most instances, more than one manuscript is

cited. The date is usually identified by century in the Kingdom
Interlinear Translation’s footnote. For the sake of comparison,
century dates are transposed to year dates. (That is, the fourth
century is listed as 301 to 400.) Only a single citation from the
manuscript bearing the earliest date will be shown. All dates are
from the Common Era. :
(5) EARLIEST VERSION DATE SUPPORTING "JEHOVAH." This column
gives the date of the earliest known Hebrew translation which uses
the Tetragrammaton. In many cases, multiple references are cited in
the actual footnote. Again, only the earliest date will be shown.
(Note that in category 4 above, the evidence cited in the Kingdom
Interlinear Translation is always a Greek manuscript. In the case of
the evidence cited for the Tetragrammaton, the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation always cites a Hebrew translation [version].) Again, all
dates are from the Common Era.
(6) NAME USED IN THE NEW WORLD TRANSLATION. This column lists
the name used in the New World Translation. Because this is a
compilation of the 237 occurrences of the divine name, it will in all
cases be Jehovah. The divine name is included at this point so thata
full comparison can be made with other information in the study.
(7) HEBREW SCRIPTURE QUOTATION USING THE DIVINE NAME. In
certain cases, the writer of the Christian’ Greek Scriptures quoted a
Hebrew Scripture verse in which the divine name is a part of the
verse itself. In cases where the divine name was directly quoted as a
part of the particular Hebrew Scripture passage cited, the Hebrew
Scripture passage is identified in this column. The primary source -
used by the translation committee for Hebrew Scripture references
was J*2 A Concordance to the Greek Testament by Moulton and

7 The New World Bible Translation Committee used a limited number of Greek |
manuscripts as the basis for its footnote citations. Five manuscripts with |
somewhat later dates (&, A, B, C, and D dated between 301 and 600 C.E.) are |
generally cited. A small, additional group of earlier manuscripts (P45, P46, P47,
p&p” and P”® which are dated as early as 200 C.E.) are listed in the
EXPLANATION OF SYMBOLS USED section of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation,
1985 edition. However, these important earlier manuscripts are not cited in the
Jehovah footnotes in the books represented by these manuscripts (the
Gospels of Luke and John, 1 and 2 Peter, Jude, or Revelation). In addition to
the manuscripts listed, numerous older Greek manuscripts are currently
available. Consequently, the dates in this column are not the earliest dates
known but merely represent the earliest dates used in the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation footnotes. See the footnote references numbered 8, 10, 13, and 14
in Appendix B. Also see Appendix | for a comprehensive tabulation of early
Greek Scripture manuscripts.
 A Greek Interlinear Study (Part 1) 35

Geden. When the Hebrew entry is found in J*9, the Hebrew Scripture
reference is entered in bold font. A standard font in this column
indicates that the Hebrew Scripture reference was found in the
center column of the New World Translation Reference Edition or
other resource materials.
(8) HEBREW SCRIPTURE QUOTATION REFERRING TO THE DIVINE
NAME. In many cases, the Greek Scripture writer cites a Hebrew
Scripture verse in which the divine name is not found in the verse
itself, though Jehovah is clearly identified inthe Hebrew Scripture
context as the subject of the cited verse. In these instances, the
Hebrew Scripture passage will be identified in this 8th column.
(Notice the difference between columns 7 and 8. In column 7, the
actual name of Jehovah appears in the quotation. In column 8, the
name Jehovah is not a part of the Hebrew Scripture quotation, yet
the name of Jehovah is clearly included in the context of the verse.)
(9) CROSS REFERENCE CITATION ONLY. Our primary source of Hebrew
Scripture quotations for this study was the center column cross
references of the New World Translation Reference Edition.
Consequently, a distinction must be made between a true Hebrew
Scripture quotation by an apostolic writer, as against mere cross
references to subject- or parallel-thought citations in which the
divine name occurs. The center column reference does not identify the
form of cross references employed. The latter are informative
citations, yet for our purposes, they must be segregated from those of
column 8 above. As we will see later in this chapter, the mere
presence of a parallel subject in the Hebrew Scriptures does not
indicate thatthe inspired Christian writer was quoting that verse.
In some cases, the cross reference is to a subject entirely distinct from
the divine name. In these instances, an "X" indicates that the
Hebrew Scripture verse is not applicable. No entry is made when
the citation refers to a Christian Scripture verse.
(10) NO QUOTATION OR REFERENCE TO THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES. Ina
certain number of the 237 Jehovahreferences, the inspired Christian
Scripture writer was not quoting the Hebrew Scriptures. All
passages which lack a Hebrew Scripture source ful be identified in
this final column with an "X."

The study and its background

In the actual study done by the author, all Xgséos (Kiptos)
references in the entire Christian Greek Scriptures were evaluated.
The complete Kgzéoe list was obtained from the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation
J*9 reference. However, since there are a number of column
entries which apply only to those passages in which Kgséoe has been
36 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

translated as Jehovah in the New World Translation, the total study

has been divided. Thus, the 237 Jehovah references appear in
Appendix B with the above ten columns of tabulated information. The
total 714 occurrences of Xgséos in the Greek Scriptures appear in
Appendix C in which the English translation found in the New World
Translation is given For the sake of contrast, Appendix C also
includes the Jehovah references with the exception of those instances
where Jehovah was translated from 7feos (God).
Obtaining the manuscript dates for the respective wording is
relatively simple. The footnote foreach Jehovah passage found in the
Kingdom Interlinear Translation always gives a "J" reference
identifying one or more Hebrew translation(s) which have a known
publication date. In addition, the footnote usually gives an ancient
Greek manuscript reference with a Lord reading. With this
information, the reader can consult the EXPLANATION OF SYMBOLS
section in the foreword material of the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation to find the manuscript date.
Compieting the section on the Hebrew Scripture references is more
time-consuming, though it is not complicated. First, each Jehovah
verse is examined in the New World Translation Reference Edition
Bible. When there is a quotation from a Hebrew Scripture source, its
reference is given in the center column. The Hebrew Scripture passage is
then read, allowing its subsequent placement in the proper category. If
the Greek Scripture writer quoted a verse which employed the divine
name in the Hebrew Scripture verse, the reference is noted in the column
entitled HEBREW SCRIPTURE QUOTATION USING THE DIVINE NAME.
Special notice should also be taken of the references set in bold type.
The bold type indicates citations from J*2 which show _ the
Tetragrammaton in a Hebrew Scripture verse quotation. These citations
represent the most decisive evidence of a quotation source containing

8 As a matter of reference to the original study, the Greek portion of the

Kingdom Interlinear Translation uses the word Kgréos 714 times. Of these
occurrences, the New World Translation renders the word as Lord 406 times, as
Jehovah 223 times, as Master (or master) 53 times, as Sir (or sin 17 times, as
lord (or lords) eight times, as owner (or owners) five times, as God once, and in
one instance the word is not translated. Plurals and possessives of the same
word are counted as a single category. In a small number of cases, not all
upper case Lord citations refer to Jesus. In the Greek language, quotations
commence with an upper case letter. Therefore, in a few instances where a
quotation includes an address to someone other than Jesus as Sir, the word
Kyrios may be capitalized. (For an example, see Luke 13:25.)
 A Greek Interlinear Study (Part 1). 37

mim’, and are always given precedence over other cross _ reference
citations.?
In many cases, the divine name is not a part of the verse quoted from
the Hebrew Scriptures by the Greek Scripture writer, although
Jehovah is clearly identified in the Hebrew Scripture context. In these
instances, the passage is identified in the column HEBREW SCRIPTURE
QUOTATION REFERRING TO THE DIVINE NAME. The division between
actual citation of the divine name and contextual reference to the
divine name was made for the sake of interest and precision. The two
categories do not represent a difference of importance. The Greek
Scripture writer is able to faithfully attribute a quotation to Jehovah
when the divine name is contextually understood, even though the
Hebrew Scripture source does not use the divine name in the actual
verse itself. In the study summary, these two categories will be counted
as a single entity.
Some further explanation is required for the column heading CROSS
REFERENCE CITATION ONLY. The New World Translation Reference
Edition has a complete, multi-function cross reference column in the
center of the page. As is common practice, this type of cross reference
system will include numerous classes of cross references depending on the
subject of the verse. As would be expected, when a Jehovah verse is
quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures, the Hebrew Scripture reference is
given.!9 However, there can be confusion if the intent of the cross
_ reference system is not understood. In frequent cases, Hebrew Scripture
_ references are given which refer to a subject- or parallel-thought which
contains the divine name, but is not a Hebrew Scripture verse from
| which a quotation was made. Numerous examples could be given. At
_ Mark 5:19, Jesus tells the man who had been called Legion to "Go home

_ 2 Few differences exist between the New World Translation cross references
_ given as the primary quotation source and J2°. When differences in citations
for a given quotation between Bible editors do exist, however, it indicates no
| sense of discrepancy or confusion. Frequently, an important passage will be
_ quoted numerous times throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. Even Moses
reiterated what he himself had written; the book of Deuteronomy summarizes
«much of which was given in Exodus and Leviticus.
10 in most cases, the actual cross reference to the Hebrew Senpilire quotation
_ is not directly linked to the word Jehovah, but is attached to a separate word
within the verse. As an example, Matthew 3:3 says, "Listen! Someone is crying
out in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of Jehovah,* You people! Make his
roads straight." In this case, the quotation source of Isaiah 40:3 is given in
- footnote "f" rather than the asterisk following Jehovah. The asterisk (*) merely
| identifies the textual sources authenticating the divine name. Some care is
needed when using these references so that Hebrew quotation sources are not
_ overlooked.
38 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

to your relatives, and report to them all the things Jehovah" has done
for you..." The "c" footnote cites Exodus 18:8 which says, "And Moses
went to relating to his father-in-law all that Jehovah had done to
Pharaoh and Egypt on account of Israel." This is a useful comparison to
the phrase, "All that Jehovah had done," but it is certainly not to be
understood as a direct quotation.!! In other cases, the footnotes are
mere parallels in subject matter. At Romans 14:6 Paul says, "...and he
who does not eat does not eat to Jehovah”..." with the "b" footnote
referring to Leviticus 11:8 which says, "YOU must not eat any of their
flesh, and YOU must not touch their dead body. They are unclean for
YOU-:
There are two further qualifications which must be made regarding
this column heading CROSS REFERENCE CITATION ONLY. In some cases,
cross references are given to Greek Scripture verses. Since these verses
are outside the purview of our search for Hebrew Scripture quotations,
the category is left blank. (For example, see 1 Corinthians 16:7.) Ina
few cases, the cross reference to the Hebrew Scripture has insufficient
bearing on the divine name to justify its exclusion—though the cross ©
reference remains valuable for other purposes. (For example, see ©
1 Corinthians 7:17 and Psalm 143:10 with Isaiah 46:11.)
In many cases, however, the Greek Scripture passages have no |
quotation source in the Hebrew Scriptures. When this is the case, the |
verse is noted under the column, NO QUOTATION OR REFERENCE TO |
THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES. |
In our final summary, we will combine the results of the two columns —
CROSS REFERENCE CITATION ONLY and NO QUOTATION OR |
REFERENCE TO THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES. Inasmuch as the focus of —
this portion of our study is the determination of genuine Hebrew |
Scripture quotations, it would be erroneous to include mere parallel —
references in the count. Both of these columns, in fact, represent the ©

11 We would certainly not be justified in substituting the name Jehovah in place

of the Lord Jesus in each occurrence throughout the Greek Scriptures for the
idea expressing, "...something that the Lord did..." based on this statement
regarding an event in Moses' life! Many similar examples from other parallel
references would show the error which would be introduced by taking a common
phrase in the Hebrew Scriptures which used Jehovah's name to introduce the
name of Jehovah into the work of Jesus in the Greek Scriptures. The phrase
"Following Jehovah fully..." illustrates how subject- or parallel-thought cross
reference citations could be misused. This phrase with slight alteration is found
at Numbers 32:12, Deuteronomy 1:36, and Joshua 14:8, 9, and 14. It would
completely violate the biblical meaning at Luke 9:61 to introduce the name
Jehovah into the passage making the man Jesus asked to follow him say, "I will
follow you, Jehovah; but first permit me to say good-bye to those in my
household."
 A Greek Interlinear Study (Part 1) 39

absence of a direct quotation in the Greek text from the Hebrew

Scriptures which uses the divine name.
The reader must be aware that assigning quotation sources is not a
precise science. In some cases, a certain objectivity may be employed;
the J29 references can be directly counted, and many of the New World
Translation footnote references to Hebrew Scripture verses are clear
enough to indicate obvious quotation. In other cases, however, any
decision regarding selection of verses allowed as a quotation source is
subjective. For this reason, the figures given in these categories must be
regarded tentatively—it is not the author's intention that they be
viewed as absolute numbers. The best solution to this dilemma is for
the reader to do his own evaluation of each of the 237 Jehovah
references. Notwithstanding this difficulty, the policy followed in
this research was to recognize a cross reference as an _ allowable
quotation source whenever possible. If error was made, it was on the
sideof allowing use of uncertain cross references rather than excluding
them.
For an example of the first entries from Matthew, refer to page 33.
You will notice that the first six columns of information come from the
Kingdom Interlinear Translation. That means that all dates and
information regarding the original Greek words recorded in the study
are dates and textual information established by the Watch Tower
Society.

A surprising discovery
We are uncertain of the expectations of readers in the early 1950's
when they first began studying their new translation. Today, however,
experience indicates that readers of the New World Translation
presume that the majority of the 237 occurrences of Jehovah's name in
the New World Translation’s Christian Greek Scriptures come from
passages where the inspired Christian writer inserted a quotation from
_ the Hebrew Scriptures. However, this is not the case. As seen in
Appendix B, the New World Translation introduces the divine name in
_ the Christian Greek Scriptures 125 times in which there is no quotation
5 source(s) from the Hebrew Scriptures. That is, only 112 references in the
_ Greek manuscripts are quotations of the Hebrew Scriptures which
_ contain the divine name. Thus, a majority of the occurrences of the
name Jehovah in the Christian Greek Scriptures will be listedin either
_the category, NO QUOTATION OR REFERENCE TO THE HEBREW
| SCRIPTURES, or CROSS REFERENCE CITATION ONLY.
The discovery that more than half of the Jehovah references inthe
| Greek Scriptures are not quotations from the Hebrew Scriptures may be
_ surprising to many. The following quotation from the New World
40 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Translation Appendix 1D may leave the reader with the impression

that all 237 Jehovah references come directly from the Hebrew
Scriptures:! 2
To know where the divine name was replaced by the Greek
words Kiptoc and @edc¢, we have determined where the inspired
Christian writers have quoted verses, passages and expressions
from the Hebrew Scriptures and then we have referred back to the
Hebrew text to ascertain whether the divine name appears there.
In this way we determined the identity to give Kvpioc and Oedc and
the personality with which to clothe them.
To avoid overstepping the bounds of a translator into the field of
exegesis, we have been most cautious about rendering the divine
name in the Christian Greek Scriptures, always carefully
considering the Hebrew Scriptures as a background. We have
looked for agreement from the Hebrew versions to confirm our
rendering.!3 spay

A second surprising discovery

There is a second discovery which may also surprise the reader. |
From today's vantage point of more than 45 years after the original |
textual materials were gathered, there is an apparent disparity |
between the dates supporting the Tetragrammaton and those supporting ©
evidence that the original writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures |
used Kyréoa. Of the 237 Jehovah references, 232 are documented by the |
Kingdom Interlinear Translation footnotes as using the word Kgzéos in |
extant Greek manuscripts as early as the fourth century C.E. When |
information from the foreword of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation |
is used in conjunction with “All Scriptures is Inspired of God and |
Beneficial,” (1983 edition, p. 312), seven!4 of these references are
affirmed to the year 200 C.E. as using Xgséos rather than the ©
Tetragrammaton. Said another way, if the Tetragrammaton had been —
used by the original writers, all indications of its use had disappeared —

12 The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures Reference Edition,

pp. 1564-1565.
13 in the quotation above, the reader must note that the "agreement... which
confirms our rendering," does not come from the Hebrew Scriptures, but rather
from Hebrew versions (translations) which are dated 1385 C.E. and later.
'4 Luke 10:27 and 13:35, and John 1:23, 6:45, 12:13, and 12:38 (twice), are
represented in P™. John 1:23, 6:45, 12:13, and 12:38 (twice) are also
represented in P®. Both of these composite manuscripts are dated circa
200 C.E., which places them a mere 102 years after John wrote his epistle.
XKgéoa rather than the Tetragrammaton is used throughout these very early
Greek manuscripts. ("All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial," 1983
edition, p. 312).
 A Greek Interlinear Study (Part 1) Al

within 100-200 years (at most) of the time the apostolic authors wrote.
In seven instances substantiated by the Kingdom _Interlinear Translation
(1985 edition, p. 15 in reference to p46 and P79), evidence of the
Tetragrammaton would have been lost a mere 102 years after its
writing. In the thousands of manuscript remains which are now
available, we realize that there is an absenceof even a single example
of m1 in the Greek Scriptures. Secondly, we now see that evidence for
the Tetragrammaton is extremely late. The earliest Hebrew
manuscript containing the Tetragrammaton is from 1385 C.E. with the
most frequently cited evidence coming from 1599 C.E.
Itis interesting to note the specific dates and frequency of citation
for several of the more important documents used in the 1947-1949
translation. The earliest Hebrew language version of the Greek
Scriptures used to document the Tetragrammaton dates from 1385 C.E.
This version is J* and is cited 16 times in the "J" footnotes. (In Chapter5
we will find evidence that J? may have greater weight than merely
being a version.) The most frequently cited version—J’—is the Elias
Hutter translation dating from 1599 C.E. with 181 references. The two
earliest Greek manuscripts indicating that Xgréoeis the original
reading cited in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation’s footnotes date
from the fourth century C.E. These are Vatican MS. No. 1209 and &
(Aleph)-Sinaitic MS.1° These two documents account for 232 references
in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation. With today's availability of
textual evidences, if we consider only the date as the basis of
comparison, the Greek manuscripts give by far the stronger evidence
that Kgzéoa (rather than the Tetragrammaton) was used by the original
Greek Scripture writers inasmuch as these two Greek manuscripts
predate the ig and V documents by at least 1,000 years.
Because of its length, the complete study is not duplicated in this
chapter. It is reproduced in its entirety in Appendix B.
Remember the objective which prompted this study: our goal was to
_ evaluate our new understanding of the textual and historical evidence
_ supporting the Tetragrammaton in the original Christian Greek
_ Scriptures which may not have been readily available to the New
World Bible Translation Committee 45 years ago. From our study thus
far, we have discovered that the most current information—researched

_ 15 Because this particular manuscript is cited frequently in this study, a brief

_ explanation of its textual notation is in order. The textual notation used to
_ identify this Greek manuscript is the Hebrew letter Aleph (&). The identifying
name of the manuscript itself is Sinaitic, and MS is the notation for manuscript.
The parenthetical notation "(Aleph)" is merely supplying the English
_ pronunciation for the Hebrew letter X.
42 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

entirely from Watchtower Society documents—does not give clear

documentation for early Hebrew or Greek sources containing 17’. The
only sources cited by the translation committee are relatively recent
versions done since 1385 C.E. On the other hand, the Greek manuscripts
supporting Kyséoe are easily documented to a very early date.

CHAPTER SUMMARY. A study of the presence of the Tetragrammaton

in the Christian Greek Scriptures must evaluate the earliest and most
reliable texts from which our present Bible comes. This is particularly
true in light of our progressive understanding of the textual and
historical material which has become available since the completion
of the New World Translation more than 45 years ago. The Kingdom
Interlinear Translation gives substantial information in the following
areas:
1. For a given passage using the divine name Jehovah in the New |
World Translation, the footnotes will direct the reader to both "J" |
translation documents which cite uses of the Tetragrammaton, and to
ancient Greek manuscripts which cite Kgéos.
2. The introductory portion, EXPLANATION OF THE SYMBOLS USED IN
THE MARGINAL REFERENCES from the Kingdom Interlinear |
Translation, will give abrief history and location of each document |
cited in the footnotes. This information will include the date of ©
writing.
3. The majority of the 237 instances in the New World Translation in |
which the divine name is used in the Greek Scriptures are not |
derived from the Hebrew Scriptures. Only 112 of these instances ©
have a traceable source in the Hebrew Scriptures. The remaining 125
Jehovah instances rely solely on Hebrew translations made after
LSD:
4. The earliest Hebrew language version of the Greek Scriptures used to
document the Tetragrammaton in the Christian Greek Scriptures |
dates from 1385 C.E. and is cited 16 times in Jehovah footnote |
references. The most frequently cited version dates from 1599 C.E. |
and is cited 181 times in the Jehovah footnote references.
5. All extant Greek Scripture manuscripts use Kgréoa rather than the |
Tetragrammaton. The two early Greek manuscripts which are most }|
frequently cited in the Jehovah footnotes date from the fourth |
century C.E. These Greek manuscripts are Vatican MS. No. 1209 and |
 A Greek Interlinear Study (Part 1) 43

X (Aleph)-Sinaitic MS. These two manuscripts alone are cited 232

times. Thus, the footnote references from the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation themselves give substantially stronger support for
Kgrios than 717’.
Chapter 4: A GREEK INTERLINEAR STUDY (Part 2)

I:Chapter 3, we introduced a study of the word Kgréoe (KUptos) from

the Christian Greek Scriptures. The study specifically evaluates
the 237 instances in which the New World Translation renders
XKyrios as Jehovah.
In this chapter we will complete the study with particular
attention to the "J" footnote nomenclature given in the Kingdom
Interlinear Translation.

The "J" reference footnotes

The Kingdom Interlinear Translation gives interesting reference
and footnote material for each occurrence of the divine name. We are
particularly interested in the footnote form and references for two types
of information: first, specific ancient Greek manuscript sources and,
secondly, later Hebrew versions. For example, the interlinear portion
at Matthew 1:24 reads:
24 ' Eyepeic sé 0 ‘Iwond Gano Tod VrVvOVv
Having been awakened but the Joseph from the sleep
ENMOLNOEV WC Mpooetatev avtm oO ayyedos Kvuptov
did as_ directed tohim the angel ofLord
Kal mapeAaBev tTHV yovalKa avtod’
and hetookalong the woman of him;
In the right hand margin, the New World Translation reads:
2 4 Then Joseph woké up from his sleep and did as the angel of
Jehovah* had directed him, and he took his wife home.
Because the divine name is used, footnote "24*" is added at the bottom |
of the page.! The footnote reads:
2 4* Jehovah, J1-4,7-14,16-18,22-24. |
org xB.
A description of all Greek manuscript and "J" symbols is included |
under the heading EXPLANATION OF THE SYMBOLS USED in the
Kingdom Interlinear Translation. The approximate date in which the |
Greek manuscripts were written and the publication date of the Hebrew |
translations are given. For the sake of brevity within the recorded |
information for the study itself, we only cite the earliest or most concise }

' The center column of the New World Translation Reference Edition refers the
reader to Appendix 1D which gives only the Hebrew version information. In
Appendix 1D, the Hebrew translations J1~4,7-14,16-18,22-24 a:6 cited though
the Greek manuscripts 8B are not.
 A Greek Interlinear Study (Part 2) 45

textual references. That is, in the case of the Hebrew translations, we

will cite the publication date of the earliest entry given. In the case of
the Greek manuscripts cited, we will give the date range of only the
oldest manuscript identified in the footnote. (The complete list of
Greek manuscripts and MHebrew translations cited within the
Kingdom Interlinear Translation is summarized in Appendix A.)
The Matthew 1:24 footnote cites 18 Hebrew translations and two
Greek manuscripts. For the sake of illustration, we will look at two of
these entries. The Hebrew translation J’ and the Greek manuscript
X (Aleph) Sinaitic MS are explained on pages 26 and 29 of the Kingdom
Interlinear Translation, 1969 edition, as follows?
J?
Greek Scriptures in Hebrew. In 1599 Elias Hutter of Nuremberg,
Germany, published his translation of all the Christian Greek
Scriptures into Hebrew. This was the first complete Hebrew
version of all the canonical Christian Greek Scriptures, forming a
part of Hutter's Polyglott New Testament of 1599. (Acopy is found
at the New York Public Library.)
x (Aleph)
Sinaitic MS. An uncial Greek manuscript of the 4th century in
codex form. Originally it evidently contained the whole Bible,
including all the Christian Greek Scriptures. It is at present
possessed by the British Museum, London, England.
The footnotes in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation are concise
and easy to read, though a basic understanding of their format is first
necessary. The footnote reading "24* Jehovah, ji-4,7-14,16-18,22-24.
Lord, 8B." contains the following information. The "24*" refers to the
asterisk afterJehovah inverse 24. Following the verse identification,
the word Jehovah indicates the list of documents which support the use
of the divinename in the New World Translation. The documents are
given as J1-4,7-14,16-18,22-24 This tells us that the Hebrew translations
«St 2, J9- 4, and each of J” toJ!4 J16 to j18 and J22 to J24 all contain the
Tetragrammaton in this verse. The footnote then cites two Greek

' 2 The earliest "J" document used in this verse is J2 which bears a date of 1385.
Because J@, J°, and J* are all related documents, it is clearer to use J’ for this
illustration. (J’ is the earliest complete Hebrew version.) In the main study,
however, the date from the earliest manuscript is always the date given.
3 The same entries within the 1985 edition read as:
J? Christian Greek Scriptures in 12 languages, including Heb., by
Elias Hutter, Nuremberg, 1599.
X (‘A'leph) Codex Sinaiticus, Gr., fourth cent. C.E., British Museum, H.S.,
G.S.
46 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

manuscripts identified by the Kingdom Interlinear Translation which

substantiate Kyréos (Lord) for this same verse. The Greek manuscripts
are X (Aleph) Sinaitic MS and B (Vatican Manuscript No. 1209).
The reader should be aware that the Greek manuscripts used as
footnote references in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation are merely
representative of a select few early examples. We have already
referred to the statement on page 319 of “All Scripture Is Inspired of
God and Beneficial,” which tells us that over 5,000 Greek manuscripts
of the Christian Scriptures exist. The Watch Tower Society does not
SUN eae Yof these Greek texts as using the Tetragrammaton rather
than Kgréos:
A brief comment regarding version citations is in order. The
Kingdom Interlinear Translation footnotes also include citations of
ancient versions (Christian Scripture translations into Latin, Syriac or
other early languages) in support of Lord. This is a common and useful
practice within ancient textual studies. Even though the version is not
a Greek text, it can be a valuable resource in determining the original
wording of the Greek text. The case for the Tetragrammaton as against
Kgyios serves as a useful illustration.
The Latin Vulgate by Jerome is one of the citations frequently used
in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation in support of Lord. (It is
identified as Vg.) The Latin word used by Jerome gives an indication of
the reading of the Greek text he used for his translation. Since Jerome
originally published his Vulgate in 400 C.E., his Greek text was from
this date or earlier. Had the Greek text contained the
Tetragrammaton, Jerome would have either transcribed the Hebrew
letters or translated the divine name into Latin. On the other hand, if
the Greek text used the word Kgxéos, Jerome would have translated it as
Dominus. In either case, an early version gives strong indication— ~
though not proof—of the Greek words used in early manuscripts.

Manuscript dates in the Jehovah footnotes

The Jehovah footnotes also direct us to meaningful information
regarding manuscript dates.
By this point in the book, the reader must be aware that the age of |
a manuscript is of great importance. The axiom, "Older is better" is |
seldom more appropriate than in biblical manuscript studies. This is

4 The Watch Tower Society documents occurrences of the Tetragrammaton in

ays the Septuagint. See Appendix 1c, New World Translation Reference
ition. .
 A Greek Interlinear Study (Part 2) 47

true because older manuscripts are closer in time to the original inspired
Scriptures than more recent manuscripts.
A careful review of any given Jehovah footnote reveals an
interesting comparison of textual dates. Revelation 4:11 is one of the
important Jehovah verses. Later in this book, we will return to this
verse. For now, however, it will give us an important illustration of the
manuscript writing (or publication) date available from the footnotes.
The verse appears in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation as
follows:
11 ” Aétoc El, O Kbplog Kal 6 OGEd¢ Tov,
Worthy youare, the Lord and the God ofus,
AaBetv thy doEav Kal THY TwWHY Kal tTHY sSvdvaLtv,
toreceive the glory and the honor and the power,
OTL ov EKTLOUG TO TOVTCL,
because you created the _ ll (things)
Kal 61a 70 O€Anuad oov Hoav Kal €KTLOONnOav.
and through the will ofyou they were and_ they were created
The New World Translation quoted in the right hand margin
translates the verse:
11 “You are worthy, Jehovah,* even our God, to receive the glory
and the honor and the power, because you created all things, and
because of your will they existed and were created."
At the bottom of the page, the Jehovah footnote is given:
41° Jehovah, J7:8:13,14,16,18. Lord, RAVgSy).
The "11*" verse footnote lists six Hebrew versions (J//8/13,14,16,18)
which substantiate Jehovah, and two early Greek manuscripts
(X Sinaitic MS and A Alexandrine MS) and two versions (the Latin
Vulgate and a Syriac version) which substantiate Lord. Though the
dates of the various versions and manuscripts are not given in the
footnote itself, we can acquire this information from the section entitled
EXPLANATION OF THE SYMBOLS USED in the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation where the publication dates of 1599, 1661, 1838, 1846, 1866,
_ and 1885 C.E. respectively are given for these Hebrew versions. The
_ early Greek manuscripts are dated from the fourth and fifth centuries
(300 to 499 C.E.) and the two versions are given dates of 405 and 464 C.E.
respectively.
Asa further illustration of the information given in the footnotes,
_ it willbe helpful to identify each of the references given for both the

5 However, this statement recognizes the qualifications made in Chapter 2

under the heading "Inspiration and a correct text."
48 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Tetragrammaton and Lord in this verse. They are listed by reference

symbol, identification of the version or Greek manuscript, and by date
as listed in the introductory material in the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation. In Table 1, we start with the information listed for
various versions of the Greek Scriptures translated into Hebrew, each
of which uses the Tetragrammaton.

Elias Hutter.

Oa
rete
William Robertson.
Christian Greek Scriptures in Hebrew;
A. McCaul and others.

Te | Son uses Recent

John Christian
Christian Greek
Reichardt.
Scriptures in Hebrew;
yié John Christian Reichardt and Joachim H. 1866
R. Blesenthal.
Christian Greek Scriptures in Hebrew; 1885
Isaac Salkinson.

Table
1. The Hebrew versions’ substantiating Jehovah at
Revelation 4:11.

From this same verse, a similar (though shorter) list® is given for 4
the word Kyséos which is generally translated as Lord. This is shownin —
Table 2 |

6 The number of references to Kyrios (or Lord) passages are fewer in the —
Kingdom Interlinear Translation only because the editors have chosen to cite so
few of the existing Greek manuscripts available today. These manuscripts are
uniform in their use of Kgréoe (or 7feos) rather than the Tetragrammaton. The
United Bible Societies' Christian Greek Scripture textual apparatus (see the
Bibliography for the Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament) ,which
shows all textual variants in cited Greek manuscripts, was consulted for each
of the 237 Jehovah references. This volume lists a// major Greek Scripture
manuscript variations from which translators must choose. The following
tabulation was made for each of the Jehovah references. Seventy one of the
237 references are specifically discussed in this textual apparatus. The
presence of the Tetragrammaton is never mentioned for any of these 71 verses,
and is therefore not considered as a textual variant in any known Greek
manuscript. Further, because the remaining 166 references are not mentioned,
we are assured that no basis for textual «variants exists in any of the 237
 A Greek Interlinear Study (Part 2) 49

Sinaitic MS; an uncial Greek

? 4th cent.
manuscript.
aN Alexandrine MS; an uncial 5th cent.
Greek manuscript.
Latin Vulgate; a revision of
: 405 C.E.
Old Latin by Eusebius Jerome. 405 CE.
Syriac Peshitta Version. 464 CE.

Table 2. The Greek word Kvptos (Xgréos)

substantiating Lord at Revelation 4:11.

The Kingdom Interlinear Translation cites six Hebrew version

sources for Revelation 4:11. The date of the earliest version is 1599
C.E., while the latest version is dated 1885 C.E. By way of contrast,
two Greek manuscripts of the fourth and fifth centuries (301-400 C.E.,
and 401-500 C.E. respectively) are cited for this verse in support of the
Greek word Xgtéoe.

A frequent oversight
It is easy to lose sight of small but significant details when dealing
with a research project. For several years in his own research, the
author overlooked the importance of the discrepancy in dates between
the Hebrew versions and the Greek manuscripts.
Consider what these dates tell us. The translators of the New
World Translation chose to use the divine name in 237 select verses on
the basis of supporting evidence from Hebrew translations of 1385 C.E.
- and later. By way of contrast, the earliest evidence available for the
| Greek word Xgréos (Lord), referred to in the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation’s footnotes, was from reliable Greek manuscripts dating as
early as 300 C.E.
| The new understanding we now have of textual and historical
_ information which has come to light since the translation of the
' Christian Scriptures of the New World Translation forces us to ask an
| important question. Why are Hebrew translations published in 1385
| C.E. and later considered to be more reliable textual sources for the

_ Jehovah references. A discussion of Kgxéoa (Kiptos) [Lord] and 7heas (é0s)

_ [God] as the choice forthe specific verse occurs 31 times. The discussion of
_ the textual preference for Kgséoe at Revelation 18:8 and 19:6 is particularly
_ noteworthy, and should be consulted.
50 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Christian Scriptures than the Christian Scriptures themselves which

can be verified to the third or fourth century C.E. with approximately
5,000 manuscripts?

A summary of our study

It is time to summarize the data from our study. This information is
taken from the complete study recorded in Appendix B and the
summary at its conclusion. Reference is also made to the original study
of the 714 Kyxéos references reproduced in Appendix C.
The New World Translation uses the divine name Jehovah 237
times in the Christian Greek Scriptures. The summary of each of these
instances according to the footnotes in the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation is as follows:

Total occurrences of the name Jehovah inNWT 2af

Occurrences quoted from Hebrew Scriptures 1127
Occurrences without a Hebrew Scripture source 1258
Corresponding Greek word in Kingdom. Interlinear Translation
Kyrios (KUptos) 223
Theos (06S) iS
Other (James 1:12) 1
Corresponding English word in Kingdom Interlinear Translation
For Kgréoa (KU ptos) Lord
For Theos (8€6s) God
Other (James 1:12) he
Date range of Hebrew Translations supporting 717’ ~—-1385 to 1979
Date range of manuscripts supporting Kvptos 200 to 400 C.E?

‘This includes 92 quotations in which the divine name is directly found in the
Hebrew Scripture verse, and 20 references in which the divine name is clearly
used in the context but is not found in the verse itself. (The 92 references
include 42 definitive citations from J.) In all cases, however, the entire
number of 112 instances are to be regarded as a proper quotation of the divine
name.
8 The total of 125 instances in which the divine name appears in verses which
are not quotations of Hebrew Scripture references includes 58 instances in
which the New World Translation Reference Edition cross reference indicates a
Hebrew Scripture passage as a subject- or parallel-thought reference and six
instances in which the cross reference merely includes other subjects related
to the Christian Greek Scripture verse. This leaves a total of 61 instances in
which the name Jehovah appears in the Greek Scriptures of the New World
Translation in which there is no cross reference source of any kind to a Hebrew
Scripture quotation source.
9 All six instances at the Gospel of John and two instances at Luke are dated
by “All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial," (1983 edition, p. 312) as
 A Greek Interlinear Study (Part 2) 51

For the sake of evaluation, it is of interest to compare the above

information with the total occurrences of the word Kgxéos in the entire
Christian Greek Scriptures. The following summary information is
derived from the comprehensive study of the word XKgséos found in
Appendix C and evaluates the English translation of the Greek word in
both the Kingdom Interlinear Translation and the New World
Translation.
Kingdom Interlinear Translation
AKgréos translated as Lord. 651
AKgréos translated as lord or lords. 62
Kgréos translated as Lords. 1
Total occurrences of Kgréas (KU PLoS) in KIT. 714

New World Translation

Kyrios translated as Lord.19 406
Kyréos translated as Jehovah. 223
Agréos translated as Master, master, or masters. eX)
Kgréos translated as Sir, sir, or sirs. 17
Kyrios translated as lord. 8
Kgréos translated as owner or owners. 5
Kgréos translated as God. 1
Kgréos not translated. 1
Total representation of Kgséoa (kUptos) in NWT. 714

It is particularly interesting to note the variety of English words

| used by the New World Translation for the 714 occurrences of the word
| ®gwéos throughout the Christian Greek Scriptures. However, since we
are primarily concerned with the English words Lord and Jehovah, we
_ will confine our comments to these two words.
A simple evaluation of the material from Appendix C indicates
_ that Lord is the preferred translation choice for Kyséoe in the New
_ World Translation. It appears as Lord 406 times. With only rare
_ exceptions as noted, these 406 occurrences are references to Jesus Christ.
|The reader is encouraged to carefully study the material in Appendix
|.C, paying particular attention to John's use of the word in the book of
| Revelation. John uses the Greek word XKgréos 23 times in which the

early as circa 200 C.E. Each of the three instances at 1 Peter, the six
_ instances at 2 Peter, the three instances at Jude, and four instances at
_ Revelation are dated—by the same source—between 201 and 300 C.E.
} 10 Initial capital letters for "Lord" (in both K/T and NW7) or "Master," and "Sir" (in
_ NWI) do not necessarily indicate reference to Jesus. In a small number of
cases, the word occurs at the beginning of a sentence (in English) or the
|beginning of a direct quotation (in Greek). In these cases, the grammatical
_ structure of the respective sentences requires a capital letter.
52 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Kingdom Interlinear Translation gives the English translation as Lord

20 times and as lord(s) three times. On the other hand, the New
World Translation gives the English translation as Jehovah 12 times,
as Lord eight times, and aslord(s) three times.

Making the study personal

This book is a study of textual and _ historical information:
Consequently, it is appropriate that a synopsis expressing the author's
personal conclusions from his own research be given. At this point,
however, a misapplication of the information-gathering process often
follows.
Some will read the information just given with a positive bias.
Because they are predisposed to agree with the author, they will
pronounce the information as trustworthy and will accept its veracity
with no further personal study.
Their response is faulty. An author's conclusions do not make the
information true. The conclusions must be verified against the factual
foundation of the study. In all probability, neither time nor resources
permit the reader to examine every document used in the original
research. But a careful study of the information given in the
Kingdom Interlinear Translation should be conducted by the reader
before endorsing the author's conclusions.
In this regard, the information in Appendices A, B, and C should be
carefully examined by consulting the actual text of the
Kingdom Interlinear Translation. When all information has been
verified, then the reader may safely form his own conclusions without
depending on the author's opinion. With this degree of verification by
the reader, the information the author gives merely supplements the
information-gathering process of the reader, and the conclusions formed
become those of the reader himself.
On the other hand, others will read this same information with a
disapproving bias. Because this second group of readers may have a
predisposition to disagree with the author, they will likely pronounce
the information as inaccurate and may dismiss its possible merit
without further study.
Their response is also faulty. In all likelihood, this second group of
readers will also have insufficient time or resources to duplicate the
entire research done by the author. This group of readers, however,
must carefully examine the footnote references in the
Kingdom Interlinear Translation. Again, the final conclusion must
result from a personal study of the primary data rather than from a
hasty response to the author's statements.
 A Greek Interlinear Study (Part 2) 53

Either group of readers will profit from the empirical content of

this study. By design, this study is not based on an interpretation of
Scripture. It is based on historical and textual data. (We certainly
understand, however, that history and biblical manuscript studies can
be distorted.). Ancient Greek manuscripts exist today which can be
examined for their content. Do these manuscripts contain 1717” or
Kuptos? This is the question each readermust ultimately determine for
himself.
At this point, the reader would profit greatly by temporarily
laying this book aside in order to do a careful personal study of each
Jehovah footnote inthe Kingdom Interlinear Translation. Even better,
a complete search of the 714 Kgréos passages including each Jehovah
footnote reference would give the reader a valuable insight into the use
of this word in the Christian Scriptures. Appendices B and C can be
used to obtain verse locations, but the conclusions should be the reader's.
With Jehovah God's help, the reader may draw his own conclusions
regarding the presence of the Tetragrammaton within the Christian
Greek Scriptures.! 1

11 For some, this may be difficult because of inexperience with personal Bible
research. If this is the case, the following suggestion may be helpful. Do a
personal study of the footnotes for each of the 237 Jehovah references in the
New World Translation, looking for evidence of the Tetragrammaton in the
Christian Greek Scriptures. You only need the New World Translation
Reference Edition and the Kingdom Interlinear Translation. (No knowledge of
the Greek language is necessary for this study. You will merely be identifying a
form of Kuptos or 8€0¢S which is always written over the English world Lord or
| God.) The Reference Edition gives you the 237 Jehovah references in
. Appendix 1D (on page 1565) and ample cross reference material for the Hebrew
Scripture quotations in the center column. The Kingdom /nterlinear Translation
gives you the complete "J" footnote and the explanation of the nomenclature
and dates for each Greek manuscript and Hebrew version. Be certain to read
the foreword material in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation before starting your
study. Establish the columns for data which you feel are necessary for your
own particular study and enter the material from’ each of the 237 Jehovah
‘‘ references in the appropriate column. You could duplicate some or ail of the 10
headings used in Appendix B. However, you may wish to simplify the
information you enter in your personal study. (For example, you may not wish to
identify J quotations since not all citations of Hebrew quotations are found in
_ the "J" references.) However, once you have started your study, make it your
} own. Do not merely copy Appendix B. (After you have started your study, do
not even consult Appendix B until you are completely finished!) Do not be
_- concerned if your study differs from the results in this book. In many cases
_ such as Hebrew Scripture quotations, there are a number of possible verse
- references from which you may choose, inasmuch as the verse—or parallel
_ thought—may appear in numerous Hebrew Scripture references. Whatever you
_ do, make it your own personal study.
54 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

On this note we close this chapter, but look ahead to the remainder
of the book. Neither accept nor reject the forthcoming information on
the basis of what you think the correct answer should be. Whenever
possible, directly evaluate the primary sources of information for
yourself and then draw your own conclusion regarding the place of the
Tetragrammaton in the inspired Christian Greek Scriptures.

CHAPTER SUMMARY. The footnote information supplied with each

Jehovah referencein the Kingdom Interlinear Translation leads to the
following conclusions:
1.In all 237 Jehovah references found in the New World Translation,
the Kingdom Interlinear Translation gives two sets of dates. The
earliest dates verify that *gsées(Lord) was in all Greek
manuscripts between 301 and 400 C.E. The later dates support the
Tetragrammaton in Hebrew versions dated 1385 C.E. and following.
2. In most instances outside of the 237 Jehovah references, the Greek
word XKgséos (when used as a title) is identified with the person of
Jesus Christ by the New World Translation. (Kgséos is translated as
Lord 406 times. See Appendix C for further explanation.)
3. The suitability of the Tetragrammaton forthe 237 Jehovah passages
is derived only from later Hebrew translations. The earliest
supporting evidence comes from 1385 C.E., with the bulk of the
evidence coming from 1599 C.E. and later. In fact, no direct textual
evidence showing the Tetragrammaton in the original Christian |
Greek Scriptures is given by the Watch Tower Society.
4.The translators of the New World Translation used the word
Jehovah rather than Lord in 237 selected references. Thus, 26
Hebrew versions dating from 1385 C.E. are given more importance |
than are the approximately 5,000 Greek manuscripts, dating from |
the fourth century C.E., which use the word Lord. |
 SECTION 2

Hebrew manuscripts and their place in the inspired

Christian Greek Scriptures.

Page 57 Chapter 5: MATTHEW'S GOSPEL IN HEBREW

Page 72 Chapter 6: THE TEXTUAL SOURCE OF HEBREW VERSIONS

Page 83 Chapter 7: THE LIMIT OF INSPIRATION

55
 Chapter 5: MATTHEW'S GOSPEL IN HEBREW

Hee: language and manuscript studies are important for an

accurate understanding of the Christian Greek Scriptures. Both
the Hebrew language and culture strongly influenced the Greek
words and thought patterns used in the Christian Scriptures. Though
the majority of the Hebrew Scripture quotations come from the
Septuagint, by no means is this always true. In some instances, such as
the book of Hebrews, the writer translated directly from Hebrew to
-Greek when quoting Scripture.
Thus, a comprehensive study of the Christian Scriptures must also
consider Hebrew language documents. In the case of this present study,
however, there is even greater need to become acquainted with Hebrew
texts, inasmuch as verification of the divine name in the New World
Translation Christian Greek Scriptures comes directly from Hebrew
sources.!
In this and the following two chapters, we will consider three
topics dealing with Hebrew language manuscripts.

An early Hebrew Gospel .

The August 15, 1996 The Watchtower introduced an important book
by George Howard. Howard's book, The Gospelof Matthew According
to a Primitive Hebrew Text evaluates the final section (identified as
a book) withina work published by Shem-Tob ber-Isaac ben-Shaprut
inthe 1380's. This Jewish physician, whom we will identify
simply as Shem-Tob, published a _ polemict entitled Even

1 On page 12 in the Foreword of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation (1985

edition) the New World Bible Translation Committee says:
We have looked for some agreement with us by the Hebrew versions we
consulted to confirm our own rendering [of the divine name]. Thus, out of
the 237 times that we have restored Jehovah's name in the body of our
translation, there is only one instance wherein we have no support or
agreement from any of the Hebrew versions. But in this one instance,
namely, at 1 Corinthians 7:17, the context and related texts strongly
support restoring the divine name.
2 The reference appears on page 13 in the article, "Jesus' Coming or Jesus’
Presence—Which?"
3 Permission has been granted from Mercer University Press, Macon, Georgia,
31207 to reproduce material in this chapter from The Gospel of Matthew
According to a Primitive Hebrew Text by George Howard, 1987. This includes
_ the Hebrew and English quotations from Shem-Tob's Matthew and
miscellaneous citations throughout this chapter taken from Howard's book.
Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary defines a polemic as, "An aggressive
58 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Bohan (jM12 }2X, "The Touchstone") which consisted of 17 sections or

books. On the first page of the introduction, Howard describes Shem-
Tob's work.
Of the original books the first deals with the principles of the
Jewish faith, the next nine deal with various passages in the Bible
that were disputed by Jews and Christians, the eleventh discusses
certain haggadic [commentary] sections in the Talmud used by
Christians or proselytes to Christianity, and the twelfth contains the
entire Gospel of Matthew in Hebrew along with polemical
comments by Shem-Tob interspersed throughout the text.
Howard's book is concerned with the final portion of Shem-Tob's
work in which this Jewish apologist reproduced a complete Gospel of
Matthew in the Hebrew language.

The basis of our interest

We are interested in Howard's work for two reasons. First, Howard
presents persuasive evidence that this is a late recension of the actual
Hebrew Gospel written by Matthew. If this is true, then this Hebrew
Gospel should not be ranked as a Hebrew version, but as an actual
descendant of the work of the Apostle himself.
Howard states that further scholarly work must be done to
establish the validity of this claim. Nonetheless, should this Hebrew
Gospel of Matthew be fully authenticated as a recension of the lost first
century Hebrew Gospel, it will shed important textual light on
Christian Scripture manuscript studies. This is an exciting discovery!
Secondly, the Shem-Tob manuscript is one of the "J" documents |
listed in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation footnotes. J? is the actual ©
Shem-Tob Matthew, while J> and J4 are identified as revisions.” The

attack on or refutation of the opinions or principles of another."

5 On pages 160-162 in the book cited, Howard argues against Munster's work
being a revision of Shem-Tob. However, whether or not J@ is a revision of Shem-
Tob is moot from the perspective of its use as a "J" reference. The concern of
the New World Bible Translation Committee was the wording used in this Hebrew
text, not its source. The use of i717’ in J@ remains unaltered. Nonetheless,
Howard identifies Munster's work as coming from an older Hebrew tradition
rather than from a translation of the Greek text (pp.160-176). Therefore, in all
probability J° correctly stands as an authentic Hebrew language Gospel and
should not be classified as a version. In the same section, Howard identifies
Jean du Tillet's Hebrew Matthew as also coming from a Hebrew Gospel source
rather than being a translation from Greek. Thus, J’ would also be listed as a
Hebrew Gospel rather than a Hebrew version. Re-defining J!, J2, U8, and J4 as
Hebrew Gospels originating from an original Hebrew text gives the New World
Bible Translation Committee a considerably stronger position than merely
identifying these "J" documents as Hebrew versions.
 Matthew’s Gospel in Hebrew | 59

summary of these three "J" references as given in the Kingdom

Interlinear Translation (1969 edition, pages 28-29) reads,
‘2 :
Matthewin Hebrew. About 1385 a Jew named Shem Tob ben
Shaprut of Tudela in Castile, Spain, wrote a polemical work against
Christianity entitled Eben Bohaninwhich he incorporates Matthew
in Hebrew as a separate chapter. (Cursive manuscripts of Shem
Tob's Eben Bohan are found at the Jewish Theological Seminary
of America, New York City.)
J8
Matthew and Hebrewsin Hebrew. Sebastian Munster revised and
completed an imperfect manuscript copy of Shem Tob's Matthew.
This he published and printed in Basel, Switzerland, in 1537.
Later, in 1557, Munster published his Hebrew version of the
Epistle to the Hebrews. (A copy is found at the New York Public
Library.)
J4
Matthew in Hebrew. A revision of Munster's Matthew made and
published by Johannes Quinquarboreus, Paris, France, 1551. (A
copy is found at the New York Public Library.)

Identification of Shem-Tob manuscripts

Howard identifies nine Shem-Tob manuscripts used in his study.
(That is, nine separate manuscripts of the Shem-Tob Matthew text were
available for comparison.) One of the nine is presumably the actual J
manuscript used by the New World Bible Translation Committee and is
housed in the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America,
New York. |
Earlier we discussed textual criticism and the study of variant
manuscripts. The nine Shem-Tob manuscripts give an example of this
process. On pages x and xi (Roman numerals 10 and 11) of his
introduction, Howard identifies all these manuscripts as 15th to 17th
century copies. Of these, some are identified as being of fair quality,
. though they evidence considerable revision in regard to the
improvement of grammar and were edited with the view of bringing
them into agreement with the wording of the Greek Gospel of Matthew.
Other manuscripts he classifies as being of mediocre quality. Some of
the manuscripts are incomplete. Two manuscripts are identified as
being of high quality with the least amount of copyist editing. Howard
generally relied on these latter two high-quality manuscripts for the
translation of the Gospel of Matthew included in his book.
60 The Tetragrammaton.and the Christian Greek Scriptures

The testimony supporting Matthew's Hebrew Gospel

There is abundant and early evidence that Matthew wrote a Gospel
in the Hebrew language. Jerome, writing in the fourth century, is quoted
in the reference edition of the New World Translation as follows:
"Matthew, who is also Levi, and who froma publican came to be
an apostle, first of all composed a Gospel of Christ in Judaea in the
Hebrew language and characters for the benefit of those of the
circumcision who had believed. Who translated it after that in Greek
is not sufficiently ascertained. Moreover, the Hebrew itself is
preserved to this day in the library at Caesarea, which the martyr
Pamphilus so diligently collected. | also was allowed by the
Nazarenes who use this volume in the Syrian city of Beroea to copy
tee
There is no reason to doubt the veracity of Jerome's statement. In all |
likelihood, Matthew, a Jew employed by Rome as a tax collector, was
capable of writing in Hebrew,’ Greek, and Latin. It is certainly
probable that he wrote a Gospel account to his fellow Israelites in the
spoken language of the day. It is entirely possible that the Gospel we
have today was a translation? by Matthew himself from his Hebrew

6 New World Translation Reference Edition, 1984, p. 1564.

It has long been held that the conversational language of Palestine in Jesus'
day was limited to Aramaic rather than Hebrew. However, based on
manuscripts from the Dead Sea Scrolls, Howard gives evidence that biblical
Hebrew was used as a spoken language in Jesus’ day (Op Cit., pp. 155 to 156).
Consequently, Matthew could just as well have written in Hebrew as in Aramaic.
The reader should be aware, however, that Hebrew and Aramaic are closely
related languages. They use a similar script and vocabulary, and primarily differ
in areas of grammatical structure.
Howard presents convincing evidence that the Shem-Tob Matthew (which is
J?) is actually a copy of this early Matthew Hebrew Gospel. He then makes the
following comments on pages 225 to 226 (Op cit.),
If the conclusion to this study is correct, namely, that the old substratum
to the Hebrew Matthew found in the Even Bohan [J?] is an original Hebrew
composition, the question of the relationship of this old Hebrew substratum
to the canonical Greek text is of great importance. As stated before, three
basic possibilities exist: (1) The old substratum to Shem-Tob's text is a
translation of the Greek Matthew. [A conclusion from an_ earlier
discussion], in the judgment of this writer, rules out this possibility.
(2) The Greek Matthew is a translation of the old Hebrew substratum. This
likewise does not appear to be a possibility. Although the two texts are
accounts of the same events basically in the same order, careful analysis
of their lexical and grammatical correspondences fails to support the Greek
as a translation. (3) Both the old Hebrew substratum and the Greek
Matthew represent compositions in their own respective languages. This
latter appears to be the best explanation of the evidence. It implies that
the two texts are two editions in different languages of the same traditional
 Matthew's Gospel in Hebrew ~ 61

Gospel. Jerome's statement implies that the Hebrew text he copied was
identifiable by him as a parallel of the Greek Gospel of Matthew.
In the book we are consulting by George Howard, he gives further
evidence of Matthew's Gospel in Hebrew (pp. 156-157). The following
quotations from early writers merely represent a few of the better
preserved references:
lrenaeus, Aav. Haer. 3.1.1
Matthew also issued a written Gospel among the Hebrews in
their own dialect while Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome and
laying the foundations of the Church.

Origen as quoted by Eusebius, H.E.3.24.6

As having learnt by tradition concerning the four Gospels, which
alone are unquestionable in the Church of God under heaven, that
first was written that according to Matthew, who was once a tax
collector but afterwards an apostle of Jesus Christ, who published it
for those who from Judaism came to believe, composed as it was in
the Hebrew language.

Eusebius, H.E. 3.24.6

Matthew had first preached to Hebrews, and when he was on
the point of going to others he transmitted in writing in his native
language the Gospel according to himself, and thus supplied by
writing the lack of his own presence to those from whom he was
sent.

From the abundant evidence available, there would be no reason to

doubt that the Apostle Matthew did, in fact, compose a Gospel written
in Hebrew. Further, we can be certain that this Hebrew Gospel was
copied and circulated for an extended period of time among Hebrew-
speaking readers.

material with neither being a translation of the other.

There is evidence from ancient times that this sometimes occurred.
Josephus tells us that his work, The Jewish War (75-79 C.E.), was first
written in Aramaic or Hebrew and then translated in Greek (Josephus, War
1.3). The evidence suggests, however, that Josephus did not actually
translate, in a literal sense, the Semitic original, but, in fact, virtually
rewrote the whole account. The Aramaic/Hebrew original apparently served
only as a model for the Greek version to follow.
In regard to the Hebrew and Greek Matthew, their similarity in
arrangement and wording suggest that one, as in the case with Josephus,
served as a model for the other...Any conclusion in regard to the priority of
the Hebrew Matthew vis-a-vis the Greek, or vice versa, must not be hastily
drawn. Which one came first will be determined conclusively only after
much further study and accumulation of evidence.
62 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Shem-Tob as a recension of Matthew's Hebrew Gospel

We are unable to give an adequate representation of Howard's
valuable work in this brief chapter. At the very least, we will over-
simplify the complexity of identifying Shem-Tob's Matthew as a
recension of the original Hebrew Gospel. Howard has done a great deal
of textual work leading to his conclusions which require appropriate
qualification rather than a simple statement identifying J* (Shem-
Tob's Matthew) as the Hebrew Gospel written by Matthew himself.
Nonetheless, we are left with the fascinating possibility that in
we possess a copy of the Apostle Matthew's Hebrew Gospel despite the
fact that it has passed through successive generations of unknown
copyists and editors. Even though this editing weakens the full impact
of the Gospel, it gives us much greater insight into Matthew's work in
Hebrew than does any other source known today.
After a series of comparisons of Shem-Tob's Hebrew text with the
Greek canonical Matthew, Howard makes this comment on pages 176-
177:
These examples show that in some way the First Gospel in
Shem-Tob fits into a process of textual evolution that began in
primitive times and culminated in du Tillet [J'] in the sixteenth
century, or possibly later if our survey should include subsequent
Hebrew texts of Matthew. The suggestion made here is that the
gospel text incorporated into the Even Bohan was not a freshly
made translation of the first Gospel by Shem-Tob, but was a
reproduction, possibly with some revision by Shem-Tob himself, of
an already existing literary Hebrew tradition that had been in the
process of evolution for some time.
On page 223 Howard adds this comment:
The text also is written in a kind of Hebrew one would expect
from a document composed in the first century but preserved in
late rabbinic manuscripts. It is basically composed in biblical
Hebrew with a healthy mixture of Mishnaic Hebrew and later
rabbinic vocabulary and idiom.
In these summary statements, Howard is saying that Shem-Tob’s
Matthew was copied—and possibly further edited by Shem-Tob
himself—from a series of manuscripts which traced their origin back to
the original Gospel the Apostle Matthew had writtenin the Hebrew
language. Even as we now understand the variations introduced in a
text from successive hand copying through generations, we understand
the significance of Howard's terminology stating that the present
Shem-Tob Matthew "fits into a process of textual evolution.”

9 The reader may well ask why it is so difficult to be certain of the original
 Matthew's Gospel in Hebrew 63

Nonetheless, the importance of the work leading up to this statement

(assuming that itcan be fully substantiated with additional scholarly
efforts) ranks the work of Howard among the dramatic textual
advances in Christian Scripture studies.!°
Itis intriguing to realize that this book published in 1987 changes
our thinking from regarding Shem-Tob's work as a mere translation, to
the realization that it may be an actual copy— albeit flawed—of the
work of the Apostle himself!

The divine name in Shem-Tob's Matthew

In the context of this study, our interest in Matthew's Gospel in
Hebrew is the use of the Tetragrammaton. Does Shem-Tob use the
divine name?
Howard transcribed the entire Hebrew Gospel according to the most
trustworthy extant manuscripts. Of this transcription he says,
The printed [Hebrew] text preserves the British Library
manuscript and D in their relevant sections along with their errors
and inconsistencies in spelling and grammar. Periods and
question marks have been added editorially to the printed Hebrew.
In a few instances where the base text has a lacuna [a missing part
within the text], the text of another manuscript is printed within
parentheses.
In addition to the Hebrew text, Howard gives a parallel English
translation on the facing page. The line format and verse numbers allow
the reader who is unfamiliar with Hebrew to scan the text for the
divine name with reasonable certainty.
Before evaluating the Hebrew text itself, we must review an
interesting section of Howard's book under the heading, "The Divine
Name" found on pages 201-203. On page 201, he says:
A set of interesting readings in the Hebrew Matthew of Shem-
Tob is a series of passages incorporating the Divine Name

wording of this text when we are so confident of the wording of the Christian
Scriptures. The answer is found in the limited number—and recent age—of
extant Hebrew manuscripts available for comparison. There are a limited
number of Hebrew Gospels coming from this tradition which are available for
study. (That is, only manuscripts which evidence transmission of the original
work of Matthew could be used. Hebrew versions must be entirely excluded.)
Secondly, of the potential manuscripts which fall into this category, all are
recent copies, presumably dating from the 13th century and later. In contrast,
we have some 5,000 partial to complete manuscripts of the Christian Scriptures
some of which date to the second and third centuries.
10it is evident from the footnote references in The Gospel of Matthew
According to a Primitive Hebrew Textthat others have contributed to this study
as well.
64 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

symbolized by “4 (apparently a circumlocution for Own, "The

Name"). This occurs some nineteen times. (Fully written own
occurs at 28:9 and is included in the nineteen.) Usually the Divine
Name appears where the Greek reads kvtios [Lord], twice (21:12
mss, 22:31) where the Greek reads 9e6s [God], and twice where it
occurs alone (22:32; 27:9). (1) It regularly appears in quotations
from the Hebrew Bible where the M[asoretic] T[ext] contains the
Tetragrammaton. (2) It occurs in introductions to quotations as, for
example, at 1:22, "All this was to complete what was written by the
prophet according to the LORD "; and at 22:31, "Have you not read
concerning the resurrection of the dead that the LORD spoke to
you saying." (3) In narratives apart from quotation it occurs in such
phrases as "angel of the LORD" or "house of the LORD ." Thus,
2:13, "As they were going, behold, the angel of the LORD
appeared unto Joseph saying"; 2:19, "It came to pass when King
Herod died the angel of the LORD appeared in a dream to Joseph in
Egypt"; 21:12, "Then Jesus entered the house of the LORD ';
28:2, "Then the earth was shaken because the angel of the LORD
descended from heaven to the tomb, overturned the stone, and
stood still."
We should also consider the information in a footnote from page 202
which says in part,
By incorporating the Hebrew Matthew into his Even Bohan,
Shem-Tob apparently felt compelled to preserve the Divine Name
along with the rest of the text. “7 in Shem-Tob's Matthew should
not be viewed as a symbol for both Adonai and _ the
Tetragrammaton as was customary for Hebrew documents copied
during the Middle Ages. The author of the Hebrew Matthew uses
Adonai and 7 discriminately. He uses Adonai in reference to
Jesus and ‘7 only in reference to God. Since "nx (often itself
abbreviated as 17%) refers to Jesus, not God, throughout the text,
the author's use of “7 is a symbol only for the Tetragrammaton and
in all probability stands for the circumlocution own, "The Name."
The following passages have been reproduced from the Shem-Tob
Matthewin George Howard's The Gospel of Matthew According to a
Primitive Hebrew Text. The English translation taken from the same
book is reproduced under the Hebrew text. The first passage from
Matthew chapter one shows two examples within verses 22 and 24 of
the surrogate “7 which replaces the circumlocution OU7 meaning
The Name. (In the remainder of the chapter, we will generally
identify either the surrogate or a longer written form as simply the
circumlocution.) This passage also shows an interesting instance in
which there is a variance between the New World Translation and
Shem-Tob. Atverse 20, the New World Translation reads, "Jehovah's
 Matthew's Gospel in Hebrew 65

angel," whereas Shem-Tob reads, "an angel." Where applicable in the

following examples, the reading from the New World Translation is
inserted into the English text in brackets. The divine name is circled
and connected to its corresponding translation in the English text.

Matthew 1:20-23
MOY TAN) OT POX ANT FN TIM 1372 WAIN AA 1202120
TDA NT WTA mrnaw of Jnwx nnp? xwn ON TNT 1
20 While he thought on this matter in his heart, behold an [Jehovah's
NWT] angel appeared unto him in a dream and said: Joseph son of
David do not fear to take your wife Mary because she is pregnant by
the Holy Spirit.
JOMNyA AD OX Dwr NIT 7D Sw yaw xIpM ya Tom21
21 She will bear a son and you will call his name Jesus because he
will save my people from their sins.
("7 0B Dp seam mxo andw na mad mr 9522
22 All this was te6mplete what was written by the prophet according
CLord) [Jehovah NW7].
pox way Saw Oxy iaw mxapi ya tom) an anvyn am 23
23 Behold the young woman will conceive and bear a son and you
will call his name Emmanuel, that is, God with us.
JON OX NPN CA) FRI IMR MY WR SOD wy Inwe FOP yp724
24 Then Joseph aWoke from his sleep, did according to all which the
angel of the lord) [Jehovah NWT] commanded him and took his
wife.
In the following two examples, we encounter variations in the
circumlocution within the Shem-Tob manuscript itself. The reference at
Matthew 5:33 adds the Hebrew letter Lamedh (?) presumably giving
the Hebrew word El (God) in combination with the circumlocution for
the divine name. The reference at Matthew 28:9 shows the
circumlocution written in full.

Matthew 5:33
Dum APw? "AWA WawWN XY ONATPY TANIW TA onyaw
qnaw
33 Again you have heard what was said to those of long ago:
shall not swear by my name falsely, but you shall return to the
[Jehovah NWT] your oath.
66 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Matthew 28:9

POX aap On .poPwr Cow row oF! Tay fw MDa ABM?

a ynne wp"

9 As theywere going Jesus passed before them saying: May the

Nam deliver you ["Good day!" NWT]. They came near to him and
bowed down to him and worshipped him.
In the last example, we see a reference using the circumlocution
within the Shem-Tob Matthew whereas the New World Translation
does not use the divine name. :

Matthew 21:12
mim Tam) opie oenpm ow xsen(m) ma for xanl2
Venpaug a: Mawnan onown
12 Jesus entered the house of the [temple NWT] and found
there those who buy and sell. He overturned the tables of the
money-changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.
The divine name is used 18 times in the Gospel of Matthew within
the New World Translation. In contrast, the circumlocution which
stands for the divine name (including all variants of its written form) is
used 19 times in the Shem-Tob Matthew. Table 3 compares these
references in the two Matthew Gospels.
As one can see, there are no discrepancies in the translation sense
between the use of the circumlocution in Shem-Tob's Matthew and the
divine name in the same locations of the New World Translation. The
variants are merely textual alterations in wording. (We must add,
however, that in dealing with textual variations between manuscripts,
we may make the statement that certain differences are
inconsequential. This does not imply that we are not concerned with the
end result of textual studies. When the work is completed, it is our goal
to obtain the exact wording of the inspired Scripture writers.) For
example, in some instances (1:20, 2:15, and 4:4) Shem-Tob does not
include the divine name, whereas the Westcott and Hort text uses
Kyréosa (KUptos). The reverse is also true at 27:9. In one instance (27:10)
Shem-Tob uses Adonai rather than the circumlocution for The Name. In
two instances (22:31-32) the New World Translation uses God rather
than Jehovah. At 28:9 Shem-Tob uses "The Name" as a form of greeting
whereas the Westcott and Hort Greek text uses the word chairete
(Xatpete') which is a greeting derived from the word Rejoice.
 Matthew's Gospel in Hebrew 67

Shem-Tob NWT Shem-Tob NWT

Matthew 21:9 7m Jehovah
1:20 @ Jehovah 21:12 ‘TT temple
22 “Jehovah 21:42 “1 Jehovah
1:24 “1 Jehovah 22:31 “is God
2:13 “1 Jehovah 27-32 =. God
aL @ Jehovah 22:37, ‘71 Jehovah
2:19 ‘71 Jehovah 22:44 ‘71 Jehovah
3:3 “7 Jehovah 23:39 “1 Jehovah
4:4 @ Jehovah 27:9 ia] i)
4:7 “1 Jehovah 27:10 ‘NIX Jehovah
4:10 “71 Jehovah 28:2 ‘1 Jehovah
5:33 “712 Jehovah 28:9 own Good day

Table 3. The divine name in Shem-Tob's Matthew compared with

the New World Translation.

In and of themselves, these are not significant textual differences.

What is bothersome, however, is that thereis variation of any kind in
light of the presumption that the New World Translation represents a
corrected text which better reflects Matthew's original Gospel.
Before leaving this section, it will be of interest to compare the
frequency of the footnote citations in the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation for each of the four "J" references which come from this
Hebrew tradition. The four are: Ji—Matthew by Jean du Tillet (1555),
J2—-Shem-Tob's Matthew (1385), P—Matthew by Minster (1537), and
J4—a revision of Miinster's Matthew by Quinquarboreus (1551). Table 4
indicates the presence (yes) or absence (no) of a footnote citation to the
Tetragrammaton in the Hebrew text. (Note that the Shem-Tob text
does not actually contain the Tetragrammaton, but contains a
circumlocution as indicated. In the cases of J!, jp, and J*, we are citing
the Kingdom Interlinear Translation footnote without reference to the
actual document for verification.)
If each of the four recensions were perfect transmissions of the
original Hebrew Gospel of Matthew, we would see identical yes or no
responses across each line. Of course, no hand copies separated from the
original by 1300 years are perfect. Thus, the above table gives an idea
of the textual variation which has crept into these recensions during
this period of time.
Table 4 is included merely for its interest in comparing the four
Hebrew recensions from this early Hebrew manuscript tradition. The
68 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Shem-Tob jl jp j* Shem-Tob_ ji _ J joe

Matthew 4:10-.a2yesc.. yes. yess ayes
1205 eane no yes no 5:33... syess = <yes., yes. +.No
2:22... VESie anVESo GVES-2 NO 21:9s yes eNO. NOemeyes
1:24... yes’... no ~yes =..yes 21:42: -yese« “VeS. Vesa syes
Derg RV ES NO3 NOt ys DO 22:37. Yess VeS:--N@e. =RO
215 no HO“. NOs sae 22:44 yes yes NO“. yes
P10 avese co.TlO.,) LO sn VeS 23:39s> VeS i= YeS= Ves. =yes
33 yes yes: NO. ses 27:10 + yes... yes. -NG aves
4:4 VeSu) VeS Ves ives 20325." YesS. 4 “NO-NO saves
4:7 yes... yes. yes = ~yes

Table 4. The divine name in Shem-Tob's Matthew (J@) compared with

the use of the divine name in J1: JS, and J4.

variations in no way cast doubt on the veracity of the Shem-Tob

manuscript.

The crucial issues

The differences between the Shem-Tob Matthew and _ the
representation of Matthew in the New World Translation Christian
Scriptures are not great. Nonetheless, two areas of comparison between
a probable recension of Matthew's ancient Gospel and the New World
Translation’s Matthew surprise us in light of the assertion that the
New World Translation reinstates the divine name which was
removed by carelessness and heresy.
1.We would expect that an accurate restoration of the Gospel of
Matthew would parallel the use of the divine name in a recension of
Matthew's Hebrew language Gospel with high precision. However,
as we have seen in Table 3, this is not the case. In spite of the fact
that there is precise correspondence in 15 instances where Shem-Tob
uses The Name (or a related form) and the New World Translation
uses jehovah, we are, nonetheless, left with eight instances inwhich
one or the other does not exactly correspond in the use of the divine
name. Considering the claim that the New World Translation
restores the wording of the Christian Scriptures to its original
written form, this variation is too large to be acceptable. Stated in
mathematical terminology, we have only a 0.65 correlation,
whereas we would expect close to a 1.00 correlation for a true
restoration. (Thatis, of a total of 23 occurrences of the divine name
in either or both the Shem-Tob Matthew and the Gospel of Matthew
 Matthew's Gospel in Hebrew 69

in the New World Translation, there is agreement in 15 instances.

Thus, 15 divided by 23 equals 0.65, whereas the ideal of 23 divided
by 23 equals 1.00.)
2. In and of itself, the presence of a circumlocution meaning The Name
(7) rather than the Tetragrammaton (17”) itself is not of great
significance considering typical textual variants found within
textual criticism studies. In this case, however, it is cause for
concern. The New World Bible Translation Committee assures us
that Matthew used the Tetragrammaton. This is in sharp contrast to
Matthew's use of a circumlocution.!! If Matthew wrote 7 in its
surrogate form, or evenDwn (The Name in written form), he did not,
in fact, write the Tetragrammaton. As we have already seen, Shem-
Tob's Matthew is a recension which "fits into a process of textual
evolution." We may speculate that Matthew himself used the
Tetragrammaton and it, too, was changed in time. However, we are
nonetheless confronted with the reality that the current text we
possess which gives indication of Matthew's Hebrew writing does
not use the Tetragrammaton.

_ New light on Greek Scripture studies

| Our search in this book is for new light on ancient Greek Scripture
manuscripts. We are particularly looking for information which was
| ae ale ee es a ee

| 11 In the "Questions from Readers" from the August 15, 1997 The Watchtower,
the following question and answer is given:
Is the Tetragrammaton (the four Hebrew letters of God's
name) found in the Hebrew text of Matthew copied by the
14th-century Jewish physician Shem-Tob ben isaac _ ibn
Shaprut?
No, it is not. However, this text of Matthew does use hash-Shem' (written
out or abbreviated) 19 times, as pointed out on page 13 of The Watchtower
of August 15, 1996.
The Hebrew hash-Shem' means "the Name," which certainly refers to the
divine name. For example, in Shem-Tob's text, an abbreviated form of
hash-Shem' appears at Matthew 3:3, a passage in which Matthew quoted
Isaiah 40:3. It is reasonable to conclude that when Matthew quoted a
verse from the Hebrew Scriptures where the Tetragrammaton is found, he
incorporated the divine name in his Gospel. So while the Hebrew text that
Shem-Tob presented does not use the Tetragrammaton, its use of "the
Name," as at Matthew 3:3, supports the use of "Jehovah" in the Christian
Greek Scriptures.
...shem-Tob's text of Matthew included "the Name" where there is good
reason to believe that Matthew actually used the Tetragrammaton. Thus,
since 1950, Shem-Tob's text has been used as a support for employing the
divine name in the Christian Greek Scriptures, and it still is cited in The New
World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With References.
70 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

unavailable to the New World Bible Translation Committee in the late

1940's. Most certainly the discovery that Shem-Tob's work is no longer —
considered a Hebrew version is new light indeed! Inthe 1969 edition of |
the Kingdom Interlinear Translation (page 16), the New World Bible |
Translation Committee is quoted as saying, |
There is evidence that various recensions of the Hebrew and
Aramaic versions of Matthew's account persisted for centuries
among the early Jewish Christian communities of Palestine and
Syria. Early writers, such as Papias, Hegesippus, Justin Martyr,
Tatian, Symmachus, Irenaeus, Pantaenus, Clement of Alexandria,
Origen, Pamphilus, Eusebius, Epiphanius and Jerome, give
evidence that they either possessed or had access to Hebrew and
Aramaic writings of Matthew.
How delighted these men would be today to see this confirmation in |,
George Howard's book of their early statement. In 1950, they could only |’
look back to evidence of the use of these Hebrew and Aramaic recensions |
of Matthew's account. In all probability, today we are able to look at a |
reconstructed Hebrew Gospel of Matthew itself! |
If this document is ultimately verified as a late copy of Matthew's |
Hebrew Gospel, we will, for the first time in modern biblical studies, |
have limited access to his!ost Hebrew Gospel. Of course, editorialized
changes over the centuries have reduced its precision. Yet, it remains a_
valuable research tool. |
The work of Shem-Tob has been known among Jewish and Christian |
scholars since it was published in the late 14th century. As such, it was |
cited 16 times in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation footnotes as a |
Hebrew version with the identification nomenclature of J*. With’
Howard's recent research, however, we have an entirely new insight |
into the reading of Matthew's Hebrew Gospel which was available |”
only through speculation to those working on the New World |
Translation between 1947 and 1949. |
We now know that the best surviving recension from the work of the.
Apostle Matthew verifies the use of the divine name in the 20 instances -
indicated in Table 3. We also know that these same 20 instances use a
circumlocution rather than the Tetragrammaton and that they differ in
verse location from the 18 references to Jehovah in the New World
Translation. i

CHAPTER SUMMARY. Shem-Tob, a Jewish physician writing in the |

1380's, included a Hebrew Gospel of Matthew as the last book in his |
polemic against Christianity. There is convincing evidence that this }
~
 Matthew's Gospel in Hebrew 71

old Hebrew Gospel is a revision (passing through many copyists and

editors) of the Hebrew Gospel written by the Apostle himself. If this
ultimately proves to be true, then the "J" reference used in the footnotes
of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation identified as P, is, in fact, the
closest reproduction of this early work.
1. There should no longer be any reasonable debate that Matthew wrote
| a Hebrew language Gospel. Early writers such as Jerome, Irenzus,
Origen, and Eusebius have left ample testimony to this work.
_ 2. The evidence presented by George Howard indicates that Shem-Tob's
Matthew was not a translation from Greek sources. Rather, it
contains a Hebrew writing style which marks it as a document which
was composed in the first century using biblical Hebrew and
subsequently edited in the following centuries.
3. Shem-Tob's Matthew uses the divine name. However, itis not in the
form of the Tetragrammaton, but is rather a surrogate form of the
circumlocution The Name (7). Though it is impossible to tell from
the present form of this Gospel whether or not Matthew actually
used the Tetragrammaton, the substantial evidence remaining today
gives no support for this claim.
4. The correlation between the use of the circumlocution for the divine
name in Shem-Tob's Matthew and the use of Jehovah in the Greek
Scriptures of the New World Translationis not strong. There are 15
instances in which the two agree, and eight in which there is a
variance. This gives a correlation of a mere 0.65, in contrast to an
ideal 1.00. It would be expected that a restored Gospel of Matthew
would more closely approximate a recension of the work of the
Apostle himself.
5. The Shem-Tob Matthew gives a wonderful example of new light in
| biblical texts. This knowledge regarding the Hebrew Christian
Scriptures was not available to the Bible Translation Committee
prior to the publication of the New World Translation in 1950.
Chapter 6: THE TEXTUAL SOURCE OF HEBREW VERSIONS

B ecause of the central position given to the Tetragrammaton

within Hebrew versions, our study of the Tetragrammaton and
the Christian Greek Scriptures must evaluate these translations
and the textual source from which they are derived.

A Hebrew version is found!

In the early stages of this Tetragrammaton study, a search was
made for available "J" documents. As a result, the Hebrew version J1®
was discovered in a local library.| However, it was only after re
reading the title page of J18 some two years later that its significance
became clear. A second version was found several years later in a second
library.
The Watch Tower Society universally uses the word version to
mean translation. More typically, the action of rendering a text from
one language into another is called translation, while the resulting
book is called aversion. An English Bible is one in which the biblical

| Three separate editions of this Hebrew translation are grouped together as

the single "J" reference identified as J'®. As indicated by the New World Bible
Translation Committee, each edition contains the same Hebrew text. The first
edition was published in 1885. The second edition was published in 1939. The
third edition was published in 1941 and included an English side text. Though
the imprint date is not given, the edition used for this study was published by
the Trinitarian Bible Society of London and includes the English side text.
In spite of the lack of a publication date in the Hebrew version used for this
study, it can be definitively identified as J'® by two unique footnote references.
At Acts 22:17 the Apostle Paul says, "But when | had returned to Jerusalem and
was praying in the temple, | fell into a trance*...". The asterisk (*) in the New
World Translation Reference Edition takes us to the footnote which says,
"17* "I fell into a trance," NAB; J'9:14,17,22° "Jehovah's hand was upon
me"; J'8, "Jehovah's spirit clothed me."
As cited in this footnote reference, this version we are using clearly has
this identifying phrase at Acts 22:17 which says,
"nw. m7 mn
me clothed Jehovah (of) — spirit (the) and
This version which we are using is also identifiable as J'® by the solitary J18
citation in the footnote at Romans 14:4 since this version uses 771” at this
verse. (See footnote 12 in Chapter 14.)
Needless to say, the references at Acts 22:17 and Romans 14:4 amply
identify this version as J'8. The attention to detail also gives us an insight into
the eos effort made by the New World Bible Translation Committee in its.
work. .
 The Textual Source of Hebrew Versions 73

languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) have been translated into

English. Thus, every English Bible is a version, including both the King
James Version and the New World Translation. Similarly, any
Hebrew version consists of the Christian Greek Scriptures translated
into the Hebrew language. (Obviously, only the Christian Greek
Scriptures could be translated into a Hebrew version. The Hebrew
Scriptures in the Hebrew language is not a version.)
That is what J/8 is. It is a translation! J1® is a translation from
Greek into Hebrew.
As a Hebrew version, J1® is not unique. It is merely one of many
Hebrew versions cited in the "J" footnotes. However, it is important
because it is a Hebrew version which became available for study.

Evaluating J18
J'8 is one of the Hebrew versions used by the New World Bible
Translation Committee to substantiate its use of the Tetragrammaton.
The 1969 edition of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation gives the
following information on page 29 regarding this version:
Jj18
Greek Scriptures in Hebrew. In London, England, in 1885, a
new Hebrew translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures was
published. This new translation was commenced by Isaac
Salkinson and completed after his death by Christian David
Ginsburg. Our oldest copy is of the third edition published in 1891.
This has been compared with the small edition published by the
Trinitarian Bible Society, London, England, in 1939, and also with
the Hebrew-English New Testament published in 1941 by the
same Society. [The 1985 edition of the Kingdom /nterlinear
Translation \ists no dates.]
Based on the footnote reference material found in the New World
| Translation, we anticipate finding the Tetragrammatonin this Hebrew
| version. When we study the 237 Jehovah references, a large number of
_ the footnotes cite J18 As expected, we will find confirmation of the
|. Tetragrammaton exactly as listed in the New World Translation. Look
carefully at the passage from Luke 1:16-34 reproduced on page 77. Luke
1:16, 17, 25, 28, and 32 all contain Jehovah references.2 In each of these
_ verses, the use of the Tetragrammaton can be verified. The footnotes

| 2 These passages were randomly chosen simply because of the large number
_ of times the Tetragrammaton was represented on a single page. Any other
| Tetragrammaton footnote references in this version would also verify the use of
_ the Tetragrammaton in the J'8 version.
74 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

appear in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation for these verses as

follows:
1 6*, 17# Jehovah, J7-18,22-24. |ord, NAB.
2 5* Jehovah, J7-18,22,23. Lord, XAB.
2 8* Jehovah, J9:7-18,22,23. Lord, xAB.
3 2* Jehovah, J9."18,22-24. |ord, XAB.
Fortunately for us, J!® includes an English text on each facing page,
allowing us to identify the Tetragrammaton and other material within
the Hebrew text. The reader must be aware, however, that since all of
these versions were translated into modern Hebrew, the |
Tetragrammaton in all of the "J" reference versions contains Hebrew |!
vowel points. Consequently, the written form is somewhat different
from what we are accustomed to seeing in Watch Tower publications.
(The Watch Tower Society generally reproduces the Tetragrammaton
without vowel points. For an explanation of Hebrew vowel points,
refer again to Chapter 1. Refer also to the New World Translation |
Reference Edition, page 1570, Appendix3A for more complete
information.)
However, we must look at the flyleaf information from the Hebrew |
Christian Scripture version identified as J'8. It is important enough |
that the title page has been reproduced on page 76. :

THE
NEW TESTAMENT
OF
OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR
JESUS CHRIST

Translated out of the original Greek: and with

the formertranslations diligently compared
and revised, by His Majesty's special command

Did you notice the lines giving reference to the source material for |
the Hebrew version? Read them again! |

Translated out of the original Greek: and with

the former translations diligently compared ...

As we observed earlier, the word version simply means translation.

Yet, while studying the Tetragrammaton inthe Christian Scriptures of |
these Hebrew versions, it seldom occurs to us that we are talking about |
translations from the ancient Greek text.
 The Textual Source of Hebrew Versions 75

Hebrew versions come from the Greek Scriptures

Hebrew versions are merely translations from another language
into Hebrew. (In almost all cases, the Hebrew version was translated
from Koine Greek, thoughJ? was translated fromthe Latin Vulgate. In
Chapter 5, we considered the intriguing possibility that the Shem-Tob
Matthew [J] is a late recension of Matthew's Hebrew Gospel. If this is
true, then J? must be classified as an original document rather than a
translation. Further, the revisions of Shem-Tob's Matthew would be
classified as revisions of an original Hebrew document rather than
revisions of a translation. These revisions may include fe and j*.) Of
course, it is of interest that these particular Hebrew translators used
the Tetragrammaton in their Hebrew versions. However, we are not
_ primarily concerned with a Hebrew translator's choice of words, but
_ the specific word used by the writers of the original text from which
_the Hebrew version was translated. While writing the Christian
Greek Scriptures, did the inspired writers use the Tetragrammaton
_ (written in Hebrew as 717) or did they use the Greek word Xgréos
_ (Ktptosg) in such passages as Luke 1:16, 17, 25, 28, and 32?
| This particular Hebrew version tells us from which text it was
_ translated. Ji8 was “Translated out of the original Greek.” Where,
then, must we look for evidence that the original writers of the
Christian Greek Scriptures used the Tetragrammaton 237 times? We
must look in the Greek Scriptures themselves! Yet, aswe have already
_ discovered, the most reliable Greek text possessed by the Watch Tower
_ Society uses Kyréos in each of these 237 instances. In no case does the
_Tetragrammatonappear in the Westcott and Hort Greek text.4 In 223
instances, this Greek a clearly uses the Greek word Kyséoa( Kvptoc) in
_ one of its cognate forms.” In 13 instances, the Greek word 7fheas (Seos) is

3 In the August 15, 1996 The Watchtower article entitled, "Jesus' Coming or
_Jesus' Presence—Which?" the writers cite an example of contrasting Hebrew
_ words. (The article is not, however, dealing with the divine name.) In the article
_ on page 13, this comment regarding Hebrew versions is made: "Bear in mind
_ that modern Hebrew versions are translations that may not present exactly
what Matthew penned in Hebrew." (Italics theirs.)
4 There is another possibility which must be pursued ect the reliability of
the Greek text itself. Is the Westcott and Hort text on which the New World
Translation based the most accurate Greek text? Is it possible that the
_ translators of these Hebrew versions had a more reliable Greek text in the 14th
to 16th centuries than exists today? Refer to Appendix E for an evaluation of
the Greek texts wherein we discover that the primary text available to these
_ Hebrew version translators was the work of Erasmus.
© The word cognate means one of numerous forms of a word having a single
-root. The English words sitting, sit, and sat are cognate forms of the English
verb infinitive to sit. See Appendix C for the cognate forms of Kgxéoa (Kvp10c).
 version identified as J'8. Note the credit stating that
ORIGINAL
Figure 2. The English and Hebrew title pages from the Hebrew
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TO'M 'NOAGNOT
The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

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78 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

used, and in one instance it comes from grammatical agreement in the

sentence which again refers to Kyréoa (Kwptoc).
Consider the implications of Hebrew texts as versions. With the
exception of Shem-Tob's Matthew and its revisions,all Hebrew textual
sources which the New World Translation uses to substantiate that the
Tetragrammaton was inthe original writings of the Christian Greek
Scriptures are themselves translated from the Greek text itself.
There would be no reason to doubt that all Hebrew versions, unless
otherwise noted, came from Greek manuscripts. However, in the
absence of doing independent research on each "J" document, we can
make the following statement: First, with the possible exception of the
Shem-Tob Matthew and its revisions, no ancient Hebrew Christian
documents are known to exist today. Secondly, the Kingdom
Interlinear Translation (in both its 1969 and 1985 editions) lists the
following: f is "translated from the Greek;" J’ is a "translation from
Greek Scriptures;" J®, J'1,J13, Jt, J'7, J'8, J'?, and J*4 are "translations;" J®,
J'2, J'4, and J!© are "versions;" J, J*2, J?9, J#5, J2®, and J?” are listed without
a source; J°, J*, and J!9 are revisions of another "J" reference; J? is a
"translation from the Latin Vulgate;” J' is listed as "a version ... from
an ancient manuscript of Matthew in Hebrew;" J*!, is the Emphatic
Diaglott, a Greek text which uses Xgtéoa (Kv ptoc) in the Greek text but
introduces Jehovah inthe English text; and J*°, the Concordance to the
Greek Testament, which lists all entries under the heading KYPIOX
(KUptos). The reader of “All Scripture Is Inspired of God and
Beneficial” is left with no doubt that all of these versions (with the
exception of J?) have the Greek texts as their source.
From at least the 14th century onward, translations of the Greek
Scriptures into the Hebrew language have been produced. These
are of interest in that a number of them have made restorations of
the divine name into the Christian Scriptures. The New World cs-e
e
ee
oe
ae
Se
..
,
c
o
en
ee
ee

Translation makes many references to these Hebrew versions

under the symbols "J" with a superior number (page 319).
On page 309 of the same text, a box on the chart describing the New
World Translation says, "23 Hebrew Versions ... translated either from
the Greek or from the Latin Vulgate..." As already mentioned,
however, J? may be a recension of an actual Christian Hebrew Gospel,
and J° and J* may be a revision of this recension. -=
ee
ee
e
e
Jee
——
>n

As a result of our present evaluation of textual material, we now

realize that 26 (or possibly 23) Hebrew translations used to verify the

6 This information is given in Appendix B.

 The Textual Source of Hebrew Versions 79

presence of the Tetragrammaton were themselves translated from a

known Greek text which does not contain the Tetragrammaton.

Evidence used to support the Tetragrammaton

Since we no longer possess the original Christian Greek Scripture
documents, we must reconstruct the text from the approximately 5,000
extant manuscript copies currently available. Some system must be
devised to accomplish this task. In a general sense, this is done with a
system of reciprocal relationships between the best ancient texts and
the presently accepted Greek text. This can most simply be illustrated
as a textual source line moving in time from the ancient manuscripts to
_ the present Greek text, in which the most reliable of these manuscripts
_ become the source of the accepted modern Greek text. However, the
_ modern Greek text must be evaluated for its accuracy. This is done
through a return supporting evidence line moving toward textual
_ affirmation from the current Greek text back to the most reliable Greek
_ manuscripts.
Does this reciprocal relationship between the most ancient extant
_ Greek manuscripts and the modern Greek text result in a reliable
_ reproduction of the writings of the inspired Christian authors? It must
_ be obvious that our entire faith in the Christian Scriptures is dependent
_ on this system for gathering evidence. The subject of this book is the
_ Tetragrammaton, and not the entire body of Scripture writings. Yet, we
_ must recognize that the certainty of any one part of the Christian
_ Scriptures is no greater or lesser than the certainty of the whole. We
_ cannot bring the textual transmission of Kgréoa in 237 instances into
doubt without bringing the textual transmission process of the entire
_ Christian Greek Scriptures into question. Conversely, if we find the
_ Christian Greek Scriptures to be a trustworthy communication from God
_ to man, we cannot make an exception whereinonly the Tetragrammaton
| was removed leaving no trace in anyknown manuscripts today. We are
| not suggesting that the reliability of God's Word depends on personal
understanding. We are saying, however, that if the textual
..transmission process has been vindicated through careful study of
- ancient manuscripts for the whole of the Christian Greek Scriptures, it
must be accepted as equally reliable for 237 instances of the
Tetragrammaton.
Figure 4 graphically represents this system of evidence. The
_ textual source line for both Erasmus’ Greek text and the more recent

7 We will refer here and later to Erasmus' Greek text rather than precisely
_ identifying a number of texts resulting from his work. Erasmus was a Dutch
} theologian who lived from 1466-1536. He published the first printed Greek text
80 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Westcott and Hort Greek text comes from ancient Greek manuscripts.®
As indicated in this figure, the earliest available Greek texts use the
Greek word Kgséoa in the majority of the 237 Jehovah passages found in
the New World Translation. In no case do any of the copies of the
Greek writings use the Tetragrammaton (717”). We can also see in the
figure that the supporting evidence line for Kgséoa (Kuptos) in the
Westcott and Hort text goes back to the earliest available copies of the
Greek writings.
However, the figure shows us actin quite different regarding
the textual source line for the divine name as found in the Christian
Scriptures of the New World Translation. (The reader must be aware
that this figure shows only the textual source and supporting evidence
lines for the Tetragrammaton in the New World Translation. With
the exception of the Tetragrammaton, the textual source and the
supporting evidence for the remainder of the New World Translation
is through the reliable Westcott and Hort Greek text which is
traceable to the earliest copies of the Greek Scriptures.) The New |
World Translation uses 26 (or 23) Hebrew versions as the textual source
for the Tetragrammaton in 236 of the 237 instances which use the divine |
name in the Christian Greek Scriptures. As a result, the textual source
and the supporting evidence are the same Hebrew versions. There is no
outside supporting evidence. But notice that these versions |

in 1516. His first edition was based on inferior manuscripts ranging from the
tenth to the 15th centuries. He later published revisions in 1519, 1522, 1527,
and 1535 with increased use of better and older manuscripts. Following
Erasmus, others published Greek manuscripts which were largely based on his
text, though they incorporated even earlier manuscripts. These later scholars
included Robert Estienne Stephanus who published editions from Paris in 1546,
1549, 1550, and 1551. Theodore Beza published nine Greek texts in Geneva
between 1565 and 1604. The Textus Receptus on which later editions of the
King James Versionis based is the 1550 edition of Stephanus. A later but very
important text was produced by Johann Griesbach between 1796 and 1806. Its
significance lies in its system of manuscript classification and the degree of his
critical textual work. This is the text of the Emphatic Diaglott published by the
Watch Tower Society. The Greek text of Erasmus and his immediate
Successors was a great advancement for that time. However, the 1881 edition
of Westcott and Hort found in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation is a far
superior Greek text. (/nsight on the Scriptures, Vol. 2, pp. 313-314.)
8 The reader should understand that neither Erasmus nor Westcott and Hort
had access to the original Christian Greek Scriptures. Of course, they were
working from copies of copies. The Westcott and Hort text, however,
represents very early manuscripts. It relies heavily on the Greek manuscripts
identified as (Aleph) and B (Vatican MS. 1209), both of which are highly
reliable fourth century manuscripts. (See Appendix A fora description of these
two manuscripts.)
 The Textual Source of Hebrew Versions 81

were translated from Erasmus' Greek text. One can clearly study the
Erasmus text in each of these 237 passages to determine whether or not
the Tetragrammaton is used. Today we know that it is not! (See
Appendix E for reproductions of Erasmus' Greek text.)
From our present perspective of textual and historical evidence, we
now realize that the translators of the New World Translation should
have asked, "What word does the original Greek manuscript use in
each of these 237 instances?" The answer is easily determined. The
Kingdom Interlinear Translation shows us that the original Greek
Scripture writers used the word Xgséos (Kvpioc) in 223 of the 237
instances in which Jehovah has been inserted into the Christian Greek
_ Scriptures of the New World Translation.

ORIGINAL GREEK textual source

MANUSCRIPTS “a Westcott and Hort
Now Lost Greek text Ktptos
textual source
‘ Erasmus' ie
Greek
5,000 EXTANT Hebrew New World | Kingdom Interlinear
GREEK MANUSCRIPT versions Translation Translation
COPIES contain m7 "Jehovah" KUPLOS
Kuptos (Kyctos)

James Bible supporting evidence

"Lord"
y
supporting evidence

Figure 4: The textual sources for Xgréos (Kvpioc) and the

| Tetragrammaton (7717") as used in the New World Translation.

After evaluating the textual evidences, we also discover that it

_ cannot be argued that the Hebrew Christian Scriptures came from more
reliable ancient sources which have now been lost. All the Hebrew
_ Christian Scriptures used as "J" references were translated since 1573?
_C.E., and the most frequently quoted early Hebrew translation was
_ published in 1599 C.E. These were not translations done from ancient,

2 This omits J1-4 which we are counting as recensions and revisions rather
than translations. J@ is dated from 1385.
82 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

lost texts. These Hebrew translations came from the same Greek texts
which were used for the King James Version translated in 1611.

As we evaluate our personal understanding of the Tetragrammaton

in the Christian Greek Scriptures, we often discover that we have
failed to grasp the significance of the Hebrew versions as being mere
translations. We frequently fail to realize that the footnote evidence
used for the "restoration of the divine name" in the New World
Translation is ultimately based on the very Greek texts which the
translators are disputing.
We have raised an important area of inquiry in this chapter. Ifthe
Hebrew versions were based on early Greek manuscripts which have
now been lost, we would need to carefully pursue a study to reconstruct
these ancient texts. In so doing, we would determine whether the
Hebrew versions contain manuscript evidence supporting the inspired
Christian writers' use of the Tetragrammaton.
In contrast, however, we have discovered that the Hebrew versions |
are based on Greek manuscripts which are readily examined today. |
These Greek manuscripts clearly substantiate the use of Kgzéos rather |
than the Tetragrammaton.

CHAPTER SUMMARY. Hebrew Christian Scriptures have two sources; |

they are either recensions or translations. InChapter5 we evaluated a |
recension of an early Hebrew gospel. In this chapter, we have
considered an important topic when evaluating Hebrew versions. Of |
necessity, Hebrew versions are translated from manuscripts of another }|,
language. Consequently, it will be these source language manuscripts
which will give us important information regarding the inspired |
Christian writers' use of the Tetragrammaton. |
All Hebrew versions trace their source toancient Greek manuscripts —
of the Christian Greek Scriptures. (The only exception is J? which }
comes from the Latin Vulgate.) Inasmuch as these versions were J}.
published in the 16th century and later, we are able to verify the Greek —
text used as their source. In 223 instances, the Greek word XKyzéos
(Kvpoc), rather than the Tetragrammaton, is found in the Greek text. |
The Tetragrammaton used in these Hebrew translations was never
derived from 717” in the Greek text.
 Chapter 7: THE LIMIT OF INSPIRATION

W: discussed the meaning of inspiration in Chapter 2. As we

come to the end of this section dealing with Hebrew
manuscripts, we must return to a related subject. In 237 selected
instances, the New World Bible Translation Committee has given
greater authority to 26 Hebrew versions than to the best extant Greek
manuscripts. This forces us to re-evaluate what we will call the limit
of inspiration. Because inspiration includes only certain writings as
Scripture, it has consequently excluded all others.
The technical term for the limit of inspiration iscanon.1 The canon
of Scripture identifies the 66 books comprising the Hebrew and
Christian Scriptures.2 In this chapter we will use both terms.
However, we will generally use the term limit of inspiration because it
is more descriptive to those who are less familiar with the term canon.
The need to define the limit of inspiration was mandatory for the
first century church Early in the history of the church, the scope of
the inspired writings was debated. Marcion (born about 100 C.E.) was
the first to publish a definitive list of sacred writings. To accommodate
his heretical teachings, he restricted his full acceptance of Scripture to
Paul's Epistles. In so doing, he excluded all books of the Hebrew
Scriptures and modified the Gospels to fit his own teaching.

1 The word canon comes from the Latin word kanon, which refers to a
measuring rod. The idea in English is the rule or standard by which something is
measured. Specifically, the Bible canon came to denote the catalog of inspired
_ books worthy of being used asa straightedge in measuring faith, doctrine, and
_ conduct. (Aid to Bible Understanding, p. 290). The canon, as used here, is the
list of books accepted as inspired Scripture.
2 Not all groups within Christendom recognize the same canon. The Roman
Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions add the books of the Apocrypha to
their canon of the Hebrew Scriptures. However, acanon of the Christian Greek
Scriptures comprised of the 27 books as they appear in the New World
Translation is recognized by most Christian groups.
\. 3 During the persecution of the church by Rome atthe end of the first century,
it was a serious crime to possess either the Hebrew or Greek Scriptures.
_ (Possessing hidden scrolls could result in death.) As a result, it was important
for-late first century believers to determine which writings they were willing to
risk their lives to protect. A ruse was occasionally used to elude Roman
_ authorities. Early Christians would relinquish a scroll which was not viewed as
Scripture (such as the Shepherd of Hermas or the Epistle of Clement) to the
~ authorities for its destruction in order to protect an inspired Gospel or Epistle.
Thus, early persecution contributed to the recognition of the canon.
84 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

At a later period, Gnostic Gospels (such as those found in 1945 in

Nag Hammadi, Egypt) were circulated as authoritative guides for
faith. (These writings are Coptic translations made about 1,500 years
ago from Greek manuscripts of 350 to 400 C.E. The first Gnostic writings
probably were known as early as 120 to 150 CE.)
In more recent times, men like Joseph Smith, the founder of the
Mormon religion, have proffered writings claimed to be latter
revelations of inspired truth from God.
It is imperative, therefore, that each of us come to a firm
understanding of the limit of inspiration. We must know what is
inspired Scripture. We must also know what is outside the limit of
inspired writing. On what basis do we reject the writings of Joseph
Smith, the Gnostic Gospels, or even the early non-canonical writings of
the Christian church as non-authoritative?

General considerations of canon

Scripture as a whole—including both the Hebrew and Christian
Scriptures—is identified by established prerequisites. An introductory
lesson to the canon of Scripture in “All Scripture Is Inspired of God and
Beneficial” says:
What are some of the divine indications that have determined
the canonicity of the sixty-six books of the Bible? First of all, the
documents must deal with Jehovah's affairs in the earth, turning
men to his worship and stimulating deep respect for his work and
purposes in the earth. They must give evidence of inspiration, that
is, be products of holy spirit. (2 Pet. 1:21) There must be no-
appeal to superstition or creature worship, but, rather, an appeal to
love and service of God. There would have to be nothing in any of
the individual writings that would conflict with the internal harmony
of the whole, but, rather, each book must, by its unity with the
others, support the one authorship, that of Jehovah God. We
would also expect the writings to give evidence of accuracy down
to the smallest detail.
Beyond these general considerations, however, the Christian }
Scriptures depend on somewhat different criteria for canonicity from
those of the Hebrew Scriptures. In the case of the Hebrew Scriptures,
the writings were produced over a protracted period of time from Moses
to the post-exilic writers. Though dealing with God's program for |
Israel, these writings come from numerous contextual settings including ||
wilderness wanderings, entering and conquering a new land, a_ stable {

4 From pages 299-300. The reader should review the entire chapter for a more
complete account of the canon of Scripture. "All Scripture Is Inspired of God
and Beneficial" Study Four—The Bible and Its Canon.
 The Limit of Inspiration 85

kingdom period under David and Solomon, the divided kingdoms of

- Judah and Israel, and the time of exile and return. In contrast, the
Christian Scriptures have a setting consisting of three distinct
divisions. The first division is the ministry of Jesus to the Jewish
_ nation (the Gospels). The second records the spread of the Kingdom
/ message to the Gentile world. (This includes both the historical
~ accountin Acts and the resulting Epistles.) The final division consists
of a future prophesy given in the book of Revelation. With the
exception of the future scope of Revelation, the Christian Greek
Scriptures are confined to a brief period of time. The entire 27 books
were written between 41 C.E. (Matthew) and 98 C.E. (the Gospel of
John) by authors who lived during Jesus' ministry. Consequently, the
_ limit of inspiration of the Christian Greek Scriptures considers both
the men who wrote and the date at which the Scriptures were
_ complete.

The men who wrote

| Fundamental to the canonicity of the books of the Christian Greek
_ Scriptures are the credentials of the writers themselves. Itis clearly
_ understood that each writer was either a direct participant in the
ministry of Jesus, or was, at the least,a contemporary of the events and
_ in direct contact with those who were participants.
| Matthew, John, James, Peter, and Jude were direct participants,
_ though neither James nor Jude were among the 12 disciples. We are not
_ certain of Mark's role, though it is often suggested that he was in the
_ Garden during Jesus’ arrest.
When Jesus was arrested at Gethsemane and the apostles fled,
he was followed by “a certain young man wearing a fine linen
garment over his naked body." When the crowd tried to seize him
too, "he left his linen garment behind and got away naked." This
young man is generally believed to be Mark. (“All Scripture Is
Inspired of God and Beneficial,"p. 181.)
_ On the other hand, Luke undoubtedly did not witness Jesus’ public
_ ministry, as he was probably raised in Antioch. However, he was later
_ in direct contact with individuals who closely followed Jesus. On page
187, “All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial” says,
Luke was not, of course, an eyewitness of all the events he
records in his Gospel, not being one of the 12 and probably not
even a believer until after Jesus’ death. However, he was very
closely associated with Paul in the missionary field.
Paul, of course, was a contemporary of the events, but was certainly
not sympathetic during the early years of the church. Before his
86 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures .

conversion, Paul (Saul) was its most determined foe. However, Paul |
describes his apostleship at 1 Corinthians 15:8-9, "But last of all he |
appeared also to me as if to one born prematurely. For I am the least of —
the apostles, and I am not fit to be called an apostle, because I |
persecuted the congregation of God." |
We thus understand that the period of time during which inspired
Christian Scriptures were written was confined to the lifetimes of the |
Apostles. On page 410 of Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 1, the
writers say,
The apostles clearly had divine accreditation and they spoke in
attestation of such other writers as Luke and James, the half
brother of Jesus. By holy spirit the apostles had "discernment of
inspired utterances" as to whether such were of God or not.
(1 Co 12:4) With the death of John, the last apostle, this reliable
chain of divinely inspired men came to an end, and so with the
Revelation, John's Gospel, and his epistles, the Bible canon
closed.

The canon of Scripture is closed

In the last sentence of the material quoted above, we see another |
characteristic of the Christian Greek Scripture canon. The canon was —
closed when the last Apostle died. The Christian Scriptures do not —
include writings of devout men of the second century. On pages 409-410 |
of Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 1, the writers say, |
By the end of the second century there was no question but
that the canon of the Christian Greek Scriptures was closed.
The canon, including the list of books making up the Christian
Greek Scriptures, was already settled [before the Council of
Carthage in 397 C.E.], not by the decree of any council, but by the
usage of Christian congregations throughout the ancient world.
(For a very complete discussion of the canon, see the article in Aid |
to Bible Understanding beginning on page 290. Particularly note the }
section under the heading CHRISTIAN GREEK SCRIPTURES. Also see the |
comparable material in Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 1, pp. 406-410.)
Therefore, our understanding of the limit of inspiration leads us toa |
single conclusion. No supplementary information can be added to the |
inspired revelation of the Christian Greek Scriptures beyond that |
which was written by the inspired Christian writers themselves. This |
is the reason why we categorically dismiss the writings of Joseph |
Smith, the Gnostic Gospels, or even the early non-canonical writings of |
the Christian church as being outside the limit of inspiration.°

> There are many reasons we dismiss the writings of Joseph Smith and the
 The Limit of Inspiration 87

We must be careful, therefore, that we do not unwittingly re-open

thecanon of Scripture by claiming that there are other inspired texts.
We do not accept the later revelations of Gnostic Gospels or hidden
writings on gold tablets as coming from God. We believe God has closed
additions to Scripture since the apostolic authors' deaths. Therefore,
we must be careful that we donot give Hebrew translations of the 14th
century and following the status of recent additions to the Christian
Scripture canon. We must accept the oldest and most reliable
manuscripts of the Christian Greek Scriptures as being the best
representation of the inspired Scripture which Jehovah gave to his
early followers.®
The subject of canon deals with more than merely which books are
to be included in the Bible. It also includes every part of the text,
including the words themselves. The translators of the
New World Translation reflect their understanding of this important
truth when they deal with pea Christian Greek Scripture texts
such as the final chapter of Mark.’ They most certainly identified a
spurious (false) addition to the Textus Receptus (King James Version) at
1 John 5:7b which says, "the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost:
and these three are one."® The Westcott and Hort text does not include
this final portion of the verse.

Gnostic Gospels. Among these reasons is their lack of harmony (agreement)

with the 66 canonical books. On the other hand, The Gospel of Clement is
rejected as non-canonical even though the content is in agreement with
Scripture as a whole.
6 We must allow, of course, for the evel scrutiny of textual evidence as
gear in the second chapter.
7 Look carefully at Mark 16 in the New World Translation Reference Edition,
page 1239. The translators give the textual support for each of the endings.
The reader can appreciate both the necessity and difficulty of dealing with
these textual issues.
8 This addition gives an interesting illustration of intentional error in the Greek
text. Though the error was introduced into the Greek text at a very late date
(around 1520 C.E.), the change was so important to the proponents of this
wording that a copyist reproduced the entire Christian Scriptures in order to
plant this one error. Erasmus did not believe the text was correct, but as
promised, he included the added words in his 1522 Greek Scripture edition.
' Nonetheless, he included a lengthy footnote expressing his reservation
concerning its authenticity. After further research, Erasmus removed it from
his subsequent edition of the Greek text. Today, the error is quite traceable to
a particular family of Latin versions. It is only found in four Greek manuscripts
and appears in no current English versions other than those in the King James
tradition. (See Metzger, The Text of the New Testament, p. 101. For
confirmation also see "The Word" Who is He? According to John, p.9)
88 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Equally, the canon must determine which words are to be included

in a given passage. It is a question of the limit of inspiration (or canon)
when Hebrew translations completed in the 14th century and later are
granted a greater status of inspiration than the verifiable Greek texts
of the second to fourth centuries C.E.?

The search for the Greek Scriptures Inspired of God

It is our desire today to possess the most accurate reproduction
possible of the original writings of the inspired Christian authors. We
want each word in our Greek text to be exactly those words which the
authors themselves used. Specifically, in each of the 237 instances in
which the New World Translation uses Jehovah inits translation of
the Christian Greek Scriptures, we want to know if the original authors
wrote Kiptos or 717’. However, since the original writings have long
since been lost, we must resolve this question from copies of their
writings.
Epistles and gospels from many authors were circulated among the
growing first century churches. There were many more writings than
the 27 inthe canon of the Christian Greek Scriptures we accept today.
Paul himself wrote a letter to Laodicea (Colossians 4:16) which is not
included in the canon. However, among all the numerous writings of the
first two centuries, it is only the 27 "books" found in the New World
Translation Christian Greek Scriptures which have been acknowledged
for two millennia as the written revelation of God.!9
The limit of inspiration is the dividing line between the writings
we will accept as inspired by Jehovah and writings which do not carry
the weight of inspiration. Other early Christian writings may give
insight into the words of the original writers. For example, The First
Epistle of Clement may give valuable information regarding the
wording of the Septuagint Scriptures. However, these extra-biblical
sources can never have greater textual importance than the canonical
writings themselves. Therefore, a Hebrew translation which uses the

9 Generally speaking, both passages and words are the domain of textual
criticism rather than canon. However, in this chapter we are identifying them as
issues of canon because the question extends to which ancient texts should be
acknowledged as inspired because of their unique use of the Tetragrammaton.
The precedent of accepting isolated wording within Hebrew translations as
being more authoritative than the Greek texts from which they were translated
presents unique and complicated issues within both textual criticism and the
canon of Scripture.
10 Ofcourse, we include the Hebrew Scriptures within the writings we accept
as canonical. However, this chapter is considering only the Christian Greek
Scriptures.
 The Limit of Inspiration 89

Tetragrammaton (17) cannot be used to alter the original Greek

manuscript text. This is particularly true in that we can determine that
the Tetragrammaton was not used in the Greek manuscript from which
any given Hebrew version was translated.!1!
Figure 5 indicates the process used by the New World Bible
Translation Committee to bring the Tetragrammaton (717’) into the

The early church attests to the inspiration of these

writings by their acceptance, obedience, and willingness
to endure persecution for their preservation.

The limit of inspiration. The canon of Scripture is established

by general acknowledgment of the early church. It may be
affirmed by later church councils, but it cannot be altered.

Death of the last inspired Christian writer.

After the close of the first century, all copies of the

original writings were lost. As a result, later t
scholarly research is conducted to determine the
precise words used by the apostolic writers. No new
material is. added; the sole objective is to
authenticate the original writings.

There is no indication that 7177” was used inthe original Greek

writings. It is found only in 14th century (and later) Hebrew
translations made from the Greek text which contains Kiptos.
It is a violation to the canon of Scripture to add 717” to the
inspired text.

Figure 5. The canon of the Christian Greek Scriptures and its

subsequent verification.

_ Christian Greek Scriptures. To do so, it cited 26 Hebrew translations

_ froma considerably later era. By using this method, the reality of

11 See Appendix E for the Greek text used in the early Hebrew translations.
90 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

inspired Scripture is seriously undermined by claiming that recent

Hebrew versions are a better indication of the intent of the divine
author than are the best preserved Greek manuscripts copied only a
century after the original writings.

Bringing the issue into focus

We all share a deep commitment to God's inspired Scriptures
wherein we fully accept the absolute reliability of the original
writings of the inspired Christian authors. We must, then, be careful
that we do not lose our focus. We give allegiance to the original
writings, not mere translations of those writings.
The "J" reference Hebrew versions are not early apostolic texts.
They are not even writings of the early Hebrew Christian church.
They are late Hebrew translations; a Gospel of Matthew was
available as early as 1385;!2 the remainder were published in 1537 and
later from the Greek texts of Erasmus and the Textus Receptus.!3
The Hebrew versions are not a canonical source of verification for
the original inspired writings of the apostolic writers. They are
merely late translations from a known Greek text.

The weight of the evidence

Figure 5 is a summary of our prior discussion of the original Greek
Scripture text, its transmission through two millennia, and our belief in
its divine inspiration.
It is the objective of this book to look at the textual and historical
evidence for the Tetragrammaton in the Christian Greek Scriptures.
Insofar as it is humanly possible, each of us must step aside from our ~
theological positions and return to a simple evaluation of the text
itself. It must never be our objective to force Scripture to say what we
want it to say. We must allow the divine author to say what he
intended to say through the original, inspired writers.
We must objectively evaluate the evidence for the original Greek
word in each of the 237 instances in which the New World Translation
reads Jehovah in the Christian Greek Scriptures. Our final conclusion
must be based on the supporting evidence of textual and _ historical
information.

12 As noted in Chapter 5, this may be a recension of an earlier Gospel written

by Matthew in Hebrew.
13 Erasmus' Greek text was generally favored at this time, however other
similar texts reflecting Erasmus' editions were also available. In the above
comments we are using both Erasmus' Greek text and the Textus Receptus as
general terms rather than attempting to give precise source identifications.
 The Limit of Inspiration 91

Clearly, the 26 "J" reference Hebrew versions contain the

Tetragrammaton. However, we must then pursue the source of the
Hebrew translators’ original texts. With the possible exception of the
Shem-Tob Matthew and the Hebrew versions derived from this source,
we must accept the statement of the New World Bible Translation
Committee that the remainder of the these Hebrew versions are
translations of the Greek text itself.14
As we have seen earlier, the writers of Jehovah's Witnesses
Proclaimers of God's Kingdom,1° view the Greek text of the Kingdom
' Interlinear Translation as a reliable reproduction of the written Greek
of the inspired writers. From this interlinear translation we see both
the early evidences for the Greek word Kgséoe and a complete body of
information describing the Hebrew versions, their recent dates of
publication, and their textual source in translation.
From this information, each of us must come to a personal conclusion
regarding the place of the Tetragrammaton in the original Christian
Greek Scripture writings. In light of our strong belief in the inspiration
of Scripture, we must strongly object to any claim which alters
Jehovah's Word merely because certain Hebrew versions use the
Tetragrammaton when translating Kgséos from a known Greek text. To
accept late Hebrew translationsas a higher authority than the best
preserved Greek manuscripts from which they weretranslated violates
our understanding of the canon of the Christian Greek Scriptures.
In closing this chapter on the limit of inspiration, we are left with
a startling question. With all of Jehovah's care in producing and
preserving his inspired Scriptures, is it reasonable to think that he
allowed the Tetragrammaton in the Christian Greek Scriptures—and
the important truth it conveys—to be entirely lost from all extant
Greek manuscripts? Was the presence of the Tetragrammaton lost so
completely that it is only found in Hebrew translations made _ since
1385?

CHAPTER SUMMARY. The importance of Scripture is directly

attributable to its affirmation as being inspired by God. We obey
Scripture because it comes from God, not because of its literary or

14 Op page 78 the Hebrew versions which were translated from a Greek text
were identified.
15 See Chapter 27 entitled "Printing and Distributing God's Own Sacred Word"
in Jehovah's Witnesses Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. For a description of the
Kingdom Interlinear Translation, reter to page 610 in this same book.
92 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

historical quality. For inspiration to have any meaningin application,

it must have a limit. This limit identifies those writings which are
inside the boundaries of inspiration (and thus qualify as God’s Word)
as opposed to those writings which are outside these boundaries (and
thus cannot be authoritatively claimed as inspired). Our use of the
designation limit of inspiration issynonymous with the more technical
term canon.
1. The limit of inspiration, more technically known as the canon of
Scripture, is the dividing line between the writings we will accept
as inspired by Jehovah and writings which do not carry the weight
of inspiration.
2. The limit of inspiration includes only those writings which are
directly attributable to the apostolic writers. Later revelations or
manuscripts of any kind must be excluded.
3. The objective of each Christian reader of Scripture is to possess a
reproduction of the Christian. Greek Scriptures which is as faithful
to the wording of the original writers as possible. Each reader needs
to know if the original authors wrote Kgséoe (Kvptos) or the
Tetragrammaton (117”) in the 237 instances in which the New World
Translation inserts the divine name Jehovah.
4.To accept late Hebrew translations as a higher authority than the
best preserved Greek manuscripts from which they were translated
violates our understanding of the canon of the Christian Greek
Scriptures.
 SECTION? S

Greek manuscripts and other historical and textual

considerations which bear on the Tetragrammaton and the
Christian Greek Scriptures.

Page 95 Chapter 8: THE GREEK TEXT IN THE FIRST CENTURY

Page 105 Chapter 9: MANUSCRIPT PUBLICATION DATES

Page 119 Chapter 10: REMOVAL OF THE TETRAGRAMMATON

FROM EARLY GREEK MANUSCRIPTS

Page 137 Chapter 11: THE TETRAGRAMMATON OR

| LORD QUANDARY

93
 Chapter 8: THE GREEK TEXT IN THE FIRST CENTURY

iE the previous section we evaluated Christian Scriptures which

were written in the Hebrew language. In the present section, we will
consider evidence dealing with the Tetragrammaton which comes
from Greek language sources. The present chapter looks at the Greek
text and writing materials of the first century.

Written Greek in the first century

Most readers are familiar with the form of the Greek text used by
the early church. However, a brief recapitulation of written Greek and
textual materials is pertinent to our discussion of the Tetragrammaton
inasmuch as the question at hand is one of textual transmission.
Alexander the Great dreamed of a unified empire under his rule
using a common language. Though he died in 323 B.C.E. at the age of 32
withmany unfulfilled aspirations, his legacy to the world of his day
was the Greek language.! Following Alexander's vast military
conquests, Greek was widely spoken until about 500 C.E. at the end of
the Roman empire?”
Greek in the first century was known in two forms. Classical Greek
was the language of literature and formality. The everyday street
language was called Koine (common) Greek. God chose Koine Greek as
the vehicle of communication for the latter portion of the Bible.
Both vellum (animal skin) and papyrus were used as writing
materials during the time of the early church. Though vellum was used
prior to the first century, its costand scarcity prevented its widespread
employment. It is not hard to imagine why an impoverished and
imprisoned Paul would choose the more readily available and less
expensive papyrus reed paper for his epistles.
At the time of the early Christian church, the customary written
document was a scroll rather than a codex in leaf or book form.
However, by the early part of the second century, the Greek Scriptures

—1See Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 1, pp. 70-71 for a more complete
description of Alexander the Great. Also see page 9 of the article, "How the
Bible Came To Us," in the August 15, 1997 The Watchtower.
= Interestingly, even the Roman empire was forced to accept Greek as the
international language. Official affairs of state in Rome and all military
communication was conducted in Latin. However, Greek was used as the
common diplomatic and trade language within the Roman provinces.
Nonetheless, indigenous languages were also preserved as evidenced on the
day of Pentecost. (Acts 2:711)
96 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

were collected into codices because it allowed the convenient assembly

of a greater quantity of written material.
Up to this point in the book, the reader may have wondered how
ancient manuscripts are dated. For example, how can scholars
determine that one manuscript "comes from the fourth century” or, in
another case, "from about 200 C.E.?" The answer is determined by script
style, writing materials, and, in some cases, circumstances surrounding
the manuscript.

Greek script style

The simplest classification of Greek manuscripts is by letter style.
From the first century until the ninth century, the letters used were a
form of upper-case called uncials. The uncial script did not separate
words and used no accent or punctuation marks. Though this crowded
style of writing seems foreign to us today, it was expedient in order to
conserve scarce writing materials.
In Chapter 4 we gave the following English-Greek citation at
Revelation 4:11 in modern Koine Greek with punctuation and accent
marks:
” AElocg el, O KUvplOg Kal O OEdG Lev,
Worthy youare, the Lord and the God ofus,
AaBelv tmHv dso€av Kal TMV THY Kal Thy SdvaLL,
toreceive the glory and the honor and the power,
OTL Ov EKTLOUG TO TA VTA,
because you created the ll (things)
When John wrote this passage in uncial script with joined letters, it |
appeared as? |
ABIOCELORCKALIOGCHMWMNAABEINTHNAOZANKAITHNTINHM
KAITHNAYNAMINOTICYEKTICACTANANTA
In the sixth century, a new writing style called the cursive or
minuscule manuscript was beginning to develop. By the ninth century, }.

3 This illustration was generated by removing the spaces and accents from the
Greek text and substituting an uncial font. In all likelihood, the orthography is
extremely close to that which John used. However, this illustration was not
copied from a reproduction of an early uncial manuscript. The following
illustration showing minuscule script was again done on the computer by using
font substitution rather than consulting an actual ancient Greek manuscript.
We do not have any indication that the original writers used surrogates.
However, by the second century both Kgyséoa (KUptos) and ‘Fheos (BE 0s) were
written in their surrogate forms asK¢ and 6>. See the Glossary for a definition
of surrogates.
 The Greek Text in the First Century 97

this writing style was fully implemented and used what we call lower-
case script today. The same passage quoted above was written in
minuscule Greek letters as,
aELOSeLoRSkarobSnpwwvraBetvTnvooEavKarTHVvTLLnv
KALTHVOUVALLVOTLOVEKTLOASTATIAVTA
Other featuresin the writing itself may also give an indication of
its date. Not all penmanship changes are as noticeable as that from
uncial to minuscule letters. Small changes such as letter formation can
often be observed over time and become a means of dating manuscripts.
Details such as accents, column arrangement, or capitalization may also
give indication of a manuscript's date of writing.
Ancient Christian Scripture manuscripts do not give a calendar date
indicating when the manuscript was copied, though in some later
_ manuscripts scribes added a footnote giving the copy date and even the
location where the copy was made. Nonetheless, a particular Greek
Scripture manuscript may use unique letter formations which are
identifiable in secular documents. If a comparison with secular
documents can be made which shows the same writing style, a date may
be established if historically verifiable contemporary events are
mentioned.

Writing materials
A second aid in classifying early Greek manuscripts is the type of
writing materials used. This generally involves the material on which
the manuscript was written. The sheet material used was either
papyrus or vellum (animal skins). In the first century, reed papyrus
from Egypt was commonly used because of its lower cost. Knowing the
source and method of papyrus manufacture for a given period of time
may lead to the assignment of a manuscript date which is written on an
identifiable papyrus material. Vellum also evidenced variation over
time in its manufacturing process and the manner in which sections were
joined. (Vellum scrolls consisted of smaller sections of skin laced
together, whereas parchment scrolls could be manufactured in
continuous lengths.)
In some cases, the type of ink used can also be identified. Though
more difficult to determine, ink composition or a determination of its
permanence may also give an indication of date and manuscript origin.4

4 The bulk of the material regarding the form of the Greek text has come from
Aid to Bible Understanding ,pp. 1106-110, with supplementary information from
The Text of the New Testament by Bruce Metzger and /ntroduction to New
Testament Textual Criticism by J. Harold Greenlee.
98 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Circumstances surrounding the manuscript

This third step used for dating manuscripts is simply a catch-all
category. Many manuscripts may have unique circumstances associated
with their discovery which help identify them chronologically.
Relative dating techniques are often used whereby an archaeological
find may be assigned a date based on its close proximity to a feature or
strata with a known date. For example, a coin may be found in situ (at
the same location) with a manuscript. Generally, coins have
inscriptions or an emperor's image which establish a precise range of
possible minting dates for the coin. The close proximity will give the
manuscript some chronological identification.
The same may be true in the study of ancient manuscripts. For
example, the Dead Sea Scrolls can be dated, in part, because it is known
that the entire area was conquered by the Romans in 69 and 70 C.E.
These scrolls, of necessity, were hidden prior to that time. (For other
reasons, they could not have been hidden after the Roman destruction.)
Manuscripts may also be dated on the basis of non-biblical margin
comments or art accompanying the text. The form of the document may
also give indication of its date. Though there is a significant overlap
between scrolls and codices, a manuscript in codex form (bound leaves)
would date from the early second century or later. As the codex became
more common, its binding presumably also changed.
In all of the above mentioned means of dating manuscripts, it must
also be borne in mind that geographical differences also existed. For
example, the Greek penmanship in Africa may have exhibited unique
characteristics as against the penmanship in Europe during the same
period of time. It is these types of evidences whichalso help establish |
the geographical source of a manuscript.
Assigning dates to manuscripts, however, is never highly precise.
For that reason, we generally see dates given for ancient manuscripts by
century. That is, it is impossible todate a manuscript with any higher
precision than somewhere within a 100 year span of time. In a few rare
cases, some identifiable feature allows a manuscript to be dated more
precisely, and for this reason a date such as "circa 200 C.E." may
occasionally be given.

Unchanged wording
We must make a brief comment in order to avoid misunderstanding.
Penmanship most certainly has changed from the time the apostolic
writers recorded their gospels and epistles. However, the words
themselves have not been altered. |
The modern writing of Koine Greek as found in the Kingdom
Interlinear Translation has separated words and has added accent
 The Greek Text in the First Century 99

marks, punctuation, and upper-case letters at the beginning of

quotations. However, the text exactly reproduces the spelling of the
Greek words as recorded by the apostles themselves.°

The abundance of extant Greek manuscripts

The intent of this brief section is to emphasize the large number of
Greek manuscripts which are available today. First, however, we need
to offer this brief explanation. In reference works such as “All Scripture
Is Inspired of God and Beneficial,” and Insight on the Scriptures,
abundant recognition is given to this large quantity of extant Greek
manuscripts. The limited footnote references to Greek manuscripts in
the Kingdom Interlinear Translation are not inany way disparaging of
this manuscript evidence. Rather, the Westcott and Hort Greek text
primarily concerned itself with two reliable manuscripts and did not
frequently cite other textual evidence®
Nonetheless, when using the footnote materials in the Kingdom
Interlinear Translation, a reader will often gain afirst impression that
there is scant Greek manuscript evidence for the use of Kyréoa in the 237
Christian Scripture Jehovah references. A typical footnote may list
five to ten Hebrew translations supporting Jehovah, and only two Greek

9 Recovering the exact text as written is, of course, the objective of textual
criticism. Only in this way can the reader today know the precise tenses of
verbs, subjects and objects of sentences, and the like. Unlike contemporary
language study, the student involved in biblical Hebrew or Greek study is
attempting to retrogress in time to the actual language of the Bible characters
themselves.
6 There is a reason why these two Greek manuscripts justifiably receive such
prominent attention. The Greek text of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation is
the work of two textual critics: Brooke Foss Westcott (1825-1901) and Fenton
John Anthony Hort (1828-92). In 1881 they published their work, the most
noteworthy critical edition of the Greek Scriptures ever produced by British
scholarship. It was the opinion of Westcott and Hort that the two complete
Greek manuscripts codex Vaticanus (identified as "B") and codex Sinaiticus
(identified as "X") represented the available texts which were the most similar to
the original apostolic writings. Their own commendation of these two texts
states:
It is our belief (1) that the readings of XB should be accepted as the true
reading until strong internal evidence is found to the contrary, and
(2) that no readings of XB can safely be rejected absolutely, though it is
sometimes right to place them only on an alternative footing, especially
where they receive no support from Versions or Fathers.
For obvious reasons, the Kingdom Interlinear Translation’s footnotes will
strongly reflect these two Greek manuscripts atthe exclusion of others. (Both
the information and quotation are from The Text of the New Testament, Bruce
Metzger, pp. 129-133.)
100 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

manuscript sources (with two supplementary Latin or Syriac

translations) supporting Lord.
At first glance, this will often indicate that there is substantially
more support for the Tetragrammaton in the early texts than there is
for the Greek equivalent of Lord.
It is not the intent of this section to review earlier statements
substantiating the fact that the original authors did not use the
Tetragrammaton in their writings. However, we must emphasize the
abundant early Greek manuscript evidence which is available today.
On page 443, Volume 1 of Insight on the Scriptures says,
There are available for comparative study more than 13,000
papyrus and vellum manuscripts containing the whole or a part of
the Christian Greek Scriptures, dating from the 2nd to the 16th
century. Of these, some 5,000 are in Greek, and the remainder in
various other languages. More than 2,000 of the ancient copies
contain the Gospels and more than 700, the letters of Paul. While
the original writings themselves are not currently extant, copies
date back to the second century, which is very close to the time the
Originals were written. This vast numberof manuscripts has
enabled Greek scholars in the course of years to produce a highly
refined Greek text of the Scriptures, confirming In many respects
the dependability and integrity of our present-day translations of
the Christian Greek Scriptures.
Appendix I(A Catalog of Greek Manuscripts) has been included in
the back of the book to show the reader the massive amounts of textual
evidence on which the present Christian Greek Scriptures rest.
Carefully review the information given in that appendix. The reader |
should not neglect to scan this voluminous list of early Greek |
manuscripts. The New World Translation cites only a totalof 12 Greek |
manuscripts and eight early versions to substantiate the Greek word
Kyrios (KUptos), whereas there are 754 Greek manuscripts, 86 versions,
and 149 lectionaries cited in Appendix I alone.
For understandable reasons, the Westcott and Hort text of the
Kingdom Interlinear Translation does not make abundant reference to
many extant Greek manuscripts beyond Vatican Manuscript No. 1209
(B) and Sinaitic MS (&). However, there is massive early textual
evidence available today which substantiates the entire Greek
Christian Scriptures. Included in these Greek manuscripts is unanimous
evidence supporting the use of the Greek word Kyséos (Kiiptos) for 223
instances wherein Jehovah is used in the New World Translation~
Christian Scriptures. |
 The Greek Text in the First Century 101

Unorchestrated distribution of manuscripts

We now encounter an interesting question in our study of the
Tetragrammaton in the Christian Greek Scriptures. That question is
simply, "Why did some ancient manuscripts survive while others were
lost?" If we have thought to ask this first question, then it would occur
to us to ask a second question with the Tetragrammaton manuscripts in
mind. "Is it probable that none of the Tetragrammaton manuscript
copies survived, while 5,000 Kgséos manuscript copies remain?"
The history of manuscript transmission to successive generations isa
portrayal of two unorchestrated processes. One is the process of copying
manuscripts. The other is the process of distributing and preserving
these same manuscripts. Each of these two processes is so unsupervised
and uncontrollable that they take on the appearance of random events.
Most of us have had some contact with the notion of random events
or probability. It is helpful to understand that we are actually talking
about an application of probability when we compare variant readings
within extant ancient Greek manuscripts. Of the total copies made in
the early centuries, only a small percentage of these copies survived.
Surviving copies of ancient Christian Scripture manuscripts represent a
random selection of the original number of manuscripts.’
There was most likely a random distribution of manuscript accuracy
when the first copies of the original Greek Scripture documents were
made. While making the very first copies, most scribes paid close
attention to detail and made nearly flawless copies. On the other
hand, there were undoubtedly some scribes who carelessly made early
copies which had more than an average number of copying mistakes.
These copies, from the most accurately copied to the most carelessly
copied were potentially recopied and carried to remote locations of the
Roman empire.
What kind of copies have survived to our day? Again, we would
expect a random distribution of the most accurate to the most carelessly
reproduced copies. Preservation was not particularly conditioned by
the precision exercised by scribes or copyists. Preservation was
determined by factors such as the absence of early invading armies, a
warm, dry climate, or preservation in a forgotten monastery®

’ We are fully confident that Jehovah God has carefully guarded his written
word and did not allow its destruction outside of his control. This does not mean
| that random probability is not operative, but it means that God is in control of
| the process. It is interesting, however, to realize that a statement saying that
| all copies of the correct text were lost is a direct affront to the ability of God to
care for the Christian Greek Scriptures through time.
8 This is exactly the fascinating story behind the Greek manuscript X (Aleph)
cited so frequently in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation. As mentioned earlier,
102 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

We do not discount Jehovah's supervision in the preservation of the

Greek manuscripts. However, we are suggesting that there are at least
two types of random processes which have produced the copies of early
Greek manuscripts which we possess today. The first random process
dealt with the factors which reproduced either good or poor copies of
the original Greek Scriptures. The second random process concerns
factors which caused certain manuscripts to survive while the rest were
lost or destroyed.
We can state the problem in a slightly different way. We can only
conjecture as to some unknown number representing the total number of
Christian Greek Scripture portions produced in the first ten centuries of
the Christian era. (Most certainly the actual number would be in the
hundreds of thousands, inasmuch as copying Scripture was an ongoing
process.) Of this number, some manuscripts were destroyed soon after
they were copied. Some had a long and useful life and were copied
many times, producing further generations of copies duplicating their
unique idiosyncrasies. A small number of these copies were carried to
geographical locations whose climatic conditions aided in their
preservation. Of the huge number of possible early Greek manuscripts,
only asmall number of the total would eventually be preserved and
located so that they could come to light for scholarly research in the
period of time between the 16th century and today?
In order to explain the Tetragrammaton's removal from the
Christian Greek Scriptures, we must superimpose over this first set of
random probabilities a second condition requiring a very carefully
planned, non-random series of events. What would be required in order
to obliterate the presence of the Tetragrammaton from the original |
writings of the Christian Greek Scriptures? The entire train of events
would need to be altered. No longer could we allow a random process of
copying and preserving documents. We would be forced to believe that
in all other aspects concerning the preservation of Greek Scripture

it was found in 1859 by the German textual critic Friedrich von Tischendorf at ee
ee
e

the monastery of St. Catharine on Mount Sinai.

9 Interest in preserving the Scripture text is in no way confined to the 16th
century and later. Before the time of Christ, Jewish scholars had developed
extremely precise means of insuring faithful transmission of the Scriptures.
Jewish Masoretic scholars devoted their entire lives to this primary pursuit.
Origen gives us an outstanding example of textual work done in the third
century. (See Appendix J.) Countless other examples throughout early history
can also be given. Nonetheless, from the time of Erasmus (during the 16th
century) until the present time, there has been a concerted effort to identify the
wm
aq
O
aon
sa
ao
=

most reliable biblical texts. The invention of the printing press and the
discovery of numerous important manuscripts in this later period of history have
ao
a

contributed much to a renewed effort in the study of textual criticism. <=

=>
 The Greek Text in the First Century 103

documents, a true random distribution took place.!9 Yet, only in this

one area concerning the removal of the Tetragrammaton, would we
accept the fact that both the copy process and the preservation of the
text became completely uniform. Though we see no evidence of that fact
today, we are asked to believe thata!/ inspired Christian writers used
the Tetragrammaton. Then we would need to acknowledge that all
third century copyists used only Kwséos. We would next need to believe
that all copies containing the Tetragrammaton were subsequently lost
at a precise point in time so that they were never again copied.
Finally, we would need to believe that there was total agreement
among a/1 church fathers from the second century on that this new
corrupted text represented the true apostolic writings.
All the while, we would need to ignore the countless early
Christians who suffered daily for their faith, many to the point of
martyrdom. We would need to believe that they would give their lives
to protect their precious Scriptures from the Romans, but when heretics
forcefully acquired all scrolls containing the Tetragrammaton, they
willingly acquiesced with such unanimity and silence that no protest
was ever recorded!
This would be a most unprecedented event within the history of the
early church. For a heresy of this magnitude to take place so soon after
the Apostles’ deaths is most difficult to believe. That it could be so
well controlled that not a single reference to its existence has been
preserved is beyond reasonable belief.!! That all traces of the

10 This is not a hypothetical model. A study of textual criticism will show

exactly this random distribution of textual variants in the history of the text. In
fact, itis this discernible randomness which makes the entire study of textual
criticism viable.
11 In truth, it is even more difficult to imagine because of the fourth century
controversy over the person of Christ. (The controversy is generally known in
history as Arianism, named after Arius, a presbyter of Alexandria who died in
336 C.E.) It is not our intent to evaluate the theological position of either group
_ in that debate. Nonetheless, this event of history most certainly gives us an
insight into the presumed presence of the Tetragrammaton in the Christian
Greek Scriptures. One group maintained that the Son was not of the same
substance as the Father, understanding him to be a created being, though
preexistent to the created world. There is considerable writing of the early
church fathers dealing with this controversy from both sides of the argument.
We must ask ourselves a very important question. If, as is claimed, there was
evidence of any kind that the Tetragrammaton was used 237 times in the
_ Christian Greek Scriptures by the original authors, why did those advocating a
created Jesus never bolster their argument with this information? No single
logical argument would have supported their cause more eloquently than the
citation of the Tetragrammaton from within the Greek Scriptures' texts. Or are
we to believe that men living in 350 C.E. had never read Greek Scripture
104 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

supposed early documents which contained the Tetragrammaton could

be completely expunged in the short interval required, however,
becomes a_ statistical impossibility.

CHAPTER SUMMARY. This chapter has evaluated the Greek text of

the first century church.
1. The Greek text of the early church was written in joined letters
without word separation called an uncial text. No punctuation or
accent marks were used. Nonetheless, as both writing itself and the
form of the text changed through time, the actual words of the Greek
Scriptures have survived without alteration.
2 The New World Translation cites only 12 Greek manuscripts and
eight early versions in support of the Greek word Kgséos (KUptos) in
the 237 Jehovah passages. On the other hand, the United Bible
Societies' Greek New Testament actually cites 754 Greek
manuscripts, 86 versions, and 149 lectionaries in support of the Kgréoa
passages within the Christian Greek Scriptures. In all, there are a
total of over 5,000 extant Christian Greek manuscripts.
3. We fully acknowledge that the transmission of the Sacred Scriptures
was under the careful plan and supervision of Jehovah.
Nonetheless, there was an apparent randomness in the method he
used to preserve these texts. The accuracy of the various texts which
have been safeguarded, and their geographical location which |
made preservation possible, were random events. On the other |
hand, removal of all traces of the Tetragrammaton would, of
necessity, have been a deliberate and planned undertaking. It would
represent a_ statistically impossible series of events for the
Tetragrammaton to have been removed from copies of the original
writings, leaving no trace of that heresy today.

manuscripts which still existed from the apostolic times? In fact, Origen
contributed substance to this controversy by his teaching that the Father and
the Son possess a separate essence, calling Jesus "a secondary God," and
the Father "the God" (Schaff-Herzog, Vol. 1, p.278). Most certainly, the
writings of Origen himself would have provided the textual evidence necessary
to substantiate the presence of the Tetragrammaton, had it been available.
 Chapter 9: MANUSCRIPT PUBLICATION DATES

iE the preceding chapters of this book, we have only referred to

manuscripts by their probable date of origin. Because this book is
concerned with new manuscript light which has become available
since the work of the New World Bible Translation Committee was
completed, we must now consider a distinctly different date. We must
also determine the manuscript publication date. The manuscript
publication date is important because it is the earliest date at which a
particular Greek manuscript becomes available for Bible translation.
This chapter is solely concerned with papyrus manuscripts.
Generally speaking, the papyrus documents represent the oldest extant
Greek Scripture documents available for study. Vellum (animal skin)
documents of the Greek Scriptures are more recent.
Before a manuscript has value in Scripture translation, its
authenticity must be identified. We must show how a Greek
manuscript goes from being an unknown scroll to becoming a credible
biblical document.

Manuscripts are found

The dry and arid regions of Palestine, the Sinai Peninsula, and
North Africa have preserved countless ancient manuscripts. For
simplicity's sake, we can characterize the discovery of biblical
manuscripts in one of three ways.
Manuscripts found by untrained indigents. In the Overview, we
told the story of the Bedouin shepherd who found the first scrolls in
the Qumran caves. This story has been repeated many times in the
history of manuscript discovery. In this first instance, a local resident
of the area accidentally discovered an ancient document without
understanding its significance. Documents discovered in this way are
usually poorly handled or stored—many times merely hidden in a
house—resulting in regrettable damage to the fragile pages. At some
point, the documents may be speculatively sold for a small amount of
money, passing into the hands of an antiquities dealer.
The contents of such a document may be entirely unknown. The
antiquities dealer, however, will vaguely ascertain the document's
contents in order to enhance its value for sale. He may attempt to copy
a portion of the writing to show to a language professor, or may
actually display a portion of it by removing damaged pages. The
antiquities dealer often acts covertly, because many governments forbid
_ private ownership and sale of ancient documents.
106 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

At some point, the antiquities dealer may sell the document to an

intermediary who surreptitiously removes the document from the
country of origin. Eventually, the document may become part of a
foreign library or personal acquisition such as the Chester Beatty or
Bodmer collections.
Needless to say, by the time the document is ready for scholarly
study, much of the history of its location and association with other
parts of the archeological site has been lost. Nor can it be assumed that
every document found in this way will prove to have value. Only a
small number of manuscripts eventually attain recognition as authentic
ancient documents which make a contribution to biblical studies. (Many
such documents have proven to be _ inconsequential personal
correspondence between unknown individuals or inventory lists of a
long-forgotten villa.)
Manuscripts discovered by trained collectors. The story of the
discovery of the important Codex Sinaiticus manuscript (Aleph) by
Tischendorf in 1844 at the St. Catharine Monastery is an example of an
independent collector making an important manuscript discovery. As
we have already seen, some of the leaves of the Hebrew Scriptures
were already in a wastebasket, destined to start fires. Because of the
urgency expressed by Tischendorf for their preservation, the amount
ultimately paid to the monastic order for the almost complete Bible
was considerably higher than the price of paper used to start morning
fires! |
In the past 150 years, many important biblical manuscripts have
been discovered through the painstaking—and sometimes fortuitous— _
efforts of scholarly or wealthy collectors. In many instances, these |
finds have resulted in some preservation of the details surrounding the
document's original location and association with other written
materials or artifacts.
Manuscripts discovered by archaeologists. Not all manuscripts
have been randomly discovered by untrained shepherds or |
townspeople. The Dead Sea Scrolls actually represent a significantly |
larger number of documents and artifacts which have been discovered |
by trained archaeologists than by the early fortune hunters. (The early
finds, however, represented the important Isaiah Scroll and other
major manuscripts.)
It has often been through the efforts of governments wanting to
protect these manuscript and archaeological materials that trained |
personnel have been allowed to conduct archaeological explorations }
throughout the area in which ancient biblical documents are best |
preserved. Biblical archaeological sites such as Masada, the Qumran |
caves, and the environs of Jerusalem itself, have all been sources of |
| )

i
 Manuscript Publication Dates 107

eve
BETAS.
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ae _Oraerereaornanirat eres gecpan Gals 2
JES =a Ae CYrocken IAN Y TTEPA
MAPTIWNTTPOT E
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weePe re aie CNA IAT Ges > ASTON EKDE =
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Os zo:AE NoveSRAPTY PPet DEHLI ay?
yr as
treeSATeKHy ON IRTA
Erare et PHKENA] AY THA
f=
tea Sel cone TrP Oca ‘yove le Soe a
Psa TRENDS PAC EKEIN AE) cereore oa
=oo) akeyesae GtBLL KD
PAYKean KAY eTuT
“OS Aor ant ay TRON en TPa HN a
cyesexyTey eA ae
Tee“Nbaaa? tr ieant Wwoyen age! nay T us

as 3 Tineoperas

) wk PRE fcay
: AEs Mi
yfaasindbae Ata 7
WY IEAT ISSica
ye ey
Figure 6. Hebrews 10:8-20. from pe a manuscript dated soot
200 C.E.
Note the surrogates for incoy (TA Y) [Jesus] and kpicr
oy (RPY)
[Christ] at 10:10; eeoy (@Y) [God] at 10:13, and
KPICTG (RT)
[Christ] at 10:16 (Jehovah in the New World Translation).
108 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

biblical documents found by work crews under the supervision of

professional archaeologists. (However, North Africa, rather than the
three geographical areas just given, is the primary source of the
papyrus manuscripts.) When trained archaeologists and manuscript
experts are involved in the recovery process, optimum preservation of
the contextual information surrounding a manuscript is maintained.
This information may facilitate establishing the copy date of the
manuscript itself.

Two interesting examples

The papyrus document identified as P°? represents an interesting
example of a scrap of papyrus which became a major Greek Scripture
manuscript discovery! The entire manuscript consists of a small and
irregularly shaped fragment of the Gospel of John, measuring about 21/2
by 3!/2 inches. It was acquired by Bernard P. Grenfell in Egypt in 1920.
In 1934, C. H. Roberts of the Oxford University in England was sorting
through hundreds of mixed unidentified Greek manuscripts which
belonged to the John Rylands Library at Manchester. He recognized
and identified this small scrap as coming from John 18:31-33 and 37-38.
(Verses 31-33 are on the front of the scrap, verses 37-38 are on the back.)
More importantly, after carefulstudy of the script style, he identified
the manuscript as coming from the first half of the second century. In
1935, Roberts published an important booklet entitled, An Unpublished
Fragment of the Fourth Gospel in the John Rylands Library, in which
he identified this portion as a copy from this early date. Pages 316-317
of “All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial” identify the date |
for this manuscript fragment as 125 C.E. (For a photo reproduction of |
the manuscript, see Insight On the Scriptures, Volume 1, page 323.) |
This small scrap is now the oldest known copy of the Christian |
Scriptures, dating to within 30 years of the original writing by the }}
Apostle himself. By its early date, this small manuscript definitively ||
disproves the higher criticism contention that the Gospel of John was |
written by an unknown author in 160 C.E. (See footnote 12 in Chapter 2.)
In this chapter we are primarily concerned with new light on Greek |
manuscripts which have been published since 1950.2. As we will see, —
P6® gives us this type of example. :

1 Unless otherwise noted, all information in this chapter regarding papyrus

manuscripts comes from The Text of the New Testament by Bruce Metzger.
The general information comes from pages 36-42. The tabulated information
comes from pages 247-256.
2 The 1985 edition of the Kingdom Interlinear ‘Translation identifies oe)
and P’® in its footnote citations. However, this was not material available to the
original translators, as these manuscripts were published in 1958, 1961, and
 Manuscript Publication Dates 109

A Genevan bibliophile by the name of M. Martin Bodmer acquired a

number of important biblical manuscripts. Among them is the papyrus
manuscript P6® which consists of six quires (a large page which is
folded and slit to form what is today called a bindery stitch) measuring
about 6 by 51/2 inches. It contains John 1:1-6:11 and 6:35b-14:15. In 1956,
Victor Martin, Professor of Classical Philology at the University of
Geneva, published his study of this manuscript identifying the date of
its production as circa 200 C.E. Later, an additional 46 pages of this
same manuscript was acquired by M. Bodmer and subsequently
published by Martin in 1958.

The copy date and the publication date

With the examples given above, we can now differentiate between
copy date and publication date. By copy date, we mean the
approximate time at which a particular manuscript was produced by a
scribe or copyist. Thus, for example, P©® is judged to have been copied
by ascribe about 200 C.E. This does not tell us, however, when this
manuscript became available for scholarly study. This latter
information we will express as the manuscript's publication date. From
the example above, we see that the scholarly work done by Professor
Martin to establish the date in which this manuscript was copied was
made available (published) in 1956 and 1958.
The difference between copy date and publication date is
important to the work of the Bible translator. The textual critic works
toward assembling the most exact reproduction possible of the apostolic
authors' Greek writing. The translator works toward conveying the
exact sense of the apostolic writers' words into understandable modern
language. The final translation represents the combined efforts of both
the textual critic and the modern Bible translator. However, the
translator is dependent on the work of the textual critic because the
translator has access to a Greek text only after the textual critic has
completed his work. It is thus the published results of the textual critic
which gives the translator the most reliable wording of the Greek text.
'. (Some textual critics have also acted as translators. In the case of the
New World Translation, however, the Translation Committee was
primarily dependent on the work of the textual critics Westcott and
Hort. The Committee availed itself of supplemental assistance from
other textual critics as well.) Presumably, unless the translator is also
working as a textual critic on unpublished documents, he will be
unaware of new Greek manuscript discoveries until after their
publication date.

1961 respectively.
110 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

The papyrus identification system indicates the dissimilarity

between copy date and publication date. Ostensibly, the first papyrus
Greek Scripture manuscript which was identified was assigned the
symbol P! which stands for Papyrus‘lassification #1. The second papyrus
was classified as P2, with each successive classification following.
Needless to say, ancient documents are not discovered in their
chronological order. The first papyrus placed in this classification
system (P!) was from the third century C.E., the second (P2) was from
the sixth century, the third (P?) was from either the sixth or seventh
century, the fourth was anearly copy from the third century, and so on
for each of the classified papyri numbered through P7®. In fact, some of
the latest papyri to be classified are some of the earliest. P46, P64,
P66 and P®7 are all dated circa 200 C.E.
Papyri publication dates roughly correspond with their individual
discovery date. Consequently, papyrus manuscripts found early tend to
have early publication dates, while later manuscripts carry more
recent dates. However, there are exceptions. For one reason or another,
a manuscript may not be classified immediately after it is found. As we
will see in the following tabulated information, the dates of discovery
represented by the superscript on the "P" symbol do not coincide with an
exact sequence of publication dates. Classification often results from
the presumed importance of the manuscript or the availability of
individuals who are qualified to do the necessary research. In the
example above, P°2 was overlooked for many years merely because its
insignificant size and mix with numerous other small manuscript
portions obscured its great importance.

Papyrus manuscripts and the 237 Jehovah references

In this chapter, we are primarily concerned with new light which
has become available in Christian Greek Scripture studies since 1950.
Specifically, we want to determine what bearing this new light has on |
the issue of whether Kgséoe or the Tetragrammaton was used in the |
Greek Scriptures. |
In the following tabulation of papyrus manuscripts, information —
will be given for those manuscripts classified as P! through P7© which |
contain one (or both) of two types of information. |
I. Information will be given for any classified papyrus manuscript |
which was published after the completion of the Christian |
Scriptures portion of the New World Translation in 1950.
II. Information will be given for any classified papyrus manuscript }
which contains one or more of the 237 Jehovah passages cited in the }
Christian Scriptures of the New World Translation.
 Manuscript Publication Dates 111

Before evaluating the information tabulated from these 76 extant

papyrus manuscripts in Table 5, a brief explanatory comment should be
made regarding the information presented:
1. The headings areas follows: No. identifies the individual papyrus
by its classification number; Extant portions lists the passages found
in the manuscript; Date Copied identifies the time periodin which
the ancient manuscript was produced; Published identifies the date
at which the manuscript's contents and assigned date of copy was
released to the scholarly community for study; “J” Ref. Kuptos
identifies those passages from the 237 Jehovah references in the
New World Translation in which a form of the Greek word Kuptos
was used in the papyrus manuscript; Papyrus 117” indicates the
number of occurrences of the Tetragrammaton within these papyrus
manuscripts for any of the 237 Jehovah passages; NWT Jehovah
indicates the number of Jehovah references in the New World
Translation found in the cited papyrus.
2. Specialized information is included under the heading Extant
portions.
a. The chapter and verse citations are to be read consecutively with
the hyphen read as through. For example, in P!! the entry, "1 Cor
1:17-23; 2:9-12, 14; 3:1-3, 5-6; 4:3-5:5, etc.," is understood to mean,
"the manuscript includes 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verses 17 through
23, chapter 2 verses 9 through 12, chapter 2 verse 14, chapter 3
verses 1 through 3, verses 5 and 6, and chapter 4 verse 3 through
chapter 5 verse 5," and so on.
b. Within each series of entries, a bold parenthetical number indicates
one of the 237 Jehovah entries in the NWT. In several instances
such as P46, multiple occurrences of Jehovah are each shown with
an individual verse number such as (8), (8), (8), indicating that
Jehovah occurs three times at Romans 14:8.
c. An entry identified with a dagger(') indicates that the manuscript
is fragmentary or words are missing from the text.
_ d. Abook name with no reference citations indicates that the book is
complete in the manuscript. Notice the entries for P#® which
indicate that 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians,
Colossians, and Hebrews are complete. Nonetheless, these entries
may show bold citations of Jehovah references. (For example,
"Col (1:10), (3:13)," etc.)
_e. The book order is given according to the English Bible. In some
cases, the actual papyrus manuscript will include books in a
different order. |
112 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

3. Information regarding the Greek word used in any papyrus

manuscript is readily available from The Greek New Testament
published by the United Bible Societies. For this study, the third
edition was used. The verse was consulted in the UBS text for each
of the 237 Jehovah references contained in any papyrus manuscript.
These are the references identified within bold typeface
parentheses. If there is a variant (changed wording) in any credible
Greek manuscripts, the UBS appatctty (textual footnote) lists the
manuscripts and their wording.” All Kgréos (KUpios) entries were
verified. All entries fdentifying any of the76 papyrus manuscripts
were noted. From this information, the two columns “J” Ref. Kuptos
and Papyrus 717” were derived. The discrepancies between the
columns ”J” Ref. Kipios and NWT Jehovah are accounted for in the
footnotes.
A simple summary of this information will be given in Table 6. The
reader may wish to move ahead to that summary. For completeness,
however, the information is given in full as follows:

Extant portions Date Pub- "J" Ref. Papyrus NWT

Copied lished Rivero mil?” léhovah

F anne 2.
[2 })Jn 12:12-(13)-15. i. Sf6th] 1906 ee eee
3 4 Corinthians 10:9 says "Neither let us put Jehovah to the test....". The UBS
text uses neither the Tetragrammaton nor Kuptos. Rather, it uses the word
Xptotov [Christ] with a footnote reference to the textual apparatus. In the
textual apparatus, we find that the word Xptotov [Christ] has a {C} rating which
means that "there is a considerable degree of doubt whether the text...contains
the...reading selected for the text." Subsequently, a large number of
manuscripts (including P46), versions, lectionaries, and church fathers using
the word XptoTov are cited as the first choice of the editors. A second choice
is the word kvptov [Lord] which includes both X (Aleph) and B from the Westcott
and Hort text. A third choice is 8€dv [God] with two supporting manuscripts and
one church father. The final choice, with only a single supporting manuscript,
eliminates the words tov Xptotdév [the Christ] altogether. The complete UBS
footnote entry is as follows:
{C} Xptotév P46 D G K & 88 330 451 614 629 630 1241 1739 1881 1984
2492 2495 Byz Lect it2"4.4e™.e,1,9.%,2 yg gy'Ph eopSa.bo Marcion Theotecnus
lrenaeus'@t Clement Origen Ambrosiaster Ephraem Epiphanius
Chrysostom?”* Pelagius Augustine Ps-Oecumenius Theophylact / KUptov
X BC P 33 104 181 326 436 1877 2127 sy™9 arm eth Chrysostom 1/4
Theodoret Cassiodorus John-Damascus Sedulius-Scotus / 8eév A 81
Euthalius / omit Tov Xptotév 1985
 Manuscript Publication Dates 113

No. Extant portions Date Pub- "J" Ref. ee NWT

P Copied lished Kv
Gene adel shovah
Lk 7:36-45; 10:38-42. 6thor | 1882
7th 1885
1963

(66)- (68)-(76)-2: , 6-7;

3 8-38; 4:2, 29-32, 34-35; 5:3-8, 30-38; 6:1-16.
Ol
ad Jn 1:23-(23)-31, 33-41; | 3rd 1898 1 none 1
16:14-30; 20:11-17, 19-
2022-20:

1 Cor 1:17-23; 2:9-12, 14; | 7th 1868 none

3:1-3, 5-6; 4:3-(4)-(19)- 1957
5:5, 7-8; 6:5-7, 11-18; 7:3-6, 10-14.
Heb 2:14-5:5; 10:8-(16)-
22, 29 - (30) - (12:5) - |4th
(12:6)-12:17.
Mt 20:24-32; 21:13-19;
25:41-46; 26:1-39; Mk
4:36-40; 5:15-(19)-26, 38-6:3, 16-25, 36-50; 7:3-15, 25-8:1, 10-26,
34-9:8, 18-31; 11:27-33; 12:1, 5-8, 13-19, 24-28; Lk 6:31-41, 45-
7:7; 9:26-41, 45-10:1, 6-22, 26-(27)-11:1, 6-25, 28-46, 50-12:12,
18-37, 42-13:1, 6-24, 29-14:10, 17-33; Jn 10:7-25, 31-11:10, 18-36,
43-57; Act 4:27-(29)-36; 5:10-(19)-20, 30-39; 6:7-7:2, 10-21, 32-
(33)-41, 52-(60)-8:1, 14-(22)-(24)-25 (25), 34-(39)-9:6, 16-27, 35-
10:23, 31-(33)-41; 11:2-14, 24-12:5, 13-(17)-22; 13:6-(10)-(11)-
(12)-16, 25-36, 46-(47)-(48)°-(49)-14:3 (3), 15-23 (23); 15:2-7,
19-26, 38-(40)-16:4, 15-(15)-21, 32-(32)-40; 17:9-17.
Rom 5:17-6:3, 5-14; 8:15-
25, 27-35, 37-9:(28)- 1936
(29)-32; 10:1-(13)-(16)-11:(3)-22, 24-33, 35-(12:11)-(19)-14:(4)-
(6), (6), (6)-8 (8), (8), (8), 9-(11)-15:9", 11-(11)-33; 16:1-23, 25-

4 P+ omits Kipios (Kgréos) at Luke 1:68.

S p45, p74 and x (Aleph) [Westcott and Hort] use Kijpios (Kgréos) whereas B
_ (Vatican MS. No. 1209) [Westcott and Hort] uses 0€ os (theas).
114 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures |

, Baer Date Pub- "J" Ref. Papyrus NWT

No Extant portions Copied lished fain ”__ Jehovah |
Peal Cor’ (1:31), (2:16), (3:20), (4:4), (4:19), (7:17), (10:9)°,
(10: 2s (10:21), (10:22), (10:26), (11:32), (14:21), (16:7), (16:10),
2Cor' (3:16), (3:17), is 17), G6: i (3:18), (6:17), (6:18), (8:21),
(10:17), (10:18), Gar (3:6), Eph’ (2:21)7 (5: 1D (5:19), (6:4),
(6:7), (6:8), Phil, Colt (1:10), (3:13), (3:16)’, (3:22), (3:23),
(3:24), 1Th 1:1, 9-10; 2:1-3; 5:5-9, 23-28; Heb. (2:13), (7:21),
(8:2), (8:8), (8:9), (8:10), (8:11), (10:16), (10:30), (12:5), (12:6),
(13:6).
Rev 9:10-(11:17), (15:3),
(15:4), (16:7)-17:2." 3rd
3rd

Pee
ie
Act 8:26-(26)-32; 10:26- A4thor | 1937 1 none 1
S¥:
Jn 1:26, 28, 48, 51; 2:15-
16; 11:40-52; 12:25, 29,
31, 35; 17:24-26; 18:1-2, 16-17, 22; 21:7, 12-13, 15, 17-20, 23.

1:1-2, 4-6; 5:1-3, 5-6, 9-

13; Phil 3:5-9, 12-16; Col 1:3-7, 9-(10)-13; 4:15; 1 Th 1:2-3; Tit
| 3:1-5, 8-11, 14-15; Phlm 4-7.

Mt 26:7, 10, 14-15, 22- | c.200 | 1953 | none | none | none

PiePee HIG) ,

13%
P66 | Jn 1:1-(23)-6:11, 35-(45), |c.200 | 1958 none 5
(12:13), 138), (38)-14:26,
29-21: 9.

28.
1 Cor 4:12-17, 19-(19)- |7th (?} 1957 none
21; 5:1-3.

BeeP46 uses
ec KptoTév
Gin Seen
(Christ) etn
whereas X (Aleph) [Westcott and Hort] uses |
Kuptov (Lord).
7 p46 x (Aleph) [Westcott and Hort], B (Vatican MS. No. 1209) [Westcott and
Hort] all use 0€0¢ (theo). |
 Manuscript Publication Dates Lr

Extant portions
i Copied Pub-
Date lished y a5 Papyrus
"J" Les ile

p72 | 1Pt, (1:25), (3:12), (12), Cee

Pe 2 Pt (2:9), (11), (3:8), 4th
(9), (10), (12); ude (5)®, (9), (14).
eto 71d 315
18-19, 22-(24)-25; 2:2-4, |
6-(20)- (21)- (25)- (34)- (39)- (47)-3:(19)-(22)-26; 4:2-6, 8-(26)-27,
29 = (29)-(5:9)- (19)- (7:31)- (33)- (49)- (60)- (8:22)- (24)- (25)- (26)-
(39) -(9:31) -(10:33) - (13:44)1° - (13:47) - (13:49) - (16:32)!2
(18:21)!*- (19:20)-(21:14)-27:25, 27-28:31; Jas 1:1-6, 8-19, 21-23,
25, 27-2:15, 18-22, 25-3:1, 5-6, 10-12, 14, 17-4:8, 11-14; 5:1-3, 7-9,
12-14, 19-20; 1 Pt 1:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 19-20, 25 (25); 2:7, 11-12, 18,
24; 3:4-5;2 Pt 2:21; 3:4, 11, 16; 1 Jn 1:1, 6; 2:1-2, 7, 13-14, 18-19,
25-26; 3:1-2, 8, 14, 19-20; 4:1, 6-7, 12, 16-17; 5:3-4, 10, 17; 2 Jn 1,
6-7, 12-13; 3 Jn 6, 12; Jude 3, 7, 12, 18, 24-25.

5:10, 37-6:4, 10-7:32, 35- 3rd

g 43, 46-(10:27)-(13:35)-18:18; 22:4-24:53; Jn 1:1-(23), (6:45),
(12:13), (12:38), (12:38)-13:10; 14:8-15:8."
n 4:9, 12. ; 1959

Table 5. A comprehensive list of papyrus manuscripts published

since 1950 which give new light on the Tetragrammaton
in the Greek Scriptures. In no instance is 17
represented.

In addition to the above published papyrus manuscripts, there are

_ a small number of manuscripts which have been assigned numbers but
_ have either not been published, or have had incomplete work done

8 p?2 uses beds Xpiotés (theas elréatos) [God Christ] whereas X (Aleph)
_ [Westcott and Hort] uses KUptos (Kyréoa).
9 pP74uses 6é0s (theo) whereas P* uses Kiipios (Kyréas).
— 10 Both P%4 ands (Aleph) [Westcott and Hort] use Kuptos (Kgséoa) whereas B
_| (Vatican MS. No. 1209) [Westcott and Hort] uses 9€ 0s (teas).
_ 11 p45, p74 and x (Aleph) [Westcott and Hort] use Ki)ptos (Kyréos) whereas B
(Vatican MS. No. 1209) [Westcott and Hort] uses 6€ 0s (téeas).
' 12 All texts use G€0¢ (theos).
116 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

regarding their copy date. These include P73, P77, p78, P79: P80 and P31,
There is one additional fourth century fragment from 1 Peter which has
not been assigned a number.!9

New manuscript light since 1950

We can now summarize our findings. At the beginning of the book
we asked, "Did the original apostolic writers use the Tetragrammaton
in 237 instances while writing the Christian Greek Scriptures?" We
then explored whether new light from studies of ancient Christian
Scripture manuscripts would help answer this question.
The summary information in Table 6 gives valuable new insights
into the presence of the Tetragrammaton in some of the earliest Greek
manuscripts. Eighteen of these manuscripts were unknown to the New
World Bible Translation Committee when it completed its work in
1950. (However, both P? and P!! had been published in some form at
an earlier date.)
These new manuscripts represent very early dates. Three
manuscripts were actually copied circa 200 C.E. Another five
manuscripts were copied within the first four centuries, three of which
are clearly from the third century. However, of these eight very
ancient manuscripts, not all contain passages among the 237 Jehovah
references. Nonetheless, there are 29 occurrences of the Greek word
Kgéoa represented in these new documents from the third—to the
latest—fourth century. If all newly published manuscripts are counted, }
there are a total of 63 occurrences of Kgéosa in these same passages in |
which Jehovah has been inserted into the English text of the |
New World Translation Christian Scriptures. dl
The most significant question we can ask, however, is this: "Inthese |
very old, yet recently published manuscripts, do we find the |
Tetragrammaton?" The answer is, "No, we do not." In these 18 |
manuscripts published since 1950, there are a total of 65 passages in ]
which we would expect to find the Tetragrammaton in the earliest ||
manuscripts. (These passages are identified in the following summary |
as the "Total number of NWT Jehovah passages since 1950.") Yet, |
there is not a single occurrence of the Tetragrammaton in any of these |
passages. If we evaluate the same information for all 237 passages of |
which we find 163 represented within these papyri (these 163 passages |
are identified as the "Total papyri passages where NWT inserts |

13 The above information comes from Metzger (op. cit.). However, inasmuch
as the book we are citing was published in 1968 (and reprinted in 1978), some of
this publication work may now have been completed.
 Manuscript Publication Dates 117

No. Date Copied Published "J" Ref, Papyrus NWT

Kupto mae ehovah
6th or 7th 1882 none none none
1885
1963
rp? [sth | 1957 none | none | none
es ne Pe ee Be ees
Pll 7th 1868 2 none 2

4th

pe OlMmeenes 700). Larei| aad 950) aheu bs. [ainones (ig

ROG ape oOdar we], ox1953T Uesnone ule moren as nae 6
Baas] 08200 cots 2) 1953.0 |Sertoney?| Aenonee | none c=
Grae CPord hs|S LOA ay LEN enone Pealody al
ORO Nie 5sDOUG atWoe C1958 Gee Soe Silwintne “8b

Total ofallpapyri published ST

[Total papyri passages where NWTinserts Jehovah | 163_

Table 6. A summary of papyrus manuscripts published since

1950 which give new light on the Tetragrammaton in
the Greek Scriptures. In no instance is 717
represented.

_ 14 The number of consecutively numbered papyri is 76. However, P’? has not
_ yet been published.
118 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Jehovah") we again find the complete absence of any manuscript —

reference to i717’.
With a significant increase today in the new light on very early
Greek manuscripts, we find overwhelming evidence that _ the
Tetragrammaton is not used inany extant copiesof the Greek Scriptures
since 200 C.E.

CHAPTER SUMMARY. In the time since the completion of the

New World Translation Christian Scriptures, there has been a
significant increase in new light and knowledge of biblical manuscripts.
Of the total 75 earliest copies of the Scriptures represented in the ©
papyri, 18 have been published for scholarly study since 1950.
1. The new light we now possess includes some of the earliest known |
copies of the Greek Scriptures. Three of these new manuscripts were |
copied in approximately 200 C.E. Another three were copied by the |
end of the third century, and another two no later than the fourth |
century. |
2. Within this group of eight new manuscripts which were copied no |
later than the fourth century, there is not asingle appearance of the |
Tetragrammaton. With only two exceptions, Kgxéos is clearly used in |
the text. (The two exceptions are found in P74, and both use teas |
rather than the Tetragrammaton.)
3.The evidence now available from the earliest Greek Scripture |
manuscripts (the papyri) gives a combined witness of 160 occurrences _
of Kgéoa and two occurrences of theos in 163 of the 237 Jehovah |
passages. The remaining 74 Jehovah references are not substantiated —
by these earliest papyri manuscripts, yet no later Greek manuscript |
evidence gives any indication of the use of the Tetragrammaton.
i)
\

Chapter 10: REMOVAL OF THE TETRAGRAMMATON FROM

|
}}

EARLY GREEK MANUSCRIPTS

Te New World Bible Translation Committee believed that the

Tetragrammaton was used by the original Greek Scripture
writers, but then removed by scribes and copyists by the forth
century. This possibility requires careful scrutiny inasmuch as
verification of the Tetragrammaton’s removal is the sole condition
justifying restoration ofJehovah's name to the Christian Scriptures.
This chapter considers the textual evidence which will confirm or
refute the claim that the Tetragrammaton was removed from the
original Greek Christian Scripture manuscripts.
Needless to say, a description of the Tetragrammaton's removal is
not found in the writings of the Christian Scriptures themselves for the
obvious reason that an altered text would not report the process of its
own corruption. Rather, the issue of removal will be resolved through
an examination of historical and textual material bearing on the
original Greek manuscripts. The reader must also be aware that this
chapter addresses the presence of the Tetragrammaton only in the
Christian Greek Scriptures and not in the Septuagint.

The position of the Watch Tower Society

By way of introduction, the teaching of the Watch Tower Society is
summarized in this quotation from the New World Translation
Reference Edition, 1984, page 1564:
Matthew made more than a hundred quotations from the
inspired Hebrew Scriptures. Where these quotations included the
divine name he would have been obligated faithfully to include the
Tetragrammaton in his Hebrew Gospel account. When the Gospel
of Matthew was translated into Greek, the Tetragrammaton was left
untranslated within the Greek text according to the practice of that
time.
Sometime during the second or third century C.E. the scribes
removed the Tetragrammaton from both the Septuagint and the
Christian Greek Scriptures and replaced it with Ky’rios, "Lord" or
The-os’, "God."
[Quoting George Howard] "In the following pages we will set
forth a theory that the divine name, 717” (and possibly abbreviation
of it), was originally written in the N[ew] T[estament] quotation of
and allusions to the O[ld] T[estament] and that in the course of time
120 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

it was replaced mainly with the surrogate KS [abbreviation for

Ky'ri-os, “Lord"]."
We concur with the above, with this exception: We do not
consider this view a "theory," rather, a presentation of the facts of
history as to the transmission of Bible manuscripts.

Defining the search for the Tetragrammaton

Irrespective of one's view regarding the existence of the
Tetragrammaton in the original Christian Greek Scriptures, a study
exploring its presence should evaluate six specific issues.
These six topics are given in descending order of importance. If the
first statement can be substantiated, the remaining evidence is merely
corroborative. If it cannot be substantiated, each of the descending
statements must give appropriate degrees of confirming evidence.!
1.The majority of the earliest extant Christian Scripture manuscripts
should show the Tetragrammaton or a reasonable derivative
embedded in the Greek text.
2. Early and abundant extant manuscripts of the Christian Greek
Scriptures should show evidence of the Tetragrammaton's removal.
3. The writings of the early church fathers should record a debate
ensuing from the Tetragrammaton's removal.
4.Early non-canonical writings should include reference to the
Tetragrammaton.
5. The Tetragrammaton should be identifiable in Christian Scriptures
written in the Hebrew language during the apostolic or early church
era.
6. The geography of the area establishes the setting to be considered in
the Tetragrammaton's removal.

Christian Greek Scriptures which use the Tetragrammaton must be

substantiated
The Watch Tower Society teaches that the original Christian
Greek Scriptures used the Tetragrammaton in the 237 instances in

| The first statement would establish the Tetragrammaton as a reality in the

Christian Greek Scriptures with no other supporting evidence needed. In its
absence, the second would give strong evidence of its original existence. The
third and fourth statements are natural consequences which must be
observable had the original Scriptures been so radically changed in the second
or third century. The fifth statement is merely corroborative if we hold the Greek
manuscripts of the Greek Scriptures to be those which are inspired of God: The
sixth is simply a practical concern which addresses geographical diversity. In
no case, however, can later evidence alone establish the Tetragrammaton's
presence if substantial indication is not attestable in early manuscripts.
 Removal of the Tetragrammaton 121

which the name Jehovah has been inserted into the New World
Translation. If this is true, one of two conditions must exist, and
preferably both should be true for appropriate verification.

1. The majority of the earliest extant Christian Scripture manuscripts

should show the Tetragrammaton or a reasonable derivative embedded
in the Greek text.
Our previous discussions of the inspiration of Scripture and its
inerrancy is based on an important premise. For any portionof Scripture
to be accepted as authoritative, it must be verified by authentic,
ancient manuscripts. We cannot validate the original words of
Scripture on any basis other than the most exacting manuscript study.
Were we to allow mere speculation to dictate the words of the text, the
door would be opened to a plethora of sectarian Bibles of all types. If
the Tetragrammaton was used in the original writings of the apostolic
authors, we must be able to find the Hebrew letters 717? embedded? in
the earliest extant copies of these Greek manuscripts. There is no other
source of information or tradition which can take precedence over the
earliest and most accurate Greek copies of the Christian Scriptures.
The reader must be aware that there are no extant Greek
manuscripts which contain the Tetragrammaton inthe Christian Greek
Scriptures. Wecanappropriately require the same degree of evidence
for the Tetragrammaton which we demand for any other correction of
variants in the Greek text. In the absence of a single occurrence of the
Tetragrammaton in any of the 5,000 extant Greek manuscripts of the
Greek Christian Scriptures, we can conclude that all discussion of the
Tetragrammaton in the Christian Greek Scriptures is mere
speculation. |
Furthermore, neither is there any evidence of Greek lettering used
as a substitution for the Hebrew letters 17. No Christian Greek
Scripture manuscripts are reported by the Watch Tower Society to
contain a derivative such as the Greek letters TIMI (PIPI) which are
found in certain copies of the Septuagint and Origen'sHexapla.
Finally, as we close this first topic dealing with the presumed
removal of the Tetragrammaton from the Christian Greek Scriptures,

2 Embedment precisely expresses this Hebrew word's placement into a Greek

text. It would not be a translation because it would be an exact importation of
_ the Hebrew word, including its meaning and orthography, into the Greek text.
_ The upper-case Greek letters IIIIII (PIPI) would be a graphic symbol of the
Hebrew name of God.
3 Of the total 5,000 whole or partial Christian Greek Scripture manuscripts
which are known to exist, the Watch Tower Society does not identify a single
~ document in which the Tetragrammaton was used.
122 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

we must be reminded of an essential reality. Within the Greek text

used today, whether this be the Westcott and Hort text used in the
Kingdom Interlinear Translation, or the United Bible Societies’ Greek
New Testament, there is not a single instance ofa word which has been
reinstated to the Greek text without textual support in ancient Greek
manuscripts. Could the Hebrew letters 117” represent the first and only
case in which this is permissible?

2.Early and abundant extant manuscripts of the Christian Greek

Scriptures should show evidence of the Tetragrammaton’s removal.
No originals of the Greek Scripture writings remain. For that
reason, all evidence for the content of the Greek Scriptures comes from
subsequent and successive copies.
Irrespective of the word used by the original writers in these 237
instances, the word would be formidably established in the manuscripts
after the first 30 or more years of the Christian church.4 Because of the
great travel distances between churches and their individual need for
manuscripts, many copies of the originals came into existence in this
brief time interval. There is no basis for accurately estimating the
number of copies which were in circulation 30 years later. However,
considering the fact that the church was dispersed by severe
persecution, thatrapid church growth was experienced, and that both
congregation- and privately-held copies were in use, the numbers must
have been in the hundreds, if not thousands, of individual copies for
each book within this short period of time.
Presuming now that the passages containing the Hebrew word 117”
were changed to Kuptos, what would have needed to occur? In the first i
place, it would have been impossible to gather a1] existing manuscripts
containing 717’ for destruction ata single time. There would simply
have been too many manuscripts with too wide a distribution for this to
take place. Initially, only a few manuscripts in selected locations could
have been destroyed. Willful destruction of manuscripts would have
beeneven more difficult because many Christians had preserved them
through perilous times of persecution and personal risk.
Thus, what is calleda textual variant would have resulted rather

4 We have stated 30 years as an absolute minimum time simply because the

Apostle John wrote at least 30 years after the first manuscripts of Matthew and
Paul were circulated. Most certainly, at least John's epistles would have
reflected a warning if the early use of the Tetragrammaton had been altered in
his lifetime. The reader must understand, however, that both the 30 year period
of time and the presupposition that John would have commented on the
alteration are outside of any verifiable data available.
 Removal of the Tetragrammaton 123

than an abrupt and complete change. That is, there would have
emerged a mix of manuscripts with some using 117” and others using
Kiptos.” As time went on, assuming a consensus among a strong element
advocating the heresy, a larger percentage of manuscripts would have
now contained the variant form Ktptos. However, because of the
resistance to alterations and the diversity of geographical location,
copies containing the original 717” would have remained in circulation.
There are examples of manuscript longevity which we have
already seen. Jerome, who died in 420 C.E., reports having personally
used Matthew's Hebrew Gospel. Needless to say, this document (or
copies of it) was available for at least 300 years after its writing.
Therefore, if 117” was altered to KUptos, we would expect to see a
progressive change wherein older documents contained the original,
_ while newer copies contained the variant. The distribution would
have been further commingled because more recent copies would have
occasionally been made from older documents, and i117’ would have
randomly reappeared.
However, the change would not always have been as simple as
going from 117’ to Kupios. Because the Christian Greek Scriptures were
primarily circulated in Gentile territory, we would expect to see
variants prompted by language confusion rather than theological bias.
Thus, we would probably find early variants with a form of derived
Greek lettering such as the IIIIII (PIPI) variant found in the Septuagint,
or the Greek phonetic reproduction IAQ (YAW). Further, if the original
m7” had been corrupted, it would not have universally changed to
Kup.ios. We would expect to find a variety of Greek words which could
have been traced back to the 17” source, but which would have
_ differed from the Greek word chosen in other manuscripts. For that
- reason, in each of these 237 references, we would find a variety of Greek
_ words in extant manuscripts rather than the single word Kuptos.
Consequently, we would expect a change of the Tetragrammaton to
Kgwéos in the second and third centuries to leave identifiable
manuscript evidence. Even if all copies containing the Tetragrammaton
. itself were lost, significant evidences of the alteration would remain in
extant Greek manuscripts.
The Watch Tower Society teaches that prior to the copying of any

2 In actuality, there would also be a mix expected within a single manuscript.

_ Not all of the 237 passages would be uniformly altered in each manuscript.
6 Because subsequent users of a manuscript frequently made corrections, we
would also expect to find a small number of manuscripts in which the
_ Tetragrammaton was overwritten with Kgzéos or a Greek substitution for the
divine name.
124 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

manuscripts of the Christian Greek Scriptures which are known today,

the Tetragrammaton was changed to Kgséoe by copyists and scribes.
This argument encounters a formidable obstacle. The rapidity and
completeness of such a change would have been unprecedented. The
Kingdom Interlinear Translation amply establishes that Greek
manuscripts of the fourth century (300 C.E. and later) carried only the
word Kgsioe with no reference to the Tetragrammaton. In the book “All
Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial” (p. 313), several examples
of leading papyrus manuscripts are cited which move the date of known |
uses of Kgséos even closer to apostolic times. As we saw in the last |
chapter, P47 includes four passages from Revelation 9:10-17:2 which
are translated as Jehovah in the New World Translation. This |
manuscript was copied by 300 C.E. The book of Revelation was written
by John about 96 C.E. so that these four uses of Kgséos are verified to |
within 204 years of the original writing. |
Another manuscript from the third or fourth century identified as |
P72 contains 12 XKgséos passages translated as Jehovah in the New |
World Translation. This manuscript, which contains Jude and |
1 and 2 Peter, was copied between 201 and 399 C.E.
A third manuscript which the Watch Tower Society uses as a |
reference, is identified as P©®. It contains five Kyséos passages which |
are translated in the New World Translation as Jehovah. This ©
manuscript is identified as circa 200 C.E. Since these five passages |
come from the Gospel of John (which was written about 98 C.E.), these |
copies were made approximately 102 years after the original writing.” —
The inescapable truth is that, as early as 102 to not more than 204 years |
from the writing of the Christian Greek Scriptures, we have ©
substantial evidence that the Christian church fully accepted Kgréoa |
(Lord) as the appropriate word in these passages. |
According to the information published by the Watch Tower
Society, it is left entirely to speculation as to how the original Greek |
Christian Scriptures could have been written using the ©
Tetragrammaton, and then to have been so completely changed within |
a mere 102 to 240 years, leaving no trace of the corruption. (That is, to —
use the best dates available to us, John probably wrote Revelation in 96 |
C.E. and his Gospel in 98 C.E. Paul's last epistles were written in 61 |
C.E.) That leaves a period of time between 98 and 200 C.E. in which
the entire heresy would have needed to arise, altered all documents —
which have remained today, altered all documents of which we have }
copies today, and so completely established itself as the corrupted |
theology that there was no surviving written debate between the —

7 Refer to the footnote section of Appendix A for this information.

 Removal of the Tetragrammaton 15

church fathers. Yet the book “All Scripture Is Inspired of God and
Beneficial,” moves the dates even closer together when it says,
...out discoveries of older Bible manuscripts during the past few
decades take the Greek text back as far as about the year 125 C.E.,
just a couple of decades short of the death of the apostle John
about 100 C.E. These manuscript evidences provide strong
assurance that we now have a dependable Greek text in refined
form (p. 319).
That a heresy of such radical proportions could have swept the
entire Roman Empire during the short period between even 96 and 300
C.E., and that it could have been so complete as to remove all traces of
the change, is difficult to imagine. Could we then imagine that it
happened "just a couple of decades" after the death of the apostle
John?

Early non-biblical writings must reflect the controversy

The early non-biblical writings of the church consisted of
commentaries and polemics of numerous church writers as well as non-
canonical devotional writings. We would expect these two important
sources to mention the presence of the Tetragrammaton within the
original apostolic writings.

3. The writings of the early church fathers should record a debate

ensuing from the Tetragrammaton's removal.
The development of the church was marked by writing. In many
cases, this writing was in the form of letters or epistles. (The Christian
Greek Scriptures owe much to letter writing. The Gospel of Luke, the
book of Acts, all of Paul's writings, Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, Jude,
and the three epistles of John are all addressed as letters to churches or
individuals. Even the book of Revelation is addressed to "the seven
congregations that are in the [district of] Asia." [Revelation 1:4.]})
By the second century, however, the writing of letters of instruction
as well as considerably longer works of philosophy and _ theology
’ became an accepted part of the new church. A significant amount of
that writing has been preserved for us today®
In 325 C.E. the First Council of Nicaea was convened. For our
purposes, the content of that council is not important. However, the
writings of the church fathers? are categorized on the basis of this

8 ali the writings of the early church fathers were transmitted to us today in the
same manner as the Christian Greek Scriptures. That is, we have only copied
materials, never original writings.
2 The term church fathers isuniversally used to describe the leaders of the
126 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

council. A group called the Ante-Nicene fathers wrote before 325 C.E.10
The writers before 325C.E. can be considered to be reliable reporters of
the theological debates following the establishment of the _ early
church between 100 and 325 C.E., though we would in no way be
obligated to accept their individual points of view. (The writings of
the early church fathers are widely recognized by the Watch Tower
Society. The testimony of Jerome regarding Matthew's Hebrew Gospel,
the work and commentary of Origen concerning the Septuagint, and the
reluctance of the Jews to pronounce the divine name are examples of
information reported by the Ante-Nicene writers. A cursory glance
through Aid to Bible Understanding shows numerous quotations from
both secular and Christian writers of that era. Examples abound from
Tacitus and Josephus [cf. page 317], Origen [cf. page 456], Jerome [cf. page
520], Irenaeus, Africanus, and Eusebius [cf. page 640], Augustine [cf. page
671], and many others.)! !
Through these writings, much is known about the early church and
the world in which it existed. It is reasonable to assume that the
importance of any issue in the life of the early church would be
displayed by the amount of contemporary material written.
Before going further, we need to understand the amount of written
material and subject matter of these writers. The author evaluated a
standard encyclopedic reference which is available in most large public
libraries. The nine-volume setis entitled, The Ante-Nicene Fathers,
and is published by Charles Scribners' Sons. These volumes contain
writings by men living in the Common Era. Among them were Justin
Martyr (who lived from 110 to 165),!2 Irenaeus (120 to 202), Polycarp (?
to 155), Tatian (a student of Justin), Theophilus (? to ?; one book was .
known to be written in 181), Tertullian (150 to 220), and many others.
These nine volumes make an important contribution to the study of
the Tetragrammaton. First, notice that these men typically wrote
within 20 to 120 years of the original writing of the Greek Scriptures.

early church period who are known through their writings. The entire range of
theological persuasion is represented within this group.
10 Ante-Nicene simply means, "Before the Nicene council," which was
convened in 325 C.E. This is a simple chronological classification of the writers
rather than a statement of their theological position. The writings of the church
fathers are divided by the time of writing into Ante-Nicene, Nicene, and Post-
Nicene.
1 Examples of this familiarity with the writings of the church fathers and
secular authors from the era are common in readily available publications as
well. For example, see the reference to Josephus' writings on page 11 in the
Watchtower magazine, April 15, 1996.
12 Most birth and death dates for these writers are approximations.
 Removal of the Tetragrammaton 127

(Polycarp was actually a student of the Apostle John.) These men

would certainly have been aware of a heresy as great as a corruption of
the Tetragrammaton to Kytéos. This would have been particularly true
if this alteration had caused them to recognized Jesus as having
possessed the essential nature of Jehovah himself (by using Kgéos as an
all-inclusive term) rather than having been a created being (by
distinguishing between Kgséoe and i717”).
Secondly, the volume of their writings gives us an idea of the
probability of mentioning such a heresy. The nine-volume set to which
we have referred has a total of 5,433 pages of translated material.
(Indices and biographical material were not included in this count.)
With some 1,000 words per page, these writers have given us
approximately 5,400,000 words. For the sake of comparison, the 1984
reference edition of the New World Translation has 1,494 Scripture
pages with approximately 750 words per page. Consequently, there are
about 1,120,000 words in the entire New World Translation Bible.
Therefore, the writings of the church fathers between the apostolic
period and 325 C.E. represented in this encyclopedic setalone amount to
the equivalent of approximately five complete Bibles. There are other
known writings which are not included in these volumes such as the
extensive Commentaries by Origen. Certainly, in this many pages, the
heresy of the Tetragrammaton's removal would have been mentioned.
By way of example, one section of these nine volumes was
evaluated. An important early writer named Irenaeus wrote a book (it
was actually a scroll) in the second century entitled Against Heresies.
This work has 258 pagesin the English translation. Conveniently, the
publisher of this nine-volume set included a comprehensive Scripture
index for each volume. Thus, reference to a particular Scripture passage
cited by any of the church fathers can be located. Consequently, some of
the pertinent 237 Jehovah passages were located in_ Irenaeus'
_ Against Heresies to ascertain his awareness of the presumed
substitution of Kyséoe for the Tetragrammaton. No indication was found
that Iranaeus expressed concern with the presumed change in the verses
‘ he quoted. Instead, he quoted these verses with full acceptance of the
word Lord.13

13 The volume used for this study was in English not Greek. (A search for a
Greek copy proved futile.) Therefore, we can only assume that Kgéos or its
equivalent was used. (For complete substantiation of Xgréos in Greek, see the
preceding comments regarding First Clement, the Epistle of Barnabas and the
Didache.) However, our objective at this point is to discern any comment by
lranaeus as to the impropriety of a word substitution for the Tetragrammaton.
He makes no such comments. Rather, he uses the passages as they appear in
the Kingdom Interlinear Translation and adds no comments regarding an
128 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

The following citations give examples of Irenaeus' work. The

Scripture paraphrases and brief commentary by Irenaeus in the left-
hand column are from Against Heresies as translated into English and
published in The Ante-Nicene Fathers by Charles Scribners' Sons,
copyright 1899. In the right-hand column the verse which Irenaeus
cited is quoted from the New World Translation.

Against Heresies. : New World Translation

The Lord then, exposing him Then Jesus said to him: "Go
[the devil] in his true character, away, Satan! For it is written, ‘It
says, “Depart, Satan; for it is i 4 our God you
written, Thou shalt 5 must worship, and it is to him
od, and Him only alone you must render sacred
shalt thou serve." service."
(Vol. 1, p. 549) (Matthew 4:10 NW7)

For in no other way could we For “who has come to know

have learned the things of God, 3 mind, or who has
unless our Master, existing as become his counselor?"
the Word, had become : (Romans 11:34 NWT)

power of revealing us the

things of the Father, except His
own proper Word. For what
other perso knew the mind of
the or who else "has
become His counselor?"
(Vol. 1, p. 526)

Then again Matthew, when But after he had _ thought

speaking of the angel, sa these._things over, look!
"The angel of the angel appeared to
appeared to Joseph in sleep. himin a dream.
(Vol. 1, p. 422) (Matthew 1:20 NW7)

When he says in the ape to J as

Abraham “put faith in
the Galatians: " and it wascounted
Abraham believed (
(Godyand ‘it to him as righteousness."
was accounted unto him for (Galatians 3:6 NW7)
righteousness."
(Vol. 1, p. 492)14

alleged Tetragrammaton corruption.

4 This is an interesting example of agreement. Irenaeus and the Kingdom.
 Removal of the Tetragrammaton 129

For Peter said " .. For David For David sa especting him,
speaketh constantly
foresaw the before my eyes."
my face." (Acts 2:25 NWT)
(Vol. 1, p. 430)

Iranaeus indicates no awareness that copyists and scribes conspired

to remove the divine name from the Christian Greek Scriptures, even in
those instances where the New World Translation inserts the name of
Jehovah.!° Thus, a man writing a mere 50 years after the death of the
Apostle John was content with Jesus' title Kyséoe for the same passages
which the translators of the New World Translation believe were
altered from the Tetragrammaton by carelessness or fraud.

4.Early non-canonical writings should include reference to the

Tetragrammaton.
Numerous early devotional writings are available from the first
century. An interesting example is the Epistle of Clement to the
Corinthians. This epistle is regarded as a genuine writing of the
Apostle Paul's companion Clement who is_ mentioned at
Philippians 4:3.16 The epistle was written sometime between 75 and
110 C.E., with the greater probability that it was written shortly after
100 CE. Therefore, Clement's use of either the Tetragrammaton or
*Kyrioa would reflect both the practice of the first century church, and
presumably that of Paul himself. (Based on the date of this epistle,
this assertion would be true of at least the practice of the early church
even if the author was not the companion of the Apostle Paul.)
Clement universally used Kgréoe as the designation for Jesus when
he referred to him as Lord. However, he also frequently quoted (or

Interlinear Translation both use God, whereas the New World Translation uses
Jehovah.
i 15 We believe this to be an accurate portrayal of lranaeus' work. However, the
few brief quotations we are able to give in this limited space are far from
comprehensive. The reader would do well to evaluate these citations for himself
in a local library. In this way, entire sections can be checked for content.
6 The historical and textual evidence strongly attributes the authorship of the
First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians to Paul's companion. We will accept
the author as this Clement. On the other hand, the reader should understand
that the biblical Clement is not accepted unequivocally among all historians as
the true author. Further background on the book and author is abundantly
available in the preface material to this epistle. A so-called Second Epistle of
Clement is generally regarded as being the work of another (and later) author
rather than Clement himself. Therefore, only the first epistle can be relied upon
for our purposes here.
130 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

alluded to) Hebrew Scripture references in which the New World

Translation inserted Jehovah. The following quotations from the
Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians!’ are taken from the book
entitled The Apostolic Fathers,1®8 which gives the Greek text with an
English translation. Where Clement used a word which was translated
into English as Lord, the actual Greek word will be shown
parenthetically. The chapter- and verse designation within First
Clement precedes the quotation. The Hebrew Scripture reference is
given following the quotation. The Hebrew Scripture verse is quoted
from the New World Translation in the right-hand column.

First Clement New World Translation

1 Clement 8:2 And even the Sayto them, "As | am alive," is

Master of the universe himself the utterance _o
spoke with an oath concerning take delight, not
repentance; "For a he; Sald 6 death of the wicked
the KUptos), | do not one, but in that someone
desire the death of the sinner so wicked turns back from his
much as his’ repentance." way." (Ezek. 33:11)
(Ezek. 33:11)

1 Clement 8:4 "Come and let "Come, now, you _ people,

reason together, saith the and let us set matters straight
KUptos): and if your sins between us,'says
be as crimson, | will make them Though the sins of you
white as snow..." people should prove to be as
(Isa. 1:18) scarlet, they will be made
white just like snow..."
(Isa. 1:18)

1 Clement 13:5 ot WwW "|do know tha will —

assuredly that the certainly give you the land..."
(kUptos 0 6€ds) is delivering to (Josh. 2:9)
you this land..." (Josh. 2:9)

1 Clement 15:5-6 "May theLord)—etioval will cut off all

(kUptos) destroy all the deceifful SMOU lips... | shall at

17 This is not to be confused with the canonical book of 1 Corinthians.

18 Published by Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass., copyright 1912.
The English translator is Kirsopp Lake. The following information on pages 143-
144 of this book regarding the Epistle of Barnabas and the Didache is also
taken from The Apostolic Fathers.
 Removal of the Tetragrammaton 131

ime arise," says

"| shall put [him] in
toe |edayieAAG ES)

1Clement 16:2-3 For it says, "Who has put faith in the

d)(Kvpte), who has believed ve Tiel by ug?-And as for
our report, and to whom was the
arm of the rate Bea it been Té
revealed?" (Isa. 53:1)
(Isa. 53:1)

In no case did Clement use the Tetragrammaton in his Epistle to the

Corinthians. Thus, we know that Clement—a first century leader of
the church and presumably a disciple and companion of the Apostle
Paul—consistently used ct rather than the Tetragrammaton when
quoting the Hebrew Scriptures.
We are left with the conclusion that either Clement—
notwithstanding his probable leadership role in the first century
church and his association with the Apostle Paul—was a_ heretic
because he abandoned the use of the Tetragrammaton, or that. the
Gentile first century church did indeed use Xgéos in their Greek
Scriptures.
Was Clement alone, or did others follow his use of Kgréoe when
quoting from the Hebrew Scriptures?
We find a similar pattern among other writers of the time.
Another epistle from the end of the first century or early part of the
second is called the Epistle of Barnabas. Though this epistle is
traditionally held to bea work of Paul's companion, Barnabas, it most
certainly is not an authentic work of this man. Nonetheless, it was
held in high esteem by the early church. At this point we are not
debating inspiration. Our only concern is whether Xgréos or the
Tetragrammaton was used in these early writings when the Hebrew
Scriptures were quoted. Again, the Epistle of Barnabas followed the
same pattern as First Clement. The writer of the epistle quoted Isaiah
1:11 as saying:
What is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me?" saith the
(kUptos). “lam full of burnt offerings..." (Barnabas 2:4)

| 191n addition to the 5 passages from the Hebrew Scriptures given above,
~ Clement also quoted 17 verses using Kgyzéos in which the New World Translation
_ uses Jehovah (Ex. 32:31; Deut. 4:34; Deut. 32:9; Ps. 22:6-8; Ps. 24:1; Ps.
32:2; Ps. 32:10; Ps. 34:11, 15, 16, 17; Ps. 69:31; Ps. 118:20; Prov. 3:12; Prov.
20:27; Isa. 6:3; and Isa. 40:10). Clement quoted two additional verses which
the New World Translation renders as Jah (Ps. 118:18 and 19).
132 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

This same verse is given in the New World Translation as,

"Of what benefit to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?" says
Jehovah) "| have had enough of whole burnt offerings..." (Isaiah
T TN
Many similar example are found in this epistle where verses such as
Psalm 118:24, Jeremiah 7:2, Isaiah 1:10, Isaiah 45:1, and Deuteronomy
5:11 are quoted using the Greek word Xgéoe rather than the
Tetragrammaton. We have used a single example because of the need
for brevity. However, the reader is encouraged to study the Epistle of
Barnabas and the Didache mentioned below for himself.
A similar pattern of using Kgséos rather than the Tetragrammaton
is found in a document called the Didache, or Teaching of the Twelve
Apostles. This writing comes from the first half of the second century.
It was written as the teachings of the 12 disciples of Christ, however,
the anonymous author did not claim that it was written by them.
Again, we are not referring to the Didache because it has any merit as_
Scripture. However, it does reflect the understanding and practice of
the early church. The Didache quoted Hebrew Scripture passages using
Kyrtoa rather than the Tetragrammaton in a manner similar to First
Clement and Barnabas.
The question might be asked, "In this grand heresy of the
Tetragrammaton's removal, could all the writings of the church fathers
have been altered?" As we will see in the final discussion of geography
in this chapter, the enormity of the task would have made alteration
of the writings of these menimpossible. A second, but more formidable
objection, however, would have been the foresight necessary to
anticipate such an undertaking. The need tochange the writings of the
church fathers so a future generation would not know of the heresy
would never have occured to a group of copyists in the second or third
century. After all, if it had been a_ theological controversy,
contemporaries would have been aware of it. It is totally unreasonable
to think that such a concerted effort would have been made to recopy
vast quantities of manuscripts in order to hidea controversy which was
already common knowledge. Even more, it would be ludicrous to think
that thesescribes and copyists could have planed such an undertaking
solely for the purpose of beguiling future generations of scholars!
From this brief examination of early church non-canonical
devotional writings we find that the writers never used 717” in Hebrew
Scripture citations which contain the Tetragrammaton.
 Removal of the Tetragrammaton too

5. The Tetragrammaton should be identifiable in Christian Scriptures

written in the Hebrew language during the early church era.
We have already evaluated the J* reference identified as the
Shem-Tob Matthew in Chapter 5. In that chapter we recognized the
important contribution George Howard has made in a tentative
identification of this manuscript as a recension of an original Hebrew
Gospel written by Matthew himself. We hope that further work will
be done on this important subject. In the mean time, with all due
caution pending further textual study, we will acknowledge Howard's
work as the best example available of the presumably lost Hebrew
Matthew which was reported by Jerome.
In this chapter, we are evaluating six issues which merit
exploration in order to discern the Tetragrammaton's presence in the
Christian Greek Scriptures. Inasmuch as the Watch Tower Society
cites the presence of the Tetragrammaton in Matthew's Hebrew Gospel
as evidence for the restoration of Jehovah in the Christian Scriptures,
we must turn to the Shem-Tob Matthew for evaluation.
In Chapter 5, we discovered that the Shem-Tob Matthew does not,
in fact, use the Tetragrammaton. Rather, it uses the surrogate 7 (for
owt, which means "The Name") as a circumlocution replacing the
Tetragrammaton (717”). This does not mean that Matthew himself may
not have used the Hebrew letters 717°29 It merely means that any
indication that he did so is now lost.
Inasmuch as J is the only potential extant Hebrew language Gospel
or Epistle from the apostolic era, we must conclude this heading by
acknowledging that the Tetragrammaton is not presently identifiable
inany Christian Scriptures written in the Hebrew language during the
apostolic or early church era. The single extant manuscript cited,
however, used a surrogate for a circumlocution meaning "The Name."

| 20 We need to be careful, however, that we not too quickly assume that

_ Matthew would have used the Tetragrammaton because he was a Jew writing to
fellow Jews. In fact, Matthew was the only gospel writer who used a
circumlocution for the word "God" in the expression "kingdom of God.” (Matthew
used the circumlocution "kingdom of the heavens" 32 times. He used the
expression "kingdom of God" only four times [12:28, 19:24, 21:31, and 21:43]
and the expression "kingdom of my Father" [26:29] once.) The other three
Gospels, which were addressed to Gentiles, used the same expression without
the circumlocution as the "kingdom of God." (Parallel passages most clearly
show this difference between the Gospel writers' use of the "kingdom of God"
and the "kingdom of the heavens." See Matthew 5:3 with Luke 6:20, Matthew
13:31 with Luke 13:19, and others.) In reference to this expression, "the
_ kingdom of God," we see that Matthew tended to avoid using the word "God"
_ presumably because he was writing to Jews.
134 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Removal of the Tetragrammaton must reflect the setting in which it

occurred
This last topic is not a major issue since many manuscript anomalies
may fall outside of expected parameters. Therefore, this topic does not
bear heavy weight, but it must be considered because any removal of
the Tetragrammaton from the written Christian Scriptures would have
occurred in a physical context.

6. The geography of the area establishes the setting to be considered in

the Tetragrammaton’s removal.
To this point in the book, our study has focused on the manuscripts
themselves. We will now consider a_ practical matter in the
preservation of these manuscripts. Acursory evaluation of the earliest
manuscripts and the geographical locations where they were found
will reveal an obvious relationship between climatic conditions and
manuscript preservation. As we have already seen, the common writing
material in the first century was papyrus. It was made in Egypt from
reeds and exported throughout the Roman empire. Papyrus was a
fragile material and did not survive in the cold, wet climates of the
early Gentile church.2! The oldest known Christian Greek manuscripts
have almost always come from warm, dry climates. For this reason,
the oldest surviving Greek Scripture manuscripts have largely come
from northern Africa and the Sinai peninsula.
The papyrus fragments of the Chester Beatty collections (P4°, P4®,
and P47) came from this area. As mentioned earlier, they have been
dated circa 200 C.E.
All of this has an important bearing on our discussion of the
presumed removal of the Tetragrammaton from the original writings.
Even though Christianity spread quickly in the Roman world (which
included parts of the three continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa),
there is a significance to both the geographical and cultural isolation
of northern Africa. The early church in Africa developed a unique
character and experienced the rise of its own church leaders. It did not
necessarily duplicate the ecclesiastical perceptions and events of the
church in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia Minor.
Consider what the presumed removal of the Tetragrammaton
implies. It requires that the early church in Africa understood and

21 Parchment (animal skin) was used long before the time of Christ. However,
the Egyptian trade in less costly papyrus assured this less durable material's
predominant place as the common writing material until the third or fourth
century. The oldest manuscripts from Europe and Asia have survived on
parchment (also known as vellum) because of its greater durability.
 Removal of the Tetragrammaton 135

acted upon the distinction between Kvptos and 117” in their Scriptures.
(This is true unless it could be argued that the African church was not a
true church because they did not know God's name as Jehovah.
However, because of the early date of the establishment of the church
in Africa, that argument would require that the Tetragrammaton was
lost in the lifetime of the Apostles!) It then requires that this
distinction was lost in the African church with no mention in the
surviving biblical and non-canonical writings which have survived to
today. Further, it requires that this unprecedented change took place
so quickly thati717” came to Africa and was then lost a mere 104 years
after the Apostle John wrote!
More than anything else, however, the loss of the Tetragrammaton
would require us to believe that this divisive heresy could have been
orchestrated so thoroughly that all traces of the original teaching of
the Apostles could have been eliminated from three continents by 200
CrE- :

CHAPTER SUMMARY. We have considered six topics in our query

concerning the presumed loss of the Tetragrammaton from the original
Greek Scripture writings. Each of these topics has been influenced in
some way by our current understanding of textual and _ historical
evidences which have become available since the late 1940's.
1. There are no known Christian Greek Scripture manuscripts which use
the Tetragrammaton. Yet there are 5,000 extant manuscripts which
use Kyréoa, with the oldest reliably dated between 201 and 300 C.E.
This fact alone represents an insurmountable obstacle to the inclusion
of the Tetragrammaton into current translations of the Christian
Greek Scriptures.
2. No textual change of the Christian Greek Scriptures could happen
universally and instantaneously. Any change in which Kuptos would
have been substituted for 717’ would have left a mix of early
manuscripts showing both forms. Further, such achange would have
left variants in the Greek wording representing parallel but not
exact substitutions.
3. An alteration in the Christian Greek Scriptures from 717” to Kuptos
would have had a profound influence on the theology of the first
century church. Had these 237 references been changed from the
Tetragrammaton to Xgséos, the understanding of the persons of
Jehovah and Jesus would have been radically altered. It is
inconceivable that such an extreme change could have occurred with
136 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

no objection on the part of the early church writers and no

championing of divergent views by its proponents.
The frequent issues of heresies and controversies which surfaced
in the early history of the church are known today because of the
literary exchanges made in the writings of the church fathers. (In
many cases, the writings of both the heretical faction and the
defenders of the faith are represented.) Thus, the debates of the
Gnostics, Nominalists, Donatists, Marcionists, Manichaeans, the
Arian controversy, and many others are well known and documented
for us today. Yet in all of this, a debate concerning the removal of
the Tetragrammaton was never once addressed.22 Most certainly,
considering the magnitude of the supposed alteration, it would have
been mentioned had it occurred.
4. There are numerous early church writings apart from Scripture.
These non-canonical Greek writings frequently quoted passages from
the Hebrew Scripture. There is noevidence that the writings of the
earliest church era used the Tetragrammaton in these quotations.
Rather, these writings freely used the Greek word Xgsréos when
quoting or alluding to Hebrew Scripture passages. The earliest of
these writings would have been no more than 10 to30 years after the
last Gospel was written. It is inconceivable that within 10 to 30
years of the final writing of Scripture these corrupted writings could
have freely circulated in the early church if they contained a
heresy as serious as the misrepresentation of the nature of Jesus.
5. There is the possibility of an original Christian Scripture gospel
written in Hebrew which remains from the apostolic era. This
Shem-Tob Matthew used the surrogate “7 (for OWN, which means
"The Name") as a circumlocution. If Matthew used the Hebrew
letters 117”, any indication that he did so is now lost.
6. The geographical spread of the early church mitigates against a
uniform heresy which could expunge all written evidence of an
earlier teaching without any trace.

22 Considering their massive contents, the author has done only a cursory
reading in these volumes. However, this statement can be made based on the
lack of evidence given by the Watch Tower Society. It is safe to assume that
evidence in the writings of the church fathers describing the removal of the
Tetragrammaton, were it available, would have quickly been brought to the
attention of their readers. As previously noted, the book Aid to Bible
Understanding frequently cites the writings of the church fathers. It is obvious
that the editors were conversant with the majority of these early works.
 Chapter 11: THE TETRAGRAMMATON OR LORD QUANDARY

Wee New Collegiate Dictionary defines a quandary as "A

state of perplexity or doubt." In this chapter, we encounter
five topics with potential opposite and conflicting answers.
The urgency of our quandary, however, is that inspired and inerrant
Scripture does not allow contradictory answers regarding the presence
of the Tetragrammaton in the Christian Greek Scriptures. The
Tetragrammaton was either used in the original writings aiid is subject
to textual verification at each of its appearances, or it was not, and
therefore cannot be inserted into the translated text.
We must recognize, however, that Jehovah God did not introduce
our present quandary. It was never his intent to give us Scriptures
which contained perplexity or doubt about its written content. Nor has
he allowed the process of manuscript preservation to produce
uncertainty regarding the original words used by the inspired Christian
writers.! Our quandary today is a result of conflicting reports regarding
the contents of the historical Greek manuscripts which we now possess.
Confusion will result when speculative wording is introduced into the
inspired Christian writers’ texts. The Tetragrammaton cannot be added
to the Christian Greek Scripture text without perplexing results in the
| _ absence of any manuscript or historical evidence showing that it was
used by the original writers.

The quandary of i117” or Kvptos

The goal of this book is to evaluate the textual and _ historical
evidence supporting the Tetragrammaton in the original Christian
Greek Scriptures. We are particularly concerned with textual
information which has come to light since the Christian Scriptures of
the New World Translation was completed in the late 1940's. In this
examination we have successfully avoided theological and subjective
discussions of Scripture or the person of God.

1 This statement does not disallow the need for textual criticism. The real
foundation of the quandary of this chapter, however, goes beyond the issues of
textual criticism. This quandary exists because accepting the presence of the
Tetragrammaton in the Christian Greek Scriptures is contingent on elevating a
hypothetical body of first-century Greek manuscripts to the status of primary
| inspiration. These hypothetical first-century manuscripts which purportedly
| contain the Tetragrammaton have never been specifically identified, have never
been reported by the early church fathers, and have left no copies preserved as
extant manuscripts.
138 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

However, without losing sight of our goal and its objective

approach, we must eventually confront the reason we are studying the
Tetragrammaton in the first place. The presence—or absence—of the
Tetragrammaton in the Christian Greek Scriptures is not a trivial
exercise to determine irrelevant wording of ancient Greek manuscripts.
Rather, the Tetragrammaton's presence—or absence—confronts us with
momentous implications to our faith. Consequently, we must evaluate
five topics from the Tetragrammaton or Xgréos debate which contain
inherent quandary.

QUANDARY #1: A TRANSLATION DISCREPANCY

A conflict between the two Christian Greek Scriptures published by
the Watch Tower Society introduces our first quandary. The word
*Kgrios is the choice of the Greek text and is translated as Lord in the
interlinear portion of the Watch Tower's Greek text, while the New
World Translation uses the divine name Jehovah for the same
passages. Thus, there seems to be simultaneous endorsement for two
contradictory assertions. The first assertion by the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation Greek text is that the Tetragrammaton was not used by the
original writers.2 The second assertion is that the New World
Translation properly restores the Tetragrammaton 237 times.
If the Greek text published by the Watch Tower Society is
authentic, then the appropriate word is Kgséos. Generally, Kyxéoa is
translated as Lord in reference to Jesus Christ. Lord is the preferred
translation choice of the New World Translationin406 cases.” On the
other hand, the New World Translation uses the divine name Jehovah
in 237 instances. If Jehovah is indeed correct, then the Greek text is in
error.4
This conflict between the use of Kgséos and the Tetragrammaton ata
single location presents a unique disparity. Thus, we encounter three
assertions which cannot coexist without compromise:
1. First, we concur with the authors of “All Scripture Is Inspired of God
and Beneficial” that "The Greek Scriptures we have today are
substantially the same as when they were written...Sir Frederic
Kenyon [is quoted as saying] ‘The interval then between the dates of
original composition and the earliest extant evidence becomes so

2 This is the obvious assertion of the text inasmuch as the Westcott and Hort
Greek text purports to reproduce the exact wording of the original documents.
3 Refer to Appendix C.
Obviously, the original manuscripts were not written in English. The most
accurate statement above would be "If 717’ is indeed correct, then the Greek
text is in error."
 The Tetragrammaton or Lord Quandary 139

small as to be in fact negligible, and the last foundation for any

doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they
were written has now been removed."
2.The text of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation clearly
demonstrates that Xgréoe is the Greek word used and that the
manuscripts substantiating its occurrence originated between the
second, and never later than the fourth century C.E. Manuscript
evidence given in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation clearly
demonstrates that Kyréoe was fully accepted by the Christian church
asearly as 104 years—to no later than 301 years—from the time of
its original writing.
3. On the other hand, the "J" footnotes substantiating the use of the
Tetragrammaton (translated as Jehovah in the New World
Translation) arealso given as evidence that the inspired Christian
writers used 717’, though this evidence is from a much later period of
time. The earliest date given is 1385. If the third assertion is true,
then the first assertion is compromised and the second becomes
highly improbable as we have seen earlier. If the second assertion
is true, the first assertion remains true, but the third assertion is
invalidated.
We struggle with this apparent discrepancy. Ifthe Greek text is
reliable, then all of its words must be reliable, and the preeminence
given to the Tetragrammaton in Hebrew translations made in the 14th
century C.E. cannot be justified.
We understand the limitations the translators faced with the
textual information which was available inthe late 1940's. With the
greater availability of manuscript information today, however, we
must strive for a reconciliation of the above discrepancy. If we do not
reach a satisfactory solution, we would have a Greektext which would
be highly reliable at all other points, and yet would be consistently at
_ fault in the single area of its transmission of the Tetragrammaton.
That is, the Greek word Kyréoa would be regarded as the correct reading
and should be translated as Lord in all cases where it refers to Jesus’
' human ministry. Yet, in selected cases where the passage is referring to
_ divine attributes, the Greek word Kgséos would be regarded as an error.
Therefore, we must answer this first quandary. We are told that
_ the Greek text of the Christian Scriptures is trustworthy for faith. Do
| we accept these Scriptures as published in the Kingdom Interlinear
_ Translation, or do we acknowledge the alternate wording of the

5 "All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial," p. 319.

140 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

New World Translation in these 237 instances as having precedence

over the Greek text?
This first quandary we encounter is particularly troubling for those
of us seeking Jehovah's guidance in our lives from the Scriptures. The
presence of Xgséoain the Kingdom Interlinear Translation and Jehovah
(derived from the Tetragrammaton in Hebrew versions) in the New
World Translation is not merely an issue of translation wording. The
presence of either Kgréosor the Tetragrammaton represents a disparity
in authenticity between the two texts. One of the two texts must be
accepted as authoritative, while the other is rejected as inferior in
these 237 instances. Both cannot be authentic.

QUANDARY #2: WHICH TEXT IS INSPIRED?

In the first quandary, we encountered the problem of two
contradictory texts. We now encounter the important implication of the
inspiration of the text.
How do we delineate the biblical text we accept as the inspired
revelation of God? Is God's revelation in the Christian Scriptures
confined to the best available Greek texts? Ordo we acknowledge that
sources other than the earliest Greek manuscripts, such as Hebrew
translations created since the 14th century, carry greater authority?
We agree among ourselves that the text we will acceptas authentic
is that which most closely reproduces the actual words of the original
inspired Christian writers. Therefore, the trustworthiness of inspired
Scripture is demonstrated by a historically verifiable text.
We must first evaluate the Greek text of the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation. In the book JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES Proclaimers of God's |
Kingdom, the writers describe the Kingdom Interlinear Translation on
page 610:
As part of the earnest effort of the New World Bible Translation
Committee to help lovers of God's Word to get acquainted with the
contents of the original Koine (common Greek) text of the Christian
Greek Scriptures, the committee produced The Kingdom
Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures. This was first
published by the Watch Tower Society in 1969 and then updated
in 1985. It contains The New Testament in the Original Greek, as
compiled by B. F. Westcott and F. J. A. Hort. Atthe right-hand side e
>
aa

of the page appears the New World Translation text (the 1984
revision in the updated edition). But then, between the lines of
Greek text, there is another translation, a very literal, word-for-word

6 The Greek text of Westcott and Hort is identified as a single text. Properly
Stated, however, verification of the Tetragrammaton does not come from a
single text but from a composite of multiple Hebrew translations. eh
Ol
oT
ff
—~
Co
So
 The Tetragrammaton or Lord Quandary 141

rendering of what the Greek actually says according to the basic

meaning and grammatical form of each word. This enables even
students who cannot read Greek to find out what is actually in the
original Greek text. [Italics added.]
On the same page, Thomas Winter is quoted from “The Classical
Journal” as saying of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation:
This is no ordinary interlinear: the integrity of the text is
preserved, and the English which appears below it is simply the
basic meaning of the Greek word. Thus the interlinear feature of
this book is no delet a at all. Atext with instant vocabulary more
correctly describes it.”
There can be no debate that the Greek text of the Kingdom
Interlinear Translation uses the word Greek Kgréoa (Kuvptos) 714 times
throughout the Christian Greek Scriptures. This includes the entire
2238 instances in ae the New World Translation renders Kgréoa as
Jehovah.?
On what basis can the divine name be reinstated to the Greek
Scriptures of the New World Translation? There is only one acceptable
justification for this translation choice. Since the inspired Christian
Scriptures is the written record of the original authors, there would
need to beincontrovertible evidence that the apostles themselves used
the Tetragrammaton intheir original writings. Further, this evidence
would be admissible only if it could be textually verified in the most
authoritative extant Greek manuscripts. Speculation regarding
possible use cannot be employed to alter Jehovah's inspired Scriptures.
We are thus faced with a second quandary. In regards to the 237
Jehovah references, is the most accurate reproduction of the inspired
Word of God represented in the earliest and most reliable Greek
manuscripts of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation, or is it to be found
in Hebrew translations from the 14th century and later?
This second quandary is imposing. When we deny the authenticity
of any portion of the best textual evidence for the Greek Scriptures, and
when, in its place, we substitute the wording of a group of Hebrew
' translations which were based on those same Greek texts, we have
redefined inspiration. We have denied the inspiration of the Greek
texts in these 237 instances, and have given specific wording found in
certain Hebrew versions a superior status of divine inspiration. Are we
_ free to redefine inspiration in this way with no textual evidence of the
_ Tetragrammaton in the original inspired Christian writings?

7 See a similar endorsement on the cover of The Watchtower, Feb. 1, 1998.

8 Not all Jehovah references are derived from Kgyrios. (See pages 18-19.)
| 9 See the summary information on pages 50-51.
142 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

QUANDARY #3: BLASPHEMY AND THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES

A third quandary is encountered in the inspired Christian writers’
use of Hebrew Scripture quotations governed by laws forbidding
blasphemy. This prohibition would prevent the Greek Scripture
authors from citing a Hebrew Scripture verse which is true only of
Jehovah and subsequently applying that verse to a mere created being.
Yet, we frequently see a pattern in the Christian Greek Scriptures
where the inspired Christian writers quoted a Hebrew Scripture verse
which is true of Jehovah and then applied it to Jesus.
Using Jehovah's holy name falsely is blasphemy and wasmet with
serious consequences. (See Deuteronomy 5:11 and Leviticus 24:15-16.)
The writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures knew this. The book
Aid to Bible Understanding tells us that it constituted blasphemy if
Jehovah's attributes were ascribed to another being. On page 239, under
the heading "BLASPHEMY" IN CHRISTIAN GREEK SCRIPTURE TIMES,
the authors say,
Blasphemy includes the act of claiming the attributes or
prerogatives of God, or ascribing these to another person or thing.
(Compare Acts 12:21, 22.)
Thus, in all instances where Hebrew Scriptures using the divine name
were quoted in the Christian Greek Scriptures and then were applied to
Jesus, the inspired Christian writers could have done only one of three
things. (We are talking about the original writers—not later scribes
and copyists):
a) They could have copied!° the Hebrew Scripture passage word-for- _
word in the Greek language and then inserted the Hebrew letters of

10in most instances, the inspired Christian writers quoted Hebrew Scripture
verses from the Septuagint (which was already written in Greek) rather than
translating them into Greek from the original Hebrew language. Insight on the
Scriptures says, "In a number of cases the writers of the Christian Greek
Scriptures evidently made use of the Greek Septuagint translation when
quoting from the Hebrew Scriptures." (Vol. 1, p. 1206). In some cases—the
book of Hebrews is one example—the inspired Christian writer actually
translated the verses into the Greek language as he wrote. We are reporting
the three possibilities above as though the inspired Christian writers were
transcribing the Hebrew Scripture verses from the Greek language Septuagint.
The effect of this argument would have been the same in those cases where the
inspired Christian writers were translating from the Hebrew Scriptures, though it
would have also involved the translation process. In addition, merely for the
sake of this argument, we will also assume that the Septuagint copy which was
used employed the Hebrew letters of the Tetragrammaton rather than the Greek
word Kygréos.
 The Tetragrammaton or Lord Quandary 143

the Tetragrammaton into the Greek text when the divine name was
found.
b) The original writers could have intentionally blasphemed by
copying the passage which referred to Jehovah, replacing the
divine name with XKgrée. (This possibility is obviously
unacceptable.)
c) Finally, they could have copied the Hebrew Scripture passage and
intentionally inserted the title Kyrée in the place of the
Tetragrammaton with the full understanding of the early church
that the action was appropriate and did not constitute blasphemy.
We must object to the second possibility! To those of us who love
and reverence Jehovah's revelation to man in the Holy Scriptures, the
second possibility is neither worthy of Jehovah himself nor of the
writers he chose to convey His message to mankind. We believe _ that
"All Scripture is inspired of God..." (2 Timothy 3:16). We could never
concede that God's chosen writers intentionally manipulated the text.
Thus, we are left with only two possibilities. The first is that the
original writers used the Tetragrammaton and, subsequently—either
through negligence or through intentional manipulation of the text by
later scribes and copyists—the Tetragrammaton was changed to Kyéos
to make a direct reference to Jesus. The second possibility is that the
_ writers themselves intentionally—and with the early church's full
_ knowledge and approval—used the title ®gyréos (which frequently
identified Jesus) in place of the Tetragrammaton. By doing this, they
. ascribed the attributes of Jehovah's name to Jesus.!!
Consider the importance of these two possibilities. First, if the
_ original writers did use the Tetragrammaton, then we must be able to
_find strong manuscript evidence of its use in early Greek Scriptures. We
cannot imagine that Jehovah would allow confusion between his divine
_ name andthe title of a mere created being without sufficient evidence
_ to correct the error. On the other hand, what if the original writers did
use Jesus' title in place of the Tetragrammaton? It was either the

/11We have not said that the original writers substituted Kgrios for the
Tetragrammaton. The idea of strict substitution is too rigid as a category. If
| the third possibility were true, then it would also be the case that the title Kyxéoa
| was applicable to either Jehovah or Lord [Jesus]. Certainly, many verses
| could be read using the divine name as found in the New World Translation.
| Jesus' statement to the Devil is a good example: "It is Jehovah your God you
| must worship..." (Luke 4:8). However, this flexibility of application would imply
an equality between i117” and Kgzées which is found in this third possibility
rather than an inequality between them which requires that the separate
_ identities be maintained. We will fully develop this idea in Chapter 14.
144 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

highest form of blasphemy or it was the strongest statement possible of

the unique and total equality of Jesus with Jehovah.
The importance of the final alternative should be clear. For
example, consider Isaiah 45:21-24 which says:
"Is itnot |, Jehovah, besides whom there is no other God... By
my own self | have sworn...that to me every knee will bend down,
every tongue will swear, saying, ‘Surely in Jehovah there are full
righteousness and strength."
If the Apostle Paul used the Tetragrammaton in this quotation, Romans
14:11 would read as it does in the New World Translation:
“As | live,’ says Jehovah, ‘to me every knee will bend down, and
every tongue will make open acknowledgment to God."
On the other hand, if the Apostle Paul was referring to Jesus when he
used the title Kgséoe (which is the choice of the Kingdom Interlinear |
Translation), then the verse would read:
"As | live,’ says the Lord (Jesus), 'to me every knee will bend
down, and every tongue will make open acknowledgment to
God."[NWT wording]!2
If Paul himself used Jesus' titleXgéos, then either Paul was guilty |
of blasphemy, or, under the inspiration of God, he was identifying Jesus |
(Xgréos) with Jehovah. |
A logical question could be asked, "Can we know whether the }
original writers intended to use the Tetragrammaton or whether they |
purposely replaced the divine name with Kgs when quoting these };
Hebrew Scriptures?" Without a statement from either the writers
themselves or other reliable historical documents, we can know nothing |
of their decision process while writing. However, we can infer what ]
they decided to do from the evidence we find in their writing. If .the

12 It is interesting to note that the same author (the Apostle Paul) quotes
Isaiah 45:21-24 in Philippians 2:10-11: "So that in the name of Jesus every
knee should bend...and every tongue should openly acknowledge that Jesus
Christ is Kgéos (Lord) to the glory of God the Father." However, with the same
wording and the same human author, the New World Translation renders Kgréoa
as Lord in one case (Philippians 2:10-11), and as Jehovah (with added
quotation marks) in the other (Romans 14:11). This introduces an interesting
contradiction. If the Isaiah passage is read in context, it is very clear that
Jehovah is saying, "Is it not 1, Jehovah, besides whom there is no other
God... There being none excepting me?... By my own self! have sworn...that to
me every knee will bend down, every tongue will swear..." In these two verses,
the Greek text published in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation has both
Jehovah and the Lord (Jesus) receiving the worship which the Isaiah passage
has reserved solely for Jehovah. A careful reading of the 3 passages in their
entirety—using the Kingdom Interlinear Text where applicable—is encouraged.
 The Tetragrammaton or Lord Quandary 145

writers intended to use the Tetragrammaton, we would expect to find

ample evidence within Greekmanuscripts to substantiate its use in the
original Christian Greek Scriptures. On the other hand, if they did not
intend to use the Tetragrammaton, then we would expect to find clear
evidence that they used the title Kyréos which is most frequently
applied to Jesus. If the evidence shows that the original writers used
*Kgrios in these verse locations, then we know that they copied the
Hebrew Scripture passage, intentionally inserting Jesus’ title for the
Tetragrammaton. By extension, we know that whatever the inspired
Christian writers wrote was done under inspiration, with the full
understanding of the early church, and their action did not constitute
blasphemy.
| More simply stated, the inspired Christian writers wrote exactly
what they intended to write. When the addressee received the
original letter, each word contained in the scroll was precisely the
_ word the writer intended the church or individual to read. The textual
process does not debate the author's intention. It is aimed only at
restoring the words of the original document. When we have exactly
reproduced the contents of the original document, we can be assured that
we have the precise word which the author intended to communicate.
For a complete perspective of the significance of this issue, the
reader is encouraged to carefully study each reference in the two
_ columns of Appendix B titled Hebrew Scripture quotation using the
_ divine name and Hebrew Scripture quotation referring to the divine
name. First, read the passage in its complete context from the Hebrew
_ Scripture. Then, using a Kingdom Interlinear Translation, read both
_the English interlinear portion and the verse from the New World
Translation. You will discover that the few examples given in this
_ section inadequately illustrate how extensively the divine name from
_ the Hebrew Scriptures was used in these verses.
We must carefully examine the Hebrew Scripture verses cited by
| the writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures. Many of these verses
_contain statements which are applicable only to Jehovah God. When
_these verses are cited by the inspired Christian writers as applying to
|Kyrios, they have committed blasphemy if Kgséos is a created being.
Under inspiration, the Apostles would not blaspheme by applying a
_verse to another which was true only of Jehovah God. We face an
_insurmountable quandary when we introduce a condition! which causes
the inspired Christian writers to blaspheme in their use of Hebrew

'| 13 We introduce a condition foreign to the Scriptures' intent when we redefine

| Jesus' person outside of the understanding and intent of the inspired Christian
_writers.
146 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Scripture citations. As we have seen throughout this book, this

problem is alleviated (though not eliminated) if the original
manuscripts used the Tetragrammaton. If, however, there is no textual
evidence for the Tetragrammaton in the original manuscripts, then we
must reconcile the full impact of this quandary without resorting to
inserting the Tetragrammaton into the text where it was not originally
written.

QUANDARY #4: THE SUBJECT IS IDENTIFIED WITH "GOD...THE —

ALMIGHTY"
A fourth quandary deals with the context of numerous passages
referring to "God...the Almighty." If the inspired Christian writer
used the Tetragrammaton in these verses, identification of 17” with
"God...the Almighty" is straightforward. However, if the inspired
Christian writer used the word Kgxéoa, we are faced withthe quandary
wherein Kgséoe is identified as God Almighty.
When the Apostle John was on the Isle of Patmos, he was given a
vision which we now know as the book of Revelation. John extolled a |
divine being numerous times throughout the book. At Revelation 1:8 he
quotes this One as saying:
"lam the Alpha and the Omega" says [then John wrote either
"Lord"!4 or"Jehovah"!5 whom he identified as "God", "the One
who is and who was and who is coming, the Almighty."
Again, at Revelation 11:17 John wrote,
“We thank you, [again, John wrote either "Lord" or "Jehovah"
whom he again identified as "God"], the Almighty, the one who is
and who was, because you have taken your great power and
begun ruling as king."
We need to see the sharp contrast between these two textual
choices. We can compare the sense of the verse in the
New World Translation and the Kingdom Interlinear Translation. —
(The quotation from the Kingdom Interlinear Translation comes
directly from the interlinear portion. Consequently, the word order is
that of the Greek sentence itself.)

14 Lordis the translation choice of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation at both

Revelation 1:8 and 11:17.
15 Jehovah is the translation choice of the New World Translation at both
Revelation 1:8 and 11:17.
 The Tetragrammaton or Lord Quandary 147

New World Translation Kingdom Interlinear Translation

"| am the Alpha and the Omega," _—_—‘|am the Alpha and the Omega,
says Jehovah God, "the One is saying Lord, the God, The
who is and who was and who is (one) being and the (one) was
coming, the Almighty." and the (one) coming, the
Revelation 1:8 Almighty. Revelation 1:8

"We thank you, Jehovah God, We are giving thanks to you,

the Almighty, the One who is Lord, the God, the Almighty,
and who was, because you have _ the (one) being and the (one)
taken your great power and was, because you have taken
begun ruling as_ king." the power of you the great and
Revelation 11:17 you reigned. Revelation 11:17

If John used the Tetragrammaton when he wrote these two verses,

then it is clear that God and the Almighty refer to Jehovah. On the
other hand, if John used the Greek word Kgréoe,!© then the subject of
these two verses is the one to whom the title Kgréoaapplies. Since John
consistently usedthe title Kyréoa to refer to Jesus throughout the book
of Revelation,\” then it would be proper to understand that John was
_ identifying theLord (Jesus) with “God” and the “Almighty.” This is
| particularly true for Revelation 1:8 because Revelation 1:17-18 (quoted
| below) identifies Jesus with the title First and Last which is identical
in meaning with the title Alpha and Omega, which are the first and
| last letters of the Greek alphabet. Rev. 17:14 7:14 11:4 fn
"Do not be fearful. | am the First and the Last, and the living
one; and | became dead, but, look! | am living forever and ever..."
There are other similar examples in the book of Revelation. Notice
each of the following verses as quoted from the New World
| Translation and the Kingdom Interlinear Translation:

| 16 The Greek word Kyréos (KUptos) meaning Lord, is the word used in the
| Kingdom Interlinear Translation.
| According to the Kingdom Interlinear Translation Greek text, the Apostle
| John used the word Kgzéoa 19 times when referring to Lord. In addition, John
| used *Kgxéoa twice in which the context identified another personage. (One
_ instance is the second occurrence of "lord" in the phrase, "Lord of lords,"
| [Agréoa of &gréos] found at 17:14. The other is John's address to one of the
_ older persons at 7:14 which is translated as Jord.) A third instance is unclear.
(At 11:4 Kgtios appears as ‘lord of the earth" in the Kingdom
Interlinear Translation, and “Lord of the earth" in the New World Translation.)
For a complete reference to all uses of the Greek word Kgéoa in the book of
Revelation, see the second section of Appendix C.
148 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

New World Translation Kingdom Interlinear Translation

And | heard the altar say: "Yes, And | heard of the altar saying
Jehovah God, the Almighty, Yes, Lord, the God, the
true and righteous are your Almighty, true and righteous
judicial decisions." the judgment of you.
Revelation 16:7 Revelation 16:7

"Praise Jah, YOU people, Hallelujah, because reigned

because Jehovah our God, Lord the God of us, the
the Almighty, has begun to rule Almighty. Revelation 19:6
as king." Revelation 19:6

Similar instances are found in the book of Revelation where the

subject, whether Lord or Jehovah, is identified with God. (See
Revelation 4:8 and 11, 15:3, 18:8, 19:6, 21:22, and 22:5-6.) Identical
patterns are found in other portions of the Christian Greek Scriptures as
well. The important issue to notice is this: if the Tetragrammaton was
used by the original author in the verses cited, then the reference was
to Jehovah, whom John was referring to as "God... the Almighty." On ©
the other hand, if the Apostle John wrote the Greek word XKgséos (as
given in the Greek text of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation and
5,000 ancient Greek manuscripts), then the Lord Jesus was identified
with!8"God...the Almighty."
Whether or not the original authors of the Greek Scriptures used
the Tetragrammaton is of great importance to each of us. In the
examples we have observed, if Johndid not use the Tetragrammaton at
Revelation 1:8 or 11:17, then John, under inspiration, said that Jesus —
himself was included in the address with "God...the Almighty.”
Though the writers of the article "Salvation, What It Really Means"
(The Watchtower, August 15, 1997, p.6) reached their conclusion apart —
from the Greek text at these verses, they certainly understood the |
importance of the issue when they said,
Has your church taught you the true relationship between God
and Christ? Or have you been led to believe that Jesus himself is

18 The wording concerning Jesus as being “identified with," or "included with

the subject as 'God ...the Almighty," is adequately self-explanatory at this
point. We will make an important qualification in Chapter 14 regarding the dual
usage of the word Kgxéoa. For now we will continue to use the statement as it
reads. When referring to the Kingdom Interlinear Translation's use of Kgxéos,
we will simply report it as saying: "Jesus is identified with," or "Jesus himself is
included with the subject as 'God ... the Almighty."
 The Tetragrammaton or Lord Quandary 149

‘ Almighty God? Your salvation depends upon having the correct

understanding. (Emphasis added.)
The fourth quandary was created by the absence of any textual
| evidence supporting apostolic use of the Tetragrammaton in the
| original writings. The title Xgséos is inextricably linked with the
person of Jesus. Yet, such writers as John in the book of Revelation
| identify the title Kyséos with God Almighty.

| QUANDARY #5: CERTAIN PASSAGES ASSIGN THE SUBJECT

| ATTRIBUTES OF GOD HIMSELF
| Though similar in result to passages which identify the subject of a
_ verse with "God...The Almighty," there is a fifth quandary dealing
| with attribution rather than identification. Many passages unique to
| the Christian Greek Scriptures give the subject equality with the
| Father by attributing qualitiesto him which are reserved for Jehovah
| God. These include many passages in the Greek Scriptures where Kyréoa
_ (Lord) is translated Jehovah. These verses say something about the
_ subject which could only be true of Jehovah. If the verse is not a
| quotation from the Hebrew Scriptures, then the passage must be
- carefully studied to see to whom the verse is referring in the Greek
| Scripture, because the subject is being given attributes which belong to
| Jehovah himself.
Of the 237 occurrences of the name Jehovah in the Christian Greek
| Scriptures of the New World Translation, only 112 are quotations from
| the Hebrew Scriptures in which the name of Jehovah is found in either
| the verse quoted or in its context.!? Forexample, Isaiah 45:23 says, "Is
it not I, Jehovah...that to me every knee will bend down..." This is
- quoted in Romans 14:11, "As I live,’ says Jehovah, 'to me every knee
will bend down..." This is a direct quotation because the name of
Jehovah is part of the citation.
On the other hand, 12529 of the 237 occurrences do not cite any
Hebrew Scripture passages. They are merely passages which use Xgxéoa
(Lord)—or occasionally feos (God)—in the Christian Greek Scripture
‘text. It is this last group of 125 occurrences of the name Jehovah in the
_ New World Translation’s Christian Greek Scriptures inwhich there is
| no quotation source in the Hebrew Scriptures which concern us here.

| 19 in some cases, the category into which a verse should be placed may be
uncertain. For that reason, it is best to use these numbers as approximations
_ rather than as exact figures. The reader may wish to do his own count. See
_ footnote 7 on page 50.
- 20 See footnote 8 on page 50.
150 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

From the perspective of the Watch Tower Society, there are many
passages in the Christian Greek Scriptures in which the
Tetragrammaton must be the original word used—otherwise, in many
cases, the passage would be giving Jesus attributes of Jehovah God.
Earlier in this chapter we briefly examined Philippians 2:10-11. This
passage in Philippians equally illustrates this present quandary.
Clearly, the quotation from Isaiah 45 is saying that every knee will
bow to Jehovah. This devotion and worship is reserved for him alone.
Yet Philippians 2 tells us that Jesus also will receive worship and
devotion which belongs to Jehovah. Paul the Apostle ascribes to Jesus
this same devotion which belongs to Jehovah God.
Another example of attributes belonging to Jehovah is given at
Revelation 4:11. This verse would read quite differently, depending on
whether the Tetragrammaton or Kgséoa was used.
When we look at the Kingdom Interlinear Translation’s Greek and
English portion of this verse, we quickly understand the inherent
conflict of this passage. The interlinear portion reads:
” AEuoc El, O KUplog Kol 6 G€0¢ ev,
Worthy youare, the Lord and the God ofus,
AaBeiv tv SoEav Kal THY tWhV Kat thy sdvapty,
toreceive the glory and the honor and the power,
OTL ov EKTLOUG TO TOVTO, Kat 610
because you created the all(things) and through
7 O€AnUG cov TNOav KQL €KTLOONnOoav.
the will ofyou they were and __ they were created.
The New World Translation quoted in the right hand margin renders ©
the verse:
“You are worthy, Jehovah, even our God, to receive the glory
and the honor and the power, because you created all things, and
because of your will they existed and were created."
However, if we use the English word order of the New World
Translation, the Kingdom Interlinear Translation would have us read
the verse:
“You are worthy, Kgréoa, even our God, to receive the glory and
the honor and the power, because you created all things, and
because of your will they existed and were created."
The magnitude of this final quandary should be quite apparent. If
the original writers used the Greek title Xgséos rather than the
Tetragrammaton for such verses, then, under inspiration of God, Kgréoa
is vested with attributes which belong to Jehovah God himself.
 The Tetragrammaton or Lord Quandary 151

Resolving the quandary

Each of the preceding five topics result from an expectation that
the Tetragrammaton was used by the inspired Christian writers. In the
absence of textual evidence that the Tetragrammaton was included in
the original writings, we feel a tension. In some cases this tension
results from the conflict generated by the presence of both Kyséoe and
the Tetragrammaton for the same passage when comparing the New
World Translation and the Kingdom Interlinear Translation. In other
instances, the tension results from the absence of the Tetragrammaton in
passages where it is anticipated.
In both cases, the tendency is to resolve the Tetragrammaton or Lord
quandary witha theological or logical explanation. Yet, neither of
these responses are correct.
In reality, these five topics representa solitary quandary which is
resolved with a single solution. We must determine historically and
textually the exact word used by the inspired Christian writers,
Whether it is the Tetragrammaton or Xgséos. Subsequently, our
understanding of the subject of each verse, whether it is Jehovah or
Lord, must be based on the inspired wording of Scripture itself. We
cannot force the text to say what the apostolic authors did not write in
order to protect our theological position.

Concluding the Tetragrammaton or Lord debate

This book asked the same question raised by the translators of the
New World Translation in 1947: "Did the original inspired Christian
writers use the Tetragrammaton in 237 instances while writing the
Christian Greek Scriptures?"21!
In order to answer that question, we avoided theological discussions
or sectarian interpretations of Scripture. We turned to the only proper
sources of information; the Greek Scripture manuscripts themselves.
We carefully studied the best and oldest Greek manuscripts
available today. Weevaluated the entire Jehovah footnote system in
the Westcott and Hort Greek text. In no case is there any indication in
|‘ the earliest Greek manuscripts that the Tetragrammatonwas ever used
by the original Greek Scripture writers.
We then evaluated numerous Hebrew version sources. Though we
can easily find the Tetragrammaton used in these translations, we
quickly realized that these translations were made from the very
Greek text which has been demonstrated to contain Kgysées in 223 of the
237 Jehovah references. We also discovered that the probable Hebrew

21 This question was introduced in the Overview on page vi.

152 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Gospel of Matthew written by the Apostle himself contained a

circumlocution for The Name rather than the Tetragrammaton.
Finally, we returned to questions related to Greek manuscripts and
historical documents. We discovered that one portion of the Greek text
of the Christian Scriptures is verifiable to within 25 years of its
writing by the Apostle John. In many cases, the actual verses
supposedly containing the Tetragrammaton can be verified as actually
containing Kgséoe to within little more than one hundred years of the
original writing. We examined corroborative evidence and discovered
that there was no mention of the Tetragrammaton in the Greek
Scriptures by any early church father. We also discovered that the
time interval was too short to establish a heretical removal of the
Tetragrammaton from the early Christian Scriptures, and that the
ideological and geographical diversity would make such an effort
impossible without leaving telltale traces.
After exhaustive study, we must conclude that there is not a single
trace of evidence in the Greek manuscripts themselves, or in the
voluminous writings of the early church, to indicate that the
Tetragrammaton was ever used in the first century manuscripts of the
Christian Greek Scriptures.
The Tetragrammaton was not used by the inspired Christian
writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures. Not one Greek manuscript
has ever been produced as evidence to indicate otherwise.
Today, with the additional new light of manuscript evidence
which has become available since 1950,24 we must conclude that the
Greek word Kgséos rather than the Tetragrammaton was used in each of
the 223 X®gréos-based Jehovah references in the New World
Translation. To rely on any other source to confirm the presence of the
Tetragrammaton requires that we deny the authority and inspiration of
the Greek text and seek another text to which we will ascribe higher
authority.

22 Throughout this book we have given the benefit of the doubt to the New
World Bible Translation Committee regarding the textual information available to
it. As we have suggested, there is certainly new light today which allows us to
re-examine the inspired Christian authors' use of the Tetragrammaton. In
fairness, however, it must be pointed out that from the standpoint of textual
information alone, there was no Greek manuscript evidence availabie when
work was begun on the New World Translation in 1947, which suggested the
propriety of introducing the Tetragrammaton into the Christian Greek
Scriptures. The willingness of the translators to give greater authority to
Hebrew versions than to the known Greek text of their day raises grave
concerns regarding their translation process. Nonetheless, we have been
gracious on this point because we understand the perspective of those who are
ones of Jehovah's Witnesses.
 The Tetragrammaton or Lord Quandary 153

CHAPTER SUMMARY. The claim that the Tetragrammaton appears in

the Christian Greek Scriptures in conjunction with the evidence that it
does not, creates five distinct areas of uncertainty.
1. Aconflict between the two Christian Greek Scriptures published by
the Watch Tower Society creates a significant quandary. The
Kingdom Interlinear Translation uses the word Kgréoa in the Greek
text at 223 Jehovah references and translates the word as Lord in the
interlinear English portion. On the other hand, the New
World Translation inserts the divine name Jehovah in those same
passages. Thus, there is a simultaneous endorsement of two
contradictory assertions.
2. A second quandary is introduced because we now must determine
which biblical text best represents the inspired revelation of God. If
the presence of the Tetragrammaton is to be acknowledged in the
New World Translation, we must then concede that Hebrew
translations based on early Greek manuscripts carry greater
authority than do these same Greek manuscripts themselves.
3. We encounter a third quandary in dealing with the subject of the
improper use of Jehovah's name. The inspired Christian writers
most certainly could not be guilty of blasphemy when they used
Kywos (Lord) rather than the Tetragrammaton when they were
quoting certain Hebrew Scripture passages.
4. The context of numerous passages forces us to deal with a fourth
quandary of identification. In certain instances, the inspired
Christian writers used the title Kgséoa (which identifies Jesus), in a
context referring to "God...the Almighty."
5. Finally, we encounter a similar quandary wherein numerous
Christian Greek Scripture references give the subject Kyséoe equality
with Jehovah by attributing qualities to him which are reserved for
God alone.
The only viable solution to these five quandaries is to determine
historically and _ textually the exact word used by the inspired
Christian writers in each of the 237 Jehovah references. In summary of
our search of Greek manuscripts and surrounding historical data, we
conclude that no evidence exists indicating that the Tetragrammaton
was used by the inspired writers of the Greek Scriptures. To bring the
Tetragrammaton into the Christian Scriptures requires that we deny
the inspiration and authority of the Greek Scriptures themselves and
seek a higher authority in Hebrew translations.
 Scriptures
154 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek
 SECTION 4

A final summary and application concerning the evidence for the

Tetragrammaton in the Christian Greek Scriptures.

Page 157 Chapter 12: LORD, JEHOVAH, AND INSPIRATION

Page 164 Chapter 13: BUT IF NOT HERESY, THEN WHAT?

Page 181 Chapter 14: THE INDISTINCT MEANING OF KYR?70S

Page 193 Chapter 15: WHAT KYRIOS MEANS TO ME

Page 200 EPILOGUE

159
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|
Chapter 12: LORD, JEHOVAH, AND INSPIRATION

Te issue of inspiration underlies all that has been said in this

book. If we hold a high view of the inspiration of Scripture, we
must require of our translators that they faithfully reproduce
exactly that which Jehovah directed the inspired authors to write.

Inspiration and the translators' obligation

We would all agree that we desire the most accurate Scripture
possible. Ideally, we would read the exact words written by the
inspired authors. However, because we speak modern English rather
than Biblical Hebrew or Greek, there are two steps which separate
today's reader from the original writings.
_ The first step is the reconstruction of an accurate text. As we saw in
Chapter 2, this is the work of the textual critic. These men and women!
have carefully examined ancient manuscript evidence in order to
reconstruct the text of both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. The
textual critics Wescott and Hort produced the Greek text which is used
in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Christian Scriptures.
The second step is the work of the translator. Today's English
reader does not read the reconstructed copy of the Hebrew or Greek text.
Rather, we must use an English translation of both texts.
Thus, the English reader seeking Jehovah's truths through the
Bible may rightfully have two expectations. The first is that those
working with the Hebrew or Greek text will produce a faithful
reproduction of the writing of the original authors, and secondly, that
the translators will produce a readable English translation which
conveys the exact meaning of the original Hebrew or Greek text.
In no case can the reader allow either the ones working in the area
of the original language text, or the translators themselves, to alter the
text to suit a theological bias. To do so would be to allow the textual
scholar or the translator to tamper with Jehovah's inspired writing.

An "Old Testament" application

In the first chapter we mentioned the problem of "Old Testament"
translations which omit the name of God in favor of the capitalized

1 Though much fewer in number, women have also been involved in the
important work of textual criticism. The book The Bible—God's Word or Man's?
identifies Kurt and Barbara Aland as scholars of the Greek text of the Bible
(p. 59). Barbara Aland is recognized in her own right at an acclaimed textual
Critic.
158 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

word LORD. This is a serious omission and serves as a starting point for
our discussion.
In the case of the substitution of LORD for the divine name, the
problem is not the fault of the textual critic. Almost all modern "Old
Testament" translations today are based on Rudolph Kittel's Biblica
Hebraica. The Hebrew Scripture portion of the New World
Translation is based on this same text If the reader were to obtain a
copy of the Biblica Hebraica, the divine name with vowel points as
Mim is readily apparent3
So why has the divine name been eliminated in most English
translations? The fault lies with the translation process. (In reality,it
must be a shared fault between both the translator and the publisher.)
The 1971 New American Standard Bible preface under the heading
"The proper Name for God" says in part,
It is inconceivable to think of spiritual matters without a proper
designation forthe Supreme Deity. Thus the most common name
for deity is God, a translation of the original Elohim...There is yet
another name which is particularly assigned to God as His special or
proper name, that is, the four letters YHWH...This name has not
been pronounced by the Jews because of reverence for the great
sacredness of the divine name. Therefore, it was consistently
pronounced and translated LORD.
It is known that for many years YHWH has been transliterated as
Yahweh...However, it is felt by many who are in touch with the laity
of our churches that this name conveys no religious or spiritual
overtones. It is strange, uncommon, and without sufficient
religious and devotional background. No amount of scholarly
debate can overcome this deficiency. Hence, it was decided to
avoid the use of this name in the translation proper. (page ix)
The above statement is signed "Editorial Board."
To begin with, as every Witness knows, "God" is not God's name.
His personal name is represented by the Tetragrammaton. The
Tetragrammaton must then be pronounced in Hebrew or translated (or
transliterated) into another language.

2 New World Translation, Reference Edition, 1984, p. 6.

3 It is a bit puzzling why F.W. Carr's antidotal book Search for the Sacred Name
indicates great difficulty in locating Hebrew texts containing the divine name.
The author owns a 1959 copy (which is a revision of the 1937 edition) of Kittle's
Biblica Hebraica. The volume is readily available in most theological seminary
libraries and book stores. The divine name is clearly reproduced throughout
this text which is based on Codex Leningrad B 194, the same text Carr
apparently traveled to Russia to examine.
 LORD, Jehovah, and Inspiration 159

But it is not the issue of pronunciation which is most disturbing

about the above statement.
Consider what the Editorial Board is really saying.
1. First, they acknowledge that their Hebrew language text (Biblia
Hebraica) contains YHWH in its fully identifiable formimi7’. There
is no suggestion that the divine name cannot be recognized.
2. They then identify the transliterated form Yahweh as one that has
been known for many years.
3. But now they tell us that this name conveys no religious or spiritual
overtones. They say it is strange, uncommon, and without sufficient
religious and devotional background. (Would the divine name be
"strange," "uncommon," or with "no religious or spiritual overtones"
in a Kingdom Hall? Most certainly not!)
What is the real issue in this statement? Itis the affront to the
inspiration of Scripture which bothers us most.
The Editorial Board has fully acknowledged that under
inspiration, the writers of the Hebrew Scriptures have written the
Tetragrammaton. However, because the laity would not recognize
God's personal name, the Editorial Board has assumed the authority to
insert a substitute word. It cannot be argued that the word LORD is
merely an alternate pronunciation of 7177’. It is a distinctly different
word than that used by the inspired writers. The word LORD is
deliberately used by the Editorial Board (or translators, as the case
may be) to replace what Jehovah himself directed the Hebrew
Scripture authors to write.
It makes little difference why this decision was made. Some may
defend it with a historical rationalization claiming the precedent set
by the Septuagint, the King James Version, or agreement among most
modern Bible versions.
The sad truth may be that Scripture translation has been swayed
by marketing considerations—if the customer wants LORD rather than
Yahweh, their wish will be accommodated for the sake of Bible sales4

4 See the comments in The Divine Name Controversy by Firpo Carr, p. 124,
which ostensibly quotes an Executive Secretary for a well known translation
committee as saying,
... Jehovah is a distinctive name for God and ideally we should have used
it. But we put [2.5] million dollars into this translation and a sure way of
throwing that down the drain is to translate, for example, Psalm 23 as,
"Yahweh is my shepherd."...Itis far better to get two million to read it...and
to follow the King James, than to have two thousand buy it and have the
correct translation of Yahweh...lt was a hard decision, and many of our
translators agree [that it should be the divine name].
160 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

The issue at stake is very simply stated, but it has important

implications. No translator (or Editorial Board) is free to change the
wording of Scripture for any reason. No reason isacceptable whether it
is the most lofty of ideals to protecta theological position or simply
the desire to increase Bible sales. The translatoris obligated to convey
the exact meaning of the original Scripture author's writing.
This does not mean that a translation cannot use modern language to
communicate the sense of Scripture. It must also admit that the process
of translation from one language to another will always have areas of
uncertainty. But it does mean that the sense of the Hebrew or Greek
text must be conveyed to the reader, and that the translator is never
free to deliberately alter the meaning of the original text.
The practice of using LORD rather than the divine name in the
"Old Testament" is a long-standing English Bible tradition. The
tradition's longevity, however, does not justify its continued use. It is
time for modern English translators (and editors) to confront this error
and make the necessary correction.° It is an affront to the inspiration of
Scripture to remove the divine name and replace it with LORD.
The New World Bible Translation Committee has appropriately
used the divine name in the Hebrew Scriptures. They are to be
commended for that effort.®

The New World Translation and the Christian Scriptures

The above "Old Testament” example is easily understood. When a
translator knows the wording of the Hebrew or Greek Bible text, he is
not free to change the wording in his translation to accommodate any
other purpose.
May we suggest that the same requirement applies tothe Christian
Greek Scriptures within the New World Translation?
Again, we must look first at the work of the textual critic. We
have already closely examined the work of Westcott and Hort. Their
Greek text is the basis of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation. In no
case does the Kingdom Interlinear Translation Greek text use the
Tetragrammaton. As we have repeatedly pointed out, the Greek word

> It should interest the reader to know that there is an increasing use of the
divine name within evangelical churches. On occasion, one hears the "Old
Testament" read publicly with the name Yahweh rather than Lorp.
6 Some readers who might not be Witnesses may question the appropriateness
of Jehovah as against Yahweh. Simply remember that Jehovah is an English
translation (conveying meaning) while Yahweh is an English transliteration
(substituting English letters for Hebrew characters). Either is acceptable. We
translate the name of Jesus rather than transliterate it as /esous with no sense
of impropriety.
 LORD, Jehovah, and Inspiration 161

Kgriosis traced to reliable ancient Greek manuscripts in 223 of the 237

Jehovah references. (All but one of the remaining instances use 7feoa,
but never the Tetragrammaton.) The change to Jehovah in the New
World Translation Christian Greek Scriptures was made by the New
World Bible Translation Committee in contradiction to the evidence of
the Greek text of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation.
It is particularly alarming to realize that this change was made on
the basis of late Hebrew versions which contain the Tetragrammaton.
By this choice of textual sources, the translators show their higher
regard for these relatively recent Hebrew translations thanthey do for
the inspiration of the Christian Greek Scriptures themselves.
We have already examined this changein other parts of the book.
Nothing more needs to be said here.
Our concern in this chapter is to focus on the primary issue
underlying this deliberate alteration from Xyréos to the
Tetragrammaton. It does not matter that the Tetragrammaton in the
Septuagint was changed during the second and third centuries C.E. It
does not matter that the Apostles read the Tetragrammaton in their
copies of the Septuagint. It does not matter that Matthew wrote a
Gospel account in Hebrew. It does not matter how many Hebrew
versions use the Tetragrammaton. It does not even matter that the
inspired writers quoted Hebrew Scripture verses which used the divine
name. All of these things are true and verifiable.
All that mattersis the word which the Christian Greek Scripture
authors actually wrote under inspiration of God. All translators must
faithfully represent the exact words written by the inspired authors. If
the Greek Scripture writers used the Tetragrammaton, then the divine
name must be used in each of those instances. If the Greek Scripture
writers used Kgréoa, then the passage must be translated Lord.’
Conjecture concerning what may have happened cannot be used to
replace evidence from ancient Scripture documents themselves. The
answer to the entire debate between Jehovah or Lord in the 237
Christian Scriptures passages of the New World Translation will be
found solely in the most reliable Greek manuscripts.
As we have documented throughout this book, no manuscript
evidence of any kind indicates that the Tetragrammaton was used in
the Christian Greek Scriptures.

| ‘This is true even when the Hebrew Scriptures are clearly being quoted. The
translator must reproduce for the English reader exactly that which the inspired
author wrote. The work of the translator is not that of a commentator trying to
explain the inspired writers' sources. If the inspired writer wrote Kgzxéoa in
reference to a Hebrew Scripture quotation using the divine name, the translator
must render the English as Lord.
162 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

A surprising parallel
The reader—whether one of Jehovah's Witnesses or one with an
Evangelical persuasion—would be surprised at the parallel between
the "Old Testament" examplein the first part of this chapter and the
introduction of the divine name into the Christian Scriptures of the
New World Translation.
Firpo Carr gives the following information on page 17 in his book
The Divine Name Controversy
In 1530 William Tyndale first restored the divine name to the
English text of the Bible when he published the first five books of
Moses. Though Jehovah's name is used a few times Tyndale
wrote the following in a note to this edition:
"lehovah is God's name...Moreover, as oft as thou seist LORD
in great letters (except there be any error in printing) it is in Hebrew
lehovah."
Thus was the start of translators substituting "LORD" or "GOD"
where the Tetragrammaton occurs in Hebrew. "Jehovah" was
barely used.
Tyndale's translation greatly influenced subsequent English Bible
editions, including the King James Version first published in 1611. The
continued use of LORD inthe "Old Testament" has since been defended,
in part, on the presence of Kyréoa in the Septuagint.
Notice the parallel between removing the divine name from the
"Old Testament" and adding the divine name to the Christian Greek
Scriptures of the New World Translation:
1. All Hebrew texts contain 717” rather than ¢douaé8: all Greek
Scripture texts contain Kvptos rather than 1717’.
2. The English Bible tradition substituted LORD for 17> the New
World Bible Translation Committee substituted 17” for Kuptos.
3. The English Bible tradition justified its substitution on a Greek
version (the Septuagint); the New World Bible Translation
Committee justified its substitution on multiple Hebrew versions.
4. The translators of the "Old Testament" gave the Septuagint Greek
version (as well as English Bible tradition) greater weight than the
inspired Hebrew text when substituting LORD for 17> the New
World Bible Translation Committee gave Hebrew versions greater
weight than the inspired Greek Scriptures when substituting 717” for
Kuptos.

8 As noted earlier, the Hebrew word 4douaé appears in the Hebrew Scriptures
and is appropriately translated by both the New World Translation and "Old
Testament" Bibles as Lord. However, in this instance, we are talking about the
almost 7,000 occurrences of i117” in the Hebrew text.
 LORD, Jehovah, and Inspiration 163

The foundation of Bible translation is neither tradition nor conjecture

"Old Testament" translators have relied on tradition (and reader
response) in taking on themselves the responsibility of removing the
divine name from the Hebrew Scriptures. In consequence, they have
allowed the casual reader unfamiliar with the meaning of the
capitalized LORD notation to mistakenly understand the Hebrew
Scriptures as referring to Jesusrather than 717’.
The New World Bible Translation Committee has opened the
possibility of dangerous sectarian abuse by adding the divine name to
the Christian Scriptures. By its own admission, no manuscripts exist
today which use the Tetragrammaton in the Christian Greek
Scriptures. Yet, on the basis of pure conjecture, the Committee is willing
to take onitself the responsibility of giving Hebrew versions a higher
status of inspiration than the Greek text.
All Bible translations must be based solely on verifiable Hebrew
and Greek texts. This is the only way to preserve the truths which
Jehovah communicated through his inspired Scripture.

CHAPTER SUMMARY Any purposeful omission of a verifiable word in

ancient Biblical manuscripts for a translation preference demeans
inspiration. Any translator can objectively evaluate ancient manuscript
evidence in order to determine the inspired writers' use of a given word.
If the translator or editorial board then chooses to use another word
with a different meaning in its place, they haveshown their disregard
for inspiration. It makes little difference whether the purpose is to
promote personal interests or a theological bias, the result is still a
corrupted Scripture text.
We evaluated two illustrations which have produced opposite—
yet erroneous—results. In the first instance, most "Old Testament"
translators have disregarded the Tetragrammaton in the Hebrew
Scripture text and have substituted the word LORD because it is
purportedly more widely known. The result is a Bible which removes
the identity of God even though he was named by the inspired writers.
The second illustration is found in the Christian Scriptures of the
New World Translation. These translators used verifiable information
regarding the Septuagint to justify selective substitution of the divine
name for Kgséos. This was done in spite of the best Greek manuscript
evidence verifying the use of Kgyéos to within 100 years of the original
Christian Scripture writers. The result is a Bible whichadds the name
of God where it was not used by the inspired writers.
Chapter 13: BUT IF NOT HERESY, THEN WHAT?

Isthe previous chapters, we asked—and answered—the important

question, "Was the Tetragrammaton removed from the Christian
Greek Scriptures during the third and fourth centuries?"
We have thoroughly documented the presence of Kgxéoa in the
earliest Christian Greek Scripture manuscripts. There is no possibility
that the Tetragrammaton was used by the inspired Christian writers
and then removed at a later date.
There is no evidence from either the earliest Christian Scripture
manuscripts or the writings of the church fathers of a united heresy
directed at inserting Kgséoe into the Christian Scriptures. As we saw in
Chapter 10, if the removal of the Tetragrammaton was a heretical
effort encompassing three continents, we would most certainly know of
the controversy from early writers. Instead, there is silence.
On the other hand, there is substantial evidence that the
Tetragrammaton was used in copies of Greek translations of the Hebrew
Scriptures for Jews. (This included the Septuagint as well as other
translations by Aquila and Theodotion.) Furthermore, there is
incontrovertible evidence that Christians intentionally changed i717” to
Kgréos in their copies.
Clearly 717” was used in identifiable Septuagint! versions—yet
the same citations appear as Kgsréoe in later Christian copies.
If this transformation from i717” to Kgées in Hebrew Scripture
translations was not evidence of heresy, then what was it?

Are we credible?
Throughout this book we have made a distinction between the
Septuagint and the Christian Scriptures. Nonetheless, the Septuagint
was the Bible of the early church and remained so even after it was
supplemented by the writings of the inspired Christian authors. Even
as the Christian Greek Scriptures were added, the Septuagint was
repeatedly copied and circulated among the early churches. It was the
early church—and not Judaism—which was responsible for the
widespread propagation of the Hebrew Scriptures in the ancient
Gentile world.
To many readers, it appears as though we are denying that the
Tetragrammaton was changed to Kgsées in certain Greek translations of
the Hebrew Scriptures when we discount this change in the Christian

T In this chapter we will generally use the term Septuagint to represent all
Greek versions of the Hebrew Scriptures including Aquila and Theodotion.
 But IfNot Heresy, Then What? 165

Scriptures. Yet, there certainly was a change occurring between the

second and third centuries C.E. in the number of Septuagint Scriptures
using i717’. (More correctly stated, the change we see today is in the
number of copies containing 717’ which have survived. As we will see,
there was a concerted effort by the Jews in the fourth century to destroy
Hebrew Scriptures in Greek.)
Very simply, we will not be credible if we do not make a distinction
between our conclusion that the Christian Greek Scriptures did not
show evidence of change from the Tetragrammaton to Kgéos, and that
_ the Septuagint and similar versions of the Hebrew Scriptures did show
_ this same change.

_ The Jewish Septuagint

| We have avoided an exhaustive study of the Septuagint and other
_ Greek versions of the Hebrew Scriptures in this book. Consequently, we
_ will merely affirm that the Tetragrammaton was often changed to the
_Greek word Kgzéos in the early centuries of the church.
This process is shown by comparing a standard reference
_ encyclopedia with an entry from Aid to Bible Understanding. The
illustration concerns Aquila's translation of the Hebrew Scriptures
which was completed in the early second century. The New Schaff-
Herzog Encyclopedia (Vol. 2, p. 120) says,
In 1897 for the first time a continuous portion of [Aquila’s]
translation came to light in a palimpsest of the Cairo Synagogue,
showing the tetragrammaton written in Old Hebrew letters. The
statement of Jerome that Aquila made two versions, "a second
edition, which the Hebrews call ‘the accurate one," seems to be
correct.
|Then, on page 886 of Aidto Bible Understanding, a clear illustration is
| given of the palaeo-Hebrew characters <\xA\++ (which appear twice
_ in the passage) embeddedin Aquila's Greek translation of the Hebrew
| Scriptures. (The illustration, however, is typeset rather than
_photographically reproduced, and the Scripture passage is not
identified.)
| On the same page of Aid to Bible Understanding, the editors quote
| Dr. Kahle as saying,
We know that the Greek Bible text [the Septuaginf] as far as it was
written by Jews for Jews did not translate the Divine name by
ky'rios, but the Tetragrammaton written with Hebrew or Greek
letters was retained in such MSS [manuscripts]. It was the
Christians who replaced the Tetragrammaton by ky'’rios, when the
divine name written in Hebrew letters was not understood any
more. (The Cairo Geniza, pp. 222, 224.)
 166 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

We will allow the above quoted material to replace an

independent investigation. We can be certain, however, that the
Tetragrammaton in Hebrew characters (as either 17” or AxA++) was
regularly used in Jewish copies of Greek translations of the Hebrew
Scriptures. This was particularly true as a result of the non-messianic
Jewish response to the Christian's use of the Septuagint.
Consequently, itis apparent that a change took place in the early
centuries of the church. The translated Hebrew Scriptures were copied
by Gentile Christians in ever greater numbers. Because they did not
understand Hebrew and the written name of God, they translated? 17”
as Kuptos (Kgréos).

The Scriptures of the Greek-speaking church

Between 41 and 98 C.E., 27 books were added to the Scriptures. By |
no means, however, does this imply that the first century church ©
lacked sufficient Scriptures until this writing process was completed.
Jesus himself, from "Moses and all the Prophets...interpreted to —
[Cleopas and his traveling companion] things pertaining to himself in
all the Scriptures." (Luke 24:27.) |
On the festival day of Pentecost, Peter's talk was from Joel 2:28-32, |
Psalm 16:8-11, and 2 Samuel 7:12 with references to Psalms 89 and 132.
Throughout the book of Acts, Paul taught Jews and Gentiles alike
from the Hebrew Scriptures. After Priscilla and Aquila"took [Apollos]
into their company and expounded the way of God more correctly to
him," Apollos "thoroughly proved the Jews to be wrong publicly, while |
he demonstrated by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ." (Acts |
18:26, 28.) :
Paul reminded Timothy to "continuein the things that you learned
and were persuaded to believe...and that from infancy you have known
the holy writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation —
through the faith in connection with Christ Jesus." Paul then asserted —
that "All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for
reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, ©
that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for ©
every good work." (2 Timothy 3:14-17.)
These are allreferences to the Hebrew Scriptures. The church did |
not wait until Matthew, Mark, Luke, Paul, James, Peter, Jude, and |
finally, John, wrote before they possessed the Scriptures. They hadthe |
Scriptures at the very beginning of the church. |

:We will clarify the ideas of word-for-word translation and dynamic translation
) ater.
 But IfNot Heresy, Then What? 167

While the church remained in Jerusalem, the Scriptures were

available in either the Hebrew language or the Septuagint translation.
Certainly, many Jews who used the Greek Septuagint were familiar
_ with the presence of the Tetragrammaton embedded in the Greek text
as i17. However, after Stephen was stoned, "On that day great
persecution arose against the congregation that was in Jerusalem; all
except the apostles were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and
Samaria." (Acts 8:1.) Finally, in Acts 10, Jehovah used Peter to openly
‘give the good news to Gentiles. "[Peter] said to them: "YOU well know
how unlawful it is for a Jew to join himself to or approach a man of
another race; and yet God has shown me I should call no man defiled or
unclean. Hence I come, really without objection, when I was sent for."
(Acts 10:28-29.)
As the church spread to the pagan Gentile world, Christians
carried the Septuagint with them. The Greek text was understandable
to men and women in Antioch, Iconium, and all the cities Paul and
Barnabas would subsequently visit after "Jehovah...laid commandment
upon [them] in these words, 'I have appointed you as a light of nations,
for you to be a salvation to the extremity of the earth." (Acts 13:47.)
| Undoubtedly, there were Gentiles who saw—and even understood—the
| divine name 717’ in the Greek text. In time, however, it was no longer
_ Jews who were making contact with pagan Gentiles. Gentiles began the
_ task of proclaiming the good news to their fellow countrymen. They
_ were Gentiles who did not have a Jewish heritage and who did not
_ understand the Hebrew characters 7177’.
| On page 887, Aid to Bible Understanding gives us this account:
In a letter written at Rome, 384 C.E., Jerome relates that, when
coming upon these Hebrew letters of the Tetragrammaton (717”) in
copies of the Septuagint, "certain ignorant ones, because of the
similarity of the characters...were accustomed to pronounce Pi Pi
[mistaking them for the Greek characters MINI]."

The form of the Jewish Scriptures

| Aid to Bible Understanding and other Watch Tower Society
_ reference books frequently quote the important book, The Cairo Geniza,
_ by Paul I. Kahle. He has carefully studied the Hebrew Scripture texts
_ in both Hebrew and Greek.
Origen's well-known Hexapla, in which he Aron a six-column
| study of the Septuagint, contained a second column which was a
transliteration of the Hebrew Scripture text written in Greek letters.
On page 158 of his book, Kahle makes this observation,
There can hardly be any doubt that this work [of transliterating
the Hebrew text into Greek letters] was done by Jews who from
168 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

childhood had read the Bible and knew it almost by heart. The
Jews created this text for those of their fellow believers who could
not read the non-vocalized Hebrew text.
Then, on page 162, Kahle makes this application,
For reading the Hebrew original the transcription in Greek letters
would surely have suited all Christians and most Jews. This theory
also gives a plausible reason for the existence of a Greek
transcribed text; it allowed both Jews and Christians to read the
lessons from the Old Testament in Hebrew during the service, and
this explains why this transcribed text was composed so carefully
and consistently....
This text, like all the others assembled in the Hexapla, was
adopted by Origen from the Jews. A clear proof of this is to be
found in the fact that in all the five columns preserved to us the
divine name is regularly given as the Tetragrammaton in Hebrew
square letters. (Emphasis added.)
One of the important Greek translations made for Jews during the ©
second century was done by Theodotion. Again, on page 254, Kahle
makes these comments,
One of the characteristics of Theodotion's text is the
transliteration of Hebrew words in Greek letters.
... How can we expect that Theodotion, in the second Christian
century, should have replaced good Greek translation by
transliterated Hebrew words or that such newly-made
transliterations should have been substituted for Greek words in
some parts of the ‘Septuagint’? Obviously the transliterated
Hebrew words were used in translations made for Jews. Greek-
speaking Jews were familiar with such Hebrew words even if they
were not generally able to speak Hebrew....Theodotion made his
revisions for Jewish circles. He did not replace transliterated
Hebrew words by Greek translation for he had no cause to fear that
the Jews would not understand them.
On the other hand, it is obvious that in Mss [manuscripts] of the
Greek Bible written for the use of Christians such transliterated
Hebrew words had to be eliminated and replaced by Greek
equivalents.
Clearly, Kahle is directing our attention to the importance of Greek |
translations made for Jews in the time period between the ©
commencement of the Septuagint (circa 280 B.C.E.) through the second |
century C.E. Many Jews living outside of Palestine either did not know ©
any Hebrew, or they recognized spoken Hebrew but could not read —
Hebrew characters.
Thus, any study of the Septuagint and other Greek ieealenand of |
the time period, must consider their relationship to Jewish linguistic |
 But IfNot Heresy, Then What? 169

and social culture. Many times, these translations were done by Jews for
a Jewish audience. We would expect, therefore, to find the
transcription of the divine name—as either i717”, or even AxA4—in
these Greek translations of the Hebrew Scriptures made for Jews.
Again, Kahle says,
All Greek translations of the Bible made by Jews for Jews in pre-
Christian times must have used, as the name of God, the
Tetragrammaton in Hebrew characters and not kvptos, or
abbreviations of it, such as we find in the Christian LXX[Septuagin§gj
codices.>
Transliteration, translation, or duplication?
All Bible translators experience a quandary when dealing with the
divine name. It was certainly an issue which early translators and
editors of the Septuagint faced. How was the name to be conveyed to
Jewish readers? How was the name to be conveyed to readers who did
not understand Hebrew? Which was more important: form or meaning?
This was also a quandary which the New World Bible Translation
Committee faced when it began its work on the Hebrew Scriptures.
There are a number of options available to a translator when
dealing with the divine name from the Hebrew text. (In the following
illustrations, we will use only an English text. Obviously, the
Septuagint translators encountered the same problems with their Greek
text.) The simplest option is to merely transcribe the four Hebrew
_ characters. That is, the translator would use the Hebrew characters
| rather than letters used in the target language.* This choice would
| render verses such as Psalms 7:1, 3, 6, and 8 as follows:
O m7” my God, in you | have taken refuge.
Save me from all those persecuting me and deliver me...
O 717” my God, if | have done this, If there exists any injustice in my
hands...
| Or, using the older Hebrew script style,
Do arise, O A«<A\4t, in your anger;
Lift yourself up at the outbursts of fury of those showing hostility to
me...

| 3P.E. Kahle, Journal of Biblical Literature, "The Greek Bible Manuscripts Used
_ by Origen," Volume LXXIX, 1960. . |
1 4 The term target language identifies the language into which a text is
_ translated. The term parent language identifies the language from which the
|| text originates.
170 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

AxA+ himself will pass sentence on the peoples.

Judge me, O A«<A\+t, according to my righteousness...
Needless to say, transcription is the most precise action the
translator can take from the perspective of the original text. There is
no possibility of error because the Hebrew word is transported intact
into the new text. On the other hand, transcription is meaningless
unless the reader also understands written Hebrew.
A second option which is open to the translator is to visually
duplicate 17” by using letters familiar to the reader. This was done in
certain Greek copies of the Septuagint with the letters II (P) and I (I).
By duplicating these Greek letters, the reader saw IIIIII (or mm in
lower-case). English letters do not lend themselves well to this option,
though something like nin’ might be used. It is obvious, however,
that such a symbol does nothing to preserve the divine name. Were
this scheme attempted, God's name in English would simply become
Nin, as it became Pipi in Greek. This would reduce Psalm 11:1 to an
extremely unsatisfactory,
In nin’ | have taken refuge.
The translator may choose to transliterate the characters 717” into
four letters in the target language. This was apparently not done in |
extant Greek manuscripts of the Septuagint, but it is occasionally done
in English by using YHWH. Though this is an accurate representation
of the four Hebrew characters, it lacks a reasonable guide to
pronunciation because it contains no vowels. Further, it will be
meaningless to a reader who does not know its function. Psalm 15:1
would become, :
O YHWH, who will be a guest in your tent?
Another possibility is for the translator to phonetically duplicate
the name in the target language. Some copies of the Septuagint used —
this approach with the Greek letter combination IAQ ([AO). (When |
written in lower-case Greek, a breathing mark is added to the iota.
The word is written ‘taw, which gives the name two vowel sounds.) -
When read in Greek, this approximately duplicated the presumed

> It could be argued that with proper instruction, the reader would learn the full
meaning of the transcribed letters. That would be true only if the instruction
were complete and conveyed the full meaning of the Hebrew language context.
If such training were anything less than complete, then 17” would merely
become a symbol for a concept coming from the target language. In that case,
the written word in the target language would become an equal—and more
readily pronounceable—symbol.
 But IfNot Heresy, Then What? 171

pronunciation of 717? as Yah6.© Phonetic duplication in English is

achieved when the divine name is written as Yahweh (or, as we saw in
Chapter 1, as Yahvah). With this phonetic duplication, Psalm 18:1-2
can be read,
| shall have affection for you, O Yahweh my strength.
Yahweh is my crag and my stronghold and the Provider of escape
for me.
The translator may choose to translate the divine name. At this
point, he will choose between a word-for-word translation or adynamic
translation. A word-for-word translation does not consider the sense of
the parent language word combination in relationship to the target
language, but simply renders each word according to a_ lexical
(dictionary) definition. A word-for-word translation of i117” into
English is simply He Is. (If the translator wants to be interpretive’ in
his translation, he may add English words which reflect the tense of
the Hebrew verb. In this case, the translated name becomes He Causes
to Become.) On the other hand, adynamic translation will consider the
sense of the word combination in the parent language and find words to
_ express the same meaning in the target language. When the Septuagint
was translated, the sense of 117” in the Greek language was the word
Kuptos (Kgséoa) or Lord (with the sense of Sovereign Master). If the
translator chose a word-for-word translation of Psalm 20:1, it would
read,
May He /s answer you in the day of distress.
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
| (There is another complication ifthe translator chooses not to do a
_ word-for-word translation. The Israelite of Moses' day was not hearing
| a unique name when i717” was spoken. If the derivation of the divine
_ name isas described in the New World Translation Reference Edition,
| page 1561, which says,

BO Manuscripts of the Greek Bible, Metzger, p. 35, footnote 66.

ih? Many languages contain significantly more information in a verb tense than
‘| does English. However, an English example will illustrate what we mean by
interpretation. \f a group is asked, "Who is ready to do such-and such?" a
| respondent from within the group may answer, "I am." Yet, the meaning of the
| present tense in English is literally, "| presently am." This is understood by the
| English listener even when the word presently is not included. However, if this
| dialogue was translated into another language, the translator might need to
| insert the word presently in order to interpret the full meaning of the respondent
_to the foreign language reader. This would be particularly true if the
| respondent's answer was dependent on a time sequence in which the
_ respondent would notbe ready at a later time.
 172 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

"Jehovah" (Heb[brew] 717” YHWH), God's personal name...is

a verb, the causative form, the imperfect state, of the Hebrew verb
mm (ha wah’, "to become"),
then the listener was merely hearing the third person, singular,
masculine conjugation he is. It was only the context in which 117” was
used which defined it as the divine name rather than as a commonly
used verb form.)
If the translator considered the tense of the verb® and added some
degree of interpretation, the word-for-word translation of Psalm 26:1
would be,
Judge me, O He Causes to Become, for | myself have walked in my ;
own integrity,
And in He Causes to Become | have trusted, that | may not wobble.
If a dynamic translation were chosen, Psalm 21:1 would read?
O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices;
and in your salvation how very joyful he wants to be!
Finally, the translator might choose a modified designation. As
we saw in Chapter 1, the New World Bible Translation Committee
chose to use a "well-known form" rather than one which was a strict —
phonetic duplication. They say in part in Insight on the Scriptures,
Volume 2, page 6: |
Hebrew Scholars generally favor "Yahweh" as the most likely
pronunciation....Still, there is by no means unanimity among
scholars on the subject, some favoring yet other pronunciations,
such as "Yahuwa," "Yahuah," or "Yehuah."”
Since certainty of pronunciation is not now attainable, there
seems to be no reason for abandoning in English the well-known
form "Jehovah" in favor of some other suggested pronunciation.
If the translators chose the "well-known form 'Jehovah,'"!9 Psalm 27:1
would read, |
Jehovah is my light and my salvation.

8 The New World Translation Reference Edition (Appendix 1A, p. 1561)

identifies this as the causative form and imperfect state of the Hebrew verb,
translating it as He Causes to Become. The verb is identified in this appendix
as to become, which is the future tense of the infinitive to be. He Is is the third
person, singular form of the English verb infinitive to be.
2 Remember our comments in the last chapter, however, regarding the removal
of God's name and its inappropriate replacement with LoRD in English
translations of the Hebrew Scriptures.
10 See the addendum at the end of Chapter 1 for W.F. Carr's comment that
Jehovah is an English translation rather than a Hebrew approximation.
 But IfNot Heresy, Then What? 173

Needless to say, each of the above means of rendering the divine

name in a translation has both merit and objection, with some being
better choices than others.
In this chapter, we are considering the options available to the
translators and editors!! of the Septuagint and similar ancient Greek
translations. Their choices were determined by the recipients of the
translation. If the translation was for Jewish readership, then use of
Hebrew characters would be completely understandable; they could
embed i717” in the Greek text. On the other hand, when the Septuagint
was used in the Gentile world where little was known of the Jewish
heritage and language, a Greek language form of the divine name was
preferable. It was not a simple choice.
Nor was it a simple choice for the New World Bible Translation
Committee. In the end, it chose not to transcribe, transliterate, or
phonetically duplicate the Tetragrammaton. Rather, it made the
choice on the basis of popular recognition.
Faced with a similar kind of decision, the editors (copyists) of the
Christian Septuagint manuscripts made their choice on the basis of a
dynamic translation when they used Kgséoa for the divine name.

Are there manuscript examples?

Is there any evidence that different forms of the divine name were
used simultaneously? Can we point to any instance in which both 7177”
and Kyréos are used in a single ancient Septuagint manuscript? If, in
fact, the appearance of Kyxéos in Septuagint manuscripts was the result
of a heresy or schism in the early centuries, one would not expect to find
competing forms of the divine name in a single manuscript.
Throughout this book we have been concerned with manuscript
material which has become available since the New World Bible
Translation Committee completed its work on the Christian Scriptures
in 1949. There is an interesting example in the area of our immediate
concern of just this kind of manuscript being published.
In 1894, Giovanni Mercati was studying a 13th or 14th century C.E.
| service-book of the Greek Orthodox Church. The manuscript was a
- palimpsest, meaning that an older book had been erased, and a
_ liturgical text had been written over the faint early manuscript. After
| carefully recovering the material which was first written on the

11 Prior to the invention of the printing press, each copy of a manuscript could
_ be edited. In the early centuries, of course, this frequently happened. In some
| cases, it was done carefully to correct previous errors. In the case at hand, we
are looking at the single editorial process wherein either 117” or Kuptos was
_ copied with the intended reading audience in mind.
174 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

parchment, Mercati discovered an important example of Origen's

Hexapla containing approximately 150 verses from the Psalms. His
findings were eventually published in 1958. In this manuscript—known
as the Ambrosianae O 39—we have conclusive evidence that Origen
used 17” extensively in the Hexapla. Interestingly, however, we also
find that Origen used Kiptos,ks,,., and TIMI in the same text. In his
other writings (such as his commentary on Psalm 2) we also find that
Origen used Kiptos extensively in place of the divine name.
Origen, it seems, used either the Tetragrammaton or Kvptos (or one
of its variant forms) within the text of the Septuagint. This would not
have been possible if one form or the other was perceived as the result
of heresy. Nor would it have been possible if the earlier
Tetragrammaton had become unknown. |
(Because of its importance to the subject of a presumed heresy in the
third and fourth centuries, Origen's Hexapla, his commentary om
Psalm 2, and Mercati's work are all evaluated in Appendix J.)

The greater issue

In this book we have continually emphasized that the Septuagint
and the Christian Greek Scriptures are distinct writings. We must
reiterate thatemphasis regarding translation of the Tetragrammaton.
Whether we are talking about the Greek Septuagint, or a modem
English version of the Hebrew Scriptures, the translators must take
special care in translating the Tetragrammaton. In the Christian Greek
Scriptures, however, the translator does not have license to introduce
the Tetragrammaton into the text if it was not placed there by the
inspired Christian writers. |
The translators of any Hebrew Scripture must determine the best |
way to communicate the meaning and/or pronunciation of i717” to the
target language reader. No single word, however, will adequately
convey both meaning and pronunciation. Thus, every translator must —
make a choice regarding which of the two he wishes to emphasize.
The Septuagint was a translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into |
Greek. Though the large majority of extant Septuagint manuscripts _
contain the Greek word Kvptos, a number of ancient manuscripts which |
use i117” incontestably remain. (The Christian Greek Scriptures are an |
entirely different matter. There is no textual or historical data to
suggest that the Tetragrammaton was ever used by the _ inspired
Christian writers.) }
We. will not repeat the material from earlier chapters.
Nonetheless, we must be aware that the issue with the Christian —
Scriptures is one of inspiration. Any discussion of translation must be
limited to that which the inspired Christian authors actually wrote. —
 But If Not Heresy, Then What? ris

We cannot bring the Tetragrammaton into the Christian Scriptures

merely because it occupied such a prominent place in the Hebrew
Scriptures.

Heresy or translators' choice?

We must return to the central question of this chapter. How is the
variation between i117’ and Xgéos in extant Septuagint manuscripts
explained?
We can find no evidence that there was ever a heresy identified
with the replacement ofthe Tetragrammaton with Kgéos in the first
four centuries C.E. The writings of the church fathers are entirely
silent on the subject.
At the same time, we find ample evidence that there were at least
seven different representations of the divine name used in extant
Septuagint and Greek Hebrew Scripture manuscripts.
1.The dynamic translation of the Tetragrammaton as_ Kvptos
(translated into English as LORD) is the most frequent representation
of the divine name.
2. A variation of Kuptos is the surrogate (or abbreviation) of the divine
name which was written as KS.
_ 3.Less frequently found—but of great significance—are those
manuscripts which embed 7177” into the Greek language text.
_4.A variation of the divine name written with square Hebrew
| characters is found in manuscripts wherein the palaeo-Hebrew
characters A\x<\++ are embedded into the Greek text.
_ 5. A Greek visual duplicate form III (PIPI) is found in some extant
| Septuagint manuscripts.
_6.A Greek phonetic duplicate orn IAQ (IAO) is occasionally
encountered.
7. Finally, a surrogate form of IAQ (or taw in lower-case) is encountered
which was written as tw.
| What is surprising, however, is that none of these forms are
'.confined to a single era as though there was a development from one
| form to the other. Origen himself used five forms (177’, Kuptos, ks, tw,
/and MIMI) in the Hexapla.12 In stark contrast to debating the
| propriety of one over the other, Origen used each of the five in specific
} contexts. In his commentary on Psalm 2:2 he referred to a sixth form
| AKA saying,

| 12 As shown in both Origenis Hexaplorum, edited by Fridericus Field (showing

| four forms), and Mercati's AmbrosianaeO 39 showing all five.
176 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

"Inthe most accurate manuscripts, the name occurs in Hebrew

characters—yet not in today's Hebrew [characters], but in the most
ancient ones."
If that were not enough, an Ezekiel scroll carrying IAQ (IAQ)
notations comes from the Dead Sea caves. (The scroll could have been
written no later than 69 C.E. because they were buried prior to the
Roman invasion beginning in 69 C.E.) The Qumran community was a
strict group of Essenes which highly revered the divine name. (They
most certainly were not Christian.) Yet, one of their scrolls carries two
ae notes using a lower-case taw as a Greek phonetic duplicate of
teh? s
We are left with a simple conclusion. There was no heresy which
removed 117’ and replaced it with Kgséoa. There was no ensuing
controversy. Rather, the intended audience of any particular copy of |
the Septuagint dictated the translated form of the divinename. In the
regions of Palestine, or when a Septuagint copy was intended for an
expatriate Jewish community, 717” (or even AAxA\+#) could be used.
When. the Septuagint manuscript was deep in Gentile territory, Kuptos
(or KS) would be used. On some intermediate level, where Jewish
influence was still exerted, the form TIMI (or even IAQ or tw) could be ©
found.
Then why does the frequency of third cent and later Septuagint |
copies existing today which use 717” decrease? !
Rome conquered Palestine with two campaigns. The siege was
started in 69 C.E. by Vespasian and finished by his son Titus in 70 C.E. |
The Jews attempted one last revolt in 132 C.E. By 132 C.E., Rome was so
incensed by Jewish insurgency that they obliterated almost every ]
evidence of Jewish community life in Palestine. Temple worship was ©
completely disbanded.
By 70C.E.—and certainly after 132 C.E.—Jewish hostility toward
Rome was also directed toward Jewish Christians. The link between |
synagogues and Jewish Christians was irrevocably broken.
The Jewish Christians were so hated that even their Hebrew |
Scriptures were scorned. The Septuagint was rejected by the Jewish |
community as being Christian, and exclusively became a Gentile book.
(It was precisely for this reason that the two Greek translations of the |
Hebrew Scriptures were made by Aquila and Theodotion in the second

13 "Ay Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial," p. 310.

14 Ibid. Metzger. The breathing mark was not used in the first century.
> At this point we are specifically evaluating the Septuagint. Both Aquila's
and Theodotion's translations were done in the second century C.E. to
counteract the "Christianization" of the Septuagint.
 But IfNot Heresy, Then What? 177

century.)!© It is for the very reason that the Septuagint became

identified with the Christian church that Aquila's translation
reintroduced the Tetragrammaton. It is not surprising, then, to find an
extant copy of Aquila's translation with 17” (and even the older form
A\x<\++-) embedded in the Greek text.
In The Cairo Geniza, Kahle gives a further insight into the reason
so few extant copies of Septuagint or other Greek Hebrew Scripture
versions are available which contain the Tetragrammaton. On page
246 he says, |
The proper examination of the actual conditions is made so
difficult because one usually does not take into account that, after
Christianity had become the religion of the State under
Constantine, the Jews endeavored with success systematically to
destroy all their literature in Greek, including the Greek texts of the
Bible. Greek Bible texts written by Jews have only been preserved
in so far as they were taken over and revised by Christians.
| It is understandable why the Septuagint became an exclusively
_ Christian text circulating in the Gentile church. A Septuagint intended
_ only for Gentile readers would have little reason to transcribe a foreign
| Hebrew word into its text.
| There is no indication that any leaders in the early church
_ acknowledged the change from the Tetragrammaton to Xgréos as a
heresy. No writer reports a controversy over this issue.!7
: At an earlier period, it seems to have been viewed as a translator's
(or editor's) choice to use Kgséos or the Tetragrammaton in the Hebrew
| Scriptures based solely on the intended readers' cultural heritage.
Later, during the third and fourth centuries C.E. after Jewish copies
containing 117” were largely removed, the Septuagint containing only
| Kgséos continued to circulate among the Gentile churches which had
incorporated Jewish believers separated from their Jewish heritage.
| It was no more an issue of heresy or conspiracy to replace 717” from
the Hebrew Scriptures (Septuagint) with a term familiar to Greek

16 Unless otherwise noted, the historical information in these paragraphs is

‘} taken from New Testament History, F.F. Bruce, pp. 368-392.
17 This was not equally true in the Jewish community, though the debate was
ij not directed toward the Tetragrammaton per se. In the time period from the
translation of the Septuagint circa 280 B.C.E. until well beyond the second
century C.E., there was considerable debate regarding language among Jewish
scholars. The permissibility of translating the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek—
_as well as the use of other languages (as against Hebrew) in various portions of
; |the synagogue service—was carefully scrutinized. See J.A. Emerton, The
|Journal of Theological Studies, "A Further Consideration of the Purpose of the
j, Second Column of the Hexapla,” Vol. 22, 1971.
178 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

readers in the third and fourth centuries C.E. than it was for the New
World Bible Translation Committee to use a word familiar to English
readers in place of the Hebrew characters 1717’.

An interesting perspective
Is a translator permitted to decide which form of God's name he
will use in his translation? Our first response is to say, "No." But look
at the options from which a translator must choose. He has no
alternative but to decide how to best communicate God's name to his
reading audience.
We often assume that first century Gentile readers understood 11177”
when it was embedded in their Greek language Scriptures. Consider,
however, how uncomfortable a householder would be reading the
Hebrew Scriptures if the New World Translation presented Psalm
113:1-2 as follows:
Praise 1’, YOU people!
Offer praise, O YOU servant of 717”,
Praise the name of 717’.
May i7177"'s name become blessed
from now on and to time indefinite.
The New World Bible Translation Committee could have made
another choice. Say it wanted to preserve the characters from earlier
Hebrew manuscripts. Psalm 113:3-5 would continue as,
From the rising of the sun until its setting
AxA\++'s name is to be praised.
AxxA\—+ has become high above all the nations;
His glory is above the heavens.
Who is like A\«A\++ our God,
Him who is making his dwelling on high?

We agree that it would be difficult to show interested individuals |

the God of the Hebrew Scriptures if his name could not be read in the
reader's language.
But now that the translator has chosen not to merely transcribe the
divine name, he faces additional complex choices. If the Greek |
translator had transliterated the divine name, he could have used IAQ;
the English translator could have used YHWH. But neither could be |
correctly pronounced. So the Greek translator could have added a
breathing mark in lower-case letters (‘\aw); the English translator could |
add vowels to make the name Yahweh. |
Or the Greek translator could have chosen a known Greek word }
which expressed the same meaning as 717” and would have translated }
 But IfNot Heresy, Then What? 179

the divine name as Kuptos (Kgséos). The English translator could use
Master or Lord. The English translator could also use capital letters to
show that it wasa translation of 717°. He would then write the name
as MASTER or LORD.
On the other hand, some alternate choice could be made. The Greek
translators at times used ITIIII. The New World Bible Translation
Committee chose "the well-known form" Jehovah which is neither a
transliteration nor a translation.
In each case, the translator made a choice, though not all are
equally satisfactory.

But what if?

What if the inspired Christian writers had used _ the
Tetragrammaton? In many cases, their accounts were written to
Gentiles. (Luke and Acts were written to Theophilus. Most of Paul's
epistles were written to churches deep in Gentile territory. Revelation
was written to seven Gentile churches.) If 717” was used in these Greek
texts to Gentiles, then it could be forcefully argued that God intended to
communicate his name in this singular, Hebrew form.
If that precedent had been established by the inspired Christian
writers when writing to Gentiles who did not understand Hebrew—and
who could certainly not read the written characters—then there would
_ be no allowance today within an English translation of the Christian
Scriptures to use any word with English letters. Only 717’ would be
acceptable.

_CHAPTER SUMMARY After having established that the best

_ manuscript evidence from the first centuries of the church shows no
_ heresy involving a removal of the Tetragrammaton from the Christian
| Greek Scriptures, we are forced to explain the change during the same
period of time in the Septuagint.
Seven means of representing the divine name in the Septuagint (and
_similar Greek translations of the Hebrew Scriptures) were used in the
early Christianera. These included translation of 17” into the Greek
_word Kipios (Kgyréoa); surrogates such as ks ortw;embeddment of 717” (or
an older form A\x~\+t) into the Greek language text; insertion of the
visual duplicate form III, or insertion of the phonetic duplicate form
IAQ, into the text.
| Inclusion of these various forms were not specific to a period of time,
_and may even have been represented in asingle manuscript. In general,
180 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

one was not used to the exclusion of another as a sole means of

representing the divine name in a Greek translation of the Hebrew
Scriptures.
Inasmuch as there is no indication that this open—and sometimes
interchangeable—use of Greek words elicited any objection, we conclude
that the early church accepted this variation of forms as being an
acceptable translation (and editorial) expression of the Hebrew
Scriptures. Thus, we see no indication of aheresy in the shift from 717
to KUptos, but rather, an understanding that Kgséos represented a proper
translation for non-Hebrew speaking Gentiles.
Our conclusion is further reinforced by evidence from two early
sources. First is an extant copy of Aquila's translation which contains
the palaeo-Hebrew characters <A{A\+ in a Greek text. Aquila's
translation was done for the express purpose of producing a Greek
translation for Jews to replace the Septuagint. Copies of this version
are now known which contain A«A\+4, 717’, and ks. Secondly, in the
late third century Origen clearly used five forms (7117, Kiptos, KS, 10,
and III) within his Hexapla, and refers to a sixth (AAx{A\+t) in other
writings.
The first centuries of the Christian church had Greek translations
of the Hebrew Scriptures which were intended for distinctly different
audiences. Hebrew Scriptures which were intended for Greek speaking
Jews who understood their Jewish heritage could freely use either 717”
or AxA+18 Greek translations of Hebrew Scriptures intended for a
Gentile audience used Kgxéoa.

18 We are glossing over the animosity of the Jewish community after

Christians began using the Septuagint. As we noted earlier, it was precisely
because the Christians were using the Septuagint that non-messianic Jews
produced translations of their Hebrew Scriptures during the second and third
centuries C.E. which contained the Tetragrammaton embedded in the Greek
language text.
 Chapter 14: THE INDISTINCT MEANING OF KYR70S

W: have completed an extensive study asking whether the

original Greek Scripture writers used the Tetragrammaton
(717) or the word Kgséosa (Kvptos) in 237 specific instances
within the Christian Greek Scriptures. This search was primarily
confined to textual and historical data. Particular emphasis was
drawn to the new light available today which was unavailable to the
translators of the New World Translationin the late 1940's.
From the accumulative textual and historicalevidences reported in
the previous chapters, we conclude that the Tetragrammaton was never
used in the Greek text by the inspired Christian writers.
Since the Tetragrammaton was not used, we are forced to recognize
that the word Kgséos carries indistinct meaning by design. In this
chapter, we will examine the Greek Scripture writers’ apparent use of
*Kyréos to refer to both Jehovah and the Lord Jesus.

Defining indistinct meaning

We must explain why we are using the words indistinct meaning to
describe the use of Kyséoa in many Greek Scripture passages. Webster's
Collegiate Dictionary defines indistinct in part as "Not sharply
outlined or separable: Uncertain."
Because God's Word is inspired, it always contains the exact
meaning which Jehovah intended. Generally, precise wording is
readily apparent when the text is being read. However, there are
exceptions. (We will consider an exception regarding the word witness
in a moment.) Yet, we are all familiar with details in prophesy which
were shrouded in "uncertainty" until their fulfillment. For example,
many of the events regarding Jesus’ death and subsequent incidents in
| the life of the early church are now recognized to have been prophetic
| statements from the Hebrew Scriptures. Yet, in spite of the clarity of
_ their meaning today, the meaning of these same verses was less certain
to a devout Jew living prior to Jesus' birth. Compare the prophesy of
| Zechariah [see NWT Reference Edition footnote regarding Jeremiah]
concerning the 30 pieces of silver and the price of the potter's field at
| Zechariah 11:13 with its fulfillment at Matthew 27:9-10. Or the
_ statement of Jesus saying, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken
| me?" at Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 with the quotation source at
| Psalm 22:1. Of particular interestis Peter's declaration at Acts 1:20-21
| that Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8 were fulfilled in Judas when Peter
_said, "Let his lodging place become desolate...' and ‘His office of
oversight let someone else take." Yet, before Peter explained their
182 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

fulfillment, the fuller meaning of these passages was certainly

indistinct to the Jews of Christ's day. No Jews living prior to Jesus'
death applied these verses to this reprobate disciple.
Jesus himself stated that his illustrations allowed some to see and
others not to see.
The disciples...said to him: "Why is it you speak to them by the
use of illustrations?” In reply he said "To YOU it is granted to
understand the sacred secrets of the kingdom of the heavens, but
to those people it is not granted...This is why | speak to them by
the use of illustrations, because looking, they look in vain, and
hearing, they hear in vain, neither do they get the sense of it."
(Matthew 13:10-11, 13.)
All languages—including Koine Greek—use indistinct meanings to
broaden the sense of certain words.! There is an interesting illustration
of an indistinct word used in the Christian Greek Scriptures which
gives added meaning because of its "uncertain...indistinctness."* We
have purposely chosen this illustration because it is outside our present
discussion of Kgxéoa.
The single Greek word martyreo (apTupeéw) is assigned two quite
different English meanings. Its primary meaning was always "[To] bear
witness, or [to] be a witness." But it had a second meaning, and was used _
accordingly in the Greek Scriptures. It also meant, "[To] testify, [to] be
a witness (unto death), [to] be martyred."
This word was used in its noun form at Acts 22:20. Most English
Bibles translate the passage with the same English sense as found in
the New World Translation:

1 We are somewhat arbitrarily making a distinction between words which are

indistinct and words which have multiple meanings. The description of Kyxéea
under the heading The meaning of Kgxéos during apostolic times on
the following pages describes multiple meanings. The distinction we are
attributing to Kgsxéoe as indistinct may merely be one of degree in which this
latter usage has a specialized meaning. If the reader prefers, our category of
indistinct may be regarded as the extreme within a single category multiple
meanings. Nonetheless, we will retain the definition as indistinct because of the
specialized sense in which K¢géoa is identified with the divine name.
2 The reader will realize that this was clearer to the Greek reader of the day
than it is to an English reader in translation. The Greek reader understood the
breadth of meaning and allowed the context to define the appropriate sense. In
translation, the English reader must be pointed in the direction of understanding
the word as either witness or martyr. .
3 A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Arndt and Gingrich, pp. 492-
493.
 The Indistinct Meaning of Kgréea 183

And when the blood of Stephen your witness (martyros

[udptutos]) was being spilled, | myself was also standing by and
approving and guarding the outer garments of those doing away
with him.
| A few versions translate the word as martyr. The King James version
| says,
And when the blood of thy martyr (martyroa [uaptuTos]) Stephen
was shed, | also was standing by, and consenting unto his death,
and kept the raiment of them that slew him.
|Finally,the Amplified Bible, which gives shades of meaning when a
Greek word includes a broader sense than can be conveyed by a single
English word, translates the verse,
And when the blood of Your (martyr) witness Stephen was
shed, | also was personally standing by and consenting and
approving, and guarding the garments of those who slew him.
By using this broader word martyreo (apTupéw), the inspired Greek
‘Scriptures convey something deeper than merely the English word
|witness. In thesame chapter, Ananias says to Saul who is fasting and
| praying,
... The God of our forefathers has chosen you to come to know
his will and to see the righteous One and to hear the voice of his
mouth, because you are to be a witness (marty [La ptus]) for him to
all men of things you have seen and heard.’ (Acts 20:14-15.)
: An understanding of the meaning of martyreo gives added insight
_into the message conveyed to Saul by Ananias at Acts 9:15-16.
But the Lord said to [Ananias] "Be on your way, because this
man [Saul] is a chosen vessel to me to bear my name to the nations
as well as to kings and the sons of Israel. For | shall show him plainly
how many things he must suffer for my name." (Italics added.)
| Paul understood the cost of his apostleship. He understood from
| the very beginning that he was not merely to tell others of Jesus the
Messiah, but that his testimony could cost him his life. When Paul
later described his ministry to the Ephesians (Acts 20:17-24), or when
‘he stated his willingness to die in Jerusalem (Acts 21:10-13), or
|expressed his desire to know and suffer for Christ (Philippians 3:10),
iwe realize that he fully understood the meaning of the Greek word
mantyreo (LapTUupéw) atthe time Ananias first prayed for restoration of
his sight.
_ Through this same indistinct meaning in the word witness-martyr,
we also gain an insight into Jesus’ words at Acts 1:8 when he said,
184 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

"But YOU will receive power when the holy spirit arrives upon
YOU , and YOU will be witnesses (martyres [da pTtupes]) of me both in
Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the most distant part
of the earth."
Thus, by example, we can see that an indistinct word may be used to
give language a broader meaning. At the same time, greater breadth
may also obscure precise meaning. This characteristic of all languages —
wherein indistinct meaning gives greater breadth with obscured |
precision is equally true within the inspired Scriptures. This was
Paul's experience with the word martyreo (rapTupeéw). He was not told
specifically that he would be a witness or a martyr. With less
precision, he was told that he might be one, or the other, or both.
We must add, however, that all languages have a means of
restoring precision lost in indistinct meaning. Generally speaking, the -
context of the word—or in some cases, grammatical structure—can be
used to reinstate precision. The reader will realize that this option of.
either restoring or withholding precision is a useful tool in
communication. At times, a speaker or writer may wish to convey a_
precise meaning with a word which is inherently indistinct. In this
case, he may qualify it with the context or grammatical function so
that the word will be understood with a single meaning. On the other
hand, there are times when a dual meaning serves a useful function
because the broader sense is exactly that which is intended. The
meaning becomes all-inclusive.
It is precisely this intentional all-inclusive meaning of the word
*yréoa which catches our attention in the Christian Greek Scriptures.

The meaning of Kgyéos during apostolic times

The word &gréos was a common secular word in the Koine Greek |
language of the day. It is translated as Sir [Mark 7:28], owner |
[Matthew 21:40], master [Matthew 25:26], a protocol form of address for |
an emperor [Acts 25:26], and slave master [Ephesians 6:5]. Jesus also
used the word when he was directly quoting the Hebrew Scriptures |
[Luke 4:8 and 12]. Kgxéosisused 714 times from Matthew to Revelation. |
The New World Translation uses it 406 times of Jesus.4 Disallowing, as |
we now must, the presumed presence of the Tetragrammaton in the }
Christian Greek Scriptures, Xgséos is translated as Lord with the |

4 This total includes all occurrences of Lord spelled with an upper case "L,"
indicating its use as a proper noun. Lord may be capitalized at the beginning of
a quotation in the Greek text, and, in rare instances, may. not identify Jesus.
We did not verify each reference as directly identifying Jesus. See the
summary at the end of Appendix C.
 The Indistinct Meaning of Kgréoa 185

function of a proper noun 651 times” within the Kingdom Interlinear

Translation.
The title Kgréos is also (though infrequently) used of the Father.
_ Jesus prayed in Luke 10:21 saying:
| publicly praise you, Father, Lord (Kgréos [kUpte]) of heaven and
earth, because you have carefully hidden these things from wise
and intellectual ones...
As a designated. title, however, Kyséoe (Lord) is customarily used
for Jesus in the Christian Greek Scriptures. Just as Jehovah called
| himself by name in the Hebrew Scriptures, so he gave Jesus two titles in
_the Christian Greek Scriptures.
Therefore let all the house of Israel know for a certainty that God
made him both Lord (Xgsées) and Christ, this Jesus whom YOU
impaled. (Acts 2:36)
_1 Corinthians 8:6 says that in the same way there is only one God, there
| is one XKgréoe (Lord).
There is actually to us one God the Father...and there is one
Lord (Kgséoa), Jesus Christ...
| Also consider two other passages, both of which refer to Jesus as being
"our only.. -Lord (Kgséoa)" (Jude 4) or, just as there is but "one Lord
)(Kgréos)," there is but "one God"® (Ephesians 4:5).
The importance of the discovery that the Tetragrammaton was not
used by the apostolic authors should be clear. In many passages, the
presence of Kyréoa (when the context is referring to Jesus) identifies Jesus
with Jehovah as we have already seen at Revelation 1:8.
"lam the Alpha and the Omega" says Kgzéoe God, "the One who
is and who was and who is coming, the Almighty."

!° This total comes from the Lord entries in Appendix C which used an upper-
case "L." (See the qualification in the footnote above.)
64 Corinthians 8:6 and Jude 4 have been used purposefully because they
_include the phrase "one God." In spite of the fact that Watch Tower publications
make the biblical teaching of one God and Jesus’ full identification with God
_seemto be far-fetched, the opposite is actually the case. (See, for example,
the publication Should You Believe in the Trinity? Though in some cases there
-are knowledgeable quotations from outside sources, the reader frequently
-encounters attempts by the Watch Tower writers to reduce the subject to
ludicrous and confusing proportions.) However, because this book is focusing
on the Tetragrammaton, we have avoided numerous areas where a study of the
person of God could appropriately be included. Nonetheless, for a complete
understanding of the Scriptures, this truth must be resolved. We would
| encourage the reader to personally study this important subject using only the
i| Scriptures.
186 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Instances which refer to Jehovah

Under this subheading, we are looking for citations in the
Christian Scriptures which refer exclusively to Jehovah. This is best
done by finding examples of verses where Kgxéoa is clearly used by a
Scripture writer in reference to a divine being other than Jesus. Our first
example comes from Luke 5:17. (In the following illustrations, we will
insert the critical phrase from the Kingdom Interlinear Translation,
including both the Greek and _ English wording. The
New World Translation entry is placed in brackets.) Luke 5:17 says:
In the course of one of the days [Jesus] was teaching, and
Pharisees and teachers of the law who had come out of every
village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem were sitting there; [and
Jehovah's power—NW/T7]
Kal Suvauts Kuptou
and thepower of Lord [KIT]
was there for him to do healing.
Clearly, this verse is not saying that Jesus’ own power was there in
order that he could heal. That would be an unlikely statement
inasmuch as Jesus' power (whatever its extent in his human existence)
was always present with him.” Luke is drawing our attention to the
presence of Jehovah's power. Luke intended to convey exactly the
meaning of the New World Translation which says, "...and Jehovah's —
power was there for him [Jesus] to do healing."
There are many references throughout the Christian Greek |
Scriptures which fall into this category in which Jehovah is the
intended subject.8 We will quote just two additional verses in which
this is the case. Matthew 1:22-23a (with an identifiable quotation.
from Isaiah 7:14 attributable to Jehovah) says: |
All this actually came about for that to be fulfilled which was [spoken
by Jehovah—NW7]
ondév wud Kupiov
spoken by Lord [KI/7]
through his prophet, saying: "Look! The virgin will become
pregnant and will give birth to a son..."
Again, the sense of the New World Translation which says, "which
was spoken by Jehovah..." was certainly Matthew's intent.

7 We need to leave this as a simple statement of logic. We are not discussing

Jesus' attributes.
8 The reader understands that we are not excluding the person of Jesus from
this statement. As will be shown, the dual meaning of Kgréos identifies Jesus
with Jehovah.
 The Indistinct Meaning of Xgéoa 187

The third illustration of a Xgséoe reference clearly referring to

Jehovah also comes from Luke. When the angel Gabriel was sent to
Mary with the announcement of the birth of Jesus, she responded
affirmatively according to Luke 1:38:
Then Mary said; "Look! [Jehovah's slave gir—NW/7]!
if dSovAn Kupt ou
The slavegirl ofLord[K/7]
May it take place with me according to your declaration."
There is every reason to believe that Luke was reporting Mary as
addressing Jehovah with her statement of servitude as his obedient
child. It would be most unusual to explain this passage by saying that
Mary was addressing her yet unborn son.
These verses show us that in certain instances, Christian Greek
Scripture writers used Kyréoe to refer to Jehovah. That is, since there is
no historical or biblical record that they used the Tetragrammaton in
the inspired writings,we know that they used the Greek word Kvptos
rather than the Hebrew word 717°? when referring to Jehovah.

Instances which contextually equate Jesus with deity

We are now confronted with the full import of the original Greek
Scripture writers’ indistinct meaning for the word Kgréoa. Frequently
within the Greek Scriptures, there are instances in which the writer
was referring to Jesus as Lord, but was ascribing to him attributes or
actions reserved for deity.
The few examples we have used from the book of Revelation are by
no means the only examples found in the Christian Greek Scriptures.
We will give only two additional illustrations at this point. The
reader should be aware, however, that many more could be cited. At
Romans 14:3-9, Paul was teaching regarding the Roman believers’ error
in judging each other for what they were eating. Paul said:
Let the one eating not look down on the one not eating, and let
the one not eating not judge the one eating, for God has
welcomed that one. Who are you to judge the house servant of

9 Again, at this point we must make a strong statement affirming the inspiration
of Scripture. As we have seen, there is no evidence that the original
manuscripts contained the Tetragrammaton. Therefore, unless we deny the
innerrancy and inspiration of the Greek Scriptures, we are left only with the
_ alternative that God directed the apostolic writers to use the Greek word
_ Kdptos rather than the Hebrew word 717°. If—in our desire to protect a
theological position—we still must insist that the Tetragrammaton from Hebrew
versions will have precedence, then we must be willing to dismiss our claim that
the Scriptures we have today are "inspired of God."
188 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

another? To his own master (kupiw) he stands or falls. Indeed, he

will be made to stand, for [Jehovah can make him stand—NW/7].
Suvatel yap oO KUPLOS OTHOAL QUTOV. ©
is powerful for the Lord tomakestand him [K/7].
... He who observes the day [observes it to Jehovah—NW/7].
KupLW opovet .
toLord heis minding [K/7].
Also, he who eats, [eats to Jehovah—NW/7],
Kupl Ww EOOLEL,
toLord he is eating, [K/7]
for he gives thanks to God; and he who does not eat [does not eat :
to Jehovah—NWT], |
Kuptw ouK €EodieL
toLord not heis eating [K/7]
and yet gives thanks to God. None of us, in fact, lives with regard to |
himself only, and no one dies with regard to himself only; for both if
we live, [we live to Jehovah—NW/7], :
TH KUPLW COWLEV,
to theLord weare living, [K/7]
and if we die, [we die to Jehovah—NW/7}].
TO KUpL Ww aTroOvnoKoOeEV.
to theLord weare dying [K/7]}.
Therefore both if we live and if we die, [we belong to Jehovah—
NWT]
ToU KuUpLOU EOLED.
of the Lord weare[K/T].
For to this end Christ died and came to life again, that [he might be
Lord—NW/7]
KUpLEVON.
he might be lord [K/7].
over both the dead and the living.
This lengthy passage illustrates several important issues we must
confront. First, as we readily observe, the context alternates between
Kyréos and God as being synonymous.!? The context is not alternating
between i717’ and God. Look at the following alternating phrases:

10 The translators of the New World Translation would not disagree that this
passage is alternating between synonyms for God. Their agreement is evident
in its present reading as Jehovah.

5
 The Indistinct Meaning of Kgxéos 189

for God has welcomed that one.

... for Kgxéas (kUptos) can make him stand.
He who observes the day observes it to Kgréos (kupiw ).
he who eats, eats to Kgréos (kupiw ),
... for he give thanks to God;
and he who does not eat does not eat to Kyzéaa (kupiw ),
... yet gives thanks to God.
if we live, we live to Kgréas (kupiw ),
if we die, we die to Kgxéas (kupi ).
Therefore both if we live and if we die, we belong to Kgzéoe (kupi ov).
Then the verses summarize the purpose as being in Christ himself:
For to this end Christ died and came to life again, that [he might be
Lord—NWT] Kgréwse (kuptevon) over both the dead and the living.
| Whomever Paul was acknowledging, the subject!! of this passage
| was most certainly identified as eae the attributes of God. Yet
the subject is Kysées and not 717’.!2 No translator is justified in altering
| the inspired wording of the text in order to preserve a doctrinal
| viewpoint. In this passage, Paul clearly wrote XKgxéos in its various
_ cognate forms.
| When we consider the broader context starting with the statement
_ that we are to "put on the Lord (kvptov) Jesus Christ, and do not be
_ planning ahead for the desires of the flesh" (13:14), and finishing with
| the summary that "Christ died and rose that he might be Lord Kyréeoue
| (kuptevor) over both the dead and the living” (13:9), we understand
_ that Paul was dealing with Christ in this passage. At the very least,
_ Paul failed to make a precise distinction between Kyréos and God.!%

{| 11 Grammatically, Kgséea can be either a subject or an object. In this

| passage: 1. Kgsréo (Kupiw) is an indirect object; 2. Kgyréos (Kuptos) is a
' subject; 3. Kgréo« (kupiovu) is possessive; and 4. Kgréwse (kuptevon) is a
| subjunctive verb.
12 The reader should study the Kingdom Interlinear Translation footnotes for
| these verses. He would be surprised at the limited number of Hebrew
' translations found to support Jehovah. Verse 4 cites only one footnote
' reference (J'8). Verse 6 cites four for the first occurrence (J’7®1'3.18) and three
_ for the second occurrence (J”8:13). Both instances in verse 8 cite the same six
_ (J78.13-15,18)_ In review, the reader should also evaluate the contrasting dates
) of the earliest Greek manuscripts and those of the later Hebrew versions.
| 13 Weare referring to an indistinct meaning within the Greek text which uses
. ®gyéos. Obviously, when the word Jehovah is inserted into the passage, the
_ distinction is well defined, though it is imposed on the text from the outside.
190 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

We can now look at a second illustration which contextually

equates Jesus with deity. At Romans 11:34-35, Paul quoted Isaiah 40:13,
saying:
Or, "Who has come to [know Jehovah's mind—NW/7],
Eyvw vovv Kuptou
knew mind ofLord[K/7]
or who has become his counselor?" Or, "Who has first given to
him, so that it must be repaid to him?"
In the passage above, Paul was quoting a Hebrew Scripture verse,
and yet he was using Kgtéos. Clearly Isaiah 40:13 used the divine name
in the Hebrew Scriptures. Yet, as Paul quoted the passage at Romans
11, he used the word Kgséos, which he most frequently used to refer to
Lord. Again we encounter a difficulty with this passage in that Paul |
did not give us a clear indication of whether he was referring to Lord or
Jehovah. This ambiguity indicates tous that the Apostle Paul did not
make a distinction of eternal standing between them. Rather, he
indicated by the lack of precision that what was true of Jehovah in
Isaiah was true of Jesus in the Christian Greek Scriptures.
A significant number of the 237 Jehovah passages found in the New
World Translation fall directly into this last category wherein Jesus
was contextually equated with deity. That is, the writer (or speaker)
often introduces an indistinct meaning by failing to establish a clear
demarcation between the Lord (in reference to Jesus) and Jehovah. This
becomes a fact of great significance when the word XKgséos is studied in
the Christian Greek Scriptures. God does not make a precise distinction
between Jesus and Jehovah in terms of their eternal status.
This indistinct meaning hasan important practical application for _
Bible translation. Inasmuch as the Tetragrammaton is not used in the ©
Greek Scriptures, all passages which were translated as Jehovahinthe |
New World Translation must rightfully now be translated as Lord
where Kyséos is found in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation. (We —
must reiterate our earlier statement. No translator is free tochange the —
wording of inspired Scripture simply because it does not fit a
preconceived theological notion. If certain verses were written as -
Kgrios (Kvptos), then a translator must render that as Lord and not |
Jehovah. From the textual information available today, we know the —
inepired writers intended to say Kuptos; they did not intend to say
11:77!) |

uy It is important that we not be misunderstood. The Tetragrammaton is

incontestably verifiable in the Hebrew Scriptures. The author holds in high
regard those translators who have made the effort to use a proper translation of
 The Indistinct Meaning of Kyrios 191

An inescapable conclusion.
In our discussion of the word choice given to the original writers of
the Greek Scriptures in Chapter 11, we listed three options they could
have exercised. In that chapter, we suggested that only two valid
options were available to them. They either used quotations from the
Hebrew Scriptures and copied the Tetragrammaton, or else they used
&Kgxéos in place of the divine name. Because the focus of this book has
been the use of the Tetragrammaton, to this point we have basically _ let
the explanation stand which says that the original writers used Kyréoa
in place of the divine name.
By this point in the book, we understand that the Tetragrammaton
was not used by the original writers. (We understand, however, that
not all will accept the textual and historical information given in this
book as correct.) Therefore, we must consider purposeful indistinct
meaning as the writing method used by the apostolic writers in these
instances.
We now need to reach a final conclusion regarding the actions of the
inspired Christian Scripture writers, not only when they were quoting
Hebrew Scripture, but in their general use of the term XKgzéos and their
intended meaning.
We are faced with the inescapable conclusion that the Greek
Scripture writers, under inspiration, purposely allowed Kgréos to have
a broader meaning. In certain places, they used Xgséoe to refer to
Jehovah. In other instances, they used the same word to refer to a title
of Jesus. Sometimes the context makes its intended meaning clear.
Many times it could include either. Most often the title was applied
specifically to Jesus.
No inspired Christian Scripture writer ever explained this
indistinct meaning within the Scriptures. We do not havea chapter-
and-verse reference saying that this is what they did. We simply
have a Greek manuscript (which we believe to be inerrant and
inspired) which uses the word Kgséoa to refer to both Jehovah and Jesus.
Only if that indistinct meaning was acceptable to the divine author
could it be allowed to exist. As we now know, God did not have the
original writers insert the Tetragrammaton in order to distinguish
between the persons of Jesus and the Father.
Every indication is that the Christian Greek Scripture writers saw
no conflict in using Kgréoa to represent both the divine name and to

i117” rather than LORD. However, inasmuch as the Tetragrammaton is not found
in any existing manuscripts of the Greek Scriptures, it is a violation of
inspiration to insert the name where there is no evidence that the original writers
used it.
 192 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

identify Jesus. We are left with the conclusion that they did so because
they understood Jesus himself to share Jehovah's eternal attributes.
This does not mean that the inspired Christian writers understood
Jehovah and Jesus to be a single entity.!° It means that the inspired
Christian writers could say of Jesus regarding his eternal
characteristics that which they also understood to be true of Jehovah.

CHAPTER SUMMARY. The findings of previous chapters established

that the Christian Greek Scripture writers did not use the
Tetragrammaton (117) in their Greek writings. That finding leaves us
with the reality that the word Kyséoe was used by the Greek Scripture
writers to refer to both Jesus and Jehovah.
1. In some instances, the word ®gséos was clearly used in reference to
Jehovah. Passages such as Luke 5:17 set Jesus apart from Kgtéoa.
2.In other cases, Jesus was contextually equated with Jehovah. In
Romans 14:3-9, the early and late context talks about Christ.
However, in the main body of the verses, within the context of
teaching about Christ, Paul used ®gséos and God as functional
synonyms. In these passages, Kytéoa was often given attributes
belonging only to God.
3.In the absence of a distinctive contrast between Xgsées and the
Tetragrammaton (1177’), we are left with the inescapable conclusion
that the inspired Christian Scripture writers, under inspiration of
God, used the word Kgéos with a dual meaning. They allowed the
word to represent either the person of Kgyséoa (Jesus) or the one
identified as 77’ (God). They did not differentiate between the
attributes or prerogatives of one or the other in such indistinct cases.

15 There was a heresy called Modalism from the third century which made
exactly this assertion claiming that the Father, Jesus, and the Spirit were
merely separate modes of manifestations representing a single being.
Chapter 15: WHAT KYR?7OS MEANS TO ME

IE the Overview, the reader was told that this book began as a
personal study. Maybe this is the time to give you additional
insight. It will help you understand why this book was written and
the effect of the study on the author's life.

God sent two Witnesses

In 1983, two Witnesses came to our home. They were gracious and
articulate gentlemen, well-informed and knowledgeable concerning
their beliefs. They favorably represented the Watch Tower Society,
and expressed a willingness to maintain contact through study.
At the time, I had been active in Christian churches for many
years. However, I knew little of the Jehovah's Witnesses' doctrine. At
first, I was primarily interested in learning about Witnesses. (Of
course, as any Witness who has spent time talking at the doors in field
service can understand, I also wanted to defend my "evangelical
Protestant" point of view.)
In our early discussions, we went through a familiar process of
exchanging theological opinions, each of us attempting to persuade the
other with our favorite verses. The conversations were enjoyable, but
neither they, nor I, were convincing the other.

Two personal decisions

At this point, I made two decisions which completely altered the
way I responded to these two Witnesses as well as the subject itself.
1. First,I decided that I would learnfrom Witnesses themselves. That
meant that I would study from the New World Translation, I would
read other Watch Tower publications, 1would occasionally attend
Kingdom Hall meetings, and, above all, I would not find my answers
in books written to criticize the teachings of the Watch Tower
Society.
2. Secondly, and most importantly, I decided that I would be open to
God and allow him to direct me into truth. That wasa frightening—
yet liberating—decision. I decided that if, after my study, I
discovered that Jesus was who the Watch Tower Organization
claimed him to be, then I would acknowledge him as such.!

1 Simply stated, | believed with less certainty then—as | believe now with great
assurance after my study of the biblical information associated with the Greek
word Kgxréea—that Scripture fully identifies Jesus with Jehovah God himself.
Witnesses merely believe that Jesus is God's first and highest creation. The
194 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

The Tetragrammaton study begins

Through reading the literature I was given by these two Witnesses,
I came to realize that the Society's teaching concerning the
Tetragrammaton was of paramount importance. It was at this time
that I obtained a copy of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation and
began an exhaustive study of each occurrence of the word XKyséos
(Ktptos) in the entire Christian Greek Scriptures. The initial study
took almost two years. Much additional study on Tetragrammaton-
related material was done after that.
The initial study from the Kingdom Interlinear Translation was
guided by its footnote references which are shown in Appendix A. I
then located all the Kgyséos (Kvpios) verses with the help of 772.
(Appendix G shows only the 717” entries from J#9._ The actual Kgyréoa
references from J29 are reproduced in Appendix C.) J*% also gave me the
information identifying the Hebrew Scripture quotations which used
the divine name. Finally, the entire list of Kgséos verses (and the
remaining ‘7éeosa verses included in the 237 Jehovah references) was
organized in the form of Appendix B. After the Kyséos study was
completed, I examined other areas relating to the Tetragrammaton such
as the writings of the church fathers (the material in Chapter 10), the
George Howard paper (Appendix D), and studies of actual ancient
Greek manuscripts themselves (Chapter 8, Appendix E, Appendix F,
Appendix H, Appendix I, and others). In addition, a considerable
amount of time was spent reading in the area of textual criticism and
related subjects dealing with the Greek text and its manuscripts.
My first area of concentration, however, was the XKgréos study
which has been described in Chapters 3 and 4, with the resulting
entries reproduced in Appendix B. For almost two years Ispent as much
as an hour a day, three or four days a week, locating and cross-
referencing verses from the Kingdom Interlinear Translation and the
New World Translation. Week after week as I located each Kgréos
reference, I began to see a pattern develop. This was particularly true
in those verses with a cross reference to the Hebrew Scriptures in the

contrast is immense when one considers that, in salvation, we have God's

righteousness through Jesus. (See Romans 4:24-5:2 and 2 Corinthians 5:20b-
21.) The difference is whether, because of Christ's death and resurrection, the
one who believes receives merely the righteousness of the highest of God's
created beings, or infinitely greater, the full righteousness of Jehovah God
himself. In the first instance, that righteousness would cover only the sin of
Adam, because Jesus' righteousness would be the righteousness of one who
was also created. In the latter, the gift of Jesus' righteousness is the
righteousness of "the Lord God Almighty," which assures a secure eternity with
him requiring no additional saving work on the believer's part.
 What X¢réoa Means to Me 195

column entitled Hebrew Scripture quotation using the divine name or

the following column Hebrew Scripture quotation referring to the
divine name (Appendix B). A trend was becoming unmistakably clear.
The Hebrew Scripture quotation was clearly talking about Jehovah.
Yet, when a Christian Greek ae writer used the same passage,
he often ascribed the verse to Jesus“ using the title Lord. For example,
Isaiah 45:22-24 says:
For! am God, and there is no one else. By my own self | have
sworn...that to me every knee will bend down, every tongue will
swear, saying ‘Surely in Jehovah there are full righteousness and
strength.'
But when the Apostle Paul quoted these verses at Romans 14:11
according to the Kingdom Interlinear Translation Greek text, he
attributed the quotation to the Lord. The passage appears as follows in
both Greek and English in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation:
YE YPATITAL yap Zw Eyw, Eye Kuptos,
ithas been written for Amliving I, issaying Lord
OTL €or Kaper av ydovr,, Kal Tdoa yhdooa
that tome willbend every knee, and every tongue
EEOQMOAOYHOETAL TH Gew.
willconfess tothe God.

A memorable conversation
Throughout the time I was involved in the initial parts of my
study, the two Witnesses mentioned in the opening section of this
chapter graciously maintained contact with me.
A conversation took place in our living room in which one who was
an Overseer said that his faith was not dependent on the presence of
the Tetragrammaton in theChristian Greek Scriptures. When I heard
_ his statement, I was struck by the profound inconsistency of the remark.
_ By that time I had learned enough to know that his statement could not

| 2 This needs to be carefully stated so that itis not misleading. In the strictest
/. sense, the Greek Scripture writers did not usually quote a Hebrew Scripture
passage and insert the name of Jesus. (There are exceptions such as
Philippians 2:10-11. However, the Philippians passage does not identify Isaiah
as the source of quotation.) What the Greek Scripture writers did do was quote
a Hebrew Scripture verse which identified Jehovah. Then they used the Greek
word Kgréos (which was clearly a Greek title of Jesus) in place of the divine
name. This was done repeatedly with no attempt to clarify whether they were
| referring to Jehovah or the Lord Jesus. It is this dual meaning introduced by the
Greek Scripture writers themselves which led me to realize that they were not
concerned with making a distinction of substance between Jehovah and
Lord Jesus. This was the subject of Chapter 14.
196 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

be true. Much of my study since then has been cognizant of the

seriousness of his lack of understanding. Whether or not he knew it, his
faith was absolutely dependent on this single teaching of the Watch
Tower Society.
Without the Tetragrammaton in the original Greek Scriptures, this
Overseer must acknowledge that the one bearing the title Kgréos
(Kuptos) stands as fully identified with 117’.

My personal realization
The pattern was clear. The Hebrew Scripture writers spoke of
Jehovah. Yet, when quoting the same passages, the Christian Greek
Scripture writers used the Greek word Lord (Kvptos). Ultimately, this
left me with only one of two possible options.
The first option would be to recognize that the Greek text of the
Kingdom Interlinear Translation was faulty, but that it could be
explained by the removal of the Tetragrammaton in the second or third
centuries. Though the thought ofa faulty Scripture text was troubling,
it was a question which could be answered through a careful search for
evidence of the Tetragrammaton in the original Greek documents.
The second option was that, under inspiration of God, the Kgséos
(Lord) of the Greek Scriptures was identified with Jehovah of the
Hebrew Scriptures by the original Greek Scripture writers themselves.
I looked at every possibility which would show me that these
verses used the Tetragrammaton, but there was none. However, if these
verses did not use the Tetragrammaton, then I was left with only one
conclusion. The Jesus of the Christian Greek Scriptures is none other
than the One identified withi17”’ (Jehovah) in human form. Without
any fear of blaspheming the name of Jehovah, the writers of the —
Christian Greek Scripturescould say of Jesus as Lord exactly what the
Hebrew Scripture writers said of Jehovah. The Apostle John could
include Jesus as "God, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8, 4:11, and others).

The Lord's Evening Meal

I attended a Memorial service during the time I was completing
this book. The Elder giving the talk emphasized the symbolism in the
bread and the wine. As I saw the emblems passed, however, I could not
help but see another symbolism poignantly displayed.
It was as if each publisher received the bread or wine, then
reviewed his life before passing the emblem to the person next to him.
Although he knew the answer in advance, it was as if he asked himself
the following question in that brief interval:
 What Kgrtea Means to Me | 197

| have averaged ten hours a month in field service for many

years of my life. | faithfully attend five meetings in my Kingdom Hall
each week. | have given time for special pioneering. | have
sacrificed many things to be one of Jehovah's Witnesses; it has
cost me much in my education and employment, it has taken much
of my life's energy and free time. It has even separated me from
dear family members.
Now, having done all of that, as | look at this bread and wine, has
Jehovah God established a covenant relationship with me so that |
can joyfully partake of it? Do | know that | am "in union with Christ
Jesus hav[ing] no condemnation?" (Romans 8:1)
No. | cannot say that of myself. | have been left out. | must pass
this bread and wine to the person next to me and let him decide if
he has a covenant relationship with God.
What a graphic display of defeat!9
Yet, at Romans 8:2, 10-11, and 14-17, God's Word says,
For the law of that spirit which gives life in union with Christ
Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death...But if
Christ is in union with YOU, the body indeed is dead on account of
sin, but the spirit is life on account of righteousness. If, now, the
spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in YOU, he
that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also make YOUR
mortal bodies alive through his spirit that resides in YOU...
For all who are led by God's spirit, these are God's sons. For
YOU did not receive a-spirit of slavery causing fear again, but YOU
received a spirit of adoption as sons, by which spirit we cry out:
"Abba, Father!" The spirit itself bears witness with our
spirit that we are God's children. lf, then, we are

3 Interestingly, the Watch Tower Society even publishes the extent of this
defeat in its Yearbook. Each year, the "Worldwide Memorial Attendance" is
reported in conjunction with the "Memorial Partakers Worldwide." However,
because of the large number of visitors to the Memorial service, a more
accurate comparison must be made by using the number of "Peak of Publishers
in Kingdom Service" with those partaking. If we choose any year as an example
(1997 was used for this illustration), and reduce these two numbers to a
percentage figure, we find that for this year's memorial service, 99.84 percent
of the publishers were defeated followers of Jehovah in spite of their
1,179,735,841 hours spent infield service. (8,795 Memorial Partakers divided
by 5,599,931 Peak of Publishers equals 0.16 percent who claim a covenant
relationship with God. 100 percent minus 0.16 percent equals 99.84 percent of
Witnesses worldwide who have been excluded from this covenant relationship.)
_ (1998 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, p. 31.) Similar figures are published
_. each year. The Lord's evening meal was given to believers to eat and to drink
(not merely to observe and to pass) in celebration of their participation in
Christ's victory on their behalf as "Heirs indeed of God, but joint heirs with
Christ" (Romans 8:17; see also 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
 198 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

children, we are also heirs: heirs indeed of God, but

joint heirs with Christ, provided we suffer together that we
may also be glorified together.
Nothing Paul wrote in the book of Romans leads us to believe that
these wonderful truths apply only to a special class of Christians.
Rather, these truths are a reality for all who place their faith in
Christ Jesus. (Carefully read the entire book of Romans. Pay particular
attention to chapters 3 through 8.)
The power ofsalvation is-in the person of the Savior himself. If
Jesus is fully identified with Jehovah God in all his attributes and
power, then the salvation he offers gives to us the righteousness of
Almighty God himself.
The one who did not know sin he made to be sin for us, that we
might become God's righteousness by means of _ him.
(2 Corinthians 5:21) :

Wonderful changes in my life

In the years following the completion of my Xgréos study, two ~
marvelous changes began to take place in my life from this Scriptural _
understanding of Jesus. First, I began to experience a life in which the
power of Jesus in me was, in reality, the power of Jehovah God himself.
It is the One who is fully identified with Jehovah God, and who lived
in human form who says to me, "I am with you all the days until the
conclusion of the system of things" (Matthew 28:20).
A second change began, and continues to grow with new delights
each day of my life. Jesus gave me a great love for himself. I love him
deeply. It has been the most moving experience of my life. I spend
much time with him because I love him. I trust him implicitly because
I love him. I can love and trust him because I know who he truly is.4
What a joy it is to know him and to serve himbecause I love him. 1 am
not compelled to serve him merely to secure a future reward.
As I write the paragraph above, I want you to know that I have no
sense that this great love for Jesus is anything which I deserve or have
earned. Nor is it anything which Iam capable of producing by my own
effort. It is a love which he has given to me by his undeserved
kindness. I do not deserve it, yet he has given it to me as a free gift.

4 of course, | will never know everything about Jesus. | am simply attempting

to communicate that, until | understood his identity with Jehovah, | could not
fully appropriate his greatness and blessing in my life.
° You also need to understand that this love for Jesus in no way replaces my
love for the Father. In fact, as Jesus has given me a love for himself, he has
also given me a deeper love for the Father. Notice what John 14:21 really says:

ET a ee re eee |
 What Kgxéos Means to Me 199

O the depth of God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How

unsearchable his judgments [are] and past tracing out his ways
[are]! (Romans 11:33)
Has your faith as a Witness led you into a deep love for Jesus? Do
others in your Kingdom Hall serve him because they truly love him?
| Do you long to have a relationship with Jehovah based on a deep
: mutual love; an unshakable assurance of his compassionate love for you,
and a daily joy in your love for him?
| May I suggest, that you simply ask him for that which he truly
| wants you to have?

"Jesus, show me who you really are. J don't deserve it, but J want
you to give me a deep love for yourself. J want to enjoy loving you."

Ask him daily for his gift. He wants to give this great love for
| himself to you. In fact, he wants this for you so much that he died and
came back to life so that you might have it.6

"In turn he that loves me will be loved by

my Father, and I will love him and
will plainly show myself to him."

John 14:21

‘the Father loves me precisely because| love Jesus.

6 Do you realize that when Jesus was asked to state the greatest
‘commandment in the law he did not tell the Pharisee asking the question that
the greatest commandment involved doing Kingdom ministry? Instead, Jesus
\said, "You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your
whole soul and with your whole mind" (Matthew 22:34-40). Is a deep love for
| Jehovah your greatest area of service?
 Epilogue

There are numerous questions which remain unanswered because

they are outside the historical and textual evidence we used for our
study of the Tetragrammaton in the Christian Greek Scriptures. Yet
one question must be considered, if only briefly.
If the Tetragrammaton is not in the Christian Greek Scriptures, has
God's name been forgotten?

God's name is not esoteric

God's name is not obscure in its meaning, nor limited to a select few.
When God gave his name to Moses in Exodus 3:14-15, we read:
At this God said to Moses: "| SHALL PROVE TO BE WHAT | SHALL
PROVE TO BE (777% TWX 77.778)." And he added: "This is what you
are to say to the sons of Israel, ‘| SHALL PROVE TO BE (7°78) has
sent me to YOU." Then God said once more to Moses: "This is
what you are to say to the sons of Israel, ‘Jehovah (7177” )the God of
YOUR forefathers... has sent me to YOU..."
In all probability, God used a common verb for his name.! The word
T’i18 is the first person singular form of the verb to be. God used the
verb in the imperfect tense, implying that the action of the verb is
continuous; I AM [BEING], or ISHALL PROVE TO BE.

A striking omission
Why did God choose to convey his name through a language
without vowel markings? The absence of vowel identification in
written Hebrew almost certainly assured that the pronunciation
(though not the accuracy of the written information) would be lost. God
could have provided a written language vehicle in order to preserve
pronunciation had it been his purpose!
Does God's choice of a (presumably) common verb for his name, and
his choice of a language vehicle with no written vowel markings tell us
something? Is it possible that, to God himself, the importance of his

1 Not all scholars agree. The Theological Word Book of the Old Testament,
(p. 210) says, "Therefore we may well hold that YHWH does not come from the }
verb hawa [7111] which is cited in the first person ‘ehyeh "| will be," but is an old
word of unknown origin which sounded something like what the verb hawa
sounded in Moses' day. In this case we do not know what the pronunciation
was; we can only speculate." However, our example is in agreement with the
New World Translation Reference Edition (1984, p. 1561) which states, "The
divine name is a verb, the causative form, the imperfect state, of the Hebrew
verb 177 (ha-wah’, "to become")."
 Epilogue 201

name is not to be found in its exact spelling or pronunciation, but in the

meaning and reverence which it commands?

God's name in the Christian Greek Scriptures

After a careful evaluation of the best manuscript evidence, we must
now conclude that, in fact, God did not introduce 17” into the Christian
Greek Scriptures. Rather, just as he had done in Moses' day, he again
used a common word to convey his name and his identity. He chose the
everyday Greek word Xgséos. For the Greek speakers of the day, this
word could be used to describe a despised slave master. It could also
serve as a polite form of address. To the devout Jews who knew the
Septuagint, it was used to identify Jehovah himself!
Is God's personal name found in the Christian Greek Scriptures? It
most certainly is! The Messianic (Christian) Jews of the first century
understood Kyséas in the early pages of the Gospel of Matthew and Luke
to be referring to Jehovah God. These same Jews read Romans, Hebrews,
or the other epistles wherein the writer quoted Hebrew Scriptures and
also understood Xytéos to be a reference to Jehovah. But by God's own
design, these Jews who acknowledged Jesus to be the promised Messiah,
‘| also understood the complete identification of Jesus in the word Xgxéoe.
God's name in the Christian Greek Scriptures was no longer restricted to
its previous form.
Readers and hearers of the original inspired Christian writings
"| understood the word Kyrios to be an ordinary term used in everyday
language. It was a common form of address—and sometimes, of derision.
| As they heard the word read in the Greek Scriptures, they allowed the
context to define its meaning.
From their early familiarity with the Septuagint, Gentile and
Messianic Jews alike understood that Xgsées could also identify
Jehovah God. Thus, with the full reverence due their Sovereign God,
Messianic Jews could understand Xgséos to mean 717” of their Hebrew
fan
.
Eh
kA’.
Scriptures. At the same time, the Gentile believers could understand
Kyrios to be Theos (Beds), the Almighty God of the Septuagint.
The early Christian Jews and Gentiles alike, however, understood
‘that Xgéos was also a title of Jesus who was unmistakably identified
with 717°, the God of heaven.
The Apostle Paul—the most prominent Messianic Jew in all of
history—could identify both Jesus and 717” with the inclusive title
XK yxéos when he wrote to the Hebrew Christians. Quoting Psalm 118:6,
which used the divine name (717”), he said,
So that we may be of good courage and say: Kysées (Kvpios)
[Jehovah—NWT7] is my helper; | will not be afraid. What can man do
to me?" (Hebrews 13:6).
202 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Yet, in the same chapter, Paul said of Jesus at Hebrews 13:20:

Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the
great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an everlasting
covenant, our Kgséoe (KUpiov) [Lord—NW7T] Jesus, equip YOU with
every good thing to do his will.
The Gospel writer Luke used the same word to identify both Jesus as
Lord and the God of the Septuagint. Addressing the Gentile official
Theophilus, he wrote at Luke 1:76-77 while quoting the Septuagint
form of Malachi 3:1: |
But as for you, young child, you will be called a prophet of the
Most High, for you will go in advance before Kgréos (kvptov)
[Jehovah—NW/7] to make his ways ready, to give knowledge of
salvation to his people by forgiveness of their sins.
Yet, throughout his Gospel, Luke used the same Greek word to identify
Jesus as Lord to this Greek-speaking nobleman. Immediately following |
the verses quoted from Malachi, Luke wrote at Luke 2:10-11:
But the angel said to them: "Have no fear, for, look! | am
declaring to YOU good news of a great joy that all the people will
have, because there was born to YOU today a Savior, who is Christ
the Kgxéos (kv pros) [Lord—NWT7] in David's city.
So, also, each of the Christian Greek Scripture writers used Kgréoa
most frequently as a title for Jesus. Yet, they also identified Jesus with
God the Almighty by using the same word.

Does God have a name in the Christian Scriptures?

The purpose of this brief epilogue is to suggest a tentative answer to |
the necessary question, "Does God have a name in the Christian Greek
Scriptures if 117” was not used in the original Greek manuscripts?"
How didthe early Gentile Christians address the Sovereign God? |
If the Tetragrammaton was not used by the inspired Christian |
writers—as we have seen that it surely was not—how was God known? |
The earliest Greek manuscripts indicate to us that the original
ae, under inspiration, identified him as XKgyséoa to the Gentile.
world! |

2 This in no way mitigates against use of the divine name. It does, however, |
recognize the difference between the Hebrew language Tetragrammaton (117)
and a different Greek word used in the Christian Scriptures (Kgréoa). Both God's i
personal name from the Hebrew Scriptures, and the Title Lord from the Christian |
Greek Scriptures should be freely used today.
 SECTION 5

APPENDICES

Page 205 Appendix A: "J" Reference Sources

Page 217 Appendix B: Comparison of 237 Jehovah References
Page 225 Appendix C: Xgséos in the Christian Greek Scriptures
Page 236 Appendix D: The George Howard Study
Page 245 Appendix E: The Greek Text of the Hebrew Versions
Page 252 Appendix F: Facsimiles of Early Greek Manuscripts -
Page 258 Appendix G: J20 — 117” in the Greek Concordance
Page 262 | Appendix H: A Second Hebrew Version
Page 263 Appendix I: A Catalog of Greek Manuscripts
Page 276 Appendix J: Origen's Hexapla
Page 297 Appendix K: Nomina Sacra
Page 302 Appendix L: The Magdalen Papyrus
Page 304 Appendix M: Jehovah in Missionary Translations
Page 306 Appendix N: Correspondence with the Society

Page 313 ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Page 323 GLOSSARY
Page 329 SCRIPTURE INDEX
Page 332 SUBJECT INDEX

203
 Co ean - ae _ ais %
; 1 Sa Gy ee
a hae LP aig<>
’ y = 5 ‘
 Appendix A:"J" Reference Sources

The New World Translation replaces the Greek word Kgréos (and
occasionally ‘7feos) with the divine name Jehovah 237 times in the
Christian Greek Scriptures. (Infrequently, Jehovah appears multiple
times in a single verse.) In each of these 237 instances, the Watch
Tower Bible and Tract Society has published documentation supporting
the translators’ selection of Jehovah. Anyone wishing to investigate
the use of the Tetragrammaton in the Christian Greek Scriptures wil]
want to consult firsthand the two information sources summarized in
this appendix.
1. The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures,
copyrighted in 1969 and 1985 by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract
Society, is a valuable and primary source of information. In each
instance where Jehovah has been inserted into the New World
Translation text, the footnote material cites occurrences of the
Tetragrammaton in Hebrew language translations. The footnotes
also include representative material concerning the respective Greek
word found in the earliest Greek manuscripts. (The 1969 edition
gives more complete information for the document sources it _ lists.
However, the more recent 1985 edition adds new material in
references J*2 through J*7 and lists additional early Greek
manuscripts and version sources.) The Kingdom Interlinear
Translation must be consulted firsthand for any comprehensive
investigation of the Tetragrammaton in the Christian Greek
Scriptures. The information under the first heading in this
appendix, Explanation of the Symbols Used in the Marginal
References, is summarized from pages 26-31 in the 1969 edition and
_ from pages 13-15 of the 1985 edition.
-2.The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures Reference
_ Edition (copyrighted in 1984) is a second source of information for
this study. In addition to the biblical text, this edition contains
further explanations of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society's
position regarding the Tetragrammaton in numerous appendices.
This appendix information includes each of the 237 Jehovah
references in the New World Translation and a comprehensive list
of all "J" references to the Tetragrammaton. The information in the
second heading of this appendix, The 237 "Jehovah" references in
the Christian Greek Scriptures of the New World Translation, is a
summary of this latter information. (The New World Translation of
the Holy Scriptures Reference Edition, pp. 1565-1566.)
206 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Explanation of the Symbols Used in the Marginal References

All Jehovah footnotes in various editions of the New World
Translation use uniform symbols or identification entries. Ancient
Greek manuscripts are identified by a symbol designation such as X, A,
B,etc. Hebrew translations are identified with a "J" followed by the
appropriate superscript and thus appear as J!, J*, 8, through J27.
The following material summarizes each of the ancient Greek
manuscripts, Hebrew versions, or supplementary sources cited in the
footnote section of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation. The headings
for this section are used as follows: Greek (or Hebrew) text identifies
the contents of the manuscript. For Greek manuscripts, the heading
Date identifies its approximate age. Hebrew versions are identified by
Publication date. Ancient versions are identified under the heading
Version. The heading Modern Greek identifies contemporary
publications of the Greek Scripture text. The heading Reference
identifies miscellaneous reference works cited as "J" references.

Early Greek Manuscripts. containing all but Matthew 1:1 to

The following entries are 25:6; John 6:50 to 8:52; and,
ancient Greek documents which 2 Corinthians 4:13 to 12:6. It is
are regarded as primary sources housed in the British Museum,
for the Christian Greek London, England.
Scripture text.
B
X (Aleph) Greek text: Greek Scriptures
Greek text: Greek Scriptures Date: 4th century
Date: 4th century Vatican MS. 1209 (Latin:
Sinaitic MS (Latin: codex codex Vaticanus) is an uncial
Sinaiticus) is an uncial Greek Greek manuscript from the 4th
manuscript of the 4th century. It century. It is in codex form, and
is in codex form. It is housed in originally contained the whole
the British Museum, London, Greek Bible. It presently lacks
England. Hebrews 9:14 to 13:25; 1 and
2,.Timothy, Titus, and
A Revelation. It is presumably in
Greek text: Greek Scriptures the Vatican Library in Rome.
Date: 5th century
Alexandrine MS is an uncial C
Greek manuscript of the 5th Greek text: Greek Scriptures
century. It is in codex form, and Date: 4th century
originally contained the entire Codex Ephraemi _ rescriptus is
Bible. It remains largely intact, a palimpsest manuscript of the
 Appendix A: "J” Reference Sources 207

5th century. It contains parts of 1,2, and 3. They are designated

the Gospels, Acts, the Epistles, as P49 p4 6 and P47,
and Revelation. It originally P45 (Chester Beatty 1)
contained the entire Greek Bible, includes manuscript fragments
but was erased and overwritten assigned to the 3rd century.
in the 12th century. It is in the These fragments consist
National Library in Paris, primarily of Gospel portions.
France. They are located in London,
England.
p46 = (Chester Beatty 2)
D includes manuscript fragments
Greek text: Partial Gr. Scrtps. assigned to the 3rd and 4th
Date: 6th century centuries. These manuscripts
Codex Bezae. This symbol include Romans, 1 and 2
includes both the Cambridge and Corinthians, Galatians,
the Clermont manuscripts. Both Ephesians, Philippians,
are from the 6th century. A Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, and
portion containing the larger Hebrews. These fragments are
part of the Gospels, parts of located in both London, England,
Acts, and a Latin translation of and Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A.
8 jonn-- 11 \ to. 15 is.-in the p47 = (Chester Beatty 3)
University of | Cambridge, includes manuscript fragments
England. The second portion assigned to the 3rd century. The
containing the letters of the fragments include Revelation,
apostle Paul with a_ Latin chapters 9 to 17. They. are
translation is in the National located in London, England.
Library in Paris, France. P66 (Papyrus Bodmer 2).
These Greek manuscript
fragments contain portions of the
L Gospel of John and are dated
Greek text: Greek manuscript circa 200 C.E. They are housed in
Date: 9th century Geneva, Switzerland.
Listed as Greek Uncial P74 (Papyrus Bodmer 17).
manuscripts from the 9th These Greek manuscript
century, Rome, G.S.
fragments contain distributed
portions of the Greek Scriptures.
They are from the 7th century
ie
and are housed in Geneva,
_ Greek text: Greek manuscripts
Switzerland.
Date: 200 C.E. to 3rd century
P75 (Papyrus Bodmer 14).
This collection includes
These fragments contain portions
papyrus fragments of the
from Luke and John and are
Chester Beatty collections Nos.
208 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

dated circa 200 C.E. They are a Primitive Hebrew Text by

housed in Geneva, Switzerland. George Howard.)

Pp
"J" reference documents. Hebrew text: Matthew
These reference works use the Publication date: 1537
Tetragrammaton (717°) in the In 1537, Sebastian Munster
Christian Greek Scriptures. published a revision of Shem-
They are used as verification for Tob's Matthew.and Hebrews in
Jehovah in the Greek Scriptures Hebrew. It was published in
of the NWT. The 1969 edition of Basel, Switzerland. In 1557,
KIT lists J! Pad oe j*!. The Munster published his Hebrew
1985 edition adds J*2 through J*7 version of the Epistle to the
pages 210-213 Hebrews. A copy is in the New
York Public Library.
y
Hebrew text: Matthew j4
Publication date: 1555 Hebrew text: Matthew
In (1555; -Jean du Tillet Publication date: 1551
published Matthew in Hebrew In 1551, Johannes
in Paris. The original was from Quinquarboreus published a
an ancient manuscript found in revision of Munster's Matthew
Rome, and edited by J. Mercerus. in Hebrew in Paris, France. A
A copy is in the New York Public copy is in the New York Public
Library. Library.

2 Pp
Hebrew text: Matthew Hebrew text: Liturgical Gospels
Publication date: circa 1385 Publication date: 1574
Matthew in Hebrew. This In 1574, Frederick Petri
version was completed about published a Hebrew version of
1385 by Shem-Tob-ben-Shaprut the Liturgical Gospels,
in Castille, Spain. It was part of translated from Greek. It was
a work against Christianity. revised in 1581 by C. Plantin at
His Matthew in Hebrew is Antwerp, Belgium. A copy is in
included as a separate chapter. the New York Public Library.
A copy is in the Jewish
Theological Seminary of
America, New York City. (Also Hebrew text: Gospels
see the Bibliography for The Publication date: 1576
Gospel of Matthew according to In 1576, J. Claius published a
translation of the Liturgical
 Appendix A: "J” Reference Sources 209

Gospels inHebrew. A copy is in Hutter-Robertson translation of

the New York Public Library. the Gospels. A copy is found at
the New York Public Library.
J’
ji
Hebrew text: Greek Scriptures
Publication date: 1599 Hebrew text: Greek Scriptures
In 1599 Elias Hutter Publication date: 1817
published a translation of his In 1817, T. Fry, G. B. Collyer
Greek Scriptures in Hebrew in and others published a new
Nuremberg, Germany. This was translation of the Greek
the first complete Hebrew Scriptures in Hebrew for the
translation of the _ entire London Jewish Society in London,
canonical Christian Greek England. A copy is in the New
Scriptures. A copy is in the New York Public Library.
York Public Library. ji2

js Hebrew text: Greek Scriptures

Publication date: 1831
Hebrew text: Greek Scriptures
In 1831, W. Greenfield
Publication date: 1661
published a Hebrew translation
In 1661, William Robertson
of -' the” --Christiggs. tareer
published a revision of Hutter's
Scriptures. A copy of the 1851
translation of the Christian
edition is in the library of the
Greek Scriptures in Hebrew. A
American Bible Society, New
copy is in the New York Public
York City.
Library.
ji3
Hebrew text: Greek Scriptures
Hebrew text: Four Gospels
Publication date: 1838
Publication date: 1639 In,..1835;, “Ae McCaul, [7G
In 1639, John Baptist Jonah
Reichardt, S. Hoga and M. S.
completed a translation of the
Alexander published another
four Gospels into Hebrew from
Hebrew translation of the
the Latin Vulgate. The work
complete Greek Scriptures for
was published in Rome in 1668.
the London Jewish Society. A
As=acopy isan “the. Union copy of the 1872 edition is in the
Theological Seminary, New library of the American Bible
York City. Society, New York City.
yio jp“
Hebrew text: Four Gospels Hebrew text: Greek Scriptures
Publication date: 1800 Publication date: 1846
In 1800, Dr. Richard Caddick In 1846, John Christian
_ published a revision of the Reichardt published a
 210 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

translation of the Christian Foreign Bible Society, London,

Greek Scriptures in London, England. The 1985 KIT edition
England. <A copy of the 1853 lists a further 1981 edition.
edition is in the library of the
American Bible Society, New ji 8
York City. Hebrew text: Greek Scriptures
Publication date: 1885 & other
jis In 1885, the Trinitarian Bible
Hebrew text: Select books Society of London, England,
Publication date: 1855 published a new translation of
In 1855, Joachim Heinrich the Greek Scripturesin Hebrew.
Raphael Biesenthal published The translation work was
Luke, Acts, Romans and Hebrews started by Isaac Salkinson and
in Hebrew in Berlin, Germany. A completed after his death by
copy is in the New York Public Christian David Ginsburg. The
Library. oldest copy used as a
Tetragrammaton source is the
ylé third edition published in 1891.
Hebrew text: Greek Scriptures The 1939 and 1941 editions were
Publication date: 1866 also consulted.
In 1866, the London Jewish
Society published a_ third yi?
Hebrew version of the Christian Hebrew text: John
Greek Scriptures by John Publication date: 1930
Christian Reichardt and inv=1930,)- ST Ses Horton
Joachim Heinrich Raphael translated the Gospel of John
Biesenthal. A copy is in the into Hebrew. It was published
New York Public Library. by the British Jews Society of
Haifa, Palestine. [The 1985 KIT
ji? lists this reference as a work by
Hebrew text: Greek Scriptures Moshe I. Ben Maeir in 1957.] A
Publication date: 1877 copy is housed in the library of
In 1877, Franz Delitzsch the American Bible Society,
translated the Christian Greek New York City.
Scriptures into Hebrew in
Leipzig, Germany. By 1892, ten j2°
editions containing his revisions Reference: A Concordance to the
had been published Greek Testament 5
posthumously. The _ editions Note: See the Reference
consulted for the NWT were heading below for the complete
printed in Germany in 1892 and entry.
in 1937 for the British and
 Appendix A: "J” Reference Sources 211

j7} the Psalms and Matthew 1:1

Modem Greek: The Emphatic through 3:6 in Leipzig, Germany,
Diaglott in 1533.
Note: See the Modern Greek
heading below for the complete J?”
entry. Hebrew text: Greek Scriptures
Publication date: 1796
j22 Dominik von Brentano
Hebrew text: Greek Scriptures produced Die Heilige Schriftdes
Publication date: 1979 neuen Testaments (third edition)
The entire Christian Greek in Vienna, Austria, and Prague,
Scriptures in Hebrew. Published Czeckoslovakia, in 1796.
by the United Bible Societies,
Jerusalem, Israel, 1979.

J29 Version references.

Hebrew text: Greek Scriptures The following entries are
Publication date: 1975 ancient versions used as reference
The entire Christian Greek to substantiate the Greek word
Scriptures translated by J. Kyron in the KIT Jehovah
Bauchet, Rome, Italy, 1975. footnotes.

j24 Arm
Hebrew text: Greek Scriptures Version: Greek Scriptures
Publication date: 1863 Date: 4th or 5th cent. (origin)
In 1863 Herman Heinfetter This is an Armenian Version
publishedA Literal Translation from either the 4th or 5th
of the New Testament...From the century. The present copies,
Text of the Vatican Manuscript however, are from the 9th to
in London, England. 13th centuries. Copies are found
in Moscow, Russia, Istanbul,
J? Turkey, Venice, Italy, and
Hebrew text: Romans Armenia.
Publication date: 1900
Sireauls: piste . to the It
Romans was published by W.G. Version: Old Latin
Rutherford in London, England, Date: 4th to 6th centuries
1900. Old Latin Versions existed
among Latin-speaking Jews and
J26 Christians. Jerome produced the
‘Hebrew text: Matthew widely circulated Latin Vulgate.
Publication date: 1533 Three Old Latin version families
Anton Margaritha published are identified: (1) the African,
Pad bs The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

(2) the European, and (3) the begunin 383 C.E. and finished in
Italian. Some versions were in 405 C.E.
existence as early as the 2nd
century, though most are derived
from the 4th to 6th centuries.
Modern Greek.
The following references are
Sy used as citations by the
Version: Syriac versions
translators of the NWT in
Date: 464 C.E. to 6th cent.
support of the modern Greek text
Syriac Peshitta Version. [Sy,
and related topics:
SyP] A Hebrew Scripture
translation for Syriac
j71
Christians. It was translated
directly from the Hebrew text. Modern Greek: Interlinear
An extant manuscript may be Date: 1942 edition
dated as early as 464 C.E. This reference work has the
lengthy title The Emphatic
Sy identifies the Curetonian
Diaglott containing the Original
Syriac. This version contains
Greek Text of whatis commonly
parts of the four Gospels.
styled the New Testament
Syh ig: a 7th ecentury, (according to the Recension of Dr.
Philoxenian Harkleian revision J. Jon. Griesbach) with an
which Thomas of Harkel made Interlineary Word for Word
of the 6th century version of English Translation—A New
Philoxenus of Mabug, Eastern Emphatic Version. It was
Syria. produced by Benjamin Wilson, a
Syhl identifies the Jerusalem newspaper editor in Geneva,
(Hierosolymitanum) version. It Illinois. In 1902, the copyright
is assigned to the 6th century. and plates were given to the
Sy identifies the Sinaitic Watch Tower Bible and Tract
Syriac codex, assigned to the 4th Society. The 1985 edition of KIT
and 5th centuries C.E. It contains lists the 1942 reprint by the
the Gospels. Watch Tower Bible and Tract
Society.
Vg
Version: Vulgate Nestle-Aland
Date: 405 C.E. Modern Greek: Greek Scriptures
Vulgata Latina or Latin Date: 1979
Vulgate. Originally revised The standard Christian Greek
from the Old Latin text by Scripture reference Novum
Eusebius Jerome. It makes Testamentum Graice, 26th ed.,
reference to the original Hebrew published in Stuttgart, Germany,
and Greek Scriptures. It was 1979.
 Appendix A: "J" Reference Sources 213

UBS j2°
Modern Greek: Greek Scriptures Reference: Greek concordance
Date: 1975 Edition Date: 1963 edition
The Greek New Testament, by A Concordance to the Greek
the United Bible Societies. Testament, published by W. F.
Third edition, 1975. Moulton and A. S. Geden. It was
published by T. & T. Clark in
1897 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The
1963 edition was consulted. The
Reference. headings of interest are the
The following is a reference Scripture references under @EO’Z
work cited by the translators of (Theos) and KYPIOZ (Kyrios)
the NWT in support of 717” in Wherein it quotes parts of the
the Christian Greek Scriptures. Hebrew text containing the
Tetragrammaton (1177’).

The 237 Jehovah references in the Christian Greek Scriptures of the

New World Translation
This list identifies both the Greek word found in the Westcott and
Hort Greek text and the documentation supporting its translation as
Jehovah. The Greek word used in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation
is designated in the center column as either Kgséos (Lord ) or Theos
(God). These two words are written in Greek as Kiptos and 6€6s
respectively. The "J" and superscript column refers to the Hebrew
translations used to document 17’. (See the previous section in this
appendix for identification of the superscript.) For more complete
information on this listing, see the New World Translation of the Holy
Scriptures Reference Edition, pp. 1565 and 1566.

Matthew 21:42 Kuptog J1-4,7-14,16-18,20-24

1:20 Kuptog J34,7-14,16-18,22-24 pAbiaee Kuptos eo a a
1:22 Ktptog J1-4,7-14,16-18,22-24,26 22:44 Kuptoc ge beer ee
1:24 Kipiog J1-4,7-14,16-18,22-24 2 oie Kuptog wees e sepos
2:13 Kiptoc J1-4,6-14,16-18,22-24 27:10 Kuptos 1-4, Es
2:15 Ktpiog J1,3,4,6-14,16-18,22-24 280 ie eKiipioc \jit ete ne, oes
2:19. Kiptoc J1-4,6-14,16-18,22-24 Mark
i) Ktptog J1-4,7-14,16-18,20,22-24,26 1:3 Kipioc J7-14,16-18,22-24
1-14,17,18,20,22,23 5:19 Kiptog J7-10,17,18,22
4:4 b€6¢
4:7 Kiptog J1-14,16-18,20,22-24 11:9 Kipiog J78,10-14,16-18,21-24
4:10 Kupiog J1-14,16-18,20,22-24 12:11 Kupwog J7-14,16-18,21-24
5:33. Kuptog J1-4,7-14,16-18,22,23 12:29 Kvptoc J7-14,16-18,20-24,27
21:9 Kiptos J1-14,16-18,20-24 12:29 Kupios J7-14,16-18,20-24
The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Kutptog 7-14,16-18,21-24 Kuptos 7,8,10-18,20,22-24

Kuptos 7-14,16-18,21-24 Kuptosg 7,8,10-18,20,22-24
Kuptoc J78,10,13,16-18,22-24 Kuptos 7,8,10-18,20,22,23
Kuptoc 7,8,10-18,21-24
Kuptos J7-8-10,17,18,22-24
Kutptog 7-17,23 Kuptos 7,8,10
Kuptoc 7-18,22,23 Kuptos 13-18,22,23
Kuptos 7-13,16-18,22-24 Koptos 7,8,10-18,20,22-24
Kuptos 7,8,10-18,22,23 Kuptos 7,8,10-18,20,22,23
Kuptog 7-18,22-24 Kuptos 7,8,10
Kutptog 7-18,22-24 Kuptos 7,8,10,13,15-18,22-24
Kutptog 7-18,22,23 Kuptos 7,8,10,13,15-18,22-24
Kotptos 5,7-18,22,23 Kuptos 11-18,22-24
Kuptos 5-18,22-24 Kuptoc 11-18,22,23
Kuptos 5,7-18,22-24 Kuptos 11-13,20,22-24
Kuptog 5-18,22-24 Kuptos 17,18,22,23
Kutptog 5-18,22,23 Kuptos 18,22,23
Kutpiog 5-18,22-24 Kutpwog 7,8,10,13,15-18,22,23
Kutptog 5-18,22-24 Koptos 7,8,10,17,18
Kutptos 5-18,22-24 Kuptog 7,8,10,13,15-18,22-24
Kutptog 5-18,22-24 Kuptoc 13,15-18,22-24
Kutspios 5,7-13,16,17,22-24 Kutptoc 7,8,10,13,15,16,18,22
Kutptos 5,7,8,10-18,22-24 Kupios 17,18,23
Kuptos 5,7,8,10-18,22,23 Kuptoc 7,8,10,13,15-18,22,23
Kupios 5-18,22,23 Kuptos 7,8,10,13,15-18,22-24
Kuttos 5-18,22-24 Kutptos 7,8,10,13,15,16,18,23
Kupiog 5-18,22,23 Kuptoc 7,8,10
Kutptos 5-18,22-24 Kuptos 7,8,10,13,15-18,22-24
Koos 5-18,22-24 Kuptos 7,8,10,23
Kutptos 5-18,22-24 Kuptos 7,8,10,13,15-18,22,23
Kotptos 7-15,17,18,22-24 7,8,10,13,15-18,22,23
Kutptos 7-18,22-24 7,8,10,15-18,22-24
Kuptos 7-18,22-24 7,8,10
Kupiog 7-15,20,23,24 17/22
Kotptos 7-18,20,22-24 7,8,10,22,23
Kutptos 7-18,22-24 7,8,10,13,15-17,22,23
Kuptos Jo-18,21-24 7,8,10,13,15-18,22,23
Kutpioc 7-18,21-24 7,8,10,15-18,23
Kuptos 7-18,21-24 7,8,10,13,15,16
Kuptos 9,11-18,21-24,27 11-18,22,23
Kutptos j7-18,21-24 7,8,10-18,20,22-24
17,18,22,23
7,8,10,17,18,22,23
Kuptos 5-14,16-19,22-24 17,18,22
G€6¢ 7,8,10,14,17,19,20,22,23 7,8,10,17,18,23
Kutptoc 7-14,16-19,21-24 7,8,10
Kutptos 12-14,16-18,22,23 J7-8,10,17,18,22,23
Kuptoc J7-14,16-20,22-24 17
7,8,10,13,15,16,24
7,8,10,13,15-18,23
Kutpios J78,10,22,23 J7-8/10,17,18,23
 Appendix A: "J” Reference Sources 215

Romans | 10:18 Kuptos J78,13,14,16-18,22,23

4:3 O€0¢ 7;0,10,17;20,22
4:8 Kupioc 7,8,10-18,20,22-25 Galatians
9:28 Kuptoc 7,8,10,13,16,20,25 3:6 bedg «78
9:29-" -Koptoc 7,8,10-18,20,22-24
10:13 Kutptos 7,8,10,13-18,22-24 Ephesians
10:16 Kuptos J78,10,13-18,23 DON Kuptos J78.13,16-18,22-24

a3 os Koupoc 7,8,10-18,23,25 5:17. Kipiog J78

11:34 Kuptos 7,8,10,13-18,20,22-25 5:19 Kiptog J7,8,13,16,23
12:11 Kuptos 7,8,10,13,16,18 6:4 Kipiog J7/8,22,24
12:19 Kuptos 7,8,10-18,22-24 6:7 Kipiog j78
14:4 Kuptos 18,23 6:8 Kispiog J22,24
14:6 Kuptos 7,8,10,13,16,18,22,24
14:6 Kuptoas 7,8,10,13,16,18,22,24 Colossians
14:6 Kuptoc 7,8,10,13,16,22,24 TOG) supose 72
14:8 Kuptos 7,8,10,13-16,18 3:13. Kupiog jes
14:8 Kuptos J7810,13-16,18 3:16 edc-—*7,8/13,14,16,17
14:8 Kuptos 7,8,10,13-16,18 3:22 Kuptog J18,22
14:11 Kuptos 7,8,10-18,22-25 3:23 _Kbptog 7.8,17,18,22,23
15:11 Kuptos J78,10-18,20,22,23,25 3:24 Kipiog J7.8,13,14,16-18,22-24

1 Corinthians 1 Thessalonians
1:31-2— Kupioc 7,8,10-14,16-18, 22-24 eS Kiptog J78,17,18,22,23
Pel6= Kepiac 13,14,16-18,22-24 4:6 Kipiog 7/8/17,18,22-24
B20) |> Kvplos 7,8,10-14,16-18,20,22-24 4:15 Kutpiog J78,17,18,24
4:4 Kuptos 7,8,10517,18,23,24 5:2 Kvptos J7/8/13,14,16-18,22-24
4:19 Kuptoc J7810,22,23
7:17 = ™Kuptoc See footnote in 2 Thessalonians
NWT Ref. Edition. oe Kipiog J18,22,23
10:9 Kuptos io 22223 2:13. Kuptog J13,16,24
10:21 Kuptoc 7,8,10,24 ath Kiptog J7,8,13,14,16-18,22,23
10:21 Kuptos 7,8,10,24
10:22 Kuptas 7,8,10,14 2 Timothy
10:26 Kuptoc 7,8,10,11,13,14,16-18, 1:18 Kvpiog J7/8,/13,14,16-18,22-24
20,22,23 2:19 Ktptoc J78,13,14,16-18,20,22-24
11:32 Kuptos 13,16,18 2:19 Kutptog 1822-24
4:14 Kuptog J78,13,16-18,22,23
14:21 Kuptos 7,8,10-14,16-18,22-24
16:7, Kuptoc 7,8,10,13,14,16-18,22,23
16:10 Kuptos J78,10,13,14,16-18,24 Hebrews
2:13 Oedg J 3/7,8,17,20,22
7°21 Kiptog J3/7,8,11-18,20,22-24
2 Corinthians
8:2 Kipiog J7/8,13-16,18,22,23
3:16 Kuptos 7,8,10,13,14,16,22,24
7,8,13,14,16 8:8 Kbpiog J3,7,8,11-18,20,22-24
3:17 Kuptoc
69 Ktsptog J3-7,8,11-18,20,22-24
3:17 Kuptoc 7 ,8,13,14,16,22,24
8:10 Kupiog J3,7,8,11-18,20,22-24
9:16.) Kupioc 7 ,8,13,14,16,22,24
7,8,13,14,16,22,24 8:11 Kwpioc J3/7,8,11-18,20,22,23
3:18 Kuptoc
10:16 Kdpiog ]3,7,8,11-18,22-24
6:17. Kuptoc 7,8,11-14,16-18,22-24
7,8,11-14,16-18,22-24 10:30 Ktptoc J3,7,8,11-18,20,22-24
6:18 Kuptoc
12:5 Kiptoc J78,11-18,20,22-24
8:21 Kuptos 7,8,24
12:6 Kvpiog J3-7,8,11-18,20,22-24
10:17 Kutptocg J78,13,14,16-18,22-24
13:6 Kipiog J3/7,8,11-18,20,22-24
The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

3:8 Kuptoc 7 ,8,13,14,16-18,22-24

7,8,13,14,16-18,22,23 oo Kuptos 7 ,8,13,16-18,22-24
Kuptos
7;8719, 16,17 3:10 Kutptos 7,8,13,16-18,22-24
D
j14,17,20,22 SL. bed j78.17
beds
beds ji Z
Kuptos 18,23 Jude
7,8,13,14,16-18,22,23 5 Kuptos 7 ,8,11-14,16-18,22,23
Kuptos
7,8,13,14,16-18,22,23 9 Kipto 7,8,11-14,16-18,22-24
Kuptog
14 Kuptos J78:13,14,16-18,22-24
Kuptos 7,8,11-14,16-18,22-24
Kuptos 7,8,13,14,16-18,22-24
Kupios 7,8,13,14,16,18,22-24 Revelation
7,8,13,14,16-18,22-24 1:8 Kuptos 7 ,8,13,14,16-18,22-24
Kuptos
7,8,13,14,16-18,22 4:8 Kuptos 7 ,8,11-14,16-18,22,24
Kupuos
4:11 Kuptoc 7 ,8,13,14,16,18
Kuttos 7813141 6-18,22,23
11:17 Kuptos 7 ,8,13,14,16-18,22,23
15:3. Kuptos 7 ,8,13,14,16-18,22,23
7,8,13,14,16-18,20,22,23 15:4 Kuptoc 7 ,8,13,14,16-18,22,25
Kuptos
7,8,11-14,16-18,20,22-24 16:7. =Kuptos 13,14,16-18,22,23
Kutptos
J78,11-14,16-18,20,22,24 18:8 § Kuptos 7,8,13,14,16-18,22-24
Kuptos
19:6 Kuptos 7,8,13,14,16-18,22-24
21:22 Kuptos 7 ,8,13,14,16-18,22,23
7,8,13,14,16-18,22-24 22:5 -.Kuptoc 7,8,11-14,16-18,22-24
Kuptos
J78.13,16-18,22-24 22:6 Kuptoc J78.13,14,16-18,22,24
Kuptos
 Appendix B: Comparison of 237 "Jehovah" References

Information from the Kingdom Interlinear Translation Hebrew Scripture references

Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society

i)
©
C4

a)
=

2
8=)
ra
©
E
2
os

=
= “Jehovah" New
supporting
o World
Translation using
reference Greek
Scripture
Greek in
used
word
KIT English
KIT
in
translation
uJ Earliest
date
version the
in
used
Name 2°JBold
font
indicates referring
citation
divine
the
name divine
the
to
name Scriptures
Hebrew
the
to
Scripture
Hebrew
quotation Hebrew
quotation
Scripture Cross
only
citation
referencereference
No
quotation
or

Matthew
al 20 | DOO) eLord |':301-4001|'1537 |Jehovah | fs
[1:22 |Kvpiov“| Lord| 301-400 | 1385 | Jehovah |Is 7:14 | [| Ss |_|
[1:24 | Kvptov| Lord| 301-400]1385 |Jehovah] ss | SC] SOX
|2:13__| Kupiov| tord| 301-400] 1385 |Jehovah| sss] |X
[2:15 | Kuptov| Lord| 301-400] 1599 | Jehovah] —S—s[Holisi [| Ss i
|3:3__ |Kuptov| Lord | 301-400 |1385 | Jehovah |ts40:3° | | dC
[4:4 | Gcot* | God | 301-400 |1385 | Jehovah |Dts:3 | | | |
|4:7__| Kuptov| Lord| 301-400] 1385 | Jehovah |Dte16 [| =| ss| si
|4:10_| Kuptov| Lord| 301-400] 1385 | Jehovah [Dte:13 | | TC
|5:33_| Kupie@’ |Lord | 301-400 |1385 | Jehovah [Iv19:12 | | dC
[21:9 | Kvpiov| Lord| 301-400 |1385 | Jehovah |Ps 11826) | |
|21:42 |Kupiov| Lord| 301-400 | 1385 |Jehovah |Ps118:23; | |
|22:37 |Kvprov |Lord | 301-400 |1385 | Jehovah [Dte:S [| |
|22:44 | Kupwos| Lord | 301-400 |1385 |Jehovah |Ps110:4 | |
|23:39 | Kuptov| Lord | 301-400 | 1385 |Jehovah | Ps'118:20]
|27:10 |Kvproc| Lord | 301-400 | 1385 | Jehovah |Zc11:13 | |
e28s20e |Kuerov'|iLord |»301-400.| 1385.| Jehovah | ff
Mark
|1:3_ |Kvpiov| Lord] 301-400 |1599 | Jehovah [ts 40:3) | |
[5:19 [xp] Lord| 301-400 |1599 | Jehovah | | CE 18:8 |
[11:9 | Kvpiov] Lord] 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah [Ps 118:26] |
[12:11 |Kvpiov |Lord |301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah |Ps 118:23] |
[12:29 |Kvpios[ Lord] 301-400] 1599 | Jehovah [Dte:a | |
[12:29 |Kipros| Lord] 301-400] 1599 [ Jehovah [ptea | |
12:30 |Kvprov |tora] 301-400 | 1599 |Jehovah [ote:s | |
[12:36 | Kopws| Lord] 301-400 |1599 | Jehovah [Ps 110:1 [| |
[13:20] Kops |Lord] 301-400 [1599 |Jehovah[ PT I 9
Luke
| 301-400 [1599 |Jehovah TCte18:5 |
Note 1: All footnotes appear at the end of this entry (pp. 222-224).
Note 2: Refer to pages 32-35 for an explanation of column headings.
 218 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

3012400 ,[°1599: }Jehiovalt |< -atsc | Ces eEEXC SIGs

301-400 |1599"|Jetioval’| 7 can Wade |Se |
301-400

5
301-400

145 =|‘Kvpton |Lord | 301-400 [15993 Jehovah se 5] es ak et

B24. "|/Kvprov |‘Tord |.3012400))) 1599.) Jehovah | se aie) ae sae
bi:58 | Kupios |Lord |.301-4005 1599)| Jehovah; ssa | Ses 08 KS
E166" [‘Kuptov |Lord |;301-400 |:1599:| Jehovah] swiniiatiee| yeanienets |Were
t1:68° |Kupicc |Lord |:301-400 |1599-| Jehovahi | vine |Se etae ee ee
1:76 | Kupiov |Lord | 301-400 |1599 | Jehovah | M321)
220. | Kupton |Lord [301-400 |-1599.| Jehovah [7 ass: | ak ee
2:9: |Kuptov |Lord [301-400 | 1599 |jehoval| | ein See eX |
2:15 | Kupws |:Lord | 301-400 | 1599 |Jehovaln |? os se ee
pzi22 "| xupt@ "|Lord [2301-400 |1599 |Jehovals | 5feucts [eee eee
2:23 | Kvpiov |Lord [7301-400 | 1599 |Jehovali'| Ex13:2 |. ep
P2:23 | Rupe |Lord |301400" |1599 [Jehovah [Ex 13:25 |) 2ose ee
[2:24 | Kvpiov |Lord] 301-400 |1599 | Jehovah [Iv 12:8 | |
P2226 “|Kuptou|| Lord | 301-400.) 1599. |Jehoval iy |e ee es ae
2:39 |Kuptov |‘Lord [301-400 |.1599;] Jehovah J 0 US Ve ea
[3:4 __| Kvptov| Lord |301-400 |1599 |Jehovah [ts40:3 [0 |
[4:8 | Kuptov |Lord | 301-400 |1599 |Jehovah |Dt6:13_ | |
[4:12 | Kuprov| Lord | 301-400 |1599 |Jehovah |Dt@:1G | |
[4:18 | Kvpiov| Lord] 301-400 |1599 |Jehovah |ts@t:1 | |
14:19 | Kupiov| Lord] 301-400 |1599 |Jehovah |ts@:2 | |
[Se17 | Kuptov |Lord 1:301-400 |"1599.) Jehovah [eo 2 ee
|10:27 |Kupiov'| Lord |301-400 | 1599 |Jehovah |Dto:s_ | Sf
|13:35 |Kupiov?| Lord |301-400 |1599 |Jehovah? |Ps 118:26] |
|19:38 |Kupiov| Lord |301-400 | 1599 |Jehovah |Ps118:26] |
|20:37 |Kuptov |Lord |301-400 |1639 |Jehovah | | EX 3:2 |
|20:42 |Kuproc| Lord |301-400 | 1599 |Jehovah |Ps110:1 | Sf]
|1:23 |Kuptou''l Lord | 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah [Is 40:3, | |
|6:45_| Se00!" |God | 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah [Is 54:13 | |
|12:13 |Kvptov!| Lord | 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah |Ps118:26] |
|12:38 |Kvpre'"| Lord | 301-400 | 1661 | Jehovah || sds 53:1 |
|12:38 [Kvpiov!'| Lord | 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah ts 53:1 | |
Acts
[1:24 | Kvpte | Lord] 301-400 |1599 |Jehovah |TK
|2:20_| Kupiov| Lord |301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah |Jo3:4_ [|
|2:21 | Kvptov| Lord | 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah |Jo3:5 | |
|2:25_| Kvptov |Lord | 301-400 |1599 | Jehovah |Ps1e@ [| | |
|2:34 | Kupwoc| Lord |301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah |Ps110:1 | |
|2:39 _| Kvpvos| Lord | 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah |Jo2:32_ | ==|
|2:47_| Kbptos | Lord| 301-400] 1599 | Jehovah} | CT XI
|3:19 | xvpiov |Lord | 301-400 |1838 | Jehovah | | CE CX
 Appendix B: Comparison of 237 "Jehovah" References 219

301-400 |1599 |Jehovah [Dt 18:15 [

301-400 |1599 |Jehovah |Ps 2:20
301-400 ehovah rans TAL,
ehova Speen FG ap
Stee Pave GET
[7:31 | Kvpiov| Lord] 301-400 | 1817 | Jehov:
ehovah tIBed =e ©
ehovah
ehovah
ehovah a
ehovah
ehovah
ehovah
ehovah a.
WwW

301-400 ehovah min

201-300 ehovah
| {11:21 |Kuptov |Lord |301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah
ehovah
: pal)
asst]
il
eed
ips
tas
i217) SOP. |Lord |301-400 |1599'| Jehovah, |
12:3 | Kuptow |Lord] 301-400 |1599'| Jehovah | 2S241 7]
SU TA007 FS 09: jehowale (= se a ee oe
Ee) Pee [Lord} 301-4007] 1599 |Jehovah: |= ef ee
130 pkyprew |Lord'| 301-400 [1599 |Jeliovah.[
ee repre ord |301-400 [1599 |Jehowal [es ie exe
Si13400171599 | Jehovali to) ee ee
113:44| Sov _|God | 301-400] 1877 |Jehovah | |X
301-400" |'TS99 |Jehoval| 2 7 sts 49:65 sees Se
13:48 [00 _|God | 201-300 |1599 |Jehovah | | ts 06:5
[13:49 |xvpiov |Lord] 301-400 ]1599 |Jehovah | | TX
| [14:23] xvi [ Lord] 301-400 [1838 |Jehovah [TX
[15:7 | xdpiov |rord |301-400 [ 1661 |Jehovah |Am9:12 | |
1599 | Jehovah [Ams:13 [|]
[15:35 |xvptov |Lord] 301-400] 1877 |Jehovah] | CX
1590, [chow [cot eset fee acy [omer eee
500 | enOvallsl poisest bane Sule ee eg
: SRS) elokeer ed GemS edMatec oY 6
16:32] e00 | God | 201-300 |1599 | Jehovah | | TX
ieee teen. fico)301-400.[1877.| Jehovah | |
[18:25 TX
[ evptov |Lord] 301-400 [1599 |Jehovah |
[19:20] «pov [Lord] 301-400 |1599 [Jehovah [ | | LX
a | [21:14 |Kvptov |Lora]301-400 |1599 | Jehovah] SCT CT XI
- Romans
| [4:3] ®00 T Goa [301-400 | 1599 |Jehovah| ss ue
Pensa
| Beyer ree
| [9:28 | Kopios] Lord |301-400 |1599 |Jehovah [ts10:23 [ |
7599 | ehovah| IsiW ee
Lord 1599 Rene Es
 220 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

|10:16 | Kupre | Lord| 301-400 |1599 | Jehovah | sdf Is 53:1 |

|11:3 | Kupre |Lord | 301-400 |1599 | Jehovah [IKi19:10 [| |
| 11:34 | Kuptov| Lord | 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah [ts 40:13 | |
12:11 |-xvet@. |Lord |301-400:]-1599 | Jehovalt' |) 25S [PLe Sp oe
|12:19 | Kopros |Lord | 301-400 |1599 | Jehovah | Dt 32:35 |
|14:4 | Kopi | Lord| _c.200_|1885| Jehovah | | Cd Jr 35:19]
|.14:6 | xvpt@ | Lord | 301-400 |1599 | Jehovah} | CCX
[14:6 | Kvpio | Lord] 301-400] 1599 | Jehovah | | Cd Ps 9221 |
|14:6 | xvpt@ | Lord| 301-400] 1599 | Jehovah| | Cd 18 |
14:8 _| vio |Lord] 301-400 |1599 |Jehovah | |__| Ps146:2] _
ErEe pod ee RCTs Pane SUE ES
|14:8 | Kupiov |Lord| 301-400] 1599 | Jehovah] | CT Cd CX
14:11 | Kopuoc| Lord |301-400 |1599 | Jehovah | sf Is 45:23 | |
[15:11] Kopuov |Lord] 301-400 |1599 | Jehovah [Ps 15:11 | |
1 eee
[1:31 | Kupio | Lord | 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah [Jr 9:24 | = - | ssi
[2:16 | Kptov| Lord|301-400 |1838 |Jehovah |1s 40:13 | «dt —SsSs—~sdS~C*S
| 3:20 Zl Es CS LG ES
3 einae [Tora]greg Ee
[4:19 | Kbptos |Lord| 301-400] 1599 |Jehovah TCX |
[7217] -SOPIS |-Lord } 6 200—.} G's Jehoval: pit =f be Ke ad
10:9_| Kdptov |Lord} 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah | | Nm2:o |
|10:21 |Kuptov| Lord | 30-400 [1599 | Jehovah [| | Cd PS11613 |
| 10:21 |Kupiov| Lord | 301-400] 1599 |Jehovah | | Ez 41:22]
| 10:22 |Kvptov |Lord |301-400 |1599 | Jehovah || sd Ez 3414 |
|10:26 | Kvpiov |Lord |301-400 |1599 | Jehovah |Ps 24:1 [ |
[11:32 |Kvptov |Lord | 301-400 | 1838 | Jehovah | | Pr 3: |
| 14:21 |Kuptos| Lord | 301-400 |1599 | Jehovah | sd Is 28:11 |
|16:7 _|-Kvp10¢ | Lord | 301-400-| 1599 | Jehovah |. eG
|16:10 |Kupiov[ tord[ 301-400 [1599 [Jehovah CT Cd CX
2 Bonnin
|3:16_| Kuptov| Lord | 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah | Ex 34:34] |
3:17_| xvpws |Lord | 301-400] 1599 |Jehovah [| | XI
|3:17_| Kupiov |Lord | 301-400 |1599 |Jehovah] | Cd I Gz |
[3:18 | Kupiov| Lord | 301-400] 1599 | Jehovah | | PS138:5 |
3:18 | xvptov | Lord| 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah |TT XY
|6:17_| Kvpwos| Lord | 301-400 |1599 | Jehovah | sd Is 52:11 |
|6:18 | Kvpwos| Lord} 301-400 |1599 |Jehovah | sdf Is 43:0 =|
|8:21 _| Kupiov| Lord] 301-400] 1599 | Jehovah} TC XI
|10:17 | Kvpio | Lord | 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah |Jr 9:24 [| |
[10:18] xvp.s |Lord[ 301-400 [1599 [Jehovah[ | dE Pr 29:26] |
AAA
[-3:6.) [email protected].]- God: |-201-300:|-1599 |Jehovahi|:Gn15:6.).|:s)
5 Sd ee
Ephesians
|2:21_|_xvpio | Lord} 301-400 | 1599 |Jehovah {| Zc 12
5:17 | rptov |Lord] 301-400] 1661 |Jehovah| +1 +i Sd |
15:19 | xvpt | Lord} 301-400 |1599 | Jehovah | | Cd Ps 33:2 |
| 6:4 | Kupiov| Lord} 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah| | Cd 7?
6:7 =|-xvpt@. |Lord | 301-400 | 1599.] Jehoval-f 3 pies “fp eee EEX
 Appendix B: Comparison of 237 "Jehovah" References 221

Eeeaa pope |Tord |2301-400] 1863 |Jehovah | =f es 2s

eee
|1:10 _| Kvptov |Lord| 301-400 |1661 | Jehovah [oT SCid Mc
rss Glos Gis oe) GEE PET GR Pe
ee faa mee ae Come} Pe
|3:22_| xvprov |Lord | 301-400] 1885 | Jehovah [| ss [| Sd Pr 3 |i
|3:23_| xvpi@ |Lord} 201-300 1599 |Jehovah[ TPs Or Cd
Pareans Nope ord |-30T-400'| 15997 Jehovah-| ee
bee Soa
P18] soto’ [Lord+_ 301-400 }1599 |Jehovah | __f fis 30:5 [
[4:6] wvpws |Lord} 301-400] 1599 |Jehovah | | Sd Ps 94:1 |i
[S15 |wepoeLord 301-400 |1599 1 Jehovah |___f fx
r5:2[Keetou tora] 301-400 [1509 [Jehovah Lipaae LT
2 ‘Thessalonians
|2:2 | Kupiov| Lord | 301-400 [1877 | Jehovah |Zp1:14_ [ ss |
rts[et treaon [eaeCae |||}
| 3:1] xvptov {Lord |301-400] 1599 | Jehovah} | Cd Ts 38:4 |
11:18 | xvptov |Lord |301-400 [1599 |Jehovah | | Cd Zp 2:3
2:19 [Repro [tora] 301-400 [1509 | Jehovah [Wm 765 [1
|2:19 | Kuptov| Lord | 301-400 |1661 | Jehovah | Is 52:11 |
[4:14 | xvptos |Lord | 301-400 |1599 | Jehovah | | Cd Ps:62:12
a
2S OES | Gal | SUL | 1500 | Jehovah sb
|7:21 | Koptos| Lord | 301-400 |1599 | Jehovah |Ps110:4 {| |
poet Pia aoraof1s9 Liman ST
|8:8 | Kvptos| Lord | 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah |Jr31:31 | |
18:9 _[ Kvpros| Lord | 301-400 [ 1599 | Jehovah |Jr31:32 | |
|8:10 | Kvpios| Lord] 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah |Jr34:33 | |
Bett | euptov [Lord |301-400 |1599 |Jehovah |wrstiaa | Tt
|10:16 | Kvpros[ Lord] 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah | Jr 31:33 | |
piGaty ee tieraf 201-4001] 1590 |Jehovah |Pwtase
/12:5 | Kvpiov[ Lord] 301-400 |1599 | Jehovah |Pr3:tt_ | |
[12:6 | spre] tord {301-400 | 1574 | Jehovah fprsez {Tt
[13:6 | Kopios] Lord] 301-400 [1537 |Jehovah |Ps1i8:6 {| |
James

SE ESB A
(i:7_T «vptov Tora] 301-400 [1661 [Jehovah [TX
idato!2

Peewetcstgra ee nas ie
Se Rear crs
[3:9 [8ptov |Lord [301-400 [1885 |Jehovah [Ps 34:1 [| |
Pan [eptoo|tora]301-400[1599[yeown [rr
Ss beisra] OT TPN EEN ET
[5:10|Kopiov| tord|301-400] 1599 |Jehovah |_| | case]
eat petrned es01-a00 1661 [lehovah [Joano
Pemimieae fea 0Pao0 fis09 | ichowah [es103.8
[sais [ptoe [tora 301-800 1599 [Jehovah | [ffx
| #609 |Jehovah Ho: afesow ine ae
222 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

1 Peter
|1:25 |Kvpiov!*| Lord | 301-400 |1599 |Jehovah [ts 40:5 [|
|3:12 |Kvpiov'“| Lord | 301-400 |1599 | Jehovah [Ps 34:16 | ||
|3:12 |Kvpiov'"| Lord | 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah [Ps 34:17] | TC
2 Peter
[2:9 | Kvptoc'"| Lord |_301-400 | 1661 | Jehovah |Ps 34:19 [| |
|2:11_| Kopio!| Lord |301-400 |1838 |Jehovah | | 23:2
|3:8 | Kupio!*| Lord |301-400 | 1599 |Jehovah | dT Ps 90:4 |
|3:9 __|Kvpros'*| Lord |301-400] 1599 | Jehovah | | CC CX
|3:10 _|Kvpiov'“| Lord | 301-400 [1599 | Jehovah | | Jo 2:3
3:12.) Seou'.} God: |..301-400. 1599] Jehovah] | ogee
[5 ___|Kvpioc’“| Lord | 301-400 |1599 | Jehovah| | CT E1241] |
|}. | Kvpioe’| Lord |.301-400 |-1599. |Jehovah-| 763:22 Jo ee
[14 |Kvproc'*| Lord | 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah |Dt33:2, | =| st
Revelation
11:8 | Koproc| Lord | 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah |Is 48:12 | |
14:8 | Kvpuos| Lord |301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah |Is 6:3 | |
|4:11 | xvptos |Lord | 301-400 [1599 | Jehovah| | Gn 2:3 |
|11:17 |Kvpe'*| Lord |301-400] 1599 | Jehovah] | CT EX G3 |
|15:3 |Kope'*| Lord} 301-400 |1599 |Jehovah |Ps 111:2 | =| Sd
[15:4 | Kvpte'*| Lord | 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah | sd Jr 10:7 |
|16:7__| xvpe'*| Lord | 301-400 |1838 | Jehovah | | CO EX 3 |
[18:8 | Kvpioc| Lord} 301-400] 1599 | Jehovah] | Jr 50:34]
[19:6 | Kvptos| Lord | 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah | | CL EX 3 |
|21:22 | Kvpws |Lord | 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah | | EX 3 |
[22:5 | Kuptos| Lord | 301-400 | 1599 | Jehovah [Is 60:19 [| |
[22:6 | Kvptos |Lord] 301-400 |1599 |Jehovah | | id 2Sa 23:2]
Totals

le 13] 400 C.E. | 1979 =257 Othr = 50 6418

Summary Heb. Scrip. quote None
ote

1 Early Greek manuscripts do not bear precise dates. The section entitled EXPLANATION OF THE SYMBOLS —
USED in the foreword of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation \ists the most probable date of each Greek -
manuscript. (Generally the listing is by century, though in rare cases it is more precise.) To give a |
more understandable comparison with the adjacent column which precisely dates Hebrew versions,
the century designation is given as a date range. That is, the 4th century C.E. is written as 301-400.
2 In keeping with recognized Greek capitalization style, the Westcott and Hort Greek text of the |
Christian Greek Scriptures uses an upper-case (capital) letter only for a proper noun (a name) and the |
beginning of a quotation. The capitalization style of the Westcott and Hort text used in the Kingdom.
Interlinear Translation text has been followed in the appendix. |
3 Bold type identifies the reference as coming from J2° wherein the divine name is listed. In all cases,
where multiple cross references are possible, preference is given to the citation found in J2°. For this |
reason, not all references will correspond to those given in the center reference Conion of the New |
World Translation Reference Edition. Not all Hebrew Scripture quotations shown in J® are cited in the
KIT footnotes or Appendix 1D in the NWT Reference Edition. (For example, see Mark 1:3.) |
4 Refer to footnote 2 for an explanation of capitalization of Greek words. The Greek word 6eod (God) is |
written with a lower-case theta (8). Though not pies ee in any of the references cited in this
appendix, the upper-case theta is written O.
 Appendix B: Comparison of 237 "Jehovah" References 223

5 The noun identified in the English text as Kyséea is shown inthis appendix with five spelling variations
(kupiov, KUptos, Kupiw, KUpte, and KUptov). In the Greek language, the noun must agree (or be
identified) with its function in the sentence. This is achieved by spelling variations in the suffix (ending
letters) of the word. Thus, each of the forms of the word Kyséos in this appendix is the same root word
in the Greek language, though the spelling is altered according to the grammatical function of the word
in the Greek sentence. The same is true of the variations in the spelling of Zheas (Beds [God]). (See
Appendix C for an identification of the function of each of these Greek word forms.)
6 Refer to footnote number 2 regarding upper- and lower-case first letters.
7 The "X" indication in this column denotes that the Hebrew verse cited does not support or offer any
parallel thought to the Jehovah wording. No cross reference is indicated for Greek Scripture citations.
8 This passage is shown in the Bodmer 14 and 15 (P’5) manuscripts showing a date of circa 200 C.E.
The Bodmer 14 and 15 manuscripts record no use of the Tetragrammaton. Thus, the Greek entry of
Kyios as shown was used in approximately 200 C.E. ("All Scripture Is Inspired of God and
Beneficial," p. 312, 1983 edition. Also see the Kingdom Interlinear Translation, 1985, p. 15.) The date
of 301-400 C.E. used in this appendix reflects the date shown in the footnote of the Kingdom
Interlinear Translation which is restricted to Greek manuscripts XAB.
9 Possessive forms are not indicated in this appendix. In all cases, "Jehovah's" is indicated as
"Jehovah." This entry procedure has been followed inasmuch as the English sentence may express
the possessive as either "Jehovah's" or "of Jehovah."
9 This passage is shown in both the Bodmer 14 and 15 (P75) manuscripts (see footnote 8 above) and
the Bodmar 2 (P65) manuscript also showing a date of circa 200 C.E. The Bodmer 2 manuscript
records no use of the Tetragrammaton. Thus, the Greek entry of Kysées as shown was used in
approximately 200 C.E. as attested by multiple ancient Greek manuscripts. (“Ali Scripture Is Inspired
of God and Beneficial,” p. 312, 1983 edition. Also see the Kingdom Interlinear Translation, 1985,
p. 15.) The date of 301-400 C.E. used in this appendix reflects the date shown in the footnote of the
Kingdom Interlinear Translation which is restricted to Greek manuscripts XAB.
11 See footnote in the New World Translation Reference Edition for this verse.
12 The suffix ...ato (from the Greek word étnyyeiAato) is the third person singular, masculine, past
(aorist) tense ending for the Greek verb which is translated "promised" in the text. The verb ending
agrees with the subject kupiov in verse 8 which is translated as "Jehovah." Thus, é€tnyyelAato is
translated in verse 12 as "Jehovah promised."
13 This passage is shown in the Bodmer 7 and 8 manuscripts (together classified as P”2) dating from the
3rd century C.E. Bodmer 7 and 8 manuscripts record no use of the Tetragrammaton. Thus, the Greek
entry of Kyséos is verified by P”? as dating from 201 to 300 C.E. (“All Scripture Is Inspired of God and
Beneficial," p. 313.) The date of 301-400 C.E. used in this appendix reflects the date shown in the
foreword material of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation.
14 This passage is shown in the Chester Beatty 3 (P*”) manuscript dating from the 3rd century C.E. The
Chester Beatty 3 manuscript records no use of the Tetragrammaton. Thus, the Greek entry of Kyséos
is verified by P47 as dating from 201 to 300 C.E. ("All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial,"
p. 313.) The date of 301-400 C.E. used in this appendix reflects the date shown in the foreword
material of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation.
15 The total number of Hebrew Scripture quotations appearing in the 237 Jehovah references includes
inclusively the 42 J2° citations, the 50 other citations, and the 20 references in the following column
_ citing verses which refer to the divine name even though the name is not found in the particular Hebrew
Scripture verse per se. Thus, 112 is the correct total for this category.
16 The total of 58 includes all instances of subject or parallel-thought Jehovah cross references.
17 The New World Translation "reinstates the divine name in the Christian Greek Scriptures" on the basis
that the Tetragrammaton is found in a verse quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures. This is quite different
from a criteria which would allow reinstating the divine name on the basis of parallel thought or wording
cross references. Thus, when considering only the criteria of verses quoted which employed the
divine name, the 64 and 61 of the last two columns can be combined, giving a total of 125 references
which use Jehovah in the Greek Scriptures of the New World Translation without a quotation source in
the Hebrew Scriptures.
| 18 The total of 64 includes all instances of Jehovah cross references irrespective of the content of that
citation, and inclusive of the 58 previously tabulated.
| Note 1: The summary totals expressed in footnotes 14 and 15 must be used cautiously. Aside from the
J29 citations which can be counted with certainty, the distinction between such categories as,
1) Hebrew Scripture quotation using the divine name, 2) Hebrew Scripture quotation referring to the
divine name, 3) Cross reference citation only, and 4) No quotation or reference to the Hebrew
Scriptures are difficult to assign with certainty. Consequently, the numbers given in summary of these
Categories do not represent absolute values. The reader is encouraged to do his own search to
 224 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

determine the appropriateness of the assignment of each of the 237 references to any one of the
various tabulated columns.
Note 2: The value of the number 20 in footnote 13 is as significant as the values of the figures 42 and 50
in the previous column. That is, a Greek Scripture writer is able to faithfully attribute a quotation to
"Jehovah" when the divine name is contextually understood, even though the Hebrew Scripture source
does not actually use the divine name in the verse itself. Thus, the number of times a Hebrew
Scripture verse containing the divine name is quoted by a Greek Scripture writer is 112. The division
between the two columns was made for interest and precision, but does not represent a difference in
importance.
 Appendix C: Kyéoain the Christian Greek Scriptures

The New World Translation renders the Greek word Kgréos( Kiptos)
with a variety of English nouns. In this appendix, all occurrences of
_ Kgéos in the Greek text of the Christian Greek Scriptures are listed.
(A Concordance to theGreek Testament by Moulton and Geden, which
is cited in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation as j29, was used to
locate the Greek noun Kgséos. The Greek text is from Westcott and Hort
as found in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation.) The English
equivalent listed in the right-hand column is the translation as it
appears in the New World Translation. Because of its special interest,
this appendix has also included those instances in which XKgréoe is
translated as Jehovah in the New World Translation. By including
all Kgyséoa words in this appendix, the student is able to compare the
variety of English words employed by the translators.!
In this appendix, the upper- and lower-case letters for Kgséos have
been reproduced exactly as written in the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation. (For example, Matthew 7:21 uses both Kipte and xvpte.)
The modern Greek text uses an upper-case (capital) letter for only a
proper noun (a name) and the beginning of a quotation. Possessive forms
are not indicated in the appendix. The ’s (apostrophe s) has been
omitted in all cases where it is used in translating Kgséos in the
_ New World Translation. No precision would be gained by identifying
this Greek word function, inasmuch as the English sentence may read
either "the Lord's work," or "the work of the Lord." Both are
appropriate translations. In the infrequent instances where a plural
form of XKgréos is employed, the plural English form is given in the

1 The New World Translation's use of multiple English words for the single Greek
_ word Kyxéaa is interesting in light of the statement on page 7 of the New World
| Translation Reference Edition, which says,
Taking liberties with the texts for the mere sake of brevity, and
substituting some modern parallel when a literal rendering of the original
makes good sense, has been avoided. Uniformity of rendering has been
maintained by assigning one meaning to each major word and by holding to
that meaning as far as the context permits. At times this has imposed a
restriction upon word choice, but it aids in cross-reference work and in
comparing related texts. [Emphasis added.]
In spite of the apparent difficulty this variety brings to the translators’ stated
_ translation philosophy, the author feels that the use of words such as “owner,”
"master," and "sir," adds clarity to the Christian Greek Scripture illustrations and
historical accounts. The terms "Master," and "Sir," when used by individuals
_ addressing Jesus are appropriately used by the translators, and give breadth to
_ the Gospel narration.
226 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

appendix. For examples, see Matthew 6:24 (which is written kuptots

rather than kvupiw), 1 Corinthians 8:5 (which is written «Upto. rather
than KvUptos), or Revelation 17:14 (which is written kupiwv rather than
Kuptov).
Discounting capitalization, the noun identified in the English text
as Kgséos is shown in this appendix with eight spelling variations
(KUpLos, KUPLOL, KUPLE, KUPLW, KUPLOLS, KUPLOV, KUptou, and Kupiwv). (Take
note in the table below that two grammatical functions use a similar
spelling.) In the Greek language, the noun must agree with (or be
identified by) its function in the sentence. Thisis achieved by spelling
changes in the suffix (ending letters) of the word. Thus, each of the
forms of the word Kgzéoe in this appendix is derived from the same root
word in the Greek language, though the spelling is altered according to
the grammatical function of the word in the Greek sentence. Only the
noun functions of the root word Kgéos have been reproduced in this
appendix. Related forms such as to lord [something] over, lordship,
etc. have not been included. Only those grammatical forms which are
included in this appendix are identified in the table. The following
table is not comprehensive.

KVPLOG Kyrios The subject of the For Lord of the

sentence in singular sabbath is what
form. the Son of man is.
(Matt. 12:8)
The subject of the When her masters
sentence in plural saw that their
form. hope of gain had
left, they laid
hold of Paul. (Acts
16:19)
Kv ple kyrie The singular object of Lord, let me
direct address. recover sight.
(Luke 18:41)
KDPLOL kyrioy The plural object of Sirs, what must I
direct address. (Uses do to get saved?
the same ending as (Acts 16:30) |
plural subject.)
Kvpt@ kyrio The singular indirect But you must pay
ohne object ("to" your vows to
something, or "for" Jehovah. (Matt.
something). 5:33)
 Appendix C: Kyéosin the Christian Greek Scriptures 227

Kvplotg | kyrioice The plural indirect No house servant

object ("to" some can be a slave to
things, or "for" some two masters. (Luke
things). 16:13)
The singular direct If anyone has no
object (answers "who" affection for the
or "what"). Lord, let him be
accursed. (1 Cor.
¥ 16:22)
Kup ov kyriou The singular A slave is not
| possessive (something | greater than his
_ "of" someone). master. (John
15:20)
Kupt@v The plural possessive | He is Lord of lords.
(something "of" two (Rev. 17:14)
or more).

Table 8. The grammatical function of Kgxéos in Greek sentences.

The following list of references includes the total occurrences of the

noun form of the word Kgréoe (kdpioc) as found in the Christian Greek
Scriptures:

Key: KIT identifies the Greek word (column 2) and the English
translation (column 3) found in the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation. NWT identifies the English translation from the
New World Translation. Lord in italics(lord) indicates that
the word is spelled with a lower-case letter in the Kingdom
Interlinear Translation?

Kif Kid, NWT KIT KIT NWT

Matthew 2:13. Kvpiov Lord Jehovah
1:20 Kuptou Lord Jehovah 215 Kupiov Lord Jehovah
1:22 Kvupiov Lord Jehovah 2:19 Kuptou Lord Jehovah
1:24 Kupiov Lord Jehovah 3:3 Kupiov Lord Jehovah

2 Notall capitalized Lord citations refer to Jesus. The verse context must be
considered. (For example, see Matt. 25:24.) The Gospels contain the greatest
number of references wherein Lord is used of someone other than Jesus.
Equally, the Gospels contain the largest number of /ord citations in lower-case.
228 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

KIT KIT NWT KIT KIT NWT

4:7 Kvptov Lord Jehovah KUPLOS lord master
4:10 Kvptov Lord Jehovah KUPLOS lord master
5:33 Kvptw Lord Jehovah KUPLOS lord master
6:24 KUPLOLS lords masters Kupte Lord Sir
72k Kvpte Lord Lord KUPLE lord sir
pal KUPLE Lord Lord Kuptou lord master
722 Kupte Lord Lord KUPLOS lord master
722 KUPLE Lord Lord Kvpte Lord Master
8:2 Kvpte Lord Lord KUPLOS lord master
8:6 Kupte Lord Sir Kuplou lord master
8:8 Kvote Lord Sir Kvpte Lord Master
8:21 Kvupte Lord Lord KUPLOS lord master
8:25 Kupte Lord Lord Kuplou lord master
9:28 KUPLE Lord Lord Kvpte Lord Master
9:38 Kuplou Lord Master KUPLOS lord master
10:24 Kuplou lord lord Kupte Lord Lord
10:25 KUPLOS lord lord Kupte Lord Lord
E125 KUPLE Lord Lord KUPLE Lord Lord
12:8 KUPLOS Lord Lord Kuptos Lord Jehovah
13327, Kvpte Lord Master Kuptou Lord Jehovah
14:28 Kvpte Lord Lord
14:30 Kupte Lord Lord
15:22 KUPLE Lord Lord Kuptov Lord Jehovah
£5:25 Kvpte Lord Lord KV POG Lord Lord
T3327. KUPLE Lord Lord KDPLOG Lord Jehovah
16:22 KUPLE Lord Lord KUPLE lord sir
17:4 Kupte Lord Lord KD PLOG Lord Lord
T7AS Kupte Lord Lord Kupiov Lord Jehovah
18:21 Kupte Lord Lord KD PLOG lord owner
18:25 KUPLOS lord master Kupiov Lord Jehovah
18:27 KUPLOS lord master Kv pos Lord Jehovah
18:3) Kuplw lord master Kv pios Lord Jehovah
18:32 KUPLOS lord master Kupuov Lord Jehovah
18:34 KUPLOS lord master Kv proc Lord Jehovah
20:8 KUPLOS lord master KUPLO Lord Lord
20:30 Kvpve Lord Lord KDPLOV Lord Lord
20:31 Kupte Lord Lord Kv pio Lord Jehovah
20:33 Kupte Lord Lord KUPLOG lord master
2133 KUPLOS Lord Lord KDPLOG Lord Lord
2129 Kuptou Lord Jehovah KUPLOD Lord Lord
Bigoe Ye. KUPLE lord _ sir
21:40 KUPLOS lord owner
21:42 Kuptou Lord Jehovah KUPLOD Lord Jehovah
2234 Kvuptov Lord Jehovah KUPLOD Lord Jehovah
22:43 KUPLOV Lord Lord Kvptov Lord Jehovah
22:44 Kvptos Lord Jehovah Kupiov Lord Jehovah
22:44 Kuplw lord Lord Kuptov Lord Jehovah
22:45 KUPLOV Lord Lord Kupio Lord Jehovah
23:39 Kuptou Lord Jehovah Kv pio Lord Jehovah
24:42 KUPLOS Lord Lord KUPLOG Lord Jehovah
24:45 KUPLOS lord master Kv puoc Lord Jehovah
Appendix C: Kgxéoain the Christian Greek Scriptures 229

KET KIT NWT KIT KIT NWT

Kupiov Lord Jehovah KD PLOG lord master
KUPLOD Lord Lord KDPLOG lord master
Kupiov Lord Jehovah KUPLOD lord master
Kvptov Lord Jehovah Kvptie Lord Master
Kv ptoc Lord Jehovah KDPLOG Lord Lord
Kuptov Lord Jehovah Kvpte Lord Lord
Kv puoc Lord Jehovah Kvpue Lord Sir
Kuptov Lord Jehovah Kuptov Lord Jehovah
Kupiov Lord Jehovah KUPL@ lord master
Kupiov Lord Jehovah Kopie Lord Master
KD POG Lord Lord KD PLOG lord master
Kv ptoc Lord Jehovah KD PLOG lord master
KUPL@ Lord Jehovah KUPLOD lord master
Kuptov Lord Jehovah KUPL@ lord master
KUPLO@ Lord Jehovah KDPLOG lord master
Kvuptov Lord Jehovah KUPLOLG lords masters
Kuptov Lord Jehovah KUPLO@ Lord Lord
Kuptov Lord Jehovah KUPLOG Lord Lord
Kuptov Lord Jehovah KUpLE Lord Lord
Kvptov Lord Jehovah KU PLOG Lord Lord
Kuptov Lord Jehovah Kupie Lord Lord
Kupiov Lord Jehovah KD PLOV Lord Lord
Kupiov Lord Jehovah KUDPLE Lord Lord
KUpLE Lord Lord Kvpte Lord Lord
Kupue Lord Lord KDpLE Lord Lord
Kuptov Lord Jehovah Kupte Lord Lord
Kvptoc Lord Lord Kupue Lord Lord
Kvpte Lord Lord KDPLOG Lord Lord
KDpLE Lord Lord KUDPLOL lords owners
Kupue Lord Sir KDPLOG Lord Lord
KU PLOG Lord Lord Kupiov Lord Jehovah
KDPLOV Lord Lord KD PLOG lord owner
Kupue Lord Lord KD PLOG lord owner
KUPLE- Lord Lord Kuptov Lord Jehovah
KV PLOG Lord Lord Kv pio Lord Jehovah
KUPLOD Lord Master KUPLO lord Lord
Kvpie Lord Lord KD PLOV Lord Lord
KUple Lord Lord Kvpie Lord Lord
Kupuov Lord Jehovah Kupue Lord Lord
KUPLOD Lord Lord Kupue Lord Lord
Kupue Lord Lord KV PLOG Lord Lord
KU PLOG Lord Lord KUPLOD Lord Lord
Kupte Lord Lord KUPLOD Lord Lord
KV PLOG Lord Lord KUPLOG Lord Lord
KDPLOV lord master
KD PLOG lord master
Kupue Lord Lord Kvptov Lord Jehovah
KU PLOG Lord Lord KVPLOG Lord Lord
KU PLOG lord master Kuptie Lord Sir
KU PLOG lord master Kupie Lord Sir
230 The Tetragrammaton and_ the Christian Greek Scriptures

KIT KIT NWT KIT KIT NWT

4:19 Kvptie Lord Sir Acts
4:49 Kvpte Lord Lord 1:6 Lord Lord
5:7. Kvpte Lord Sir 1:21 Lord Lord
62235 KUPLOD Lord Lord 1:24 Lord Jehovah
6:34 Kvpie Lord Lord 2:20 Lord Jehovah
6:68 Kvptie Lord Lord 2321 Lord Jehovah
8:11 KUpLE lord sir 2225 Lord Jehovah
9:36 KUpLE lord sir 2:34 Lord Jehovah
9:38 KDPLE Lord Lord 2:34 Lord Lord
1i:2 KD PLOV Lord Lord 2:36 Lord Lord
11:3 Kvptie Lord Lord 2239 Lord Jehovah
P1212 Kupie Lord Lord 2:47 Lord Jehovah
da s2t Kupie Lord Lord 3:19 Lord Jehovah
bi 27, KUPLE Lord Lord 3122 Lord Jehovah
132 Kupie Lord Lord 4:26 Lord Jehovah
11:34 Kvupie Lord Lord 4:29 Lord Jehovah
11:39 Kvpte Lord Lord 4:33 Lord Lord
12:13 Kuptov Lord Jehovah 5:9 Lord Jehovah
b2 221 Kupte Lord Sir 5:14 Lord Lord
12:38 Kvptie Lord Jehovah 51g Lord Jehovah
12:38 Kuptov Lord Jehovah 738 Lord Jehovah
13:6 Kvuptie Lord Lord 253 Lord Jehovah
13:9 Kvuptie Lord Lord 7:49 Lord Jehovah
13:13 KV PLOG Lord Lord 7:59 Lord Lord
13:14 KUPLOG Lord Lord Lord Jehovah
13:16 KUPLOD lord master Lord Lord
13:25 Kvpue Lord Lord Lord Jehovah
13:36 Kvpte Lord Lord Lord Jehovah
13:37. Kvpte Lord Lord Lord Jehovah
14:5 Kvpte Lord Lord Lord Jehovah
14:8 Kvpte Lord Lord Lord Jehovah —
14:22 Kvpuie Lord Lord Lord Lord
15:15 KD PLOG lord master Lord Lord
5:20 KUPLOD lord master Lord Lord
20:2. KD PlOV Lord Lord Lord Lord
20:13 KD pPlov Lord Lord Lord Lord
20:15 Kvptie Lord Sir Lord Lord
20:18 KU PLOV Lord Lord Lord Lord
20:20 KU PLOV Lord Lord Lord Lord
20:25 KD PLOV Lord Lord Lord Lord
20:28 KD PLOG Lord Lord Lord Lord
2137; KD PLOG Lord Lord Lord Jehovah
Zid, KDPLOG Lord Lord Lord Lord
Za 2 KDPLOG Lord Lord Lord Lord
2115 KUpLE Lord Lord Lord Lord
ZAt16 KUpLE Lord Lord Lord Lord “jf
Dee. Kvpie Lord Lord Lord Jehovah ©
21220 Kvupte Lord Lord Lord Lord
past Kvuptie Lord Lord Lord Lord
Appendix C: Kyréeain the Christian Greek Scriptures 231

KIT KIT NWT KIT KIT NWT

KUPLOD Lord Lord 22000 KDPLOG Lord Lord
KU PLOV Lord Lord 22:19 Kupte Lord Lord
KU PLOV Lord Lord Zork KUPLOG Lord Lord
Kuptov Lord Jehovah 25:26 KUPLO lord Lord
KD PLOV Lord Lord KUPLO@ Lord Lord
KUPLO Lord Lord KDPLOG Lord Lord
KDPLE Lord Lord KUPLOD Lord Lord
Kupiov Lord Jehovah
KUPLOG Lord Jehovah
KD PLOG Lord Jehovah KUPLOD Lord Lord
Kuptov Lord Jehovah KUPLOU Lord Lord
KUPLOD Lord Jehovah Ko pios Lord Jehovah
KUPLO Lord Jehovah KDPLOV Lord Lord
KUPLOD Lord Jehovah KUPLOD Lord Lord
Kvpiov Lord Jehovah KUPLOU Lord Lord
KUPLOV Lord Jehovah KUPLOD Lord Lord
KUPLOG Lord Jehovah KUPLO Lord Lord
KUPLOD Lord Jehovah KUPLOV Lord Lord
KUPLO Lord Jehovah KUPLO Lord Lord
KUPLO Lord Jehovah Kv proc Lord Jehovah
KUPLOD Lord Lord Ko pos Lord Jehovah
KD PLOV Lord Jehovah Kv p10c Lord Lord
Ki pros Lord Jehovah KUPLOG Lord Lord
KUPLOV Lord Lord Kupiov Lord Jehovah
KUPLOU Lord Jehovah Kvpte Lord Jehovah
KUPLOD Lord Jehovah Kupue Lord Jehovah
KUPLOD Lord Jehovah Kuptov Lord Jehovah
KUPLOG Lord Jehovah KUPLO Lord Jehovah
KUPLO Lord Jehovah Kv pios Lord Jehovah
KD PLOG lords masters KUPLOV Lord Lord
KUPLOL lords masters - KVPLO lord master
Kvpuor Lords Sirs ~ KDPLOG Lord Jehovah
KV PLOV Lord Lord KUPLO Lord Jehovah
KUPLOG Lord Lord Kvpt@ Lord Jehovah
KUPLO Lord Lord KUPL® Lord Jehovah
KV PLOG Lord Lord KUPLO Lord Jehovah
KUPLOD Lord Jehovah KUPLO Lord Jehovah
KUPLOD Lord Lord KUPL® Lord Jehovah
KUPLOD Lord Lord Kv ptos Lord Jehovah
KUPLOD Lord Lord KUPL@ Lord Lord
KUPLOD Lord Lord KUPLOD Lord Lord
KUPLOV Lord Jehovah KUPLOV Lord Jehovah
KUPLO Lord Lord KUPLOD Lord Lord
KDPLOV Lord Lord KUPL® Lord Lord
KUPLOD Lord Lord KUPL® Lord Lord
KUPL® Lord God KUPLO Lord Lord -
KUPLOD Lord -_ Lord KUPLO Lord Lord
KUPLOD Lord Lord KUPLO Lord Lord
KUPLOD Lord Jehovah KUPLO Lord Lord
KUPLO Lord Lord KUPLO Lord Lord
KUPLO Lord Lord KUPLOD Lord Lord
232 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

KIT KIT NWT KIT KIT NWT

16:22 KUPLO Lord Lord 11:11 KUPLO Lord Lord
11:23 KUPLOD Lord Lord
1 Corinthians 11:23 KUPLOG Lord Lord
KUPLOD Lord Lord 11:26 KUPLOU Lord Lord
KUPLOV Lord Lord Liz KUPLOD Lord Lord
KUPLOD Lord Lord 1127. KUPLOD Lord Lord
KUPLOU Lord Lord 11332 KUPLOD Lord Jehovah
KUPLOD Lord Lord 125 Kv p10 Lord Lord
KUPLOD Lord Lord 125 KDPLOG Lord Lord
Kupt@ Lord Jehovah 14:21 Kv pos Lord Jehovah
KD PLOV Lord Lord 14:37 KUPLOD Lord Lord
Kuptov Lord Jehovah 15331 KUPLO Lord Lord
KUPLOG Lord Lord 15357. KUPLOU Lord Lord
Kv pos Lord Jehovah 15:58 KUPLOD Lord Lord
KUPLOG Lord Jehovah 16:7 KUPLOG Lord Jehovah
KDPLOG Lord Lord 16:10 Kupiov Lord Jehovah
KUPLO@ Lord Lord 16:19 KUPLO@ Lord Lord
ON
‘ON
aS) KV PLOG Lord Jehovah 16:22 KU PLOV Lord Lord
KUPLOV Lord Lord 16:23 KUPLOU Lord Lord
KUPLOD Lord Lord
KUPLOD Lord Lord 2 Corinthians
KUPLOD Lord Lord KUPLOD Lord Lord
KUPL® Lord Lord KUPLOU Lord Lord
KD PLOG Lord Lord KUPLOU Lord Lord
KD PLOV Lord Lord KUPLO Lord Lord
KUPL® Lord Lord Kvpuov Lord Jehovah
ON.
ee
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OE
NN
SPGQ
ee
ee
ce
ie
ONS
ee
Ee
Ge
Ooit
CIS
TE
Se
OO
Te
FP
ON
WOH KU PLOG Lord Lord KD PLOG Lord Jehovah
7:12 KU PLOG Lord Lord KUPLOD Lord Jehovah
KDPLOG Lord Jehovah KUPLOD Lord Jehovah
KUPLO@ Lord Lord KUPLOD Lord Jehovah
KUPLOD Lord Lord KDPLOV Lord Lord
KUPLOD Lord Lord &
DAN KUPLOV
COCONIN
a Lord '%)
KUPLOD Lord Lord KUPLOD Lord Lord
KUPLOD Lord Lord KUPLOV Lord Lord
KUPL@ Lord Lord KUPLOD Lord Lord
KUPLOD Lord Lord Kv pos Lord Jehovah
KUPL@ Lord Lord oN Kv pios
Re Lord Jehovah
KUPLO Lord Lord rr
ON
OO
OO
Te
CAT
CO
AOe
at
6
—
Se
SSS KUPLO® Lord Lord
KDPLOL Lord lords KUPLOD Lord Lord
KU PLOG Lord Lord KUPLOV Lord Lord
KD PLOV Lord ~ Lord Kuptov Lord Jehovah
KUPL@ Lord Lord KUPLOG Lord Lord
KUPLO Lord Lord Kup. Lord Jehovah
KUPLOD Lord Lord KUPLOG Lord Jehovah
KD PLOG Lord Lord KUPLOV Lord Lord
KUPLOV Lord Jehovah KUPLOU Lord Lord
Kuptov Lord Jehovah Kupiov Lord Lord
Kupiov Lord Jehovah KD PLOV Lord Lord
KU PLOV Lord Jehovah KUPLOG Lord Lord
KUPLOD Lord Jehovah KUPLOV Lord Lord
 Appendix C: Kgréosain the Christian Greek Scriptures 233

KIT KIT NWT KIT Kit. NWT

Galatians 4:10 Kvpi@ Lord Lord
es Kvpt ov Lord Lord 4:23 Kuptov Lord Lord
1:19 Kuptov Lord Lord
4:1 Kvpioc = lord lord Colossians
5:10 Kupi@ Lord Lord 1352 Kuptov Lord Lord
6:14 Kuptov Lord Lord 1:10 Kuptov Lord Jehovah
6:18 Kuptov Lord Lord 2:6 Kdpiov Lord Lord
3:13 Kvpiog. Lord Jehovah
Ephesians 3:17. =«vptov Lord Lord
Ez Kuptov Lord Lord 3:18 Kupi@ Lord Lord
ies Kuptov Lord Lord 3:20 Kupt@ Lord Lord
115 Kupi@ Lord Lord 3:22 Kvptoig Jords masters
VEZ Kuptov Lord Lord O22 Kvptov Lord Jehovah
PeniPad| Kupt@ Lord Jehovah 3:23 Kupi@ Lord Jehovah
3:11 Kupt@ Lord Lord 3:24 kuptov Lord Jehovah
4:1 Kupi@ Lord Lord 3:24 kupi@ Lord Master
4:5 Kvpiog Lord Lord 4:1 Kvpiov Lord Master
4:17 «kupi@ Lord Lord 4:7 Kupt@ Lord Lord
5:8 Kupit@ Lord Lord Fay Kupi@ Lord Lord
5:10 Kupt@ Lord Lord
5:17 Kuptov Lord Jehovah 1 Thessalonians
5:19 KUPLO Lord Jehovah Lk KUPL@ Lord Lord
5:20 Kuptov Lord Lord i Kuptov Lord Lord
5222 Kupi@ Lord Lord 1:6 Kupiov Lord Lord
6:1 Kupt@ Lord Lord 1:8 kuptov Lord Jehovah
6:4 Kvptov Lord Jehovah 2205 Kvpiov Lord Lord
6:5 Kvptoig lords masters 2:19 Kvuptov Lord Lord
6:7 Kupi@ Lord Jehovah 3:8 Kupi@ Lord Lord
6:8 KUPL ov Lord Jehovah 3:11 KDPLOG Lord Lord
6:9 Kvpio. lords masters fobe Kbpiog Lord Lord
6:9 Koptog Lord Master 3:13 Kuptov Lord Lord
6:10 Kupt@ Lord Lord 4:1 Kupi@ Lord Lord
6:21 Kupi@ Lord bord: >° 4:2 Kuptov Lord Lord
6:23 Kuptov Lord Lord 4:6 Kodpiog Lord Jehovah
6:24 Kdpiov Lord Lord 4:15 Kuptov Lord Jehovah
4:15 KUPLOV Lord Lord
eas 4:16 Kdpiog Lord Lord
2 KUPLOD Lord Lord 4:17. «vptov Lord Lord
1:14 Kupt@ Lord Lord AAT KUPLM Lord Lord
Zt Kopiog Lord Lord 52 Kvpiov Lord Jehovah
2AD KUPL@ Lord Lord 59 NW acvplOuse<Lard Lord
2:24 Kupi@ Lord Lord 2: bz Kvpi@ Lord Lord
2:29. x«vptm Lord Lord 5:23. «vptov Lord Lord
2:30 Kvptov Lord Lord 527 KDPLOV Lord Lord
aa Kvpto Lord Lord 5:28 xvpiov Lord — Lord
3:8 Kuptov Lord Lord beats
3:20 Kdpiov Lord Lord 2 Thessalonians
4:1 Kvpt@ Lord Lord 1:1 kopi@ Lord — Lord
4:2 Kupi@ Lord Lord 1:2. «vptov Lord Lord
4:4 Kupi@ Lord Lord 1:7, KUPLOD Lord Lord
4:5 Kvpiog Lord Lord 1:8 KUPLOD Lord Lord
234 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

KIT KIT NWT KIT KIT NWT

1:9 KUPLOD Lord Lord Hebrews
ya We KUPLOV Lord Lord 1:10 KUpLE Lord Lord
1202 KUPLOD Lord Lord poke KUPLOD Lord Lord
ae KUPLOD Lord Lord KUPLOG Lord Lord
2:2 KUPLOU Lord Jehovah Kv pios Lord Jehovah
2:8 KDPLOG Lord Lord KUPLOG Lord Jehovah
2:13. Kvuptov Lord Jehovah Kv proc Lord Jehovah
2:14 KUPLOD Lord Lord Kv pio Lord Jehovah
Zon KD PLOG Lord Lord Kv pio Lord Jehovah
3:1 KUPLOD Lord Jehovah KUPLOV Lord Jehovah
3:3 KD PLOG Lord Lord Kv pio Lord Jehovah
3:4 KUPLO Lord Lord Kv pios Lord Jehovah
2:5 KU PLOG Lord Lord Kupiov Lord Jehovah
3:6 KUPLOD Lord Lord Kv pio Lord Jehovah
3:12 KUPLO Lord Lord KUPLOV Lord Lord
3:16 =Kbptoc Lord Lord Kv ptoc Lord Jehovah
3:16 KUPLOG Lord Lord KUPLOV Lord Lord
3:18 — Kvptov Lord Lord

1 Timothy KUPLOV Lord Lord

1:2 KUPLOD Lord Lord KUPLOD Lord Jehovah
trie KUPLO@ Lord Lord KUPLOD Lord Lord
1:14 KUPLOD Lord Lord KUPLOV Lord Jehovah
6:3 KUPLOV Lord Lord Kvpiov Lord Jehovah
KDPLOG Lord Jehovah
6:14 KUPLOU Lord Lord
6:15 KUPLOG Lord Lord KUPLOD Lord Jehovah
KUPLOD Lord Lord
2 Timothy KUPLOU Lord Lord
12 KUPLOD Lord Lord Kupiov Lord Jehovah
1:8 KUPLOD Lord Lord Kuptov Lord Jehovah
1:16 KDPLOG Lord Lord KUVPLOG Lord Jehovah
18 KV PLOG Lord Lord KUPLOD Lord Jehovah
1:18 xKvptov Lord Jehovah KD PLOG Lord Jehovah
2s, KDPLOG Lord Lord
pag Kv pio Lord Jehovah
2 Ae? Kopron Lord Jehovah KUPLOU Lord Lord
Kupiov Lord Jehovah
2:22...) KDPLOV Lord Lord
2:24 KUPLOD Lord Lord KV PLOG Lord Lord
SNe! KU PLOG Lord Lord KD PLOV Lord Lord
4:8 KDPLOG Lord Lord KDPLOV lord lord
4:14 KV PLOG Lord Jehovah Kupiov Lord Jehovah
4:17 KVPLOG Lord Lord Kuptov Lord Jehovah
4:18 KD PLOG Lord Lord KUPLOV Lord Lord
4:22 KD PLOG Lord Lord

Philemon KUPLOD Lord Lord

3 KvpLOD Lord Lord KUPLOD Lord Lord
KUPLOD Lord Lord
5 KD Plov Lord Lord
16 KUPL@ Lord Lord KDPLOG Lord Lord
20 KUPLO Lord Lord KUPLOU Lord Lord
Kv pioc Lord Jehovah
25 KUPLOD Lord Lord
 Appendix C: Kyiesin the Christian Greek Scriptures 235

| KIT KIT NWT KIT KIT NWT

im. 2:11 Kvpi@ Lord Jehovah 4:11 Kvpiog Lord Jehovah
Hard W Kuptov Lord Lord 7:14 Kotpié Lord lord
3:2 Kuptov Lord Lord 11-4 Kuptov lord Lord
3:8 Kvpi@ Lord Jehovah 11:8 Kvptog Lord Lord
3:9 Kvptog Lord Jehovah 11:15 xKvptov Lord Lord
3:10 Kvyptov Lord Jehovah 11:17. xKvpte Lord Jehovah
3715 Kvuptov Lord Lord 14:13 kvupt @ Lord Lord
3:18 Kvptov Lord Lord 15:3 Kvpte Lord Jehovah
15:4 Kvpte Lord Jehovah
Jude 16:7 Kvpte Lord Jehovah
4 Kvpiov Lord Lord 17:14 «dpioc Lord Lord
5 Kvpiog Lord Jehovah 17:14 xKvpiav lords lords
9 Kvptog Lord Jehovah 18:8 Kupte Lord Jehovah
14 Kopiog Lord Jehovah 19:6 Kvpie Lord Jehovah
17 Kuptov Lord Lord 19:16 Kwpiog Lord Lord
DF Kuptov Lord Lord 19:16 Kvpiov lords lords
25 Kuptov Lord Lord 21:22 «vpio¢g Lord Jehovah
22:5 Ktpie Lord Jehovah
Revelation 22:6 Kvpiog Lord Jehovah
1:8 Kvptoc Lord Jehovah 22:20. xKvdpie Lord Lord
4:8 Koptog .Lord Jehovah 2221 Kuptov Lord Lord

Information summary
Kingdom Interlinear Translation
Translated as "Lord."
Translated as "lord" or "lords."
Translated as "Lords." Bes ilba
Total occurrences of Kgréoa (KU ptos) in KIT.

New World Translation -

Translated as "Lord." bas Gre
Translated as "Jehovah."
Translated as "Master," "master," or "masters."

_Translated as "lord" or "lords." Sito ae

Translated as "owner" or "Owners." |

Total representation of Kgréas (KU ptos) in NWT 714

Table 9. Summary of all occurrences of Kgséoe in both the Kingdom

Interlinear Translation and the New World Translation.

| 2 Initial capital letters for "Lord" (in both K/T and NWT) or "Master," and "Sir" (in
| NWI) do not necessarily indicate reference to Jesus. In a small number of
| cases, the word occurs at the beginning of a sentence (in English) or the
beginning of a direct quotation (in Greek).
Appendix D: The George Howard Study —

The Watch Tower Society relies heavily on a study by George

Howard! which supports the Tetragrammaton's? presence in the
Christian Greek Scriptures. It would be helpful to the interested
reader to evaluate the entire manuscript. However, its length does not
allow reproduction in this appendix. (Copies are available from the
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, Brooklyn, NY.) Therefore, only
pertinent quotations and summaries of the study will be given here.
Quoted materials are set in a distinctive type face. Where needed,
Greek and Hebrew words are translated in brackets added to the
Howard text. In the opening paragraph, George Howard says:
Recent discoveries in Egypt and the Judean Desert allow us to
see first hand the use of God's name in pre-Christian times. These
discoveries are significant for NT studies in that they form a
literary analogy with the earliest Christian documents and may
explain how NT authors used the divine name. in the following
pages we will set forth a theory that the divine name, 11:7” (and
possibly abbreviation of if), was originally written in the NT
quotations of and aliusions to the OT and that in the course of
time if was replaced mainly with the surrogate K> (Lord).4 This
removal of the Tetragram, in our view, created a confusion in the
minds of early Gentile Christians about the relationship between
the "Lord God" and the “Lord Christ" which is reflected in the MS
(manuscript) tradition of the NT itself. In order to support this
theory we will describe the relevant pre-Christian and post-NT
evidence for use of the divine name in written documents and
explore its implications for the NT.
Observations: It is important that the reader understand the scope of
the Howard study.

1 This material was originally presented at the University of Georgia (Atlanta)

and subsequently appeared in the Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 96, #1,
March 1977, pp. 63-83 entitled "The Tetragram and the New Testament."
Permission to quote from this article has been granted by the Society of Biblical
Literature.
2 Both “Tetragrammaton" and "Tetragram" are appropriate designations for the
Hebrew form of God's name 7177”. The Howard study uses the term "Tetragram."
3 Howard uses NT for "New Testament" (the Christian Greek Scriptures) and
OT for "Old Testament" (the Hebrew Scriptures). Additionally, MS is used for
“manuscript” and MSS for "manuscripts" throughout the study.
4 The term “surrogate” designates an abbreviated shorthand notation used by
the Greek copyist fora common word. The two most common surrogates used
in this study are KG for kv pioc (Lord), and 6Z for Ge0c¢ (God).
 Appendix D: The George Howard Study Zar

1. The textual basis of the study is the use of God's name in pre-
Christian times. That is, Howard's study examines only Hebrew
Scripture manuscripts. (As we will see, all his textual examples are
taken from the Septuagint [LXX] version which is the Hebrew
Scriptures translated into Greek. The Septuagint version does not
include the Christian Greek Scriptures.)
2. Howard's study does not deal with all 237 of the Jehovah references
in the New World Translation. Rather, Howard says that "...(he)
will set forth a theory that the divine name was originally written in the
NT quotations of and allusions to the OT." That is, Howard's theory
focuses only on the 112° direct and indirect Hebrew Scripture
quotations.

Sections one and two of Howard's study

In the first section of his study, Howard evaluates the use of the
Tetragrammaton in numerous Hebrew Scriptures and_ extrabiblical
sources. The content of this material can best be understood by partially
quoting Howard's own summary of this section:
Before entering the post-NT era, a brief summary of the data
gathered thus far should be helpfui.
(1) In pre-Christian Greek MSS (manuscripts) of the OT, the
divine name normally appears not in the form of kvptoc (Lord), as
it does in the great Christian codices of the LXX known today, but
either in the form of the Hebrew Tetragram (written in Aramaic or
paleo-Hebrew letters) or in the transliterated form of IAQ (IAO).
(2) In the Hebrew documents from the Judean Desert the
Tetragram appears in copies of the Bible, in quotations of the
Bible, and in biblical-type passages...and biblical paraphrases.
(3) The most commonly used word for God in the non-biblical
Hebrew documents from the Judean Desert is 9X (God) (or
n’m2xX (God)). In the Qumran commentaries the Tetragram
regularly appears in the lemma-quotations from Scripture; in the
following commentary on the text the word 28 (God) is used as a
secondary reference to God.
(4) There is some evidence from the Hebrew documents from
the Judean Desert that the word 73 7X (my Lord) was pronounced
where the Tetragram appeared in the biblical text.
(5) There are two unusual abbreviations for God's name that
appear in the scrolls from the Judean Desert: one is the use of
four or five dots; the other is the use of the Hebrew pronoun Nii
he).
‘ (6) Although it is improbable that Philo varied from the custom
of writing the Tetragram when quoting from Scripture, it is likely

© The number of direct and indirect Hebrew Scripture quotations is taken from
| the summary on page 50 of this book.
238 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

that he used the word kvptoc (Lord) when making a secondary

reference to the divine name in his exposition.
Perhaps the most significant observation we can draw from this
pattern of variegated usage of the divine name is that the
Tetragram was held to be very sacred. One could either use it or
a surrogate for it within non-biblical material depending on one's
individual taste. But in copying the biblical text itself the
Tetragram was carefully guarded. This protection of the
Tetragram was extended even to the Greek translation of the
biblical text.
In the second section of his study, Howard briefly addresses the
issue of God's name within Christian usage of the Septuagint (the use of
the Septuagint by the Christian Church in the first and second
centuries).
This material from George Howard is given in order to show the
reader the information used by the Watch Tower Society in support of
its teaching that the Tetragrammaton was used in the Christian Greek
Scriptures. It is not our intent to delve into a study of the
Tetragrammaton in the Septuagint. The reader can review that
discussion elsewhere in this book.
Regarding God's name within Christian writings, Howard says:
When we come to Christian copies of the LXX, we are
immediately struck by the absence of the Tetragram and its
almost universal replacement by kUptos (Lord). This means that
sometime between the beginning of the Christian movement and
the earliest extant copies of the Christian LXX a change had
taken place. Just when the change occurred is impossible to
date with absoluteness. But by the time we reach the Christian
codices of the LXX the Tefragram is not to be found. Instead the
words KUptos (Lord) and occasionally 866s (God), stand for the
divine name and are abbreviated as KF and 6¢.
In all probability the Tetragram in the Christian LXX began to
be surrogated with the contracted words R¢§ and Gs at least by
the beginning of the second century. For our purposes the point
that is most important is that these same abbreviated words
appear also in the earliest copies of the NT. These abbreviations,
as we will argue, are important for understanding the use of God's
name in the New Testament.
From all that we know, the Tetragram was the most sacred
word in the Hebrew religion. We know for a fact that Greek-
speaking Jews continued to write i111” within their Greek
Scriptures. Moreover, it is most unlikely that early conservative
Greek-speaking Jewish Christians varied from this practice.
It is much more likely that the contracted R§ and 6s go back
to Gentile Christians who lacked the support of tradition to retain
the Tetragram in their copies of the Bible.
 Appendix D: The George Howard Study 239

Observations: The reader should be aware that:

1. In all cases where Howard refers to Scripture manuscripts containing
the Tetragrammaton, the Scripture portion is that of the Hebrew
Scriptures. The Septuagint (which Howard identifies as the LXX)
is the Hebrew Scriptures which was translated into Greek in
approximately 280 B.C.E. As we have historically and textually
demonstrated throughout this book, no known Christian Greek
Scripture manuscripts contain the Tetragrammaton.
_ 2. The "Judean Desert manuscripts" are the Palestinian cave documents
| found in 1947 which we know as the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Qumran
settlement where the scrolls were found was an Israelite community
(as opposed to Gentile) which religiously and culturally understood
the meaning of the Tetragrammaton. Verifiably, some Septuagint
manuscripts from Palestine and Jewish settlements in Egypt used the
Tetragrammaton rather than the Greek word Kvptoc [Lord]. Thatis,
the Tetragrammaton was often embedded in the Hebrew Scriptures
for the sake of Jewish readers. For Gentile readers, however, the
name of God was translated from the Hebrew word i117” to the Greek
word Kvpiog [Lord].®
3. Within the Hebrew Scripture (Septuagint) manuscripts, the
surrogates (abbreviations) KG and 6¢ replaced the words Kvptog
[Lord] and 8€6¢ [God] early in the Christian era.
The historical and textual material presented in this book
| generally agrees with the conclusions of Howard in his first two
sections. Though our book has not dealt with the Septuagint in great
_ detail, there is no apparent disagreement with Howard to this point.
|The reader must be aware, however, that the subject of Howard's

6 Gentile Scriptures did not use the Tetragrammaton for the same reason that
English Bibles do not print God's name as 717’. Rather, all English Bibles
| (including the NW7) transform it into a meaningful English equivalent. (That is,
_ neither "Yahweh" [or "Yahvah"] nor "Jehovah" is the Tetragrammaton. Yahweh
|[Yahvah] is, at best, an approximate transliteration of the Tetragrammaton.) At
the meridian of time, Hebrew language and writing were as foreign to the
- average Greek Gentile reader as it would be to the average English reader
| today. We often overlook this reality when we presume that there would have
| been a natural recognition of the divine name had the Tetragrammaton been
inserted into the "ancient" biblical texts. Because of Alexander the Great's
legacy and the subsequent power of the Roman Empire, the Greek language
was widely used in the Gentile world. This was not the case, however, with
Hebrew. Hebrew was a highly parochial language dialect. Nonetheless, for
today's English translations, the choice of an Anglicized form of the divine
name is far preferable in the Hebrew Scriptures to the traditional "LORD" written
in capital letters used in most English versions.
240 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

comment is the manuscripts of the Hebrew Scriptures which were

translated into the Greek language. In his first two sections, Howard is
not talking about the Christian Greek Scripture manuscripts which are
the subject of this book.

The concluding section of Howard's study

The final (and brief) portion of Howard's study focuses on the
Christian Greek Scriptures. We will quote extensively from this
portion so that the reader will better understand what Howard is
saying. (We have underlined certain phrases to emphasize the degree
of probability which Howard introduces.)
When we come fo the NT, there is good reason to believe that
a similar pattern evolved. Since the Tetragram was still written in
the copies of the Greek Bible which made up the Scriptures of
the early church, it
reasonable
is to believe that the NT writers,
when quoting from Scripture, preserved the Tetragram within the
biblical text. On the analogy of pre-Christian Jewish practice we
can imagine that the NT text incorporated the Tetragram into its
OT quotations and that the words kUptos (Lord) and 86s (God)
were used when secondary references to God were made in the
comments that were based upon the quotations. The Tetragram
in these quotations would, of course, have remained as long as it
continued to be used in the Christian copies of the LXX. But when
it was removed from the Greek OT, if was also removed from the
quotations of the OT in the NT. Thus somewhere around the
beginning of the second century surrogates
the use of must have
crowded out the Tetragram in both Testaments. Before long the
divine name was lost to the Gentile church altogether except
insofar as it was reflected in the contracted surrogates or
occasionally remembered by scholars.
The removal of the Tetragram in the NT of the Gentile church
obviously affected the appearance of the NT text and no doubt
influenced the theological outlook of second century Gentile
Christianity; just how much we may never know. But if
permit
we
our mind's eye to compare the original OT quotations in the NT
with the way they appeared after the Tetragram was removed,
we can imagine that the theological change was significant. In
many passages where the persons of God and Christ were clearly
distinguishable, the removal of the Tetragram must have created
considerable ambiguity.
it is interesting to note that the confusion that emerged from
such passages in the second century is reflected in the MS
(manuscript) tradition of the NT. A large number of variants in the
NT MS tradition involve the word 86s (God), KUptos (Lord),
"Inoovs (Jesus), Xptotos (Christ), vids (son) and combinations of
them. The
theory we suggest to explain the origin of many of
these variants (though, of course, not all) is that the removal of
 Appendix D: The George Howard Study 241

the Tetragram from the OT quotations in the NT created a

confusion in the minds of scribes as to which person was referred
to in the discussion surrounding the quotation. Once the
confusion was caused by the. change in the divine name in the
quotations, the same confusion spread to other parts of the NT
where quotations were not involved at all. In other words once
the names of God and Christ were confused in the vicinity of
quotations, the names were generally confused elsewhere.
The following examples illustrate this scribal confusion over the
divine personages within the area of quotations. [At this point,
Howard includes a brief discussion of Romans 10:16-17, Romans
14:10-11, I Corinthians 2:16, I Peter 3:14-15, I Corinthians 10:9,
and Jude 5. Howard conjectures that the Tetragrammaton may
have been used in these verses. In no case, however,does he give
any textual evidence substantiating the Tetragrammaton in any
ancient Christian Greek Scripture manuscripts.]
(2) Concluding Observations. The above examples are, of
course, only exploratory in nature and are set forth here
programatically. Nevertheless, the evidence is sufficiently strong
to suggest that the thesis of this paper is quite possible. We have
refrained from drawing too many conclusions due fo the
revolutionary nature of the thesis. Rather than state conclusions
now in a positive manner if seems better only fo raise some
questions that suggest a need for further explanation.
(a) If the Tetragram was used in the NT, how extensively was if
used? Was if confined to OT quotations and OT paraphrastic
allusions, or was it used in traditional phrases, such as “the word of
God/Lord" (see the variants in Acts 6:7; 8:25; 12:24; 13:5; 13:44,
48; 14:25; 16:6, 32), “in the day of the Lord" (cf. variants in | Cor
5:5), "through the will of God" (cf. variants in Rom 15:32)? Was it
also used in OT-like narratives such as we have in the first two
chapters of Luke?
(b) Was the third person singular pronoun ever used in the NT as a
surrogate "God"? The quotation of Isa 40:3 in Mark 1:3; Matt 3:3;
Luke 3:4 ends with ev@etas totei te TpiBous avTod (make straight
the roads of him). Avtod (of him) stands for 11°719X'2 (our God)
in the MT and Tov God wy (the God of us) in the majority of the
LXX MSS. The fact that in IQS 8:13 the elongated pronoun Nii
(of him) is used in a reference to this exact phrase suggests that
avTov (of him) is possibly an abbreviation in the Synoptics.
(c) How great was the impact of the removal of the Tefragram
from the NT? Were only those passages affected in which God
and Christ were confused by the ambiguity of the immediate
context; or were other passages, which reflected a low
christology even after the change, later altered to reflect a high
christology? Did such restructuring of the text give rise to the
later christological controversies within the church, and were the
NT passages involved in these controversies identical with those
which in the NT era apparently created no problems at all?
242 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

(d) What part did heresy play in the formation of the NT text? Did
the removal of the Tetragram play a role in the split between the
Ebionites and the Gentile church; and if so, did the Ebionite
movement cause the Gentile church to restructure even more its
NT toward a higher christology?
(e) What are the implications of the use of the divine name in the
NT for current christological studies? Are these studies based on
the NT text as if appeared in the first century, or are they based
on an altered text which represents a time in church history when
the difference between God and Christ was confused in the text
and blurred in the minds of churchmen? Can it be that current
scenarios of NT christology are descriptions of second- and third-
century theology and not that of the first?

Observations: The reader must pay careful attention to the wording

and content of the portion of Howard's study dealing with the
Christian Greek Scriptures (New Testament).
1. In the first sections, the reader has been given verifiable textual
evidence of the Tetragrammaton in known manuscripts of the
Septuagint (LXX). Without careful attention, the reader could be
led to assume that the change of focus to the Christian Greek |
Scriptures in Howard's study also contains textual evidence for the
use of the Tetragrammaton. This is far from being true. A careful
reading of this portion will indicate that no citation of a_ single
Christian Greek Scripture using the Tetragrammaton is given.
2. The reader should also note that, in the absence of any textual
evidence, the entire premise for Howard's discussion of the
Tetragrammaton's use in the Christian Greek Scriptures is based on
such phrases as "...there is good reason to believe...," “...we can.
imagine that...," "...the use of surrogates must have crowded oul...,"
",..just how much we may never know...," "...if we permit our mind's
eye to compare...," and, "...we can imagine that...." These statements
can hardly be construed as assertions of empirical evidence.
3. Howard suggests that confusion of the Tetragrammaton within the
Septuagint (Hebrew Scriptures) of the second century is then
transferred to the scribes copying of the Christian Greek Scriptures. |
This is a legitimate inquiry to pursue. However, as we have seen in
our book, this question must be answered with a historical and
textual examination of the evidence. The earliest extant
manuscripts, rather than conjecture, must establish the wording of
all Greek Scriptures passages.
4. The reader must, finally, be aware that Howard's conclusion does not
give a summary statement of textual evidence for the
Tetragrammaton. The concluding observations merely consist of five
questions. They are, in fact, pertinent questions. But they must be}
 Appendix D: The George Howard Study 243

answered with evidence from known ancient Christian Greek

Scripture manuscripts. In the absence of such evidence, they are
merely speculative questions.

Conclusion: It is not our intent to demean the research done by George

Howard. His work evaluates necessary data pertinent to a study of the
Tetragrammaton’s presence in the Christian Greek Scriptures.
Nonetheless, it is necessary that we carefully note the limitations of
the evidence within his study. (In all probability, our view of
Howard's work is more strongly conditioned by the Watch Tower
Society's interpretation of it than by a careful study of the material
itself.) The required evidence which will bear most strongly on George
Howard's study is the same evidence which we must use in our own
study. In all cases, the verification of the presumed use of the
Tetragrammaton within the Christian Greek Scriptures must be
securely founded on historical and textual evidences, not on presumption
or allusions to the Septuagint text. Insummary:
1. No textual evidence is given wherein ancient Greek manuscripts of
the Christian Greek Scriptures use the Tetragrammaton.
2. The passages used by Howard when he conjectures use of the
Tetragrammaton in the Christian Greek Scriptures are verses which
allude to Hebrew Scripture quotations. Though this use of these
verses merits study, it leaves completely unanswered the
appropriateness of the choice of Jehovah in the majority of the 237
New World Translation references which have no Hebrew Scripture
source. Even if textual evidence for the Tetragrammaton in verses
quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures could be established, no transfer
of that premise can be carried to verses such as Revelation 1:8, 4:8
and 11, 11:17, 16:7, 18:8, 19:6, 21:22, 22:5 and 22:6, which have no
allusions to Hebrew Scripture. These verses all address Kvpuoc¢
[Lord] as God and in most cases further identify K0ptog [Lord] as the
Almighty.
3. Howard introduces an ambiguity regarding the Tetragrammaton into
his study which is often shared by Watch Tower publications. A
discussion will often commence with references to the
Tetragrammaton in the Septuagint and then be extended as though
the Christian Greek Scriptures were the same document. The
Septuagint and the Christian Greek Scriptures are separated by
some 300 years and represent distinctly separate manuscript
traditions. What can correctly be said of one is not necessarily true
of the other, despite the use of the Septuagint in the early church
period. In a similar manner, a discussion of quotations from the
244 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Hebrew Scriptures is often confused with other Jehovah references in

the New World Translation. A statement may properly be made
regarding an original writer's use of a Hebrew Scripture quotation
which uses the divine name, whereas anextension of that statement
to the other 237 Jehovah references would be inaccurate. The reader
must carefully separate the Septuagint and the Christian Greek
Scriptures. Equally, the reader must differentiate between a
passage which originates from (and quotes) the Hebrew Scriptures
and a statement being made by a Christian Scripture writer in which
there is no quotation source.
4. Howard concludes with a series of questions, two of which are of
great importance to us here:
"If the Tetragram was used in the NT, how extensively was it used?"
This is a question of paramount concern to anyone reading the Christian
Greek Scriptures. Our understanding of Jehovah and the Lord Jesus will
be greatly influenced by the answer. The answer is so important that
we would expect the divine Author to give ample evidence in the
textual integrity of his Word. Certainly, if the Tetragrammaton was |
used 237 times in the Christian Greek Scriptures, there should be ample |
ancient Greek manuscripts confirming that for us. There are none! :
"What are the implications of the use of the divine name in the NT for |
current christological studies?" The question is well asked because the
implications are immense! The subject of numerous verses in Revelation |
is clearly "God...the Almighty." If the Tetragrammaton was not used, |
then John wrote that "kvptoc" [the Lord] is "God...the Almighty."
 Appendix E: The Greek Text of the Hebrew Versions

A reader may verify the Greek word used in any of the 237 Jehovah
references of the New World Translation by consulting the Greek text
portion of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation. This is further
verified in Appendix 1D of the New World Translation of the Holy
|Scriptures (pages 1565-1566) showing that in 223 instances, the Greek
_word Xgréoe (kvpioc) in one of its principle forms (including xvpie,
|KDPLOV, KvPLOD, Or KUPi@) is the word used in the Westcott and Hort text.
On the surface, it would seem that Xgsios rather than the
| Tetragrammaton, is the best textual choice in each of these instances.
| However, there is an alternate possibility which must be considered.
|The evidence supporting the restoration of Jehovah in each of these
passages is found in 25 Hebrew versions. Therefore, we must consider
_ the Greek textual source for these versions.
| Are there older, more reliable Greek manuscripts from which these
_| Hebrew versions were translated? That is, did translators of very
-| early Hebrew versions have access to first century Greek manuscripts
containing the Tetragrammaton? If so, we may expect to find the
| needed evidence to support the divine name in the Christian Greek
| Scriptures in these older texts.
The translation date of any given Hebrew version will suggest the
_Greek text which was available at the time of its translation. (For
.| example, the translator of a Hebrew version completed in the first
-century C.E. would have had access to Greek manuscripts which pre-
_date those which are available today.)
The earliest complete Hebrew version of the Christian Scriptures is
J) which was completed by Elias Hutter in 1599.1 This late date
entirely eliminates the possibility of an earlier Greek text unknown to
|today's translators. The Greek text of 1599 was essentially the same
text which was used in the 1611 King James version. Several pages of
this Greek text are reproduced in the following pages. Furthermore,
-according to the foreword in the Emphatic Diaglott New Testament
| published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society (1942 edition),
| only about eight manuscripts of the entire Christian Greek Scriptures
were known in 1599:
[The] KING JAMES BIBLE, or the Authorized Version, was
published in 1611...It has been convicted of containing over

1 We have not included J@ because this may be a recension of Matthew's

_ Hebrew Gospel.
246 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

20,000 errors. Nearly 700 Greek MSS are now known,2 and some
of them very ancient; whereas the translators of the common [King
James] version had only the advantage of some 8 MSS, none of
which was earlier than the tenth century.
The following pages contain copies of the Greek text from which the
earliest Hebrew versions were translated. Notice that the
Tetragrammaton is nowhere found in these Luke passages, nor does it
appear elsewhere
in the entire manuscript. (Luke 1:6, 9, 11, 15, 16, 17,
25, and 28 are all Jehovah references.)
The subject of Greek manuscripts used in the Hebrew translation "J"
references suggests an oversight on the part of the translators and
editors of the New World Translation. Clearly, the objective of
supporting texts for Greek manuscript verification is early evidences.
That is, the older the manuscript, the more accurately it should reflect
the original writing. Therefore, the more highly sought manuscripts
are the oldest manuscripts.
Nonetheless, in the 1985 edition of the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation, the editors have added new "J" references to further
support the argument favoring the Tetragrammaton. These include the
following:

J*2. Christian Greek Scriptures in Hebrew by 1979

the United Bible Societies
J*> Christian Greek Scriptures in Hebrew by J. 1975
Bauchet
J*4 A Literal Translation of the New 1863
Testament...From the Text of the Vatican
Manuscript
J2> St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans 1900
J2© Psalms and Matthew 1533
J” Die heilige Schrift des neuen Testaments 1796

J*2 and J2° are particularly interesting. The editors have literally
used Hebrew translations from current United Bible Societies' printed
Greek New Testaments to establish the existence of the
Tetragrammaton over Greek manuscripts of the second and _ third
century. To verify the Greek text for J22 and J23, one must merely
purchase the United Bible Societies' current Greek New Testament!

é Today this number stands at 5,000.

 Appendix E: The Greek Text of the Hebrew Versio
ns 247

H KAINH
AIAOHKH

THE NEW
TESTAMENT

THE GREEK TEXT

UNDERLYING THE ENGLISH |
AUTHORISED VERSION
OF 161!

THE TRINITARIAN BIBLE SOCIETY

Figure 8. The title page of an edition of the Greek text used for the
1611 King James version.
248 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

PREFACE

The Textus Receptus printed in this volume is the Greek text

followed by the translators of the English Authorised Version of
the Bible first published in the year 1611. Its relationship to other
editions of the Greek text printed in the 16th and 17th centuries
is shown in the following paragraphs.
The first edition of the Greek text to be published was that of
Desiderius Erasmus printed in Basle in 1516, which was followed
by his edition of 1519, which was used by Martin Luther for his
German translation. Erasmus also published editions in 1522,
1527 and 1535, the last two of which included some changes from
the Complutensian Polyglot. The New Testament portion of this
Polyglot Bible of Complutum, or Alcala in Spain, was actually
printed in 1514, but was not in circulation until 1522. Christopher
Piantin reprinted the Complutensian Greek text in Antwerp in
1564, 1573, 1574, 1584 and 1590, and it was also printed in Geneva
in 1609, 1619, 1620, 1628 and 1632.
Simon Colinaeus, a printer in Paris, published in 1534 an
edition based upon those of Erasmus and the Complutensian
Greek New Testament. This work of Colinaeus was never
reprinted, but was superseded by the more famous editions of his
step-son Robert Stephens, published in Paris in 1546, 1549, 1550
and 1551. The edition of 1550, known as the “ royal edition ”
or editio regia, followed the text of the 1527 and 1535 editions of
Erasmus, with marginal readings from the _Complutensian
Polyglot. The 1551 Geneva edition was a reprint of the 1550 text
in which the present numbered verse divisions first appeared.
Theodore Beza published in Geneva four folio editions of the
Stephens Greek text, with some changes and a Latin translation
of his own, in 1565, 1582, 1588 and 1598. During this period
Beza also published several octavo editions in 1565, 1567, 1580,
1590 and 1604. The editions of Beza, particularly that of 1598,
 Appendix E: The Greek Text of the Hebrew Versions 249

PREFACE

and the two last editions of Stephens, were the chief sources used
for the English Authorised Version of 1611.
The Elzevir brothers, Bonaventure and Abraham, published
editions of the Greek text at Leyden in 1624, 1633 and 1641,
following Beza’s 1565 edition, with a few changes from his later
revisions. The preface to the 1633 Elzevir edition gave a name to
this form of the text, which underlies the English Authorised
Version, the Dutch Statenvertaling of 1637, and all of the Pro-
testant versions of the period of the Reformation—* Textum ergo
habes, nunc ab omnibus receptum ...”’ The Elzevir text became
known throughout Europe as the Jextus Receptus or Received
Text, and in course of time these titles came to be associated in
England with the Stephens text of 1550.
The editions of Stephens, Beza and the Elzevirs all present
substantially the same text, and the variations are not of great
significance and rarely affect the sense. The present edition of
the Textus Receptus underlying the English Authorised Version
of 1611 follows the text of Beza’s 1598 edition as the primary
authority, and corresponds with ‘“‘ The New Testament in the
Original Greek according to the text followed in the Authorised
Version,” edited by F. H. A. Scrivener, M.A., D.C.L., LL.D.,
and published by Cambridge University Press in 1894 and 1902.

used for
_ Figure 9. The preface of this same edition of the Greek text
the 1611 King James version.
250 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

EYATTEAION
TO KATA
*Errei81 ro8ai Sinynow 1
tepi TOV = THE GOSPEL “UaTov, Kabas 2
Trapedooc Kai Uirnpétat
YEVOUEVOL ACCORDING TO LU vOnKoTi aveb_ev 3
TAOIV AK Te Oeogire, iva 4
ETTIYVOdS Trepi dv KaTHXTONs Adywv Thy dopaaciav.
"Eyeveto év Tails tuepais ‘HpwdSou tou Baoittws tis 5
*loudaias iepevs Tis Svopati Zayapias, & epruepias "ABic-
Kai 1) yuvt) auTou ék Tdv Buyatépwv “Aap, kai TO 6vona
auTrs “EAio&Bet. oav 5é Sates) GUPOTEPO! EVOTTIOV
OcoU, Tropevouevor tv Tra&oat ; Kal Sikai@paor
TOU SMELTTON. Kal OUK Tv avTois Téxvov, KadéT: 7
1) EAioaBet hv oteipa, kai dupotepor trpoBeBrkoTes Ev Tais
TINEDAIS AUTOHV Thoav.
"Eyéveto S€ €v TO lepatevetvy autov ev TH Tae Ths Epn- 8
Wepias auTOU EvavTl TOU OeoU, KaTa TO EOosS TiS igpaTeias, (9)
EAaye TOU Ouuicoal eiceAQaov eis TOV vaov TOU Kai 10
Ta&V TO TIAT80S TOU AaoU Tv TrpoceUyouEvoy EEw TH Opa
TOU BupIduaTos. DPOn S& atta &yyehosKupioy) SE 3 (11)
SeEiav to Qvoiaotnpiou Tol OupiauaTos. Kal ETapayOn 12
Zoxapias iSav, Kai poBos Errétrecev Err” atTov. eltre SE TrpOs 13
autov 6 ayyedos, Mt) poBot, Zayapia’ S10T1 elonxovotn n
Sénois cou, Kal 1} yuvn oou ’EAioaBet yevvtjoet viov ool, Kai
KOAEGEIS TO GVOUA AUTOU “lwdvunv. Kai EoTal yapa oor Kal 14
ayardAiaocis, Kai TOAAOi Eri TH yevvTjoe: aUTOU MOONS OUTS
EoTal yap PEyaS EvaoTrIOV TOU REPO
103
 Appendix E: The Greek Text of the Hebrew Versions 251

1.15 EYAFTEAION
OU Ht Tin, Kai Mvewporros ‘Ayiou trAno@joetan ét1 ex KOIAIAS
6 ntpdos avToU. Kai TOAAOUs TdHVv Uidv ‘lopanA émotpéyer
aud Kupiov) TOV Oeov auTdév: Kal ovtds trpoceAeUoeTan
Qy OUTOU év TrveUpaT! Kal Suvaper HAiou, émotpéwan
Kapdias ERoov ETL Téxva, Kai crreibeis Ev MpovtioEl
18 Sikaiwv, eToIdoa QOV KOTEOKEVAOHEVOV. Kai Fi
Zayapias mpos TOv ayyeAov, Kata ti yvarn:
eyo yap eiul trpeoBuTns, Kai t) yur ne
19 TAIs TwEpaIS OUTS. Kal a ~> AaAT|OQ,
"Eyw eiut PaBo:** » OV OUK éTloTEeVvoas
area "7 _ uAnpwénoovtar eis Tov Kalpov
,- © Adds trpocdoKdv tov Zayapiav’ xai
-pulov EV TO Xpovilew auTov ev TH vad. EEeAGaov SE ovK
ndvuvato AaATjoa awtois: Kai éméyvwoav oti dtrtaciav
EwpoaKev Ev TO vad Kal autos Av Siavevwv avrois, Kai
23 SIeUEVE KWPOS. Kai EyYEVETO, GS ETTATIOONOAV al TLEpaI Ti\s
Agitoupyias autoU, amrijAdev eis Tov olkov onrrou.
24 Mera S€ tawtas Tas TUEPAS CUVEAGBeV “"EAIodBet T} yuvTy
QUTOU, Kai TreplekoUBev EauTTV Ufjvas TrévTe, AEyouoa éTI
OUtw LOI TETTOIREDS Kupiosv TyuEpais als Etreidev aqeAciv
TO Sveidos pou év dvOpwrrois.
26 “Ev 8€ 1H unvi to Extw dtreotaAn 6 ayyedos FaPpinaA
UTrO TOU Oeov eis TroAiv Tis FaAiAaias, 7) d6vopa Nalapeé,
27 TOS TrapPEvov PEUVNOTEULEVHY avdpi, @ Svoua ‘Iwong,
& oikou AaBid: Kai TO évoua Ttijs Trapfevou Mapiay. Kai
geABaov © cryyeAos Trpos catty eltre, Xaipe, KeyapITOPEVT]’
eTa Cou, EVAOYNHEVN ov Ev yuvakiv. f d& idsoUcH
SietapayOn eri TH Adyw auto, Kai SieAoyileto tTrotatros
| 30 E17) 6 GoTTACHOS OUTOS. Kai eltrev 6 GyyeAos auTT, Mn poBou,
iF 31 Mapiau: evpes yap xapiv rapa TH Oedd. Kai Sou, ovAAHYN
: év yaotpi, Kai TéEn vidv, Kal KaAgoeis TO SvoUa aUTOU
32 “Inoouv. ovTos ~otal YEyas, Kal Vios UWiotou KAnOnoETat
104

_ Figure 10. Two pages of text from of this same Greek edition used for
the translation of the 1611 King James version. The
Tetragrammaton was not used in the Greek text.
_ Appendix F: Facsimiles of Early Greek Manuscripts

Many early Greek manuscripts are available for examination in

facsimile form. (Facsimile copies are photographically reproduced
plates of the actual manuscripts themselves. Generally, the
manuscripts are in page format.) One of the earliest Greek Scripture
manuscripts available today is known as the Chester Beatty Papyri
and is cataloged as P*®. This manuscript has been dated as acopy made
about 200 C.E. Therefore, these copies were made not more than 150
years after the Apostle Paul wrote between 50 and 61 C.E.
The material in this appendix comes from the book entitled, The
Chester Beatty Biblical Papyri, Descriptions and Texts of Twelve
Manuscripts on Papyrus of the Greek Bible. The editor is Frederic G.
Kenyon; the book was published by Emery Walker Ltd. of London in
1937.
Our best description comes from the Preface of the volume itself:
This [volume] contains a complete photographic reproduction of
the papyrus of the Pauline Epistles, the ownership of which is
divided between Mr. Chester Beatty and the University of
Michigan...Since the complete codex [book] appears to have
consisted of 104 leaves (of which the last five may have been
blank), the student now has a reproduction of a nearly complete
copy of the Epistles of St. Paul (apart from the Pastorals
[1-2 Timothy and Titus]), at least a century older than any MS.
[manuscript] previously known. It seems certain that the papyrus is
not later than the first half of the third century; and Prof. Ulrich
Wilcken, the first living authority on papyrology, would date it ‘round
about A.D. 200.' It thus has a strong claim to be considered the
earliest extant MS. of the New Testament [Christian Greek
Scriptures] of any substantial size, and to have been written not
more than a century and a half after the death of St. Paul.
The Watch Tower Society recognizes P46 from "circa 200 C.E."!
Thus, from the following reproductions of this copy of the Greek |
Scriptures, we can see that the use of the Greek word XKgzéoe (rather —
than i717’) can be established not later than this very early date.

4 MAY Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial." Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society, p. 313.
 Appendix F: Facsimiles of Early Greek Manuscripts 253

The following summary of P46 lists 28 instances in which the New

World Translation uses Jehovah as its translation of Kgréos (or Theos).
Plate No. : the papyrus leaf identification number (marked as "r" for
recto [front] and '"v" for verso [back]). Plate Contents: the verses found
on the papyrus leaf. Verse Cited: Jehovah reference from the New
World Translation. Entry: the surrogate (abbreviation) found in P4®.
KIT: the word entry in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation.

Plate No. Plate Contents Verse Cited Entry KIT

Rom 12:11-13:1 | Rom 12:11 | Rg |kKupiw
Rom 15:11-19 Rom 15:11
[£.28.r. | Heb 7:28-8:8 | Heb8:2_ | kg__[ ktptos
SOs
far |1Cor3:16-4:3 0 [1Cor3:20 | kg |Kuptos
ienios
£501 [TCor10:21-30 | 1Cor10:21 | ky | Kupiou
Same citation as above Per 1021 oF Sy PE Ruptous 4

:
sso 2 or oiiag | Cor 3:6 ten Rvp
|
Same citation as above

I rein
) 2 Cor 10:11-11:2 aces
| Eph 2:21-3:10 Eph 2:21
Eph 6:8-18 Eph 6:8 KUplOU
| Gal 3:2-15 Gal 3:6

2 The final sigma (s) in manuscript entries is formed like the English lower-case c.
254 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Catalog identification: P*°: plate f.40.r.

Greek manuscript date: circa 200 C.E.
Plate contains: 1 Corinthians 2:11 through 3:5.
Reference cited: 1 Corinthians 2:16.
Significance of this example: 1) Use of the Greek word Kgsioa
(Kupiov) in place of the divine name within a direct quotation
from the Hebrew Scriptures. 2) Use of a surrogate (abbreviation)
form of both the word Kupiov (Lord) and Xptotot (Christ). Kupiou
is abbreviated Ky and Xptotod is abbreviated Xpy.
Hebrew Scripture location: Isaiah 40:13.
Translation used in New World Translation: "Jehovah."
Translation used in Kingdom Interlinear Translation: “Lord.”
Earliest date reference for the translation choice:
New World Translation—"Jehovah": A Hebrew version; 1838.
Kingdom Interlinear Translation—"Lord": This manuscript; circa
200 C.E.
Textual form. Manuscripts from this period did not use spacing
between words, and broke words at the end of a line. No accent or
punctuation marks were used. Various additional surrogates are
evident throughout the page. The script is uncial.

1 Corinthians 2:16 from the Kingdom Interlinear Translation showing

both the Greek text and the English translation reads:

...TlS yap E€yvw vovv Kupiov, os ovvp.Bdoet

Who for knew mind ofLord, who will make go together
avTov; nets 8€ vovv Xptotod € XOLEV.
him? We but mind ofChrist are having.

1 Corinthians 2:16 from the Chester Beatty Papyri.

Note: We have reproduced the text below with the Greek wording,
spelling, and script from the Westcott and Hort Greek text; this may
vary from the actual P4® text. In the case of the surrogates KY (Lord)
and Xpy (Christ), we have added spacing to facilitate identification.
Location: This phrase is found in lines 14 and 15 of the facing page and
is identified by a bracket ( ] ) in the right margin. The surrogates Ky
and Xpy_ are circled.
...TIgrapernwnoyn Ky ogcyneipa
CElAYTONHMEIGAGNOYN XPY GEXOMEN
 Appendix F: Facsimiles of Early Greek Manuscripts 255

Plate f.40.r.

a,
-~ Get aa 7
f= rag we SS

Se St jae
¢’

Ree ° — Cee Pee eet) eee ‘oo T + Was

Loe ae ACAO TO Rey x Sta 7H
ns TACAAASN er bares ety ees*
ATE
Se
;

= are
by}
maar

“fe
iar fae
eageTRSTS Peal Gry.
ee ce
a
corer
pose is 3
{
He +
pars
heaene
33 Pi
Ars doyTESTUha Se
=
=ak OY anNATALEN
Nay ornMOANA. ane ite tk ree

ets NET» opeTING DNAKPA NOTATIONS

a TR NES CACY TOY Aer ocknAre ye.oe
itt ueay
~e TICrar emu aeet sere 2a
vatteeremig Ft RYTOM: Sesthhe:SERRE ane Ae
a ees ited
Fee ea =h-~ Pe ae Cress oe

:aaa d Te
Soe ee ee f
ween

ee pertcont eh,ove races

pee
tse toeag) wt
eee serz)86
SER Ass 5 os Shep ol 3
aeIeasES 2h, tSan.
‘ PSEA EOE 34!
Bs ym pe ET i res eleni
S RE
Saree

Peres.
SRDS

Plate 1. A facsimile copy of P46 which contains 1 Corinthians 2:11

through 3:5. The manuscript was copied about 200 C.E.
256 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Catalog identification: P*°: plate f.83.r.

Greek manuscript date: circa 200 C.E.
Plate contains: Galatians 3:2 to 15.
Reference cited: Galatians 3:6.
Significance of this example: Use of a surrogate (abbreviation) form
of the word 7heos (God). The word Oe is abbreviated as Ow.
Translation used in New World Translation: "Jehovah."
Translation used in Kingdom Interlinear Translation: "God."
Earliest date reference for the translation choice:
New World Translation—"Jehovah": A Hebrew version; 1599.
Kingdom Interlinear Translation—"God": This manuscript; circa
200 C.E.
Textual form. Manuscripts from this period did not use spacing
between words, and broke words at the end of a line. No accent or |
punctuation marks were used. Surrogate examples are evident.

Galatians 3: 6 from the Kingdom Interlinear Translation showing both

the Greek text and the English translation reads:

...KadWS "ABpaay emloTtevoev TH Oecd, Kal

According as Abraham believed tothe God, and

€hoyloOvn avuT® is SLKALOOUUNV . ..

it was reckoned tohim into righteousness.

Galatians 3:6 from the Chester Beatty Papyri.

Note: We have reproduced the text below with the Greek wording,
spelling, and script from the Westcott and Hort Greek text; this may
vary from the actual P4® text. In the case of the surrogate Ow, we have
added spacing to facilitate identification.

Location: This phrase is found in lines six and seven of the facing page
and is identified by a bracket (] ) in the right margin. The surrogate
Ow is circled.

.. KXOWCaBPAAMETMCTEYCENTW Ow Kal
ECAOPIC-ONHAYTWEICAIKAIOCYNHN...
 Appendix F: Facsimiles of Early Greek Manuscripts 257

Plate f.83.r.

iy “HE SMonsru cb:aa

OED YTECANSH To ECTe-ENA Fee tern. te
“pRPLVErate cee
fA weet
PrOr xeerks sae 64-8 ETN. tases,
cerryae,

| LOR ie
eTIDOPH ran ynecr etn kuenere |
i

AANA CON YEN erser

Gi) dad

Sige see
renn qaaey esnere ;
Trierens. KaeweCAP PAD:ET OTEYLENTRED AY‘
FAO ree 4 AY Te | CAA OCYMHN ise hee
ort Of@rcrerewe oper yi6} Bie} aRPATTES, : cette
aePOT OKREH TRASH om excricrtwcragonn sy” a
he
x eyRrrenttareTARmin
ig atte ae
2
ares a) mene
“ra Suge

EYKO THeHCONTA ey CeltTOGA T RES MHD, ae afe 2 {Pee has oS

®

2)yes ereceey ora eynrem CTPA LIM a

© Got pep Seeprencpe bac suby ef61te'Yrto1e = 2
earn iy
as

as’:
oo ecter ut
cin TeTEA TETAT regetA FVEIT
oe HER siey Pek
I EATAPAT HEM
Seat aE Rae ya ita Roebear etveryOto Sata paints

é re th ee beh t,.Fy ele

~ ebayiceO42. S5L 4 2 ; 4 Aeope:
wee Soca ¢ has yur hess Baie
;
eG) ates

PEERS Tene by
AR see
pad teHs © ‘
oY RSC" 23AYNeeiahanats Babs te

pepe pings zai ihfe

Beere
EPs
ic ace regret
A one TS TAT DPD CFeros
pS hes fc
“TaeEs,
=o]

Plate 2. A facsimile copy of P45 which contains Galatians 3:2 to 15.

The manuscript was copied about 200 C.E.
Appendix G: J20— 7117” in the Greek Concordance

A Concordance to the Greek Testament by W. F. Moulton and A. S.

Geden (4th ed., Edinburgh, 1963) is identified in the Kingdom
Interlinear Translation as "J" reference J29. (See Appendix A for a
further description.) This reference is used by the New World
Translation because it identifies Hebrew Scripture quotations from the
Hebrew Scriptures.
Two categories of Hebrew Scripture references are cited. First, and
most importantly, are those instances which are substantiated with a
Hebrew Scripture reference which uses the Tetragrammaton. In these
cases, the entry in the Concordance quotes the passage from the Hebrew
Scriptures. In the following tables, we have included both the divine
name as it appears in the Concordance entry and the Scripture reference.
(Notice that the entries use vowel points and are consequently written
mim? rather than i717”.)
In the second category of references, only the verse is cited without
the quotation appearing from the Hebrew Scriptures. In this case, we
have included only the reference, and the column containing the divine
name will be blank.
J*° lists all of the Kyséos references contained in Appendix C. In this
appendix, however, only the entries which cite a Hebrew Scripture
reference are given. (J29 cites no Hebrew Scripture references for 2 Peter,
any of John's Epistles, Jude, or the book of the Revelation.)
This isa definitive reference in our study of the Tetragrammaton in
the Greek Scriptures. J29 precisely identifies each instance in the Greek
Scriptures in which there is specific Hebrew Scripture use of the
Tetragrammaton in the passage quoted in the Christian Greek
Scripture. We have not included the references which contain Jah from
Hallelujah (of which there are only four inthe Greek Scriptures, all in
Revelation). That is, only the 44 occurrences of 7177” as found in this
reference would clearly fulfill the criteria of the New World
Translation when they state:
To know where the divine name was replaced by the Greek
words kUptos and 6e6s, we have determined where the inspired
Christian writers have quoted verses, passages and expressions
from the Hebrew Scriptures and then we have referred back to the
Hebrew text to ascertain whether the divine name appears there.
In this way we determined the identity to give Ky'r-os and The-os'
and the personality with which to clothe them.
 Appendix G: J29— m7” in the Greek Concordance 259
SS
—_——

To avoid overstepping the bounds of a translator into the field of

exegesis, we have been most cautious about rendering the divine
name in the Christian Greek Scriptures, always carefully
considering the Hebrew Scriptures as a background. We have
looked for agreement from the Hebrew versions to confirm our
rendering. Thus, out of the 237 times that we have rendered the
divine name in the body of our translation, there is’ only one
instance [1 Co 7:17] where we have no agreement from the
Hebrew versions. (Emphasis ours.)
Notice that, according to this source quoted by the translators of the
New World Translation, only 42 Jehovah renderings are supported by
the Hebrew Scriptures. (The number could be as many as 50 including
the 42 17° and 8 other names of God cited as "Note 1.") This leaves the
remaining 191 (or 183) to be supported by much later Hebrew versions.
Because the material from Appendix B was taken from an English
source (The New World Translation), verse references may differ from
the present list.
The reader should pay particular attention to the entries for 1 Peter
2:3 and 3:15.

KIT KIT J?9 Documentation NWT

Matthew Heb. Script. _Hebrew word
aemcry Jehovah

PIS |Koptou |Tord_[Hotet —[__| ehovah

Lord
Lor
Lor
Lord

Lord_[Dr6S
To
23:39
PePs 110
11826 |__|
sii

Jehovah _
27:10 Lord [zetiis [|] Jehovah _|

119
Lore Ps 11626 _[ | Jehovah_
piu

PasliOoo out [eee ae pe

vehovalwet
Note 1: Other Hebrew entry; this entry does not include 17° .
260 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Mark

12:36 | Kopiog | Lord [Psi |_| Jehovah _

Luke

[2:24 | Kopiov | Lord [iv 128 | | Jehovah _

[8 | Kopiov |Lord [Dreis__[ | Jehovah _]
[a2 | Kopiov |_Lord_|Dteio | | Jehovah _
Lord
[1027 | Koptov | Lord [Dr6s [| Jehovah
[13:35 | Kvpiov |Lord [Ps 11826 | | Jehovah _|
[19:38 | Kopiov |Lord [Ps 11826 | | Jehovah _|
[20:42 |Kiprog | Lord [Ps 1101 | | Jehovah _]
John
Is 03 PpEwEMrnsmoT
12:13 Ps 11826 | | Jehovah
12:38 Is 53:
Acts

Tord
[234 | Kopwc | Lord [Psiioi__[ | Jehovah _|
Lord
[749 | Kopiog |Cord [Ts6612 | myrecy [Jehovah
Romans
3
MOsde- | Kopie "| bord «|leSoaesinn ta enn ere ehowalean
 Appendix G: J29— m7” in the Greek Concordance 261

Romans
TKi 19:10
11:34 Is 0:13 aor

12:19 Dt 32:35
14:11 SEY: Raval ER BEDra
ae PSO aT
1 Corinthians
frsi- |) Kopi | Lord [r923.) | | Jehovah
[2:16 | Kupiov | ord [Is 4013____| | Jehovah |
[320 | Kipiog [Lord [Ps et [ry Jehovah]
10:25 |eupiov |Tord [Ps2a1 [ayo [Jehovah]
2 Corinthians
bode |roroak ehoveanuen
0:17 jr 923 Ear om [oe
enovenamg
2 Timoth

zI9 NmvT65
[oz acuaral eitaswander [eo
lenowaliaml
Hebrews
1:26 | «opie [ Lord [Psti0d [Noel | lord _]
SB [Kopiog [Tort [estat [ayes | Jehovah]
[SI [Kipios [Cord [JrS132 yrnxa [Jehovah
PT016 | Kopioc | Lord [yrsise_ [|
Jehovah
—SSSS—~d;~SCésdehovah
130] Kopiog [Tord [PsToT [ym |Jehovah
Tord
| [R26 | Kopiog [Lord [Prana nym | Tehovar
[B55 |Ropes [Cord [Pe ree [Jehovah
1 Peter
SWS “ \ ;

re Paes
PS SET
4

| [ER [Roptov [Tord [Ps 3217

4

Lord [1s 813 ay

Appendix H: A Second Hebrew Version

The following flyleaf information comes from a second Hebrew

translation. (The information given is a composite copy of both the
English and Hebrew title pages.) This version does not give
translation dates or translators’ names. In all probability, this willbe
either J13 orJ1®, Less likely, it could also be either Ji2 orJl4.
Irrespective of its actual "J" catalog number (if, in fact, it is even to
be included), the importance of this Hebrew translation is the wording
on its title page which says: "TRANSLATED OUT OF THE ORIGINAL
GREEK:"
All Hebrew versions have Greek—not Hebrew—textual sources.
Thus, the New World Translation’s use of 717” is derived from a
Hebrew translation and not from an original ancient document.

THE
NEW TESTAMENT
OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR
JESUS CHRIST
TRANSLATED OUT OF THE ORIGINAL GREEK::
AND WITH THE FORMER TRANSLATIONS
DILIGENTLY COMPARED AND REVISED,
BY HIS MAJESTY'S SPECIAL COMMAND

Mae,

oWinnd Nea
may peo pr pede opr
“Toy
wwWoys PINTAD ANDPEN Ooen
THE SOCIETY FOR DISTRIBUTING
THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
TO THE JEWS
1 RECTORY LANE.
EDGWARE, MIDDLESEX HA87LF
ENGLAND

e
lt
em
ee
el
ia
 Appendix I: A Catalog of Greek Manuscripts

This appendix is included for the purpose of comparison. When

reviewing the Greek manuscript information cited in the Kingdom
Interlinear Translation, the reader may be left with the impression
that relatively few reliable ancient Greek manuscripts are available
for textual study. That is far from true.
eS}
The Greek New Testament, Third Edition! prepared by the United
Bible Societies is a source reference used by the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation editors and is identified as "UBS." As does the Kingdom
Interlinear Translation itself, the UBS lists in footnote form ancient
Greek manuscripts and other sources consulted when the Greek wording
_is questionable. (We also note from the UBS list that versions can be
_ used to authenticate a Greek wording. However, the verification comes
from similarity of the translation to the original Greek language
SS

_ source. Versions are never used to replace the reading of a word in the
Greek text itself.) |
Ability to understand and use a textual apparatus is a worthwhile
skill for the advanced Bible student. For that reason, we will
_ demonstrate the use of the UBS apparatus with one example of a
| problematic verse.
In the first section of this appendix, we will briefly compare the
_ footnote material found in the UBS reference for Revelation 1:8 with
|
| |that of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation for the same verse. We
have chosen this verse merely because we are already familiar with
its use in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation and because it represents
_ a textual problem in another part of the wording.
In the second section, we will give the UBS list of manuscripts and
other sources used to substantiate the wording of the Christian Greek
_| Scriptures.
The manuscripts, versions, and lectionaries listed in the second
i, section are the footnote citations used in the UBC “Greek New
| Testament” to confirm variant readings. Note their number!

:1 The Greek New Testament, Third Edition (Corrected), © 1966, 1968, 1975,
) 1983, published by the UNITED BiBLe Societies. All textual citations in this
| |appendix have come from either this edition or the companion volume, A Textual
» Commentary on the Greek New Testament, © 1971. (Three manuscript dates
“have been added from another edition.) Because of the constant revision
| process on the UBS text, each new edition will contain supplementary material.
' Comparison of textual apparatus material will not always be identical between
subsequent editions.
264 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

In addition to the material included in this appendix, the UBS also

includes citations from the church fathers. Over 200 names are included
in this latter catalog of church fathers, and each may be cited multiple
times in support of the Greek text.
(Refer to the Glossary for word definitions used in this appendix.)

Is the UBS acceptable to Witnesses?

As a reference source, the UBS must be acceptable to Witnesses.
First, it must be acceptable for the simple reason that it is a citation
source in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation. (However, we fully
understand that mere citation does not imply that all information
contained therein is wholly endorsed by the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation editors.) Secondly, though this is a more recently updated
Greek Scripture text than that of the Westcott and Hort source used for
the New World Translation, the text is substantially the same.
Rejection of the UBS text would be tantamount to rejection of the Greek
textual basis for the New World Translation! (That is, with the
exception of the 237 Kgséos passages, the Greek text relied upon by the
New World Translation must, of necessity, align itself with the best
Greek texts available today.)

The Revelation 1:8 footnotes compared

We have referred to Revelation 1:8 numerous times. This verse is
interesting because there are textual variants which must be reconciled.
However, as we will see in the extensive textual apparatus, none of the
variants deal with the Tetragrammaton. (Thetextualapparatus isthe
footnote citation system which presents evidence for the best Greek |
wording from early manuscripts and related documents.) The New |
World Translation renders the verse, |
"Lam the Alpha and the Omega," says Jehovah* God, "the One
who is and who was and who is coming, the Almighty."
The Kingdom Interlinear Translation footnote reads, "8* Jehovah,
J7,8,13,14,16-18,22-24- Tord, NAVeSy," thus citing ten Hebrew |
translations supporting Jehovah followed by two Greek manuscripts |
and two versions supporting Lord. :
However, from other ancient Greek manuscripts, we discover that |
there are at least two additional possible wordings for this verse. (As |
we will see, the readings are merely restatements of "Alpha...Omega," |
and present no theological difficulties.) |
Notice the contrast with the UBC footnote for the same verse. (The |
footnote has three sections; the first cites textual evidences, the second |
cites various English translation renderings, and the third cites biblical |
 Appendix I:A Catalog of Greek Manuscripts 265

[including Septuagint] cross references which, in turn, cite similar uses

_ of Greek wording or structure.) The footnote portion for this verse will
_ be reproduced verbatim without explanation of the symbols used.
38 {B} °O x? AC P 046 94 1006 1611 1859 2020 2042 2053
2138 it? syrPh. arm eth Ambrose Diadochus Primasius Arethas //
°0, apxt) Kai Téhos (See 21.6) X*9 1 1828 1854 2065 2073 2081"
(2344 1d Tédos) 2432 itarc,dem.div.gig,haf.tz yg Origenlat
Andrew?v.c/ 70H apxi Kai TO Tédos (See 21.6) 2081° Andrew
cop??
©Cg ¢ none, c minor: Bov BF? RV ASV RSV NEB Zir Luth Jer Seg
// cminor,c none: RV™9 / cminor,c minor: WH/ different text: TR

O WV...Epxonevos Is 41.4; Re 1.4; 4.8 AE yet ... mavToKpdtwo Am

3:13 LXX; Am 4:13 LXX; Re 4.8; 11.17; 15.3; 16.7, 14; 19.6, 15;
21.22 |
The wording in question is shown in the following three
| possibilities. Their order indicates the strength of the Greek
| manuscript support from greatest to least:
1. "lam the Alpha and the Omega, is saying the Lord, the God..."
2. "| am the Alpha and the Omega, beginning and_ ending, is
saying the Lord, the God..."
3. "| am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and_ the
ending, is saying the Lord, the God..."
| The Kingdom Interlinear Translation gives the following Greek and
| English entry:
"Ey@eiw to "Adda Kar 0 Q AEyer Kuproc,
Iam the Alpha and the Omega, issaying Lord,
0 G€0c,
the God,
_ The UBS footnote tells us that the following sources give the first
_ reading asit is found in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation:

xa 2 Aleph, an important 4th cent. manuscript cited

frequently by KIT

1) 2x designates Codex Sinaiticus which is a fourth century manuscript.

| However, in the sixth and seventh centuries, margin notes were added,
| supplying alternate readings. These margin notes are identified with superscript
| letters as X9:5.© and so on. In this instance, the margin notation X* does not
| alter the wording, whereas xD adds the words "beginning and ending."
266 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

A Codex Alexandrinus, an important 5th cent.

manuscript cited frequently by KIT.
C Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus, a 5th century
manuscript quoted by KIT.
E A 9th cent. Greek manuscript.
046 A 10th cent. Greek manuscript.
94 A 12th cent. Greek manuscript.
1006 An 11th cent. Greek manuscript.
1611 A 12th cent. Greek manuscript.
1859 A 14th cent. Greek manuscript.
2020 A 15th cent. Greek manuscript.
2042 A 14th cent. Greek manuscript.
2053 A 13th cent. Greek manuscript.
2138 An 11th cent. Greek manuscript.
ith A 5th cent. Old Latin version.
syrPh-h Includes both 6th and 7th cent. Old Latin versions.
arm A 13th cent. Armenian version cited by KIT.
eth A 6th cent. Ethiopic version.
Ambrose A quotation from a writing by a church father who
died in 397 C.E.
Diadochus A quotation from a writing by a church father who
died in 468 C.E.
Primasius A quotation from a writing by a church father who
died in 552 C.E.
Arethas A quotation from a writing by a church father who
died in 914 C.E.

A variant wording of Revelation 1:8 is familiar to us from the King |

James version. (The KJV adds the article the to makea smooth English |
sentence.) The wording of this variant is:
"Ey@ eit 0 "AMoa KaL TO Q apxn KOU
Iam the Alpha and the Omega, beginning and
TE ROG AEyer Kvpuwoco, 0 0c,
ending issaying Lord, the God,
The UBS footnote tells us that the following sources give this second
reading. This list of sources carries less weight than the first group: |

Aleph, a 4th cent. manuscript. (See footnote 2 on

the previous page.)
A 12th cent. Greek manuscript.
A 12th cent. Greek manuscript.
An 11th cent. Greek manuscript.
 Appendix I:A Catalog of Greek Manuscripts 267

2065 A 15th cent. Greek manuscript.

2073 A 14th cent. Greek manuscript.
2081 An 11th cent. Greek manuscript.
2344 An 11th cent. Greek manuscript.
2432 ; A 14th cent. Greek manuscript.
itarcdemdiv, A family of Old Latin versions between the 8th
gig,haf,t.z and 13th cents. A total of 8 individual versions
are represented.
vg The Latin Vulgate cited by KIT.
Origen!at A quotation from a writing by Origen, a church
father who died in 254 C.E. It is of note that he
did not use i717”. (Origen was thoroughly
competent in Hebrew.)
Andrewbav.< Two separate quotations of a church father who
died in 614 C.E.

A final variant wording of Revelation 1:8 adds an article before the

_ words beginning and ending :
"Ey@ eit to "“AAba Kat TO Q n apyn Kat
Iam the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and
™T tédhog rEyer Kvpioc, 0 eds,
the ending issaying Lord, the God,
| The UBS footnote tells us that the following sources give this third
_ reading. Again, this list of manuscripts carries less weight than either
_ of the preceding two possibilities:

2081 An 11th century Greek manuscript.

Andrew# A quotation—distinct from the above citation—
of a church father who died in 614.
copbo A Coptic version from the 4th cent.

_ Textual Commentary information

| The United Bible Societies publishes a companion volume to the
Greek New Testament entitled A Textual Commentary on The Greek
_New Testament. This volume gives further explanation of the textual
apparatus. The entire entry for Revelation 1:8 is as follows:
e 1.870 {B}
After "Q the Textus Receptus [the Greek text from which the
King James Version was translated], following x* 1 (2344) it9!9-61
vg al, adds dpxi) Kai tédos, and twenty other minuscules add
1)dpxi) Kal TO Tédos. If the longer text were original no good reason
can be found to account for the shorter text, whereas the presence
268 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

of the longer expression in 21.6 obviously prompted some

copyists to expand the text here.
This brief quotation is interesting primarily in that it gives us
insight into the use of the UBS textual apparatus. In this case, we are
not particularly concerned with the argument against including the
"beginning and ending" clause. There is a second area of interest,
however, because once again we see no evidence of a textual discussion
concerning Greek manuscripts which contain i717’.

Importance of variant information

The variants of Revelation 1:8 are interesting illustrations for
several reasons. First, we can see an example of a wording variant
which must be resolved because we desire an accurate text. Yet neither
of the two variants change the theological content of the verse. The
phrase in question, "[the] beginning and [the] ending," adds nothing to
that which the original author said. It is redundant inasmuch as "A’
(alpha) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and "Q" (omega) is the
last.
Secondly, because of the variant, there has been heightened study of
early Greek manuscripts to determine the original word used by the
Apostle John in this verse. With all this attention to the manuscripts,
not a single citation is made indicating the presence of the
Tetragrammaton. Most certainly, if a heresy of such catastrophic
proportions as the removal of the Tetragrammaton had taken place in
the second century, it would have come to light in the study of the
Greek Scripture manuscripts or writings of the early church fathers.
Thirdly, the very Greek manuscripts used by the UBS to substantiate ~
the preferred reading are the same Greek manuscripts used by the —
translators of the New World Translationas citations for Kgséos (Lord) |
in this verse. Itis only by reference to much later Hebrew translations
that the word Jehovah can be brought into the verse. ;
Finally, it is interesting to realize that Origen himself is one of the
early church fathers cited. Most certainly, if Origen had written the -
Tetragrammaton in this verse, a citation of his comment for the present —
wording could not be used without recognition of 17” as being the
greater variant. The inference by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract |
Society that Origen used the Tetragrammaton in the Christian Greek
Scriptures must be completely reevaluated. In this one instance, he |
most certainly did not use 717% Thus, in at least this verse, Origen
recognized that Kgxéos could properly be identified with "God ...the
Almighty."
 Appendix I:A Catalog of Greek Manuscripts 269

UBS textual apparatus citations

The UBS includes two tables of information listing the early Greek
manuscripts, lectionaries, and versions cited in support of readings
within the Greek text. (Lectionaries are portions of Scripture organized
for daily—or church service—readings. They are Scripture portions,
but they are not organized chronologically in book form.) The first
table contains the identification of all citations irrespective of
frequency. The second list contains only the principle sources for
citation.
It will be of interest to the reader to see the large number of Greek
manuscripts and related material which are used to substantiate the
wording of the Greek Scriptures. Within this appendix, we have
included all of the entries in the Papyri section because these represent
the earliest documents available. Under the headings for Uncials,
Minuscules, Lectionaries, and Versions, we have generally given only
those which are included in the UBS's shorter list.
For interest's sake, in Table 10 we have tabulated the information of
all UBS references at the close of this appendix.
The following material is noted as the PRINCIPAL MANUSCRIPTS
AND VERSIONS CITED IN THE TEXTUAL APPARATUS from the Third
Edition of The Greek New Testament by the United Bible Societies.
The first column headed, No. identifies the document in question with
its universally recognized letter or number identification. The heading,
Content identifies the portion of the Christian Greek Scriptures which
is contained in the document. (See the KEY below.) The heading, Date
identifies the approximate century of the Common Era in which the
manuscript was produced. In the case of the writings of an early church
father, the date is the time (or best approximation) of death. The
section headings, Papyri, Uncials, Minuscules, Lectionaries, and
Versions, refer to a specific type of manuscript. (See the Glossary for
definitions.)

KEY Content: e-Gospels; a-Acts; p-Pauline Epistles; c-General

Epistles; r-Revelation. Date: E-early; L-late; c.-circa.

Papyri Papyri
No. Content Date No. Content Date
ie e 3rd pio p 4th
i e 6th pil p 7th
| Be e 6th/7th pi3 Pp 3rd /4th
| es 3rd pis p 3rd
po e 3rd pi6 Pp 3rd /4th
Pe e 4th pis Ir 3rd/4th
ey a 4th pi? e 4th/5th
270 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Papyri Uncials
Content Date Content Date
e 4th/5th e 9th
e 3rd 9th
Cc E 3rd 9th
r 4th 9th
e L 4th 9th
9th
2) c. 600 6th
2) 3rd 5th
2) 3rd 9th
a 6th 9th
e 6th 8th
e 3rd/4th to
mo. 9th
a c. 300 9th
@ 3rd 6th
Pp 3rd
a 8th
ea 3rd
Pp c. 200
r L 3rd \Ors \O
a L 3rd
2) L 3rd
a 4th/5th
P c. 400
a 6th
X 033
e 7th
e 7th
Pp c. 700
e 2 c. 500
e c. 200
P 3rd
e c. 200
e c. 200
P 7th?
ap 8th/9th
e 3rd
e 4th
Cc 3rd/4th O'D
OD
YM
ODD
ADM
TDAADA
AMPA
CROAMDAMDADA
ac 7th apc 5th
e E 3rd 2)Q
e 6th © 2.
>
\Ons

Uncials
Content Date
eapcr 4th — © =?a
mo}(eo)
eapcr 5th
eapc 4th
eapcr 5th 6th
eac 5th/6th ol =r
or

p 6th
P 9th
ac 6th
a 6th M
CON
TDenHn
TT
uvd
convo
Appendix I: A Catalog of Greek Manuscripts pare|

Uncials Uncials
Content Date Content Date
6th

0
© (o)
Aw,
—o@SEF
mn

(o)

\O Th
co
a

th
9th/10th
8th 4th/5th
9th 5th
7th 5th
9th 3rd
10th 4th
10th 6th
9th 6th
6th 5th
5th 8th
8th 4th
9th 5th/6th
9th
9th
9th
9th
8th
AAA
DY 9th Ceonnra
TAMA
NDrsSVVVBVGT
ODVWAOMOO
AWA
TO
ODBuUTU"rNANAODAAD
CTMAMDADBDADAOMDVDVM@ANOMANDMD
DAADBADADADADVDAMAADADAADM
272 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Uncials Miniscules
No. Content Date No. Content Date
02437... p 10th 2040 <t 14th
0246 Cc 6th 2053 r 13th
0250 e 8th 2065 r 15th
2073 £ 14th
Miniscules 2081 r 11th
No. Content Date 2127 e 14th
fl e 12th-14th 2138 apcr 11th
f13
1
e 11th-13th
12th
a
2174
eats
e
ae
14th
2344 apcr 11th
=33 :eapc AG
9th 2412 apeP 12th
2432 r 14th
81 ape 1ith 2492 13th
oe
94 ree ait
12th 2495 eape
Sa 14th/15th
ee
181
de
apc
1th
11th
Lectionaries
326 ape 12th No. Content Date
330 eapc 12th Ee e 13th
436 apc 11th bee e 13th
451 ape 11th 132 e 11th
565 e 9th 159 ape 12th
614 apc 13th 60 11th
629 ape 14th 169 ae ott
630 apc 14th 70
3 e 12th
700 e 11th ote
892 e 9th a : :
945 eapc 11th | 21S 12th
1006 er 11th es e 10th
1009 e 13th pes e 14th
1010 e 12th 1185 e 1ith
1071 e 12th 1211 e 12th
1079 e 10th 1292 e Oth
PLD e 12th 1299 a 13th
1216 e 11th ]oe e 12th
128007 Se 12th ae pet
1241 —eapc 12th 3 .
1242 eapc 13th I . 14th
12535 ce 15th es e 13th
1344 e 12th 1974 e 11th
1365 e 12th 1381 e 11th
1505 eapc 11th 1490 e 9th
1546 e 13th 1547 e 8th
1611 apcr 12th 597
1646 eapc 12th 1598 Bee
pe ee
th
1739 apc 10th 599 11th
1828 — aper 12th ae She
1854 apcr 11th I ide 11th
1859 acr 14th Hee eapc 13th
1877 apc 14th 189? apc 12th
1881 ape 14th 1847 e 10th
1962 2) 11th 1950 e 13th
1984 p 14th 11021 eapc 12th
aa 16th 11127 e 12th
15th j1153a apc 14th
 Appendix I: A Catalog of Greek Manuscripts

Lectionaries Versions
Content Date Old Latin
e 10th Content Date
apc 11th e 4th/5th
apc 10th e 7th/8th
apc 12th eapcr 7th
apc 12th eapcr 4th-9th
apc 12th 10th
apc 13th 5th
ape 11th
14th
13th
9th
15th
11th
12th
13th
14th
15th 8th/9th
7th
Versions 7th/8th
Old Latin Dw
Ccowmwaeomonnnonm 5th
Content Date 6th
e 4th »a ne)e) Hy 11th
e 5th oom 6th
eaper 9th ae) 8th/9th
7th 1ith
5th pd 9th
7th pcr 8th
12th/13th
5th Vulgate
5th/6th Content Date
13th eapcr 4th/5th
eapcr 16th
13th
5th eapcr 19th-20th
6th
9th
Syriac
6th Content Date
e 4th
9th
e 4th
10th/11th
10th eapcPt 5th
5th eapc 5th
9th cP 6th
9th eapcr 7th
13th
6th Coptic
5th Content Date
5th eapcr 3rd
10th eapcr 4th
5th eapcr 4th
6th e 4th
274 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Versions Versions
Coptic Georgian
Abb. Content Date Abb. Content Date
copscn2 e 4th — geo ea 5th
geo! e 9th
Gothic geot e 10th
Abb. Content Date geo e 10th
goth eap 4th geoP e 10th
Armenian Nubian
Abb Content Date Abb. Content Date
arm eapcr 5th nub ep 8th?
Ethiopic
Abb. Content Date
eth eapcr 6th
ethr° eapcr 16th
ethPP eapcr 19th
eth™s e 13th

Summary of UBS citations

The following table summarizes the early Greek manuscripts,
lectionaries, early versions, and writings of the church fathers used to
verify the original wording of the Christian Greek Scriptures in the
United Bible Societies'Greek New Testament. The manuscripts which
were available as of 1976 are listed inthe Total available column. No
total number is given for versions.

Manuscript type Earliest/Latest UBS total- Total available?

Versions
8
coyrlac ae) Sard thy Atle Gubsnes ee boy

eather versions [u.éth/ oth. Cb nan ou a

Table 10. Manuscript evidence supporting the UBS Greek text.

3 Manuscripts of the Greek Bible, Metzger, p. 54

4 From UBS sources.
 Appendix I: A Catalog of Greek Manuscripts 275

One may correctly draw the conclusion that Table 10 documents the
supporting evidence for Xgséoe (Kipios) in the Christian Greek
Scriptures. This large number of Greek Scripture manuscripts (and
supplementary documents) is used to validate the entire Greek
Scripture text. Thus, any single variant, such as 117’, will be subject to
evaluation by all known documents. In that light, contrast the sources
supporting i117’ in the New World Translation and Kgréoe (Kvptos) in
the UBS text. (The UBS text is comparable to the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation text.) The New World Bible Translation Committee used
26 Hebrew versions, all of which were translated (with the exception
of J? and the related recensions of Matthew's Hebrew Gospel) between
1385 and 1979, to introduce Jehovah into the English Greek Scriptures.
Each of these translations were made from the Greek text, which itself
contains Kgrées (Kuptos). In contrast to 26 versions, the UBS has used 86
versions dating as early as the third and fourth centuries. In addition,
_ UBS has cited a total of 754 Greek manuscripts and 149 lectionaries.
_ The New World Translation itself cites 12 Greek manuscripts and eight
_ versions in support of Kyséos (Kipios), but no Greek manuscripts in
_ support of 717”.
Appendix J: Origen's Hexapla

Origen's Hexapla—which was his study of the Septuagint version

of the Hebrew Scriptures—is not a part of the textual literature used
per se in studying the Tetragrammaton in the Christian Greek
Scriptures. Nonetheless, because the Watch Tower Society uses the
Hexapla as evidence for the Tetragrammaton in the Christian Greek
Scriptures, we have included this evaluation in the appendix.
Because of the comprehensive nature of the Hexapla, Origen's
work gives us valuable information regarding the state of the
Septuagint and related textual problems in the first two centuries C.E.
From this study we can learn much about the use of the Tetragrammaton
in the Christian Scriptures.

The man and the Hexapla

Origen was among the most prominent of the early church fathers.
He was probably born in Alexandria about 182 C.E., and died in
Caesarea not later than 251 C.E. |
As a young man, he was given the best scholarly education possible
through the efforts of his father. In 202 C.E. his father was martyred
for his Christian faith—an end Origen himself ideally wished to
pursue by accompanying his father. He was spared, however, through
his mother's intervention. Hespent his early life in Alexandria as an
impoverished but highly respected teacher of the Scriptures. He then
moved to Palestine where he spent much of the remaining years of his
life in teaching and producing voluminous writings. (He is credited
with over 6,000 written editions, each consisting of a completed scroll.)
Throughout his lifetime, Origen did extensive work on the
Septuagint, producing several variations of a similar study. The most
complete, however, was the Hexapla in which he compared the
Septuagint with three parallel Greek translations of the Hebrew
Scriptures. The work was organized in six columns.! (The name
Hexapla is derived from hex-meaning six.) The columns were arranged
as follows: In the first column (headed The Hebrew), Origen wrote the
verse in Hebrew characters as it appeared in the Hebrew Scriptures.
This column was written from right to left. In a second column (headed
"EBp," with the full heading translated as The Hebrew
[in] Greek Letters),the Hebrew words were transliterated with Greek
letters. The second column has no meaning as written Greek, but the
letters could be read to reproduce the Hebrew pronunciation of the

1 See Aid to Bible Understanding, page 386.

 Appendix J: Origen’s Hexapla 277

words. (Since written Hebrew during Origen's day had no vowel

markings, only a fluent speaker of Hebrew could read the characters
_with proper pronunciation. Thus, the Greek transliteration column
_ provided the vowel pronunciation for a Gentile reading the Hebrew
characters.) This column read from left to right as Greek is normally
written. In the remaining four columns, Origen reproduced four Greek
_ versions of the Hebrew Scriptures. The first version was by Aquila in
_thecolumn headed "A." The second was a translation by Symmachus
_in the column headed "Z." The third was the Septuagint in the column
~headed"O’." The fourth column contained a version by Theodotion in
the column headed "0." A final column was occasionally used for
variants or notations concerning any one of the versions, though it is not
counted as a true column. Figure 11 is a typeset reproduction of the
actual arrangement of the original Hexapla. Note that each row
represents a word-by-word transcription of the entire Hebrew Scripture
text. The original Hexaplais thought to have consisted of nearly fifty
volumes, with each volume in the form of a scroll equivalent in length
_ toa Gospel or the book of Acts.
Each of the three supplementary versions represented a unique
translation style. Aquila's translation, made in the first half of the
-second century C.E, was extremely literal. Symmachus' translation,
-made in the later second century C.E., was more free. Theodotion's
work, also made in the second century C.E., was a free revision of the
Septuagint.
The Hexapla was the crowning work of Origen’'s life, yet nothing is
_ known of its destruction. In all likelihood, the original was the only
complete copy ever made. From the writings of Eusebius* and others,
we know that the original was housed in a library at Caesarea for
“many years, where it was probably destroyed in 653 C.E. when
Caesarea was burned by the Saracens (Arabs).
Had the Hexapla survived, its value in the field of Hebrew
- Scripture textual criticism would have been enormous. Origen was an
exacting student and had extensively researched the transmission of
the Hebrew text. We must remember, however, that the focus of his

2 Eusebius of Caesarea—generally referred to simply as Eusebius—made an

immense contribution to our understanding of the early church, its
_ personalities, its disputes, and its writings. He was born sometime between 275
and 280.C.E. and died circa 339. In his own right, he was not an original thinker,
- but he became a prodigious and exacting copier and recorder of others’ works.
- Much of what is known of certain early writings has been preserved only through
the copies of Eusebius. Eusebius was particularly interested in Origen and the
textual problems of the Septuagint (as found in the Hexapla), and was thus
responsible for much of the preservation of the work which exists today.
 278

[ uumMjop—}x9}
y uno)

¢ uuNjo)
uoT}eIA}TTSUeI
g uuNyo)

asensur] Maigayy
snyoeumutds
uonoposy],
4 aa a0 LLL! LLL! UWL! Sy LLL!
ox 1X 1LO om | 1L0 | 1L0
ada Soro | 3ONOMU | SDONOMDLD 30n0mMl.019 3.0N0MLL013
he Yor Swamp Sut Slap Sut Sliaenp Sut Slaenp
Lee:
= wanonvg Sm30U3g
‘non Su Sp103y1
‘non SUL Sma0l3g
‘non Sut Sma0l3g
‘non
Sethe LU LIL! LIL! LL S4 LLL!
Gk 1390 SoLpuoy
aon Saxonon Soguog
aon Soglog
non
LCC, laasdnrno (10) S030ng.aor wx Surowonds
wx ua Sliowond
(104)
su<a> SULOWLODddLN
non non aon
Cl .g Az IMLAD IMLA AZ IMLAD AD IMLAD
cau aLog az0U91I0UILD az0U910L3L5 azsoIWYU AsNILYU
The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

eainbis
“11 au UWN}OD juewebue
jo wes,uebu0 edexay
WO WieSd9:Ge Puke‘LZ
 _ Appendix J: Origen’s Hexapla 279

| attention was not the Hebrew text per se. His primary concern was an
|| accurate reconstruction of the text of the Septuagint. His purpose was
to give the Greek-speaking world of his day a Hebrew Scripture
_ version of the greatest fidelity.

_ The reconstructed Hexapla

The original Hexaplahas been entirely lost. Furthermore, because
_ it was apparently never reproduced in its entirety while it was still
_ housed in the library at Caesarea, copies of complete portions do not
| exist today. However, because the Hexapla was so widely quoted by
others before its destruction, substantial—though fragmentary—
_ portions can be found scattered throughout the writings of the early
_ church fathers. Fortunately, a copy of the corrected Septuagint column
_ which was made by Eusebius and Pamphilus has survived.
Because the Hexapla offers such important insights into the
Septuagint and other Hebrew Scripture literature in both the Hebrew
and Greek languages, attempts have been made to reconstruct the work
_ by searching the writings of the early church fathers for citations of
| the Hexapla.
The most complete reconstruction of the Hexapla available today
_ is contained in a volume entitled Origenis Hexaplorum published with
_ Latin historical and textual comments by Fridericus Field. It was first
_ published by Field in 1867-74. The edition available for our study was
republished in 1964 by Georg Olms Verlagsbuchhandlung, from
_ Hildesheim, Germany. The reconstructed materialis so extensive that
this particular edition is bound in two volumes with each 8', by 11
inch page divided into two columns. Just the text and critical
apparatus (apart from the introductory commentary and historical
notes by the editor), contains 806 pages in Volume I and 1,095 pages in
Volume II.
In contrast to the original six columns used by Origen, Field grouped
all entries for a given word or phrase into a single paragraph with
each entry identified by Origen's original column headings. The
complete entry for Malachi 2:13 as shown in the Origenis Hexaplorum
is reproduced in Figure 12. All the Hebrew and Greek entries are
reproductions of the work of Origen himself. The Latin explanations in
either the main entry or the notes are the work of the modern editor of
this volume. The notes in Greek or Syrian are presumably the textual
apparatus which identifies the editor's sources of textual information.

3 Fora complete (though dated) discussion of both Origen and the Hexapla,
see these two headings in McClintock & Strong's Cyclopaedia of Biblical,
Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature.
 280 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

—Cap. III. 8.] MALACHIAS. 1033

13, M2Y-MY TyST nip styn mw nxn Xelpov vpov.'8

“by ip Ty PN MpINi 2) 15.9 MAT AN Tippy mynd), Et ne unus
O2M psy nO ANTI. Ee hoe secun- hoc fecit, cui modo residuum spiritus esset.
dum facitis: operiendo lacrymis altare Jovae, O’, xai od xadév (alia exempl. kai ovx GAdos;
fletu et gemitu, ita ut non amplius rationem alia, kai odx ddAAws!’) éroince; Kal Urédeiupa
habeat ferti, eh accipiat gratum (munus) e mvevparos avrou (A, év airg. 2. 8 ta!®),
manu vestra. (Vea Tatra & éuicouy éro-
etre’ éxadumrete Odxpvat Td bvotactipio{ku-
Cap. IIL.
piov,) kal KAavOua Kal otevaypo éx Koro
ert dfiov emiPréyar els Ovoiay, 4 dAaBeiv TIT. «Et purgabit viam. O* KQt
. 3
€%fi-

Oexrov éx T@v XElpav Uyav; oufwb, gn- Bréyerar (A. ocyodrdea. D. droceevaces. CO;
vO. Berov. xeroovd. dena. eFuacBnn. érotpdoen') dddy.
Bext. ovavaxa. unny. wd. pevywd. ed. appara. 2.33). Et sicut smegma. O'. wal ds mod
ovraxed. paca. pecdnyep. ai rovro dev- (A. Bwpid?),
Tepov émoeire: éxadumrere Oaxpto 1d Ovota- M32. Fullonum. O%. wdrvvivrav, &. yva-
orjpiov, KAavOua@ Kal olpwyn, ard Tod py géov’
eivat éri vedoa: mpds Td Sapgy, Kai dAaBeiv
3.PpM. Et eliquabit. O'. wai yee “AAdos
evdoxiay amd yxeipds vuar. Kat TavTa
» e U Q « ~ bY ~

cai dwrice.*
Setrepov émo.eire, Kadvmrovres ev SdKpuct Td
13. O’. rpoondsrov. "A. Z. 8. mpoonddrov.5
buvctacripiov, KAaiovres Kal oiudacovres, ard
(s. tmép) rod pr elvat Ert vevovra mpds Td pk Dyap ony > obs om yp
dapov, mal déLacar rd evdoxnpévoy amd yxerpos TIYI? 7D OVNI. An fraudabit homo
buorv. (oe TouTo devrepov éroifoare: éxa- Deum? Vos enim fraudatis me; et dicitis :
Aumrere Odxpvot Td Ovotacthpiov, KAaiovres In quo fraudavimus te? O%. pyri (alia ex-
Kal orévovtes, amd Tod pr elvac Erte mpoceyyi- empl. f°) mrepyiet dvOpwros Oedv; dire vpeis
(ovra 7d dAoKavrwua, Kai AaBeiv rédAELov Ex mrepviferé pe Kai épeire (alia exempl. eirare’):

hex. Luce wo ¢hirarso lode flied Lico so adapeioba, mapad<epew, amaddarrew ete. Quocirca in hoc
Sols JlLeaS amo ob + flacrsasy Jods? Jlead loco Symmacho non xaraccevacet, sed dmooxevace: vindi-
¢ hitenos/. 6 Cod. 86, qui incipit: ZyoA. 5 ‘AcvAas’ candum putamus, quod aliquando in Hexaplis pro Hebr.
kat rovro «.r.é; post Theodotionis autem lectionem voces 73D, sequente 771, ponitur (e. g."A. 6. ad Jesai. xl. 3;
Hebraicas Gruecis literis uncialibus scriptas, et punctis 2. @. ad Jesai. Ixii. 14); quodque notionem istius vocis
distinctas, subjungit. Praeterea Syrus noster affert: ‘A. 3. (remotis quae temere disjecta et impedimento sunt, purgare
nai rovro devrepov (ato! ehil Jroro). z. dore (3. inép domum, viam etc.) accurate exprimit. ? Syro-hex. ./.
row) wh (elva) &re (ooh My basu/). 1 Prior lectio est ibs. Hieron. ad Jerem. ii. 22: “St laveris te nitro,
in Comp., Codd. III, XII (cum ov xdddos 1), 22 (idem), 26, multiplicaverts tibi herbam Borith. Pro herba Bortth,
36, alii, Hieron., et Syro-hex. (lysu/ Joe Io); posterior quam nos, ut in Hebraeo posita est, vertimus, LXX trans-
in Codd. VII (cum ov xaddws 1), 23, 40, 106. 18 Syro- tulerunt roar, ut significarent herbam fullonum, quae juxta
hex. @a hulp oo ood ./ ritum provinciae Palaestinae, in virentibus et humectis
Cap. III. * Cod. 86 affert: 2. cyordfer. ©. érocudtes. nascitur locis.” Syro nostro mod h. 1. est Wepmso Jras,
Paulo aliter Syrus: aogo .b .nass wo sexi ./. raliz lavatoria. 3 Cod. 86. * Syro-hex. in marg.
Middeld. vertit: A. oxoddoe (cf. LXX ad Psal. xlv. rr; sine nom. Ss Do. 5 Cod. Jes. 6 Sic Comp., Ald.,
Theod. ad Job. vi. 28). 5. caracxevaces. @. érowaces. Sed Codd. III, XII, 22 (cum srepvife), 23, 26, alii, Hieron.,
Syr. av formae Aphel semper cum verbis quae re- Syro-hex. 7 Sic Comp., Ald., Codd. ITI, XII (ex corr.),
movendi notionem continent, permutatur, ut mepiaipeiv, 22, 26, alii, Hieron., Syro-hex.

Figure 12. The complete entry for Malachi 2:13 reproduced from a
reconstruction of Origen's Hexapla. Origen's entries 717°,
Kuptos, and IIIT are circled. His headings are boxed (C) »
 Appendix J: Origen’s Hexapla 281

A comment should be made regarding the incomplete nature of the

| Hexapla and its effect on a study of the Tetragrammaton. By carefully
_ examining Figure 12, the reader will notice that even though verse 13 is
| complete, there is no entry for verse 14. Verse 14 has been entirely lost,
| and the entry for verse 15 includes only a portion of the verse. The last
| two verses of Malachi 2 (verses 16 and 17) are also lost. Chapter 4 has
| only single Hebrew word entries for verses 1,3, and 5. Two word entries
_ have survived for verse 2. Verses 6 and 7 have been entirely lost, while
| verse 8 has a high degree of completeness. Notice, however, that even
_ when there issome completeness for a verse, not all of the material is
) present. For example, the single word entry for chapter 3 verse 1
| contains data for the Septuagint as well as the translations by Aquila,
_ Symmachus, and Theodotion. However, the single word entry at
_ verse 3 contains only the material from the Septuagint (though it
| includes a critical note by Origen himself).

Available Hexapla materials

Initially, our study of the Hexapla text was done in Field's
_ Origenis Hexaplorum (Origen’s Hexapla). However, it has one
critical shortcoming for any study of the divine name in the Hexapla.
| Field apparently had access to ancient manuscripts which used only
| the word Kgrées (KUptos) in columns 2 through 6. (Entries copied from
_ the Hexapla would likely have been subject to the same influence we
_ discovered in Chapter 13.) The Origenis Hexaplorum does not use the
Tetragrammaton in any column entries other than the Hebrew language
column. Thus, in our initial study, we were left with the false
| impression that Origen did not use 711” anywhere other than in his
| first column. 4
| Following more detailed research, however, we found recent
reference to extant manuscripts containing the Tetragrammaton in
Origen's original Hexapla.- The Ambrosiana palimpsest, a manuscript

| 4 For obvious reasons, our search of Field was not comprehensive, even
though over 1,000 pages were scanned for i717” in the latter columns.
Nonetheless, we can safely say that the Tetragrammaton was not noticeably
used.
| © Reference is made to the Ambrosiana palimpsest in Paul E. Kahle, The Cairo
' Geneza, 1959, p. 163, Bruce M. Metzger, Manuscripts of the Greek Bible,
| 1981, P.E. Kahle, "The Greek Bible Manuscripts used by Origen," Journal of
Biblical Literature, \xxiv (1960), pp. 111-18, and J.A. Emerton, "A Further
Consideration of the Purpose of the Second Column of the Hexapla," Journal of
Theological Studies, n.s. xxii (1971), pp. 15-29.
282 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

identified by Giovanni Mercati, was published in 1958 giving new

insight into the original form of the Hexapla®
In 1894, Mercati was studying a 13th or 14th century C.E. service-
book of the Greek Orthodox Church which was housed in Milan's
Ambrosian Library. It was a palimpsest, meaning that an older book
had been erased, and a liturgical text had been written over the faint
early manuscript. Mercati's discovery gave biblical scholarship the
earliest example of Origen's Hexapla. Though the manuscript itself
was from the ninth or tenth century, it was a faithful copy of a much
earlier form. The manuscript contained approximately 150 verses from
the Psalms, it was organized in Origen's original word-for-word
arrangement, and, most notably, it used the Tetragrammaton in all six
eo Cars. (See Figure 11 for a partial reproduction of Psalm 27 (28):6-
AS)
This document firmly established that Origen used the
Tetragrammaton in all columns of his Hexapla. Further, it verified his
use of the square Hebrew characters i117” rather than the paleo-
Hebrew characters AxA\+. The photo-reproductions of the pages in
Mercati's text are often difficult to decipher because of the over-
written text. However, because of the placement of margins (which
contained no writing), five Hexapla columns are clearly discernible
across two pages. (The five columns on a single page of the original
book occupy the space of two opened pages of the latter text.) Verse 6 is
at the top of a page and clearly displays 717” at the head of several
columns. In their appropriate spacing, one can again see 717’ heading
verse 7. (Because verse 7 was inadvertently copied twice, a i117” |
heading appears in both places.) This plate (from which Figure 11 is |
taken) shows careful formation of the Hebrew characters by the |
original scribe® Clearly, the copyist transcribing the Hebrew
characters was familiar with Hebrew script. The characters are
properly formed and are not a crude representation as one would expect
to find in poor transcriptions containing MIMI (PIPI).?

6 Psalterii Hexapli Reliquiae..., Pars Prima; Codex Rescriptus Bybliothecae

AmbrosianaeO 39, Vatican City, 1958.
7 The English Bible does not always divide the Psalms the same as the
Septuagint. This Psalm is number 28 in the English Bible.
8 A better photograph of this page appears on plate 30 of Bruce Metzger's
Manuscripts of the Greek Bible.
9 This graphic representation contains the two Greek letters pi (II) and iota (I)
written in duplicate. (They may either be written in upper-case as ITIIII or lower-
case as mm.) This letter combination allowed the Greek writers to represent
the four Hebrew letters of the Tetragrammaton (117°) with common Greek
letters. MIMI was a known Scripture notation of the time and was not confined
 Appendix J: Origen’s Hexapla 283

On page 108 of Manuscripts of the Greek Bible, Metzger says,

[The photographic reproduction shows] palimpsest parchment
leaves, originally measuring about 15 3/g X 11 inches...containing
in the under-writing about 150 verses of the Hexaplaric Psalter,
written in a hand of the ninth or tenth century. In the thirteenth or
fourteenth century the codex was dismantled and the parchment
reused for another book. The leaves were (partially) erased and cut
in half laterally, each half making two leaves and four pages of the
new codex. The Plate [which is reproduced in the book] shows
one such leaf (formerly the upper half of a page of the original
codex), the under-writing, in five columns, giving for Psalm
27(28):6-7 the transliteration of the Hebrew text and the
translations made by Aquila, Symmachus, the Seventy
[Septuagint], and, instead of Theodotion as might have been
expected, the Quinta.... The first column of the Hexapla, giving
the Hebrew text...is lacking.
By oversight ver. 7 is repeated. Jota adscript occurs [on two
separate lines]; accent and breathing marks are provided even for
the transliteration of the Hebrew. The Tetragrammaton is written in
square Hebrew letters, followed, in the Septuagint column, by the
contraction for kvptos (in ver. 8 on the next page «¢ is followed by
athe.)

_ The Watch Tower's representation of the Hexapla

With this background, we can turn to the Watch Tower Society's
use of the Hexapla in its documentation of the Tetragrammaton in the
Christian Greek Scriptures. On page 310, the writers of “All Scripture
Is Inspired of God and Beneficial” say:
It is of interest that the divine name, in the form of the
tetragrammaton, also appears in the Septuagint of Origen's six-
column Hexapla, completed about 245 C.E. Commenting on
Psalm 2:2, Origen wrote of the Septuagint: "In the most accurate
manuscripts the name occurs in Hebrew Characters, yet not in
today's Hebrew [characters], but in the most ancient ones." The
evidence appears conclusive that the Septuagint was tampered
with at an early date, Ky'ri.os (Lord) and The.os' (God) being
substituted for the tetragrammaton.
When we evaluate the most recent manuscript information for the
Hexapla, the Watch Tower's claim that Origen used i117” is fully
vindicated. We can now carefully study the Ambrosiana manuscript
and determine exactly how Origen treated passages in those Psalms
| which used the divine name.

to Origen's writings.
284 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

We were able to locate a copy of Mercati's Psalterii Hexapli

Reliquiae in a well-stocked theological library. This large volume
photographically reproduces all of the Ambrosiana manuscript. The
original manuscript pages are grouped in sets of either two or four on
the left-hand page. The complete Hexapla text as found in these
ancient manuscript pages is typeset on the right-hand facing page.
(There are over forty pages of photographs alone.) From the typeset
text, we reproduced Origen's complete six-column entry in each instance
in which 1117” occurred in the Hebrew language column. The result is
the information given in Table 10. As far as can be determined today,
this is an exact reproduction of Origen's original entries for these
verses.

eee
me s :
(4°)

w E6 © N ‘o9) Et pats) E ©
Sie
oO £E WY rs) A
a 3s Z = o Ss)
aes
Be el - Ko =56 zio) 3 io 3ac
Oar: o) Sy On O
eet Sieg a oe =
Psalm 17 Aa
Gee rile arise m7 mm mi? KS m7
TEENY ceeoe BEE m7 m7 min’ KS m7
7D ans eran m7 mim mT KS min
Sea hm ae in hs m7 mm Mim KS mum =
29 SA, @ © O
SL emia, mi mi mi o
32 lige rou Mi7)~=—o tov m—SCTOU TIT —s« D
AQ eine mi m7 <> kp oT Kv
AT tT’. SUN? m7 m1 m7 m7

Psalm 28
Leconld 2-8 Tine TOLMT Tom Toe TT TOU MT
worOu Eve yxaTe
ice Lw KW
doemelann”Zee At TOUT = TAL KWL THT HL TIT
QT TIT TO M7 TOUMT TOLTM> ToLMmT
24 caraate
teebie abn T®) 77 TOUT = TOL TT TOU MIT
Sra Diigo m7 m1 mT Kv m7
Baa tela m7 mi min KS m7
 Appendix J: Origen’s Hexapla 285

Psalm 29
Poy TT m7 m7 m1 m7
Shee te TNT” m7 m7 Ke MT mm
Sip se ATT TOL TMT TOUT =o TOU KOU MT TOUT
See MU Pica m7 m7 Ke M7 m7
Osterman: ga? m7 m7 m7 m7
aa m7 m7 «KS m7 m7
joe apietema bi m7 m7 m7 m7
dS eaibaes TAT? Ke TT m7 KE Ti? mm

Psalm 30
ee ae iT mm m7 mim Ke m7
265 ne... ii" m7 m7 TIT? + mT Ke
7 ar min m7 m7 mim
S00 Ti) Tw? mi m7 min Ke m7
22) i? mim m1 mim Ks m7
| 24 FN 6 TT Tov AT tov A? tov MT +#* «Tov MT
2A Tl m7 mT? min KS mim
Dosen 2c, 11? TOVATI kl ETL alla SeETUMII. ema.

Psalm 31
ESS ohiet yeaaiets év mir év m7 em m7 ém m7

Psalm 34
hepa Sani m7 m7 mit Ke m7
Dacaant pidber tagMe min m7 Ke, mT m1
24 ne nie m7 m7 min” Ke mm
27 aa a? mim m7 Tio Ke (ie

Psalm 35
Ties ony malnhy m7? mr Ku min

Psalm 45
8 nikay m7 mit mim t@v) A? t@v) M7 T@v)
mim oaBow8 «=otpaTidv — Suvdpe(wv) Suvaye (wv) Suvdie (wv)
12° TiRSs on m7 ai? (Ov) TA tv) mT tTGv)
nin ~ gaPaw8 otpater@v Suvdpewy Svvdpe(wv) Sduvape(wv)

Psalm 88
50 ON GPLOWIp. OL TPOTOL TA TPOTA ta dpy<dia> a)
mweRx 77 mr SEOTOTA 8 yc
286 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

52 min otBaxy. ot €xOpoi ot ExPpoi ot ExOpot Ot €xOpot [s]

arin mara oovu iT” oov i117” oov i117? oovu 17
53 mim Bapovx evdAoyntos evrdoyntos evdAoyNTOS EvADYNTOS
mE MT? mi’ my? mara Wy’

Table 11: Origen's entries for the divine name as found in the extant
Psalms portion of the Ambrosiana, O 39 Sup. manuscript.!

Now that we understand exactly how Origen made his entries in

each column, we can make the following observations based on these
verses from the Psalms:
1.As we expect, at each occurrence of the divine name, the
Tetragrammaton was written in square Hebrew characters in the
Hebrew language column.
2. Further, with only the exception of an incomplete text at Psalm
17:29, Origen used the Tetragrammaton in the Greek transliteration
column. (Refer to Figure 11 where it is more obvious that the second
column was in Greek letters. The Tetragrammaton in Hebrew
characters was the exception.)
3. We then discover that Origen transcribed 17’ into the Greek text of
columns 3 (Aquila's translation), 4 (Symmachus' translation), and 6
(Theodotion's [or the Quinta]translation). Though we find
occasional Greek lettering which Origen included with the
Tetragrammaton, we discover that these are merely articles
meaning "the" (tot, Tt [a scribal error which should read T@ ], and
TOV), prepositions (Em meaning "upon," and €v meaning “in") or a
further elaboration of the divine name in the Psalms 45 and 88
entries.
4. When we look at the Septuagint column, however, we make an
unexpected discovery. In all cases but Psalm 17:29, Origen recorded

10General notes to the material in Table 11:

a. The above entries represent a comprehensive citation of the Hexaplaric
Tetragrammaton from Psalm 17:26-38:53. These entries are extracted from
a complete text. However, as given here, each individual entry is complete
as found in Giovanni Mercati (ed.), Psalterii Hexapli Reliquiae..., Pars Prima:
Codex Rescriptus Bybliothecae Ambrosianae O 39 sup., Vatican City, 1958.
b. The figures <> enclosing a Hebrew character indicate that the character was
omitted in the original transcription. Two asterisks (**) indicate an
indecipherable entry in the original manuscript which could not be supplied
with reasonable certainty by the editor. Letters included in parentheses (...)
indicate an indecipherable entry in the original manuscript which were
supplied with reasonable certainty by the editor.
 Appendix J: Origen’s Hexapla 287

the divine name as 77’. In addition, however, he also used the

surrogate formsKs ,ke ,Kv ,Kwt!l and kv. These are abbreviations for
Kyréos (Kupios). Thus, Origen also identified "Lord" as an alternate
reading for the divine name in the Septuagint. (He made similar
entries at 28:1 for Symmachus, at Psalm 29:13 for Aquila, and at
Psalm 30:6 for Theodotion.)
5. Even more surprising, however, is Origen's entry in the Septuagint
column at Psalm 17:8. In this verse he recorded the Septuagint as
using either 117” or one of the Greek formsKs or TTL.
6. Finally, at Psalm 28:1, we notice another unexpected variation
which Origen recorded for the Septuagint. He first recorded tit 717”
as we would expect. (He has included the article which means "The
Jehovah.") He then recorded the alternate form vioi 9u évéyKate
which uses the surrogate9u (from 7f&eos) meaning "God." It is his
final alternate reading for this verse which surprises us. He used
the abbreviation tw Kw. The initial letter combination tw is the
Greek surrogate for 717’. The second entry is kw which is the Greek
surrogate for Kyséas (KUpios). Thus, Origen used the Greek surrogates
for "Lord God" as his final alternate reading for the Septuagint in
this verse.
What is the meaning of the multiple entries 717’/ks /mm at Psalm
17:8, or TOL MA /vior Ov Eve yKate/tw Kw at Psalm 28:1? Origen was an
exacting analyst. Consequently, he had access to numerous copies of the
Septuagint and other Hebrew Scripture Greek translations. When
there was agreement between the copies of any given translation he
was using, he made a single entry. When there were variations
between the copies of the same translation, he made multiple entries.
Thus, at Psalm 17:8, we can presume that Origen was referring to copies
of the Septuagint which used the Tetragrammaton written as 17” in
Hebrew characters. For the same verse, however, he also had at least
one copy of the Septuagint which used ks, and another which used mm .
Though less frequently, we encounter the same pattern for Aquila's
translation at Psalm 29:13 or Theodotian's translation at Psalms 17:42
and 30:6.
We will return to the importance of this discovery at the end of the
appendix. It must be obvious, however, that Origen did not attempt to
correct the variant "Kysos." He did not recognize i117” as the only
appropriate form in which the divine name could be written in the
_ Hebrew Scriptures. He may have had a preference for the
| Tetragrammaton (though his order of ke /M7” for Aquila at Psalm 29:13

11 The final letter iota should be written under the omega as «Kw rather than
after the omega as kwt. This error is attributed to the scribe making the copy.
 288 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

is interesting) but he does not avoid using Kgséoe or its abbreviated

forms, nor does he make any comment that such a use is inappropriate.
(It must be remembered that Origen used critical notations where he
found textual errors. He conspicuously used the symbol * throughout
_ the Hexapla for this purpose. Yet, he does not use it here.)

Origen's Commentary on Psalm 2

The quotation found on page 310 of “All Scriptureis Inspired of God
and Beneficial” also says:
Commenting on Psalm 2:2, Origen wrote of the Septuagint: "In
the most accurate manuscripts THE NAME occurs in Hebrew
Characters, yet not in today's Hebrew [characters], but in the most
ancient ones."
Through personal correspondence, the Writing Department of the
Watch Tower Society provided the author with further information
concerning the recorded source of this quotation. It appears in a Latin
work entitled Patrologiz Cursus Completus (Complete Writings of the
Church Fathers), edited by J.P. Migne, Volume 12 Origenis Opera
Omnia (The Complete Works of Origen), arranged by Caroli and Caroli
Vicentii Delarue, published in 1862. The quotation below comes from
page section 1104. The complete surviving work of Origen is preserved
in these volumes as he wrote them in Greek.
In order to understand precisely what Origen was saying, both the
sentence quoted by “All Scripture is Inspired of God and Beneficial” and
its surrounding context are given below. (Each portion of the English
translation! is followed by the Greek text from Origen's original
commentary on Psalm 2. The Greek text is taken directly from
Patrologize Cursus Completus; the breathing marks as givenmay differ
from current usage. A vocabulary of the key words is given in the
footnote for each Greek paragraph. Both the English quotation from
page 310 of “All Scripture is Inspired of God and Beneficial” and the
corresponding Greek text are enclosed in double bullets as ¢¢ ... ¢¢.)

Wherefore itis said that these things have been done ‘against
the Lord [Kgséos] and against his Anointed [Christ]."!3 It is no
secret that one pronounces the name in Greek as "Kgréoe," but in

12,4 published English translation of Origen's commentary on the Psalms

could not be found. Therefore, this translation was done by a colleague of the
author. Though we believe it to be carefully and accurately translated, We
reader must be aware of this limitation.
13 Pgaim 2:2.
 Appendix J: Origen’s Hexapla 289

Hebrew as "Adonai." God is called by ten names in Hebrew, one of

them being "Adonai," which is pronounced!¢ in Greek as "Kyséoa."
15A16 dE yeTar Tadta adtovs TETTOLNKEVaL <<kaTad Tov Kupiov kal
Kata Tov Xptoto) avtot.>> OvdK dyvontéov 8 Tepi Tod
EKOWVOULE VOU Tapa HEV “EAnot Ti <<Kipios>> tpoonyopia, mapa 8é
‘EBpatois TH <'Adwai>> Aéka yap dvdyact tap’ ‘EBpatots
OvoLdceTa 0 Ocds, WY EoTW Ev TO <<’ASwval >> Kal EpunveveTar
<<Kuptos.>>

And where it says "Adonai" in Hebrew, or "Kyréoa" in Greek, they

both proclaim the wording which was written in Scripture. This
wording is found in [the writings of] lae,!© where the name "Kyréoe"
is pronounced in Greek, and not in Hebrew, as in: "Praise the Lord
[Xgyréoa—Kv prov] with a good psalm."!7 So Kgséoa is used in this
Psalm earlier than the writer lae where the psalm begins in Hebrew
with "Alleluia."
18Kai Eotw Otov A€yeTat TO <<’ASwal >> Tap ‘EBpaiois, Kai trap
"EXAno. <<Kuptos,>> Tis AéCews Ths yeypaywevns Ev TH Tpadh

14 Metzger (op cit. p. 35) says, "Likewise Origen, in commenting on Psalm 2:2,
says expressly that among Greeks Adonai is pronounced kvptos." His footnote
cites this same Greek sentence in full, leaving no doubt that we are examining
the same citation. With this authority, we know that the emphasis is on the
pronunciation and not the mere written translation.
15 The partial vocabulary for each Greek paragraph is given as follows: Each
key Greek word is identified from the paragraph in which it first occurs. The
vocabulary entry is identified by the form of the word in which it is first
encountered, rather than by its normal root (lexical) form. Successive forms of
either verbs or nouns found throughout the entire passage are placed within
parentheses after the first occurrence. Verbs are identified only by their
English infinitive form. In some instances, the primary definition of a word
differs from that of the word used in the translation. The sense of the
translation, however, is consistent with the Greek word's allowable range of
meaning.
'\ €yetar = to say; Kupiouv (Kiptos, Kiptov) = Lord; Xptotot = Anointed
[Christ]; [ovK] dyvontéov = [not] a secret; Exdwvovpevou (EKdwvet Tat) = to
pronounce;” E\Ano.= Greek; Ovdpact = name; ‘Efpai os = Hebrew; ’Adwvai =
Adonai; 6 Qeds = [the] God; dvouddeTtat = to be named; epynvevetat = to
translate.
16 Presumably /ae was an earlier writer known to Origen and his readers.
17 Pgaim 146:1
ot
ee
err

héCews = wording yeypayyévns (tayyeddovons avayeypatrat,

YEypayLe vou) = to write; Cpadi = [Hebrew] Scripture(s); Aivelte = praise;
WarLos @badwov )= psalm; “AAnAovLa = hallelujah.
290 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

TOoUTO aTTayyeAAovons. “Eott S€ OTE TO Tat) Ket TAL, Exdwvet Tar Sé TH

<<Kuptos>> Tpoonyopia trap “EdAnot, add’ ob Tap ‘EBpatots, ws év
Tw: <<Aivei te Tov Kiptov, oTt dyabos Wadyds.>> Kiprov yap év0dde
avti Tod Tan eipnkev. Kai €otiw n apxt Tod wadwod Tap ‘EBpatots
<<’AMndovl a'>>

Though the unpronounceable name of the Tetragrammaton is not

said, it was also written upon the high priest's gold diadem, and the
name is pronounced as "Adonai." By no means is the
Tetragrammaton pronounced, but, when said in Greek, it is
pronounced "Kgréos." °¢In the most accurate manuscripts, the
name occurs in Hebrew characters—yet not in today's Hebrew
[characters], but in the most ancient ones. e «
12671 SE TL TETPAYPdLLATOV avEKdwWUNTOV Tap adTots, STEP Kal Emi
Tov TETAOUV TOD xpvdOd TOU apxXLEepewWS Avaye ypaTTaL, Kal E'yeTaL
WEV TH <<’Adwval >> Tpoonyopia, ovxi ToUTOU yEeypappevou EV TO
TETPAYPaLNaTW: Tapa Se “E\not TH <Kvpios>> exdwveitat.
eeKail ev Tots axkptBeotépois S€ TOV avTLypadwy ‘EBpaiots
XapakTh por KetTat TO Ovowa, ‘EBpalKots 5€ ov Tols VV, GAA TOIS
APXALOTATOLS. ® ®

For Ezra says in the captivity that different characters besides the
original ones had been transmitted. But these are the ones we will
remember, since the Tetragrammaton as "XKgréos" is found in "But in
the law of the Lord [Kyréos—Kupiov]..."29 and in "For the Lord
[Xgréos—K pros] knows the way of the righteous..."21 and in the
present text: "Against the Lord [Kgréas—Kupiov] and against his
Anointed22 [Christ]..."25

19 tetpaypdppatov (TeTpaypappdtw )=Tetragrammaton; dveKdwrntov =

unpronounceable; teTadouv Tod xpvood = [holy] golden diadem [see Exodus
29:6 note, NWT Reference Edition]; apx.epéws = high priest; axpiBeoTe pots =
most accurate; dvtTiypddwyv = manuscripts; XapakThpot (xapaKkTipas) =
characters; TO Ovova = the name (17°); viv = present [in time};
ApYXaLoTAaToOLs = ancient.
0 Psalm 1:2
21 Psalm 1:6
22 The Greek word XploTtos (Kxéates—Christ) is not a proper noun (named
means [the] Anointed [one] when translated into English.
23 Psalm 2:2
 Appendix J: Origen’s Hexapla 291

24@a01_ yap TOV "Eodpav EV TH aixpadwoia ETépous avTois

xXapakThpas Tapa Tous tpoTépous TapadeSwKévat. Tovtwv Sé
UTELUHOONLEV, ETEL TO TETPAYPAYWATOV Ws <<KUpios>> KeiTaL Ev
TM: <<’AN’ fe Ev VOW Kuptou'>> Kal Ev TO’ <<“OTt yiwwdoxet KUptos
OS0v Stkaiwy'>> kal vv: <<Kata tod Kupiou kai kata tod Xptotod
auToU.>>

This is observed in the Septuagint and Theodotion, both in the

past age, Aquila [also] in the past, and Symmachus coming later, all
arranged in chronological order.
26Todto 8 TAPATNPNTE OV, OTL ol LEV "EBSoyrKoVTA Kal 6 OcoSoTiwv
TaVTa ELS TOV TapednAvOdTa xpdvov, ’AKiAas SE GA PEeV Els TOV
TapeAnAvddTa, a S€ Els TOV pEédovTa, LUppayos S€ TavTa eis TOV
EVEOTHKOTA ETAtaV.

From this extended quotation, it becomes evident that Origen

acknowledged that Kgsées was fully acceptable as a (pronounceable)
translation in the Greek text of the Hebrew Scriptures when he said,
It is no secret that one pronounces the name in Greek as "XKgxéoe,'
but in Hebrew as "Adonai." Godis called by ten names in Hebrew,
one of them being "Adonai," which is pronounced in Greek as
"K yntos."

and when he again said,

And where it says "Adonai" in Hebrew, or "Kgzéoa" in Greek, they
both proclaim the wording which was written in Scripture.
and, finally, when he said,
By no means is the Tetragrammaton pronounced. Rather, when
said in Greek, it is pronounced "Kgxéos."

24 "FoSpav = Ezra; aixpadwoia = captivity; mpoTtépous = former;

TrapadeSwke vat = to transmit;
25 At this point, Origen specifically identifies the Septuagint (EB5ou.jKovTa)
and the three Hebrew Scripture Greek versions of Theodotion (QcodoTi wv),
Aquila (’AkUXas), and Symmachus (ZUppLaxos), all of which he used in his
Hexapla. Note that Origen specifically says these four Hebrew Scripture Greek
translations used Kyréos.
26 rapatnpntéov = to carefully watch; "EBSopurjKovta = Septuagint;
@coSoTtiwv = [the Hebrew version by] Theodotion; xpdovov = time (era);
’"AkvAas = [the Hebrew version by] Aquila; éAd\ovta = to be about to;
Xv ppaxos = [the Hebrew version by] Symmachus; €veoTnKOTa = to stand
close, to be present; €ta€av = to arrange.
292 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

On the other hand, we do not wish to minimize the importance of

Origen's comment when he said,
In the most accurate manuscripts, THE NAME occurs in Hebrew
characters—yet not in today's Hebrew [characters], but in the most
ancient ones.
Origen was clearly drawing the reader's attention to the fact that the
divine name was held in the highest esteem—so much so, that it was
written with palaeo-Hebrew letters within what Origen identified as
"the most accurate manuscripts." In these instances, Origen was telling
us that the divine name appeared as ~\xA\+t rather than 17. (This
is corroborated by seven Hebrew Scripture scrolls and two aie
scrolls from the Dead Sea which used 2A4<A\+ rather than 7177.27)
This quotation must not be construed as saying that the most reliable
translations must read ~A\«A+ . What is not clear (at least in our
English translation) is whether Origen was identifying <\<«A++
within early Hebrew language texts or later Greek translations of the
Hebrew Scriptures. There are examples of both within Hebrew
Scripture manuscripts.28
It is clear from Origen's statement that he recognized that the
Tetragrammaton was embedded in certain Septuagint texts. However,
we must be particularly careful that we do not make the mistake of
identification-by-association. We cannot take this brief quotation
from Origen's commentary on Psalm 2 out of its context and allow
ourselves to believe that Origen was saying that the earliest copies of
the Christian Scriptures used the Tetragrammaton in palaeo-Hebrew
characters.
In no way was Origen reporting that the Tetragrammaton was
found in "the most accurate manuscripts" of the Christian Scriptures.
We must only read the context of this quotation which was discussing a
Hebrew Scripture passage to realize that this was not Origen's intent.
Surprisingly, we also see that Origen fully accepted Kyéos as an
appropriate translation of the Tetragrammaton when the Hebrew
Scriptures themselves were translated into Greek.

27 Metzger, op cite, p. 33 footnote. These scrolls are identified as 2Q 3, 3Q 3,

4Q 161, 1Q 14, 1QpHab, 1Q 15, 4Q 171, 1Q 11, and, 11QPs@.
28 On page 886 of Aid to Bible Understanding, a clear illustration (albeit
typeset) is given of the palaeo-Hebrew characters ~A«A4 embedded. in
Aquila's Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures.
 Appendix J: Origen’s Hexapla 293

An interesting contrast
In our first section dealing with Origen's Hexapla, we concluded
that he wrote the Tetragrammaton in square Hebrew letters. In his
commentary on Psalm 2, however, Origen clearly states:
For Ezra says in the captivity that different characters besides
the original ones had been transmitted. But these are the ones we
will remember, since the Tetragrammaton as "XKgréoa" is found in
“But in the law of the Lord [Kgréos—Kupi ov]..." andin "For the Lord
[Kgxéesa—Kvptos] knows the way of the righteous..." and in the
present text: "Against the Lord [Kyrées—Kupiov] and against his
Christ..." This is observed in the Septuagint and Theodotion, both
in the past age, Aquila [also] in the past, and Symmachus coming
later, all arranged in chronological order.
In spite of the paleo-Hebrew characters referred toby Ezra, in this
passage, Origen identifies the Greek word Xgséos as replacing the
Tetragrammaton in the Septuagint, Theodotion, Aguila, and
—Symmachus.
We can reconcile this Bearcat discrepancy in only one of two ways.
First, we could argue that the Hebrew characters found in the
Ambrosian manuscripts were not the work of Origen, but were inserted
by later scribes. This would seem difficult to explain, however, in
light of what we now know of textual history. It is unlikely that
Gentiles would introduce 17” into a Gentile text. We know, rather,
'that it was the Gentiles who changed 17” to Kgséos in Hebrew
_ Scripture manuscripts.
We could not attempt to reconcile this discrepancy by explaining
_ that Origen's comments in the passages we have quoted were originally
written with—and referring to—the Tetragrammaton in Hebrew
_characters. He was obviously giving a contrast between the
Tetragrammaton and the Greek word Kyios in the same Hebrew
Scripture passages. There would be no logical reason for these
_comments if these passages contained only 717’.
Consequently, we are left with the second—and the only logical
-reconciliation—of the Ambrosian manuscripts which contained
|Origen's use of 717” in the Hexapla, and his reference to the Septuagint,
| Theodotion, Aquila, and Symmachus as all containing Kyios. In all
‘likelihood, Origen possessed multiple copies of these Hebrew
Scriptures which had been translated into Greek. Some contained 117’,
while others contained Kgyséos for the same passages. In light of his
statement in the Psalm 2 commentary, this is the only way we could
make allowance for Origen's use of 717” in the original Hexapla.
294 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Present knowledge of available manuscripts verifies this last

conclusion. Though fewer in number, Hebrew Scripture translations
containing the Tetragrammaton are now coming to light. We could
certainly imagine that Origen possessed some copies with the Kgréoe
translation as well as other copies with 117’ embedded in the text.

Origen's view of the first two centuries

No individual is better placed than Origen to report on purported
changes in the use of the Tetragrammaton in the first two Christian
centuries.
First, Origen lived during this period of time and would have
reported the controversy. Irrespective of his personal position, eithera
defense of the Tetragrammaton or an argument supporting the change to
%Kyrios would have been discernible in his writings. Though we have
examined only a small amount of his work in the Hexapla and one of
his Commentaries, we discover that he argued for neither. He freely
used 717” when he was transcribing the Hebrew text. On the other
hand, he used Kiptos (Kgséos) and its two derivative forms ks and IIIII
(PIPI) without encumbrance when he was working in the Greek
language. In his commentary on Psalms, he openly acknowledged the
propriety of translating the Tetragrammaton with Kyrie. (During the
research for this book, many pages of Origen's preserved Greek writings
were evaluated from J.P. Migne's Origenis Opera Omnia [The Complete
Works of Origen]. From first-hand observation, it can be stated that
Origen universally used Kyréoe—and not i717’—in his commentaries and
homilies from the Hebrew Scriptures. His use of Kgréoe in the Psalm 2
commentary is no exception.)
Yet, Origen was not a casual observer. He passionately defended
the fidelity of the Septuagint. He devoted years of his life to the ©
development of a textual tool which would aid in the transmittal of a
faithful translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into the Greek language.
Nonetheless, in spite of his intense concern, he was content that Kvptos
(XKgxéos) appropriately represented i117” in the early part of the third
century.
The statement from "All Scripture Is Inspired of God and
Beneficial” which says,
It is of interest that the divine name, in the form of the
tetragrammaton, also appears in the Septuagint of Origen's six-
column Hexapla,
is completely true. But this statement must not be used to imply that —
Origen used the Tetragrammaton to the exclusion of other Greek forms
of the divine name. Origen's transcription of the Septuagint—as well ©
 Appendix J: Origen's Hexapla — 295

as his representation of three other translations—unmistakably used

surrogate forms of Kiptos (Kgréoe) (and infrequently MIMI) to represent
| the divine name.
The further statement from “All Scripture Is Inspired of God and
- Beneficial” which says,
Commenting on Psalm 2:2, Origen wrote of the Septuagint: "In
the most accurate manuscripts the name occurs in Hebrew
Characters, yet notin today's Hebrew [characters], but in the most
ancient ones,"
_is at best unclear. In the context of the quotation, Origen clearly
_ identified the Septuagint (as well as Theodotion, Aquila, and
| Symmachus) as using Ktpios (Kgréos). Origen then commented that
ancient manuscripts supported by Ezra did use paleo-Hebrew
_ characters. However, he immediately reminded his readers that the
Tetragrammaton would be remembered as Kgséoa when he said,
...since the Tetragrammaton as "Kgséos" is found in "But in the
law of the Lord [Kgréoa]..." and in "For the Lord [Kgzéos] knows the
way of the righteous..." and in the present text: "Against the Lord
[Xgsxéoa] and against his Anointed [Christ]..."
Finally, the statement from “All Scripture Is Inspired of God and
_ Beneficial” which says,
The evidence appears conclusive that the Septuagint was
tampered with at an early date, Ky'ri.os (Lord) and The.os' (God)
being substituted for the tetragrammaton,
is untraceable to either the Hexapla or Origen's Commentary on
Psalm 2. Origen did not make any mention in this passage of a
_ deliberate change of the Tetragrammaton to Kysées. The only evidence
_which "appears conclusive" is that Origen recognized and used both
the Tetragrammaton and Xgréos. He used 717’ when he wrote in
Hebrew. He used Kitptos when he referred to (or translated) the same
passages in Greek. Origen raised no objection to Kvptos as an
_ appropriate translation of 717” for the Greek reader.
As we saw earlier, Origen lived between approximately 182 and
251 CE. The Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation in 96 and the
Gospel in 98 C.E. Origen would certainly have known of the original
contents of John's writing. He would most certainly have known of an
effort by Christian heretics to alter the wording of the Septuagint
_ because the purpose of his Hexapla was to ensure the true wording of
the original Septuagint.
On what basis can the Watch Tower Society say that "The
evidence appears conclusive that the Septuagint was tampered withat
296 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

an early date," wherein XKywos and ‘feos were substituted for the
Tetragrammaton? There is no evidence of any kind found in Origen's
commentary on Psalm 2:2 toindicate that he felt that "the Septuagint
was tampered with." To the contrary, Origen readily affirmed the use
ofXgxéoaas the proper Greek translation for 117°.
Is it possible that an accommodation to national and linguistic
heritage was all that occurred in the second and third centuries C.E.?2?
For those with a Jewish heritage, a Septuagint version was produced
which transcribed the Hebrew characters of the Tetragrammaton as
m7’, whereas for the Gentile readers, the Septuagint version
translated the Tetragrammaton as Kvptos. Is it possible that this
alteration was perceived by neither Jew nor Gentile as divisive or
heretical, but as a mere choice between transcribing or translating,
depending on the cultural background of the reader? As the Christian
church grew, Septuagint copies which contained the Tetragrammaton
became less available. In successive generations, the Gentile Christian
church possessed a Septuagint which contained only Kuptios. After the
Roman conquests of Palestine—when Messianic Jews were expelled from
synagogue worship and consequently amalgamated with the Gentile
church—Septuagint copies solely for Jews ceased to exist.29
How else could we explain why Origen used both 717” and Ktptos in |
his writing while giving neither explanation nor defense of his action?

ao Chapter 13 fully develops this possibility.

9 In an attempt to remove the offensive Christian Kgseéos in the second and
third centuries C.E., Greek translations of the Hebrew Scriptures for Jews
characteristically embedded 17’ in the Greek text. After Christianity became
State-sponsored in Constantine's reign in the fourth century C.E.,. Jews
systematically destroyed their Greek translations and reinstated their
Scriptures in the Hebrew language.
 Appendix K: Nomina Sacra

The Latin term Nomina Sacra (Sacred Name) identifies a highly

technical debate somewhat related to our study of the
Tetragrammaton in the Christian Scriptures. This debate is so
specialized that according to the footnotes in Bruce Metzger's
Manuscripts of the Greek Bible, less than ten scholarly books have
been devoted to the subject since the early part of this century. These
few books are more frequently written in Latin and German than
English.
We have included this brief appendix to alleviate potential
confusion. In the unlikely event that this subject were to be
encountered by the reader, the first impression may be that Nomina
Sacra support the New World Bible Translation Committee's
assertion that the Tetragrammaton was used in the original Greek
Christian manuscripts. However, as we will see in our conclusion, had
the Committee introduced the Nomina Sacra into the Kingdom
Interlinear Translation’s textual apparatus, the separate identities
between Jehovah and Lord Jesus would have been greatly diminished.

The Nomina Sacra identified

The Nomina Sacra are contracted Greek words representing 15
frequently occurring names (or titles) in Scripture. The contraction
was written with an overline. We have previously identified these
contractions as surrogates, with the earlier explanation that they
were primarily used as short-hand notations. These contractions occur
in both the Septuagint papyri manuscripts and the Greek Christian
Scripture papyri manuscripts.
On page 36 of the book cited, Metzger lists all 15 of the Nomina
Sacra found in the entire Greek papyri collection, which includes the
Septuagint. He reproduces them in their nominative (subject of the
sentence) and genitive (possessive) forms? as follows:

1 Only two sources were available for the author's personal study of the
Nomina Sacra. The first consisted of selected photocopied chapters from a
‘ book published in South Africa by A.H.R.E. Paap entitled Nomina Sacra in the
Greek Papyri of the First Five Centuries A.D., published in 1959. The second
was a brief description of the work of others on pages 36-37 in Bruce Metzger's
book Manuscripts of the Greek Bible, published in 1981.
2 The highest frequency of occurrence of the Greek noun is in either the
nominative or genitive form. A Nomina Sacra may appear in other of the
remaining Greek noun forms as well. Thus, kUptos (Kgséas) could appear as
any one of KS,KU,KW,KV,or Ke in ancient Greek manuscripts.
298 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

English Greek word Nominative Genitive

meaning (subject) (possessive)
God 8€0S 6s Ou
Lord KUPLOS KS KV
Jesus 'Inoovs us wu
Christ XPLOTOS OS Xv
Son? vids US VU
Spirit Tea Ta TS
David Aaveté 6ad
cross oTaupdos ‘OTS OTU
Mary uritnp 4 np pS
Father TIATH p ™p TPS
Israel ‘Topanr im Ee
Savior ow™mp onp ops”
Man? dvOpwtros avos avou
Jerusalem "Tepovoadny LANL
Heaven? ovupaves OUVOS OUVOU

Table 12. A complete list of all Nomina Sacra found in

early Greek manuscripts of both the
Septuagint and the Christian Scriptures.

To those defending this specialized Greek contractual form, the

technical designation Nomina Sacra connotes a sacral (as against a
profane) meaning. However, though the Nomina Sacra may be used
to identify deity, the term itself does not mean divine name. The use
of the designation Nomina Sacradoes not imply the elevation of the
addressee to the status of deity, though in certain instances, the - |
Nomina Sacramay directly identify God.
A study of the Nomina Sacra is germane to the entire collection of
first- through fifth-century Greek language Scripture texts. This
includes the Septuagint as wellas the Christian Scriptures. For this

3 Common words such as Son or Man become Nomina Sacra when used in
conjunction with the name of Jesus. The word Heaven is identified as a Nomina
Sacra when used to replace the word God. For example, Matthew uses the
expression Kingdom of the heavens in many parallel passages where the other
Gospel writers use the expression Kingdom of God.
The ordinary meaning of this Greek word is mother. It is only in its sense as
a Nomina Sacrain which it is used of Mary, Jesus' mother. Needless to say,
these Nomina Sacra notations were imported—we believe—into certain Greek
manuscripts at a later date and do not necessarily reflect the writing (or
theology) of the inspired writers themselves.
 Appendix K: Nomina Sacra 299

appendix, however, we are concerned only with the Nomina Sacra

found in the Christian Greek Scriptures. (The Hebrew Scriptures
present no unsolved dilemma; we can readily verify over 6.000
instances in whichks in any Septuagint text using Nomina Sacra was
translated from 117” in the original Hebrew text.)

The Nomina Sacra debate

The Nomina Sacra debate concerns the use and meaning of the
contractions we have previously identified as surrogates. Many
scholars consider the overlined contractions which are readily
observable in ancient papyri to be mere abbreviations of frequently
used words. This is the recognized meaning of the term surrogate. The
use of contractions can be expected considering the labor involved in
hand-copying scripture texts.
On the other hand, some scholars have identified these words as
constituting a class of unique, sacred names which the copyist has
identified by an overlined and abbreviated form. The scholars
defending this position say that the intent of the copyist was far from
merely a savings in papyrus sheet material and the manual effort of
writing by shortening the word. In defense of their thesis, many
examples have been identified in ancient manuscripts in which the
word Kyrées is written in full as KUptos when referring to a human
master, and yet is written as ks when referring to Jesus (or Jehovah) as
Lord. Similar examples of other surrogate words also exist.
The debate also concerns the source of Nomina Sacra. It was
originally argued by the Latin palaeographer Ludwig Traube that
the practice was of early, Septuagint era, Jewish origin. The latter
work by Paap argues that the form was introduced at a later date by
_ Jewish Christians.

The Nomina Sacra and inspired Scripture

The reader must understand that this debate does not concern the
_ content of inspired Scripture. Many—including the author of this
_ book—hold that the inspired Christian writers did not use
_. contractions in their original writings; they did not use surrogates.
The alteration was one which was introduced by scribes in later
- centuries. The best efforts of textual critics to reproduce the original
work of the inspired Christian writers results in a text without
surrogates as reproduced in the Westcott and Hort or United Bible
Societies Greek texts.
Therefore, the debate concerning Nomina Sacra versus surrogates is
_ not dealing with the content of inspired Scripture. Rather, it is
merely evaluating the practice of scribes in succeeding centuries. If, in
300 The Tetragrammaton. and the Christian Greek Scriptures

fact, the debate could be settled by identifying the surrogates as a

simple short-hand device, then the overlined words would have no
implied, deeper meaning. If, on the other hand, the debate were to be
settledin favor of intentional Nomina Sacra, then some explanation
would need to be given for the meaning added to the text by the
scribes. Yet, that meaning (in symbol form) is not one which was
placed in the text by the original, inspired Christian writers.

The meaning of the Nomina Sacra in our study

A study of the Nomina Sacra is a worthwhile, though very
technical, undertaking. There is merit in determining whether the
early church regarded these Greek names as sacred names, or
whether these overlined words merely represented a scribal short-
hand to reduce the labor of hand-copying texts. However, the answer
to the above examination of ancient Greek manuscripts is extraneous
to the primary question of our study. Our study is limited to the
inspired writers' use of the Tetragrammaton in their original written
documents.
However, it is possible that the Nomina Sacra could give an
important answer to our search for the Tetragrammaton in the
original writings of the inspired Christian authors. One of two
conditions would draw our immediate attention to the Nomina Sacra
as probable descendants of the Tetragrammaton:
1. If we found Nomina Sacra forms of Kyréos (kS,KU,KW,KV, Or KE) (Or
similar forms for the word ‘fees) within ancient Christian
Scripture Greek manuscripts which were restricted to the 237
occurrences of the Jehovah references within the New World
Translation, we would be immediately alerted to the probability |
that a manuscript change had occurred in the early centuries of the
church. This presence of the Nomina Sacra would give strong |
evidence that 117” was used in the original writings.
2. If, at the very least, we found a consistent use of Nomina Sacra
forms of Kgséos (or 7heos) restricted to each of the 425 quotations of
Hebrew Scripture passages in these same ancient Christian
Scripture Greek manuscripts, we could be alerted to the possibility
that the Tetragrammaton was used by the inspired writers when
they quoted Hebrew Scriptures which contained the divine name.

° The number 42 represents the verified uses of the Tetragrammaton in

Hebrew Scripture quotations as identified by J2° which is shown in Appendix G.
This number could be expanded to the possible 112 Hebrew Scripture citations
as noted in the summary at the end of Appendix B.
 Appendix K: Nomina Sacra 301

We must be careful not to overstate the material which was

available to us from Paap's extensive summaries. Nonetheless, these
papyri studies clearly show use of surrogates (contractions) in a
considerably greater frequency than would be the cases were they
restricted to Hebrew Scripture citations of the divine name.® The
forms (ks ,KU,KW,KV, OrkKe) are apparently used throughout the papyri
texts in those cases where Kgséos is used of either the Lord Jesus or
references to Jehovah of the Hebrew Scriptures. Consequently, some
contracted form will be found in the majority of the 714 Kgréos (or
‘7@eoa) references in the Christian Greek Scriptures. In general, the
word is written in full as kUptos only in those instances which refer to
others besides Jesus or Jehovah in the Christian Scripture accounts.

Conclusion
It is outside the purpose of this Appendix to determine the
meaning of the Nomina Sacra (Sacred Names) as used in ancient
Greek Scripture manuscripts. However, the recurrent appearance of
the Nomina Sacra throughout extant biblical manuscripts far surpass
the frequency and location of the 237 Jehovah references in the
Christian Scriptures of the New World Translation.
We can only assume that the New World Bible Translation
Committee was aware of the Nomina Sacra, yet chose not to bring
this material into their textual apparatus to establish the presence
of the Tetragrammaton in a limited 237 instances within the
Christian Scriptures. The great number of occurrences of Nomina
Sacra (surrogates) within the text of the Christian Scripture Greek
manuscripts would preclude such an attempt. Any appeal to the
Nomina Sacra with the intent of establishing the presence of the
divine name inthe Christian Greek Scriptures would, of consequence,
identify the person of Christ with Jehovah. If it were to be argued
that the Nomina Sacra in the form of ks (for KUptos) is a derivative of
m7’, then it could be forcefully argued—with a large number of
examples of ks referring to Jesus—that the inspired Christian writers
used 17177’ of Jesus himself.

6 This information is taken from Paap, Nomina Sacra in the Greek Papyri of
the First Five Centuries A.D., pages 8-118 in which he catalogs and
summarizes the Nomina Sacra from a large number of ancient manuscripts.
Paap gives one of many examples from a Chester Beatty manuscript identified
as "Facsimile Ill, New Testament," in which he says (p. 101):
...in [this manuscript] (£A.D.200); in the sacral meaning there are 170
contractions, whereas in the 4 cases where kvup.os (plural) has the
profane meaning the word has been written in full.
Appendix L: The Magdalen Papyrus

In the early 1800's, Egypt was rediscovered by the Western world.

By the end of that century, avid tourism, antiquities marketing, serious
archaeology, and blatant exploitation of national treasures for profit
were in full force.! |
Egypt's climate ideally preserved fragile papyrus documents.
Egypt became a rich manuscript source of the Hebrew Scriptures
themselves (the Septuagint), very old copies of the Christian Greek
Scriptures, early writings from the Christian school of Alexandria, and
later chronicles of theological debates. From the mid-1800's through
theearly part of the 1900's, many of the earliest papyrus manuscripts
were sold by private antiquities dealers to serious and amateur
collectors alike.
In 1901, Charles Huleatt sent three small scraps of a Greek
manuscript to his alma mater in England—the Oxford college of
Magdalen. Huleatt was a knowledgeable papyrologist (one who
studies ancient papyri manuscripts), who had previously acquired the
fragments in Egypt. He tentatively identified these three scraps of
papyrus as containing Matthew 26:7-8, 10, 14-15, 22-23, 31, and 32-33
(there is writing on bothsides, giving a total of six brief passages) and
dated them as coming from the third century. When the manuscripts
arrived at Magdalen College, they were redated by a recognized
papyrologist as coming from the fourth century.
Because these manuscripts were small (the largest is only 1 °/g X
1/5 in.) and presumably relatively late (dated in 1901 as coming from
the fourth century), these small scraps of papyrus were relegated to an
unimposing library display case. And there they remained until 1953.
In 1953, a papyrologist by the name of Colin Roberts again redated
them to the late part of the second century. Even with this earlier
date, they commanded little attention.
Then, in 1994, Carsten Thiede, a _ well-recognized German
papyrologist, publicly announced that these manuscript portions were
from the mid-first century. He dated them as having been written
before 70 C.E. His work was carefully based on the best available
information and technology (including a laser microscope examination
of the manuscript for faint ink traces).
If Thiede's date is accurate, these papyrus fragments are the |
earliest known Christian Greek Scripture manuscript portions in |

1 All information in this appendix comes from Eyewitness to Jesus, by Carsten

Peter Thiede and Matthew D'Ancona, published by Doubleday, 1996.
 Appendix L: The Magdalen Papyrus 303

posetion today. (There are two additional fragments of the same

manuscript in Barcelona, Spain. The Spanish fragments contain
Matthew 3:15 and 5:20-22 on the recto [front], and 3:9 and 5:25-28 on the
verso [back] portions respectively. If the date given to the Magdalen
papyrus is ultimately confirmed, the Barcelona papyrus will be
similarly dated tothe mid-first century.) These combined papyri pre-
date even the John Rylands fragment from the Gospel of John mentioned
in Chapter 2. (That fragment is dated as early as 125 C.E.)
Needless to say, there has been much controversy over Carsten
Thiede's announcement. Those who wish to de-emphasize inspiration
want to date the Gospels from the second century. They want to prove
the fabrication of a gospel myth by later Christians rather than
acknowledging the Gospels as being eyewitness accounts of quotations
and descriptions of Jesus himself. Finding a copy of the Gospel of
Matthew which was written before 70 C.E. dispels any notion that the
Gospels were a second century literary invention. Even those who fully
acknowledge the early writing of the Gospels are reticent to surrender
the long-established dates commonly accepted for previously published
Greek manuscripts.
Much more work needs to be done before a final consensus will be
reached among Greek manuscript scholars. Nonetheless, Thiede's work
appears to be well-founded and convincing. The drama of new light on
ancient manuscripts is not lost in examining this controversy.
The Magdalen papyrus contains a feature of particular interest to
our study. In Appendix K, we evaluated Nomina Sacra. In the brief
written material found in these three fragments, two nomina sacra
appear. (The surrogate for Lord is used in verses 23 and the surrogate for
Jesus is used in verse 31. Verse 23 in English would read "Ld, it is not I, is
it?" Verse 31 would read, "Then Js said to them...") In both cases, the
over-written line is no longer visible. There is no reason to believe,
however, that the line was not originally written and has merely
become too faint to see.
We have not included Carsten Thiede's early dates—nor their
implications to this study—in this book. (He also argues for earlier
_ dates for a number of the P manuscripts.) Nonetheless, in the context of
our study of new light on the ancient Greek manuscripts, we must alert
the reader to this recent controversy. The interested reader would find
Eyewitness to Jesus worthwhile reading. (See the Bibliography for
complete information.)
Appendix M: Jehovah in Missionary Translations

The Kingdom Interlinear Translation (1969 edition, pages 22-25)

lists 38 missionary translations which use the name Jehovah. The
following page is from the Malagasy Bible concordance. Note that
either Jehovah or JehovahO occur only 15 times in the entire
Christian Greek Scriptures.

JEHORAMA — 396 — JENTILISA

y
Jods, cenckYosafat
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@ 33 Ary ey tantarac’iJciea mi of calean re
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tyde'elaeyviaprting
akoadraa‘l 125 =o OB Fe
21. 42 Avy tamin’i J izao Ka maha- Mar.12.11 : ary J. 1 ma,
rebefa isea sial
22. 44 ‘‘J nilazatamin’ ny Tompoko hoe: Mar. ny
i eajaks taediniy onl].senak'l
ary Josia aiterake an’ i J
pone
mirahalaby avy,
Jola
BT 12. 36; ies 42; Asa 2. 34 “iJ pares
eS Re
Bo
Bone
taorias’ay aldedraas tan

. 39 IsaoranaanieIzay avy amin’ny anaran’i J. smb ;

12. 29 J Andriamanitsika diaJ iray ihany; koa we haat ey ee
2. 25 “Nijery an’i J teo anatrehako mandrakar -Maavavis'iJoms,
Jota. 4
10. 26 ‘‘an‘i J ny tanv sy izay rehetraeoaminy.’’ smoela
I. 9 fa hoy izy: ‘‘Haaanatra anao anie J."’ ee emits GG stant fice
. 14 ‘‘Indro, tonga J mbamin’ ny masiny tsy MELLLGS Teasstonyeatiitase
cayterSort
14, 44 izany 20 sandotoaa’a: teaaay, ize
i acidinvatat ay J iza: nr S27, 7 yi

pg eh a Eat nari a
2, 38 Ary bianareo dia hacliko asy amia‘’ ay
i © ho fantatry ay..any a fa Izaho
po J, amin By iy imason’ay J, mi
ba 15 Dia bo tanratte fa Iza veoh: , Nom. 14. 15 dia hiteay ay { izey. mandre ay
7. 2 Dia bofantany
faIzabo noJ, rahe hat % gar toy hatse ay J.
bead . 10 hasana ary izahay—Kenefa teo ihaay J 24 6 Haadaay ay J fahavaloay 7, Ke hotapa
etd 35- 12 Ka dia ho faatatrao fa Izaho Ja0 efancnd| 24. 30 Voalohany tamia' ay J leka, Fa bo
a % 7 ho fantatry ny frenenafa IzabomoJ,Izay} Deot. 3 5a ansateika mamaky ay taala’ ay J
xs %. 22 fe Ixaho ao J Aadriamaniay hatry ny and 3. 8 nomen‘ay Avo Iudriadra y ay J.
3 . 28 dia ho fantaay fa IzahoJ riseaal| 2. 45 Mihodia, mbamia’ ay oleay Fa a
a 9 Ny tany izey hatokanareo bo aa'ij,dia| Mpit. 4 2 izay soaina tany Harosctan'a: sokoa
wu @ 3$ batramla’izay aadro iray diaJno a0. it 13 avy tany Hi a’ay J, baa! amin’
ye t: J 20 enaraay,— 2Mpea. io fahavetavetan‘ayJ 2 Tas. iy
Deot, 4 t i afaka..Fa
tey hisy sica Fa J
J a0 noefa alten: ‘7: v7. . Uk a arakea ay
ayfanafamaca’
oa’ ayJ ica Bo
ay
Loy3 1. at Ary hoaa’\J ay fanjakena. vy. 1t tahaka ay natace’ay J izay s
caw 2.00 Aa’ IJ ay famonjes: 1. 1§ ary sasarake ny J manodidiea ary, ize
3. 33 11 Nefa Jml lankinany iheay hoe: Tey 19. 7 dia va ay J sy ay taaiay ary
2a 15 J efa nampitsabatra ay fitcarans k 21. 9 haneo ratsy miboatra 2oho ay aatace’ ay J
Is; a 4 / ai. qt Avy temia'l J izoo Ka maha- Mar.13.t1] 1 Tae. 0624 Ambareoany smia’ ay | ay voaiaahiay,
pit. Q 22. 44 “**) ailaza temla’ ay Tompoko ar. 4 4 ke voajeo tey boazoa BA Sta bissorsna
. 30 wi 12. 36; 30. 42; Asad 3Tes. © 6 20 manapeke amia‘ay fanjaken'ay rebet
te 4 tey faa 2}. 99 Iseorana anie Icay avy amin’ay cacrae’lJ. x 4 fanaon’ay J ka nandoto ay tranca’l Jehov
20 Kaajo 12. 39 J Andriamsniteika dia J iray thany; koa] Neb. 5. 8 izay eta mamidy tamia’ay Lif blamareo
gat a4
Aca cy
2. 3 [-Nifery ea't Jtoo seatrebako muodraka
10. % “*aa'l J my tanv sy izay rebetracoaminy.”| Sal.
&a 91 obo ay fasaratelan’ ayJ
Nabossa ao mitabataba ay J. Aca 435
1 Sem. 4 ace. L 9 fa boy ley: “Heaanatra anao aaie J." 2. 8 dia homeko ho lovaaao ay J Aryay farae
nd ad: 1. 14 “‘ladro, tonga J mbamia' ay maslay ts: @ § Efe aanerinac mafy ay J. efa cerlaganso
g a $15 Ny J ef lateakatamia'ay lavaka izay noh
8 Sem. = a Jtle asy, dia eee es an’ i Netane Je ovah-jire (Toscana tee Jeceoalems) 9. - es J Does Spleen yy an
1M S afRibe koa », aty raba velona Koa Gea. 72. 14 dia aateon’ { Abrabama hoe J; dia iceay $2 Aekaihe iatarcriey 7 faon a os ‘ley.
pan. ry4 pe
fa aaceriery,
azeay a a0 ‘a’ dia ustece’
SJ. J toy ji Jehovah Nia} (Alitars aeoria’ |Mosesy) br rsts amia’ sy
SJ ay irmoajensotaaieyArran
inteoey Afay f J.
Tas.7. 3% Ets. . 1 kacaneo ay anarany hoe: J. Ary aand: ay J to anoloaay Ixy Ka
UO en Jo. I Aad. 6, tonga ctoamia’ ay lovaceo ay J
¥%§SaHisase J aA ar 20 mem Jehovah 6 7 6 Sytem ‘ay J isay toy mabalale Anaad
eMpee. $3 &1tey..boan'’ay
bor fey Aicelfy Aséramsaie|
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andriamaat-hafla.
Etat
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2Taa. 14 © J. tey misy ete-tey Hienso no mahavoaly
1040 NAoka
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emia’ ay J co
hoe: Alselsay And
t eS 23. 10 fa ateovy ay tranca’! J Aadriemanttrac| 14 10 J, Hiaweono Andriamaaitray; aca @ @ Naedroakse ay j Hianeo ka aa my
aToa, 12 6 sy ay mpanjeka ke aenac boe : Marina Sal. §. 07. ak igate hamarcaa’ ey mampeabory| to Ny Mpamplenatra ay J va tcy hesanatra,
AGH0. 3 peord Pyroseer | Te »
makin feo bere aliteraa'iJ Aud
ea vea Ej Es ie fteees.nia,Jos
nm $ Masder
saeiege
semamphentrsfobil
f(g atarascayamie’ty1 ay eenleaaey.
GA. 2 Teo mason’ ay Jno nanchosay ay faham
 Appendix M: “Jehovah” in Missionary Translations 305

The reader may be left with the impression by the Watch Tower
Society that these 38 missionary translations use the divine name in
the Christian Greek Scriptures with a frequency similar to the New
World Translation when they say,
Many modern-language missionary versions, including African,
Asian, American, and Pacific-island versions of the Greek
Scriptures, use the name Jehovah liberally, as do some European-
language versions.!
An example from the Malagasy Bible indicates that the frequency
is not liberal, but, rather, is quite limited. In the Malagasy Christian
Scriptures, only 15 verses which are derived from Hebrew Scripture
quotations use the divine name. However, one such verse (Hebrews
1:10) is clearly describing the Lord (Jesus) in the New World
Translation whereas the Malagasy Christian Scriptures addresses
him as Jehovah O.
By comparing reference order in this missionary translation
concordance, it is apparent that Asa is Acts and Joda is Jude.* The
other Bible book names are easily determined by spelling similarity
and sequence. The following Malagasy Bible references use Jehovah
in the Christian Scriptures:

Malagasy Bible New World Translation

Matt. 21:42 Jehovah Jehovah
Matt. 22:44 Jehovah Jehovah
Matt. 23:39 Jehovah Jehovah
Mark 12:11 Jehovah Jehovah
Mark 12:29 Jehovah Jehovah
Mark 12:29 Jehovah Jehovah
Mark 12:36 Jehovah Jehovah
Luke 20:42 Jehovah Jehovah
Acts 2:34 Jehovah Jehovah
Romans 10:16 Jehovah O Jehovah
Romans 11:3 Jehovah O Jehovah
I Cor. 10:26 Jehovah Jehovah
Hebrews 1:10 Jehovah O Lord?
Jude (1):9 Jehovah Jehovah
Jude (1):14 Jehovah Jehovah

ie 1 “All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial, "p. 327.

2 Joda lists a chapter number in this Malagasy concordance. English biblical
references usually list only the verse number for the short book of Jude.
3 The Hebrew version J'8 does not use 717’ at Hebrews 1:10.
Appendix N: Correspondence with the Society

June 5, 1997

Merve, “Mr, Mr er, er and ae

Elders of the [congregation name]
Portland, OR
Dear Elders:
I know that you are aware of my book entitled The
Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures. (Last year,
four copies of a first-draft edition were given to an Elder in
the [other named congregation] for evaluation. I have also
personally discussed the first-draft edition with one of your
elders.) Since the preliminary edition a year ago, it has been
completely revised with much new material added...
.This has been a personal project stemming from a very
pleasant contact with two Witnesses in my home more than 13
years ago. It started as a personal study of the Kingdom
Interlinear Translation which took almost two years to complete.
At the onset I had no intention of publishing. I have no formal
affiliation with any religious group beyond church membership.
My relationship with the first publisher (to whom the present
edition will also be made available) was a professional contact
between a prospective author and publisher devoid of any
endorsement on my part of their theological stance or ministry
procedure. (It was similar to my relationship with McGraw-Hill
when they published a prior electrical text.)
Understanding as I do th lakes ook will hav ide-
readership...I am particularly concerned tha -it cur

available ee h She bee cs z . (The boskk examines

the presence of the Tetragrammaton within the Christian
Scriptures from a historical and manuscript perspective. It
avoids theological arguments. )
I am sending copies of the final book draft to each of you
as well as to Mr. [Circuit Overseer]. Could you arrange
a time
at r nvenience when you, Mr. [Circui erseer
could meet to evaluate the factual content of the book?
Specifically, is there any manuscript evidence which I have
omitt which would establish th xr nce of the Tetragr n
within the early Christian Greek manuscripts? If AS

information.
 «

Appendix N: Correspondence with the Society 307

Inasmuch as you have been aware of my work on this project,’

I believe we can expedite this evaluation. I know that each of
you will be busy through the District Convention at the end of
June. Could I suggest that a meeting time no later than July
arranged
15th be between us? This will give ample time for each
of you to read the material before our discussion. JI will not
release this book for publication prior to July 16, 1997. TIE,
as an outcome of our meeting, manuscript evidence for the
Tetragrammaton's presence in early Greek manuscripts becomes
available, I will carefully evaluate that information before
proceeding. (I assume that any such material would be readily
available to you through the Service Department. The presence
of such manuscript evidence would be known if it was used to
substantiate the wording of the New World Translation. It would
be helpful if manuscript information could be provided to us at
the time of our meeting. Photocopies of first to third century
Greek manuscripts of the Christian Scriptures which use the
Tetragrammaton would provide the most conclusive evidence. )
It is difficult to write this kind of letter and properly
convey my personal feelings to you. Please understand that this
is not intended as a "demanding" letter. Nor am I attempting in
any way to create an adversarial relationship between us. [I
We 2 her in ie freel i h

r i 2: iting if Greek man igi nce

f whic We i 13 me. I have learned ek
from you already. I have also greatly profited recently by time
spent in our home with an individual from another congregation;
I have learned much by listening and in dialogue with him. IL
Ein i Put a Ww

Thank you for your time on this matter. I have appreciated

my association with the [congregation name] over this past year.
I trust our time together will be mutually beneficial and will
assure an accurate portrayal to future readers of the place of
the Tetragrammaton within the Christian Scriptures.
Sincerely yours,

Lynn Lundquist
cc: Service Department Overseer
ec: Mr. [District Overseer]
cc: Mr. (Circuit: Overseer]
308 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

June 5, 1997

Mr. [District Overseer]

Puyallup, WA
Dear Mr. [District Overseer]:
I will let the copy letter to the [congregation name] Elders
convey the purpose of the meeting between myself and the
[congregation name] Elders with Mr. [Circuit Overseer].
I am enclosing a copy of the book draft. I trust you will
have opportunity to read the main chapters as well as
familiarizing yourself with the appendix material.
I am sending this information to you primarily for the
purpose of keeping you informed of that which is taking place.
However, were you free to join us when I meet with the
[congregation name] Elders, for my part I would be delighted
were you also free to be present.
I am aware that this book review will create a time
involvement for you. I want you to know of my appreciation in
advance. Thank you.

Sincerely yours,

Lynn Lundquist

cc: Service Department Overseer

cc: Mr. [Circuit Overseer]
cc: [congregation name] Elders
 Appendix N: Correspondence with the Society 309

June 5, 1997

Mr. [Circuit Overseer]

_ Portland, OR
Dear Mr. [Circuit Overseer]:
We have not met, though I have heard you both at the
[congregation name] Hall and in Woodburn. I am looking forward
to meeting you.
I will let the copy letter to the [congregation name] Elders
convey the purpose of our meeting rather than repeating it here.
I am enclosing a copy of the book draft. I trust you will
have opportunity to read the main chapters as well as
familiarizing yourself with the appendix material. I very much
want to be open to your comments and observations as we sit down
together to discuss this material. I am particularly concerned
that I not omit any information which might show evidence of the
Tetragrammaton in early Christian Greek manuscripts.
Again, I am looking forward both to meeting you and to our
time together with the [congregation name] Elders.

Sincerely yours,

Lynn Lundquist

COs Service Department Overseer

cc: Mr. [District Overseer]
cc: [congregation name] Elders
310 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

June 5, 1997

NN

Department Overseer
Service Department
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society
100 Watchtower Drive
Patterson, NY 12563-9204
To the Service Department Overseer:
As seen from the copy letters enclosed, I am requesting a
meeting with the Elders of my local congregation to discuss the
content of a book I am ready to publish. I will let the copy
letter to the [congregation name] Elders convey the purpose of
that meeting rather than repeating it here.
I am enclosing a copy of the book draft for your evaluation.
you are free to duplicate [this] material for others'
evaluation as needed. Remember, however, that there could be
changes to the book draft resulting from new information
presented to me in my meeting with the Elders and Circuit
Overseer.
I am writing to you for two reasons. First, I want to keep
you informed of that which is taking place. I believe this
subject has the potential of becoming a much-discussed topic
among Witnesses.
Secondly, I assume that you have the greatest access to
early Greek manuscript material regarding the Tetragrammaton
within the Christian Greek Scriptures. I rtai h h

iving f i ich mi
n T Fe
inspired Christian Scripture writers. After receipt from you,
they can subsequently make that information available to me in
our meeting.
Thank you for your time with this matter. I appreciate your
effort on my behalf, as well as your effort on behalf of those
who will be reading this. material in the future.

Sincerely yours,
“

Lynn Lundquist

Cer Mee ADistrict Overseer]

cc; Mr. [Circuit Overseer]
cc: [congregation name] Elders
 Appendix N: Correspondence. with the Society 311

tly l SOf —L 997,

Department Overseer
Service Department
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society
~100 Watchtower Drive
Patterson, NY 12563-9204
To the Service Department Overseer:

This letter is in regard to my June 5, 1997 request to the

[congregation name] elders for a meeting to review the contents
of my book draft entitled The Tetragrammaton and the Christian
Greek Scriptures.
I was greatly disappointed that I received no response from
either the congregation elders or the Service Department.
T j Vv i r in
% i h 1 hi Fical ant a
regarding the Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures.
For that reason, I was looking forward to a meeting with the
elders which would have given us a chance to evaluate the most
current information available on the subject. As I stated in my
letter to them, I — re it-—or entirel el

hav ed_in k fEs

I am puzzled by the lack of any kind of response on your

part. I have come to you with an unprecedented offer to bring
my published writing into agreement with the best historical
information available. Why have you failed to acknowledge my
request with even the common courtesy of declining the meeting?
| _Does your lack of response tell me (and my readers) that you
truly have no manuscript evidence that the Tetragrammaton was
actually used by the inspired Christian Scripture writers?
May I again restate my earlier request? If you are aware of
1 hi ete. : nicl £3 ;

h woul x al 1 Yr u in th
— ee é setae aa I att eee with Sibi aes of the
book.

Sincerely yours,

Lynn Lundquist

cc: Mr. [District Overseer]

cc: Mr. [Circuit Overseer]
cc: [congregation name] Elders:
Mi a Mia ire pees Wie OMT eel iC ae
[Individual letters were sent to each Elder]

Note to the reader: Prior to, and during the duration of this |
correspondence (except for a short interval at the death of a family ©
member), the author regularly attended either a Theocratic |
School/Service Meeting or a Book Study. (Weekly attendance |
continues until present.) At no time prior to the July 15, 1997 date ©
suggested in the author's letters was there confirmation that the |
books and letters were received, nor was any attempt made to explain |
why a meeting would not be convened. In addition, at no time has |
there been formal communication of any kind from the Service ©
Department, the District- or Circuit Overseers, or the congregation ©
Elders to either this request or to the subsequent letter dated July 18,
1997
 ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

The primary reference books used in this study were published by

the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. The books included in this
bibliography are useful resources for any study of the Tetragrammaton
in the Christian Greek Scriptures. The books identified with a double
bullet (¢¢) are essential for such a study; a single bullet (¢) indicates
that the book should be consulted. The list includes:
A. Materials published by the Watch Tower Society.
B. Reference materials cited by the Watch Tower Society.
C. Helpful reading from outside sources.
D. References citing 117” in Greek manuscripts

A. Materials published by the Watch Tower Society

These materials should be used by anyone seriously studying the
Watch Tower Society's teaching concerning the Tetragrammaton in the
Christian Greek Scriptures. For those involved in this study who are
not ones of Jehovah's Witnesses, it is imperative that the reference
materials published by the Watch Tower Society be consulted
directly, rather than depending solely on books critical to the subject.
(It should be added that this book—The Tetragrammaton and __ the
Christian Greek Scriptures—should not replace a careful study of the
Kingdom Interlinear Translation itself.)
eeThe Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures, 1969
and 1985 editions. This is the single most useful source of information
for a Tetragrammaton study. The footnotes are an unsurpassed source
for textual dating of both the Greek word Kutptios and the Hebrew
versions using 717? The 1969 Edition gives more complete
information for both the early Greek manuscripts and J! through J!
than does the 1985 Edition. However, the 1985 Edition adds newly
researched information for J*2 through J27 and certain early Greek
manuscripts such as p45 p46 p47 p66 p74 and P79, Appendices 7A,
7B, 7C, and 7D give much useful information concerning the Greek
alphabet and language. All of the introductory material should
also be read. For a complete study, both the 1969 and 1985 Editions
should be used.
eeNew World Translation of the Holy Scriptures Reference Edition,
revised 1984. This volume will be the second most important source
of information for a Tetragrammaton study. The INTRODUCTION
beginning on page 6 gives information regarding the translation
314 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

philosophy as it concerns the restoration of the divine name. Some

"I" footnote materialis found which is not included in the Kingdom
Interlinear Translation, though the reader is not given either the "J"
or Greek manuscript information contained within the Kingdom
Interlinear Translation footnotes. Appendices 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 3A
should also be consulted.
eeThe Holy Bible, American Standard Version, 1901 edition. This is
an excellent translation and is notable for its use of Jehovah in the
Hebrew Scriptures. For the sake of comparison, this is an excellent
translation to use for general reading.
e All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial,” 1990 edition. Study
Five gives some interesting information regarding the Septuagint
(LXX) version (page 307 and following) and the Masoretic vowel
points and emendation of the Hebrew text (page 311 and following).
Consult the chart on page 309 for the relationship of the Hebrew
versions to the Greek manuscripts. The charts on pages 313-314 give
valuable Greek manuscript dating. Study Six gives important
information regarding the Greek text. The 1983 edition was cited in
at least one instance because it contained slightly different
information.
Comprehensive Concordance of the NEW WORLD TRANSLATION |
OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, 1973 edition. A comprehensive ©
concordance gives all important biblical references for a given word.
This concordance is a useful tool when attempting a thorough study
of such words as Jehovah or Lord in either the Hebrew or Greek
Scriptures. Though the entries are in English, a well defined word
such as Lord can be located in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation |
under entries such as Lord, master, owner, sir, and the like.
¢ INSIGHT on the Scriptures, volumes 1 and 2, 1988 Edition. This is a
particularly valuable reference for a concise summary of the Watch
Tower Society's viewpoint regarding numerous topics encountered in
a study of the Tetragrammaton. The topics "Jehovah," "Jesus
Christ," and "Lord," should particularly be consulted. (For any |
reader whois not one of Jehovah's Witnesses, these three headings |
will give much useful background information.) Regrettably, there
are no headings for either "Septuagint," or "Tetragrammaton," |
though these subjects are addressed under other headings. Much ©
pertinent language information is contained under the headings
"Greek," and "Hebrew II." |
¢Aid to Bible Understanding, 1969 edition. This was the original |
work which was re-published as a the two-volume set INSIGHT on
 Annotated Bibliography 315

the Scriptures. This volume could equally be consulted for each of

the subjects listed above. In many cases, the material in this volume
is more technically complete than the subsequent INSIGHT book.
The Emphatic Diaglott Containing the Original Greek Text (the 1942
edition was used). The primary value of this volume to the
Tetragrammaton study is the availability of a second interlinear
Greek/English text published and authorized by the Watch Tower
Society. Some useful supplementary material is also contained in
the introductory pages.
JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES, Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, 1993,
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. Chapter 27 (Printing and
Distributing God’s Own Sacred Word) gives important information
on the New World Translation and the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation. This chapter strongly defends the textual reliability of
the Kingdom Interlinear Translation.
Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1989. This book deals topically with a
number of important subjects. To a reader unfamiliar with the
Watch Tower Society's teaching, this is a practical reference book.
The sections headed "Jehovah," "God," and "Jesus Christ," are
particularly helpful.
The Divine Name That Will Endure Forever, 1984. This booklet will
give information regarding the divine name. The _ brochure
encompasses material generally known by. ones of Jehovah's
Witnesses. To those unfamiliar with the subject, this is a good, yet
brief, introduction.
Should You Believe in the Trinity?, 1989. This booklet should be
considered as a concise statement of the position of the Watch Tower
Society on the person of Jesus Christ. The subtitle reads, "Is Jesus
Christ the Almighty God?" This publication will give the reader a
contrasting point of view to that in this book.
The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived, 1991. This book is a chronological
account of the life of Jesus; it was not used in this study in regard to
the Tetragrammaton. It was only cited for a particular reference to
the person of Jesus.
”The Word,” Who is He? According to John. This book was cited as a
reference source merely to illustrate the IJohn 5:7b passage which
does not appear in the best Greek manuscripts.
_ B. Reference materials cited by the Watch Tower Society
Watch Tower Society publications frequently cite biblical
materials produced by outside publishers. This does not imply full
316 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

endorsement by the Watch Tower Society, but it acknowledges their

understanding of the merit and scholarship of the work. Generally (as —
in the case of the Septuagint), the Watch Tower Society's endorsement
is of the work and not the specific publisher.
eThe Greek New Testament, United Bible Societies, Third Edition
(Corrected), 1975. The UBS Greek text of the Christian Greek
Scriptures is often used as the standard of comparison for textual
accuracy. Comparison can be made between this and the Westcott
and Hort text when a detailed study of Greek word usage is
necessary. The text contains a critical apparatus which gives
variant readings and their sources.
A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, Third Edition,
1971. The Watch Tower Society does not list this volume per se.
However, it is listed in this section inasmuch as it is the companion
volume to the United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament listed
above. The volume gives the textual references and explanations to
each of the critical apparatus entries in UBS.
eA Concordance to the Greek Testament, editors W. F. Moulton and
A.S. Geden, T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh. This is the J?9 Jehovah
reference. This volume gives two types of information which are
usefulin the Tetragrammaton study. First, it lists all of the Kgxéoe
references in the entire Christian Greek Scriptures. Secondly, it
gives the 717” references for each Hebrew Scripture quotation. This
volume should be consulted for the 1 Peter 2:3 reference which was
omitted by the translators of the New World Translation. This
source was also used as a reference for both 1 Peter 1:25 and 3:12.
The Septuagint Version of the Old Testament with an English
Translation, Zondervan Publishing House, 1994. Though not an
essential part of a Tetragrammaton study, it is of interest to locate
Kgéos (Kv ptos) references in the Hebrew Scripture Septuagint. This
particular volume contains an English translation. Though it is not
interlinear, the student who is not familiar with Greek would,
nonetheless, be able to do a search for the single Greek word after
locating the parallel verse in English. Any publisher's
Greek/English Septuagint would equally serve the purpose.
°Origenis Hexaplorum (Origen’s Hexapla), edited by Fridericus
Field, and published by Georg Olms Verlagsbuchhandlung in
Hildesheim, Germany, 1964. This is a two-volume set with over
1900 pages of the reconstructed Hexapla. Regrettably, the foreword
material is in Latin. Nonetheless, the volumes are extremely
helpful to us in our study of the Tetragrammaton in Origen's |
}
|
 _ Annotated Bibliography 317

Septuagint. Even for the student who does not read Hebrew or Greek,
the format of this book lends itself well to sight identification of
i117” as opposed to KUptos. The entries can be thoroughly searched for
either of the two words. Chapter and verse identification follows
that of the English text. This reference work must be studied for a
definitive answer regarding Origen's use of i117” in the Septuagint.
The Gospel of Matthew according to a Primitive Hebrew Text, by
George Howard, published by Mercer University Press, Macon,
Georgia, 1987. (The book was re-publishedin 1995 with a new title:
Hebrew Gospel of Matthew.) This is an excellent book and one
which makes an important contribution to biblical studies. It
reproduces the Shem-Tob Hebrew Gospel of Matthew with an
accompanying English translation. (This is the J? Hebrew version.)
Included is a comprehensive study of the Gospel which strongly
suggests that the original Gospel written in Hebrew by Matthew is
its source. The book gives valuable information for a study of
Matthew's Hebrew Gospel. If Howard's thesis is correct, this
English translation of the text gives an interesting insight into the
possible content of this lost Gospel.
Ante-Nicene Fathers;The Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325,
edited by A. Cleveland Coxe, 1994, Hendrickson Publisher, Inc., 10
Volumes. This set will give the reader insight into the issues and
thinking of the early church as seen through the writings of its
leaders. In many cases, both the antagonists and protagonists of a
given issue are quoted. These volumes represent the earliest church
literature from its inception until 325 C.E. This material has been
reprinted by several publishers, including the series by Scribners and
Sons and Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, edited by Philip Schaff, also
published by Hendrickson Publisher, Inc., 1994. This 14-volume set
is a continuation of the above volumes, covering the time period
after 325 C.E.
eThe New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge,
published by Baker Book House, 1952. This 12-volume set (with two
supplementary volumes and an Index) was frequently utilized for
historical, and general, non-sectarian information. The primary
articles consulted were "Bible Text," and "Bible versions," both
found in Volume 2. (These sections included material on the
Septuagint, the Masoretic text, the Hexapla, Aquila’'s and
Symmachus' Greek versions, Origen's work, and the like.) In
addition, the headings, "Origen" (Vol. 8), "Gnosticism" (Vol. 4),
318 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

"Masorah" (Vol. 7), and "Arianism" (Vol. 1) were consulted with

additional reference to supplementary topics. An encyclopedia such
as this is useful inasmuch as it is non-sectarian and is concerned with
historical data rather than present applications to doctrinal
systems.
¢The Cairo Geniza, by Paul I. Kahle, Oxford, 1959. This book gives
much insightful information regarding a number of topics related to
the Tetragrammaton in the Greek translations of the Hebrew
Scriptures. Many specific manuscript illustrations are discussed.
Important information regarding Origen and the second column of the
Hexapla is also included. The book is well worth reading.
McClintock & Strong Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological and
Ecclesiastical Literature, re-published by Baker Book House
Company, 1981. This 12-volume set was consulted only under the
headings of "Origen" (Vol. 7) and "Septuagint" (Vol. 9). Though
somewhat dated because it is a reprint of the original 1867
publication, the work still stands as the most comprehensive Bible
literature encyclopedia in English, and is well worth consulting for
these two headings.
Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Colin Brown (General
Editor), Zondervan Publishing House, 1975. This three-volume set is
cited frequently in Watch Tower publications. It is an extremely
valuable resource for the English reader who desires a complete
description of Greek words found in the Christian Greek Scriptures.
(Frequent reference is made to Septuagint vocabulary and usage.)
The volume contains ample English indexing; a knowledge of the
Greek language is not necessary for use of this reference source. It is a
translation of a German work and is generally non-sectarian in its
information.
Theological Word Book of the Old Testament, R. Laid Harris, Gleason
Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, Moody Press, Chicago, 1980. In
Volume I, page 210 (entry 484), an excellent, non-sectarian
explanation of the word 71377” is given. The writers hold the view
that 717” isnot derived from the common verb 717 (:awa) and
therefore has a unique (though unknown) meaning. In fact, this is a
position which is more favorable to the Watch Tower Society's
viewpoint of the uniqueness of the divine name than the statements
generally made by the Watch Tower Society itself.
The Chester Beatty Biblical Papyri, Descriptions and Texts of Twelve
Manuscripts on Papyrus of the Greek Bible, edited by Frederic G.
Kenyon, Emery Walker Ltd. of London, 1937. This book contains
 Annotated Bibliography 319

numerous photographs of the Chester Beatty manuscripts. From

these facsimile reproductions, the reader can study the actual texts
as written in approximately 200 C.E. It is an astonishing experience
to view actual photographic reproductions of Scripture pages which
were read less than ten years after the death of the Apostle John!
Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, edited by M. Tenny, 1963. This
.. one-volume dictionary gives a wide range of technical information
regarding Bible lands, history, manuscripts, and the like.
Patrologiz Cursus Completus (Complete Writings of the Fathers),
edited by J.P. Migne and published in Paris in 1862. This is the
standard reference for the complete collection of writings of the
church fathers in their original Greek text. Unfortunately for the
English reader, the Greek text is accompanied by a_ Latin
translation. Volume 7, Origenis Opera Omnia (Origen’s Complete
Works) is a source used in Appendix J.

C. Helpful reading from outside sources

This bibliography has emphasized reading materials which are
available to an active Jehovah's Witness. However, for those able to
obtain books from outside sources, the texts identified in this section
will give additional material regarding early manuscript data and
the problems within textual criticism. Because most of the works in
this section are recognized reference sources, many of them may be
cited by the Watch Tower Society, though the citation is unknown to
this author.
eeThe Divine Name Controversy (Vol. 1) by Firpo W. Carr, published
in 1991 by Stoops Publishing, 10 N. Elliott, Aurora, MI 65605. Dr.
Carr has done extensive work with computer aided reconstruction
from ancient Hebrew manuscripts for the pronunciation of the divine
name. Even though the Tetragrammaton's vowel sounds were not
reproduced in ancient manuscripts, the pronunciation of similar
consonant-vowel combinations were preserved through later
Masoretic vowel pointing. From these preserved consonant-vowel
combinations in other words of the Hebrew Scriptures, Carr has
reproduced the probable pronunciation of the divine name. This
book is certainly worthwhile reading.
e*JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES DEFENDED an answer to scholars and
critics, by Greg Stafford, Elihu Books, Huntington Beach,
California, 1998. The scholarship represented in this book is superb;
the author knowledgeably uses both Greek and Hebrew languages to
argue his position. As the title suggests, the book is an apologetic
320 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

which covers a number of topics. Stafford emphasizes the Watch

Tower's position that Jesus is the highest of the Father's creation.
Though the author of this book (The Tetragrammaton .and the
Christian Greek Scriptures) and Stafford hold entirely different
viewpoints regarding the deity of Christ, it is refreshing and
informative to gain the perspective of a scholar dealing with
Scripture in depth. The reader who is not a Jehovah's Witness |
would profit by carefully and thoughtfully examining this book. $8
eeThe Text of the New Testament, Its Transmission, Corruption, and
Restoration, Second Edition, by Bruce Metzger, published by Oxford
University Press, 1968. This volume is stillin print. This book is an
excellent introduction to the subject of textual criticism. (Textual
criticism considers the history and restoration of the Greek
manuscripts of the Christian Greek Scriptures.) This book gives
sufficient descriptions and textual background to be completely
understandable, and yet the reader who does not have a prior
knowledge of the Greek language will have no difficulty with the
material. A basic understanding of textual criticism is essential for
anyone doing a serious study of the Tetragrammaton in the Greek
Scriptures inasmuch as the resolution of the Tetragrammaton's
presence primarily deals with this branch of textual study. This
book is_ theologically neutral in that it is dealing with textual
history. It should be interesting reading for Witnesses intent on
understanding the process of Scripture transmission through the past
two millennium.
Introduction to New Testament Textual Criticism, by J. Harold
Greenlee, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1975. This isa
similar book to the one above. It is a shorter volume and can
profitably be read as a supplement in that it contains additional
information. However, the text by Metzger should be the first
choice.
A Greek-English Lexicon, by W. F. Arndt and F. W. Gingrich,
University of Chicago Press, 1979 edition. This is a comprehensive
Greek lexicon (dictionary) used for both the Greek Christian
Scriptures and other early Christian literature. This volume would
not be used by most readers, but was consulted for this study.
The Canon of Scripture, by F. F. Bruce, Inter Varsity Press, Downers
Grove, Illinois, 1988. This book gives an excellent introduction to the
critical problems encountered in determining which ancient writings
are to be regarded as Scripture. The subject is handled in its
historical context by a highly recognized author; it is not
 Annotated Bibliography 321

theologically oriented, and should be informative reading for any

one of Jehovah's Witnesses interested in pursuing the study.
Manuscripts of the Greek Bible, An Introduction to Greek
Palaeography, by Bruce M. Metzger, Oxford University Press, New
York, 1981. This large size book gives much technical information
regarding ancient Greek manuscripts from one of the leading
authorities in the field. Many facsimile reproductions of actual
manuscripts are included. This book is a valuable resource for the
serious student.
Eyewitness to Jesus, by Carsten Peter Thiede and Matthew D'Ancona,
Doubleday, New York, 1996. This is a revealing book considering our
theme of the new light on ancient Greek manuscripts which is
becoming available today. In addition to their main topic of dating
the Magdalen papyrus manuscript of Matthew to the 60's C.E., the
authors have suggested earlier dates for numerous P manuscripts. In
addition, the authors add considerable new information to the
possibility of Christian Scripture manuscripts found in the Dead Sea
Caves. Reference is also made to Nomina Sacra. This book is well
worth reading.
Nomina Sacra in the Greek Papyri of the First Five Centuries A.D., by
A.H.R.E. Paap, published by EJ. Brill, [South Africa], 1959. This
book is one of a limited number of books in English devoted to the
subject of the surrogates (contracted words) which are found in early
Greek papyri manuscripts. Paap argues that these abbreviated
words (such as KS for kUptos [Lord]) were not mere scribal short-hand
notations, but were used to indicate sacred names (Nomina Sacra).
The book is highly technical with copious citations of ancient
manuscripts. The book is available only through library loan
services; for this book's research, the author was limited to an
incomplete photocopy reproduction of the material.
The Gnostic Gospels, by Elaine Pagels, Random House, Inc., New York,
1979. This book is included merely because of the reference to the
Gnostic Gospels in Chapter 8. Neither the author nor the Watch
Tower Society would consider these writings as coming from
Jehovah. Nonetheless, the topic could be profitably pursued
inasmuch as the issue of the Tetragrammaton in the Christian Greek
Scriptures is not unlike other areas of textual controversy throughout
religious history.
322 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

D. References citing 717” in Greek manuscripts

This section cites journal articles and other reference materials
which support the presence of the Tetragrammaton in Greek
manuscripts of the Hebrew Scriptures.
Psalterii Hexapli Reliquiae, Iohannis Card. Mercati, Bybliotheca
Vaticana, 1958. This large size book shows the photographically
reproduced Ambrosia manuscript of Origen'’s Hexapla. The
photographs are accompanied by type-set text for approximately
150 verses between Psalm 17 and Psalm 88. The Tetragrammaton is
clearly in evidence.
Manuscripts of the Greek Bible, An Introduction to Greek
Palaeography, Bruce M. Metzger. See above.
The Cairo Geniza, Paul I. Kahle. See above.
The Psalms Scroll of Qumran Cave 11, J.A. Sanders, Oxford, 1965. This
book shows an example of the paleo-Hebrew Tetragrammaton
embedded in a square character Hebrew text of Psalm 119.
The Septuagint and Modern Study, Sidney Jellico, Oxford, 1968. This
book contains some discussion of the Tetragrammaton in the
Septuagint.
The Journal of Theological Studies
"The Tetragrammaton in the LXX" W. G. Waddel, Vol. XLV, No.
179-80, July-October, 1944.
"Were Greek Transliterations of the Hebrew Old Testament Used by
Jews Before the Time of Origen?" J.A. Emerton, Vol. XXI, 1970.
"A Further Consideration of the Purpose of the Second Column of the
Hexapla" J.A. Emerton, Vol. XXII, April, 1971.
Journal of Biblical Literature
"The Greek Bible Manuscripts Used by Origen" P.E. Kahle, Vol.
LXXIX, Part II, June, 1960.
 GLOSSARY

Apparatus, critical: See Textual Apparatus.

B.C.E.: Before common era. See C.E.
Blasphemy: To speak lightly or carelessly of God. An offense
punishable in the time of the Hebrew Scriptures by stoning (Lev.
24:10-16). Pronunciation of the divine name (117”) was, during certain
periods of Jewish history, considered blasphemy.
C.E: Common Era. The dating system based on the Gregorian calendar
wherein year 1 follows the traditional birth of Christ.
Canon: The writings which are accepted as being inspired of God. In
reality, the accepted canon of Scripture is the acknowledgment by
men of the process of inspiration which has already been acted out by
God. Jehovah's Witnesses (and manyin Christendom) recognize the
66 books of the Bible as the canon.
Christendom: As used in this book, all organized religions outside the
auspices of the Jehovah's Witness organization which claim
allegiance to Jesus Christ.
Church fathers: In a general sense, the leaders of the Christian church
in the first five centuries. The term more specifically identifies the
leaders of the early church who left written material, irrespective of
their theological persuasion. The significance today of the church
fathers is their written documents which give insight into the
activities of the early church period. Scripture was often quoted in
their writings. Therefore, they become a source of verification for the
wording of the Christian Greek- and Hebrew Scriptures.
Circumlocution: Evasion in speech of a word which should not be
pronounced; the pronounceable word itself. In Hebrew culture, the
ineffable (unpronounceable) name of God was often replaced with the
circumlocution Adonai.
Codex: A book form of ancient manuscripts. By the second or third
century of the Christian era, documents were bound with thongs
forming volumes, rather than being rolled in the form of scrolls. The
Greek Scriptures were originally written and circulated as scrolls.
Soon after, however, they were re-copied and bound in codex form.
The codex could contain more written material than the scroll. The
majority of the early manuscript copies available today are codices.
Cognate: The stem or root from which descendent words with a common
meaning are derived. As illustrated earlier in this book, sit, sat, and,
324 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

to be seated, are cognates of the infinitive verb to sit.

Consonant: A speech sound characterized by constriction or closure at
one or more points in the breath channel. In contrast, a vowel is an
unrestricted sound. In some ancient languages (Hebrew, for example)
only the consonant sounds had corresponding written characters
(letters). Thus, the alphabet used by the Hebrew Scripture writers
consisted only of consonant sound symbols and did not record vowel
sounds.
Divine name: The personal name of God as represented by the
Tetragrammaton (the four Hebrew letters 117’). The divine name is
transliterated as YHWH, and is often written as Jehovah or
Yahweh.
Embed: As used in this book, the placement without alteration of a
foreign language word into the body of a text of another language.
Specifically, it describes the placement of the Tetragrammaton
written in Hebrew characters within a Greek manuscript.
Extant: As used of ancient manuscripts, a preserved or existing
manuscript.
Gloss: A brief explanation of a difficult word or phrase in the margin of
an ancient manuscript. The gloss may be the work of either the
original copyist or a later scribe, but it was not the work of the
inspired author himself.
Gnostic Gospels: Writings of the Gnostics. (See Gnosticism. )
Gnosticism: A widely held philosophy during the time of the eae
church. The name is derived from the Greek word gnosis meaning
knowledge. Though religiously independent of Judeo-Christian
thought, it often incorporated certain biblical teachings and raised
its influence among early Christians. It is classified as a mystery
religion because it laid emphasis on secret or esoteric revelations.
Greek Christian Scriptures: The 27 books of the Bible from Matthew
through Revelation. Also known as the New Testament.
Hebrew Scriptures: The 39 books of the Bible from Genesis through
Malachi. The Septuagint (which see) is properly called the Hebrew
Scriptures. Also known as the Old Testament.
Inerrant (Inerrancy): In reference to the Scriptures, the quality of the
original written documents which were free from error.
Inspiration: A prerogative of God whereby he caused human writers to
express his will and his intended words through their writings.
 Glossary 325

Specifically, the Bible is held by Jehovah's Witnesses and many in

Christendom to be the inspired revelation of God to man.
Inspired: In reference to the Scriptures, their possession of the quality
ofinspiration. (See Inspiration.)
Interlinear text: A text wherein an exact word-by-word translation is
juxtaposed below the original foreign language text. For our
consideration in this book,a Greek Scripture interlinear text has the
Greek text as written by the inspired authors with a literal English
translation for each word.
Jehovah: An English pronunciation of the divine name. Historically,
the name Jehovah is derived from the consonants of the
Tetragrammaton (117) in combination with the vowels of Adonai.
(See Divine name.)
Kyrios (Kurios): The English transliteration of the Greek word Kvptos.
The word is generally translated as Lord in reference to Jesus Christ.
It conveys the meaning of Master when used as a proper noun.
Lectionary: An ancient Scripture manuscript which was arranged
according to calendar order for public or private reading. Entire
Scripture portions are included in lectionaries, though they consist of
selected biblical passages for reading on given days rather than in
their traditional biblical form. Lectionaries are valuable in the
work of textual criticism (which see) because they reproduce
Scripture portions verbatim.
| Manuscript: An ancient handwritten literary document. Biblical
_ scholars study Greek manuscripts of the Greek Scriptures in order to
determine the actual words used by the inspired authors. The oldest
extant Christian Scripture manuscripts are from the second century.
Some manuscripts as late as the seventeen century may also be useful.
An early version (which see) is also identified as a manuscript.
| Masoretes (Masorah): The Jewish tradition (Masorah) which defined
' and preserved the pronunciation of the Hebrew Scriptures during
public reading. The original Hebrew Scriptures were written without
indicating vowel sounds; accepted vowel pronunciation was taught to
a young Jewish boy through rote memory and practice in the formal
schools. (See Consonants.) The Masoretes (a Jewish sect which
advocated traditional pronunciation of the Hebrew Scriptures),
worked in the period of time between the sixth and eleventh
centuries C.E. Our interest in the Masoretes concerns their work in
adding vowel points to the Hebrew Scriptures. (See Vowel points.)
326 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Minuscule: A Greek script of smaller letters developed about the

beginning of the ninth century especially for the production of books.
Minuscule consisted of joined letters in a cursive or running hand. Most
extant Greek Scripture manuscripts available today are Minuscules.
(See Uncial.)
New Testament: The 27 books of the Bible from Matthew through
Revelation. (See Christian Greek Scriptures.) :
Nomina Sacra: From the Latin for Sacred Name, used for a certain class
of surrogates (which see) indicating sacral importance. Some
scholars have argued that the entries ks (for Lord) and@s (for God) do
not represent mere contractions or abbreviations, but rather that they
were used to identify specificnames of great importance in Scripture.
The term Nomina Sacra is not used by these scholars as a synonym for
divine name.
Old Testament: The 39 books of the Bible from Genesis through
Malachi. The Septuagint (which see) is properly called the Hebrew
Scriptures. (See Hebrew Scriptures.)
Palimpsest: A velum (animal skin) document which was scrapped to
remove the original writing and re-used for a later document. Due to
the scarcity and cost of writing materials, quality vellums were often
erased so that the skins could be used again. In most palimpsests, it is
the original document which is of greatest importance. The first
writing can often be seen with ultra-violet light or special
photography techniques.
Papyrus (Papyri): A reed paper produced in Egypt and exported to |
much of the known world during the period of the inspired Christian |
writers. Undoubtedly, the Greek Scriptures were originally written -
on this material. The manuscripts written on this material are called
Papyri.
Recension: A critical revision of a text. A biblical manuscript recension |
is the result of deliberate critical work by an early (and generally |
unknown) editor to correct presumed errors in the text. In regard to |
biblical manuscripts, the term recension is often used to mean a |
particular family of manuscripts; one may refer to the Alexandrian |
recension.
Recto: From the Latin rectus meaning "right." The right, or front, side |
of a leaf in reference to an ancient manuscript. The side on which the |
papyrus run horizontally. Because of the folding system in codices, |
the text on the back (recto) sometimes preceded that on the front |
(verso). |
 Glossary — ‘eT

Scribe: A copyist who reproduced the Scriptures by hand. In the early

church era, many copies were probably done privately. In later
centuries (beginning with Constantine), copies were often made in
scriptoriums, where the text was read phrase-by-phrase while a
group of scribes (often educated slaves) copied as they listened.
Septuagint: A Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. It was
completed approximately 280 B.C.E., and was the Scripture
predominantly used in the early church. It is often identified by the
Roman numeral "LXX" (70). The term Septuagint is often—though
imprecisely—used to identify any of a number of unique Greek
translations of the Hebrew Scriptures. |
Surrogate: Common words often abbreviated in ancient (hand written)
documents in order to save writing effort and manuscript material.
These abbreviations are known as surrogates. A line was usually
drawn over the surrogate to mark it as such. Examples of surrogates
are KS (from kvptos for Lord) and 9¢ from (8e6s for God). (See Nomina
Sacra.) |
Tetragrammaton (or Tetragram): The divine name written in four
Hebrew letters as 117’. The word Tetragram comes from the Greek
words tetra, (TetTpd ) meaning four, and gramma, (ypdppa) meaning
letters. Thus, Tetragram means fourletters. (See Divine name.)
| Textual Apparatus: Citations for the Greek Scripture text which
establish probability. In certain instances, a given passage willhave
alternate wording possibilities from assorted ancient manuscripts.
The Textual Apparatus will cite alternate wordings as an aid to the
translator in selecting the most probable word(s) used by the original
writer. |
_ Textual criticism: The study of copies of any written work of which the
original is unknown, with the purpose of ascertaining the original
text. For our purposes, textual criticism is the art which brings us the
actual wording of the inspired writers of the Christian Greek
Scriptures.
‘Theos: The Greek word 6€6¢ translated into English as God.
Translate: The process of reducing (written) communication in the
language of origin to (written) communication which conveys the
same message to a receiving language. Notice that by definition,
translation does not preserve word order, but rather communication
sense.
Transliterate: The process of transcribing the phonetic sounds of one
language into a written (or pronounceable) word in the receiving
328 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

language. The word Christ is a frequently encountered example. The

Greek word xptotés (christos) is transliterated into the English word
Christ.
Uncial: The formal Greek penmanship style used during the time of the
early church. As against the cursive (or running hand) used for non-
literary documents, uncial orthography was used for literary
compositions. It consisted of individually formed upper-case letters.
The written document had no spacing between words. Most Greek
Scripture manuscripts written before the tenth century use uncial
letters. (See Minuscule.)
Variant: An alternate reading which differs from the common wording
within a majority of Greek manuscripts for a given passage. |
Generally, the majority of extant Greek manuscripts will favor one
reading (or word) whereas a smaller number will favor a second. In |
this case, the second reading is called avariant.
Version: A synonym for a translation when referring to a Scripture
portion.
Verso: From the Latin vertere meaning "to turn." The back side of a
manuscript leaf where the fibers run vertically. (See Recto.)
Vowel point: A vowel marker added to written Hebrew consonants by |
the Masoretes. (See Masoretes and Consonants.)
Vowel: (See Consonant.)
Yahweh: A representation of the personal name of God derived from |
the four Hebrew letters 717” (YHWH). When incorporating the
vowels from Adonai, this form of the divine name is written in |
English as YAHWEH. |
 SCRIPTURE INDEX

Tabulated references
237 Jehovah references ® 33, 213-216, 217-222
714 Kgréos references * 227-35
Kgrios and 717” references in J20 ¢ 259-61
Hexaplani™ entries for Psalm 17:6-88:53 © 284-86
References found in P!-5, 7-8, 11, 13, 45-47, 49-50, 59-61, 63-68, 72, 74-76 e
Tite 112-15
References found in P4> 253-57
Jehovah references in a missionary translation ¢ 304-05

Genesis 17:26-38:53 © 284, 286 4:18 ¢ ivfn, vi

2:4,16¢5 17:29 ¢ 286 20:27 © 131fn
Exodus isa * ee Jeremiah
3:14-15 e 199 20-1 « 171 7:2 @ 132
ers w 21:1 © 172 Isaiah
; 22:1 e 181 1:10; 11. €132
Leviticus - -299:6-8 e 131fn 1:18 © 130
11:8 ¢ 38 94:1 e 131fn 6:3 ¢ 131fn
24:15-16 © 142 25:6-7 e 278 7:14 © 186
Ricmnbers 26:1 © 172 21-24 e 144
32:12 © 38fn 2724.07 472 23 ¢ 149
27:9-10 @ 181 40:3 ¢ 37fn, 69fn, 241
peu ony 28:1 © 287 40:10 © 131fn
1:36 © 38fn 28:6-7 © 282-83 40:13 e 190, 254
4:34 e 131fn 28:9 © 65-66 45 e 150
5:11- © 132,442 29:13 e 287 45:1 ¢132
18:15 e 13 30:6 ¢ 287 45:21-24 e 144
26:17 © 17 32:2, 10 © 131fn 45:22-24 @ 194
32:9 © 131fn 34:11, 15, 16,17 45:23 ¢ 149
oshua 131fn 46:11 © 38

14:8, 9,14 © 38fn ae : ae 65:13-14 @ vi

2 Samuel 83, © 286 Ezekiel

7-12 © 166 89 © 166 33:11 ¢ 130
Psalm 89:8 @ 15 Daniel
1:1 ¢ 170 104:35 ¢ 15 Aner)
1:2 e 289fn 109:8 e 181 Joel
1:6 © 290fn 113:1-5 ¢ 178 2:28-32 © 166
2 © 174, 292-93 118:6 © 202 Posiah
2:2 © 175, 283, 288, 118:18-19, 20° 131fn ec atie
289fn, 290fn, 295-96 118:24 ¢ 132 ue
7:1, 3, 6,8 © 169 132 © 166 Malachi
11:1 ¢ 170 143:10 ¢ 38 2:13-17 © 279-281
12:3,5 ¢ 131 146:1 © 289fn 3-1 e 201
15:1 e 170 150:1,6 ¢ 15 4:6 © vii
16:8-11 © 166 Proveris Matthew
17:8 © 287 3:12 © 131fn 1-25:6 © 206
330 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

1:1-3:6 @ 211 Luke 21:10-13 .© 183

1:20 © 66, 68, 128 1:16-*: Wi 737 22:1 704/27
1:20-24 © 65, 67-68, 1:16-34 © 73, 75 22:20 © 182
186 1:38 ¢ 187 25:26 © 184
1:22 ¢ 64 1:6,.9, 11715, 16,177 Romans
1:22-23a © 186 25, 28 © 246, 250-251 2:10-11, 14-17 © 197
1:22-24 ¢ 31-32, 64, 1:76-77 © 202 4:24-5:2 ¢ 194fn
1:24 e 31, 44, 68 2:10-11 ¢ 202 6 ¢ 38
2:13 © 64, 67-68 3:1 ¢3 8:1 ¢ 197
2:15 © 66, 67-68 3:4 @ 241 8:2, 10-11, 14-17
2:19 © 64, 67-68 4:8 ¢ 143fn, 184 197-198
3:3 ¢ 37fn, 67-68, 69fn, 4:12 e 184 10:16 ¢ 305
241 5:17 ¢ 186, 192 10:16-17 ¢ 241
3:9, 15 ¢ 302 6:20 ¢ 133fn 11:3 ¢ 305
4:4 © 66, 67-68 9:61 © 38fn 11:3-9 ¢ 187, 192
4:7¢ 67-68 10:21 ¢ 185 11:33 ¢ 199
4:7 © 68 10:27 ¢ 40 11:34 ¢ 128
4:10 ¢ 67, 128 13:19 ¢ 133fn 11:34-35 ¢ 190
5:3 e 133fn 13:25 © 36fn 13:9 © 189
5:20-22, 25-28 ¢ 302 13:35 ¢ 40fn 13:14 ¢ 189
5:33 ¢ 65, 67, 226 16:13 © 227 14:1 ¢ 144
6:24 ¢ 226 18:41 ¢ 226 14:3-9 @ 187-189, 192
7:21 © 225 20:42 ¢ 305 14:4 ¢ 72fn
12:28 ¢ 133fn 24:27 © 166 14:6 ¢ 38
12:8 © 226
John 14:8 e 111
13:10-11, 13 ¢ 181
1:1-6:11 e 109 14:10 e 241
13:31 ¢ 133fn
1:23 © 40fn 14:11 ¢ 144, 149, 195,
19:24 ¢ 133fn
6:35b-14:15 ¢ 109 241
21:12 © 64, 66
6:45 ¢ 40fn 1573229224)
21:31 ¢ 133fn
6:50-8:52 © 206
21:40 ¢ 183 1 Corinthians
12:13, 38 ¢ 40fn
21:42 © 305 2:16 @ 241
14:21 ¢ 198fn, 199
21:43 © 133fn 5:5 @ 241
15:20 © 227
225351, O24e OF 7:17 © 38, 57fn, 259
18:31-33, 37-38 ¢
22:34-40 ¢ 199fn 8:6 © 185fn
25fn, 108
22:44 ¢ 305 8:5 ¢ 226
23:39 ¢ 305 Acts 10:9 e 112fn, 241
2524-05227 1:8 © 183 11:23-26 ¢ 197
25:26 ¢ 184 1:20-21 ¢ 181 11:26 © 305
26:7-8, 10, 14-15, 22- 2:25 @ 129 12:4 ¢ 86
23 ¢ 302 2:34 ¢ 305 15:8-9 © 86
26:29 ¢ 133fn 2:36 @ 185 16:7 ¢ 38
26:31 ¢ 302 3:22 ¢ 13 16:22 © 227
26:32-33 ¢ 302 6:7 @ 241
2 Corinthians
27:9-10 © 66, 182 8:1 © 167
4:13-12:6 ¢ 206
27:46 ¢ 181 8:25 © 241
5:20-21 ¢ 194fn
28:2 © 64 9:15-16 © 183
5:21 ¢ 198
28:9 © 64, 66 10:28-29 © 167
28:20 © 198 12:24, 2240-142 Galatians
12:24 © 241 3:2-15 © 256-257
Mark
13:5, 44, 48 @ 241 3367074287 200
1:3 © 241 13:47 ¢ 167 6116.3
5:19 © 37 14:25 e 241
7:28 © 184 16:6, 32 © 241
Ephesians
12:11,29, 36 © 305 16:19, 30 © 226
4:5 ¢ 185
15:34 © 182 18:26, 28 © 166
6:5 ¢ 184
16 © 87 20:14-15, 17-24 ¢ 183 Philippians |
2:10-11 © 144fn, 150,
 Scripture Index 331

p95 219.0 209 4:11 ¢ 47-49, 96, 150,

3:10 ¢ 183 Sek ee 209 196
4:3 e 129 3:14-15 © 241 7:14 ¢ 147fn
Colossians 2 Peter
9:10-17:2 © 124, 207
1:10 e 111 1:21 © 84
11:4 © 147fn
Pano. 82111 TL17,0;- vil, 10,516,
1 John 146-148, 243
4:16 ¢ 88 5:7 © 87 15:3 ¢ 148
2 Timoth
Jude 16:7 © 148, 243
3:16, 17 © 21, 143 4 e 185fn 17:14 © 147fn, 226-
3:14-17 © 166 5 e 241 227,
Hebrews 9,14 ¢ 305 18:8 ¢ 49fn, 148, 243
1:10 ¢ 305 19:6 © 49fn, 148, 243
Revelation PaES Pa|
9:14 -13:25 ¢ 206 1:1 ¢ 22
10:8-20 © 107 21:6 ©-265
1:4 e 125 21:22 © 148, 243
13:6, 20 © 201 1:8 ¢ 4, 146-148, 185, 22:5-6 © 148, 243
James 196, 243, 263-268
1:12 ¢ 18 1:11 ¢ 148
1 Peter
1:17-18 © 147
1:25 ¢ 21
4:8, 11 © 148, 243
 SUBJECT INDEX

CGS = Christian Greek Scriptures; HS = Hebrew Scriptures; NWT = New World

Translation; MS(S) = manuscript(s); fn = footnote

Africa ¢ 98, 134 Clement ¢ 129

Against Heresies ® 127-128 Clement, Epistle of © 83fn, 86fn, 88,
Aland, Kurt and Barbara ¢ 28, 212, 129-131
157fn codex @ 95, 98, 252
Aleph (8) MS (see Greek MSS) consonants @ 7
Alexander the Great ¢ 95, 239fn Constantine ¢ 177, 296fn
Alexandria ¢ 9, 276 cross reference ® 35, 37-38, 44, 265
Alexandrine MS (see Greek MSS) David, king ¢ 9, 85
Alpha and Omega ® 147 Dead Sea Scrolls (caves) ¢ ii, 4, 17, 98,
Ambrosian Library, Milan @ 282 105-106, 176, 237, 239
Ambrosiana MS (see Greek MSS) Didache (Teaching of the Twelve
American Bible poy. e 209-210 Apostles) © 132
Ancient Hebrew (see Hebrew Divine name @ 200
characters: Palaeo-Hebrew) abbreviations of @ 238
antiquities dealer ¢ 105, 302 Adonaiy) © 7, 64, 66, 162, 289-291
Apocrypha ° 20fn, 83fn circumlocution of ¢ 7, 64, 133fn,
Aquila © 10, 164-165, 176, 277, 283, 152
287, 291fn, 293, 295 first use in Bible e 5
Aramaic ® 4, 10, 60fn, 73 Greek imitative form (see PIPI)
Arian controversy ® 103fn, 136 He Causes to Become @ 171-172
Augustine ¢ 126 He Is ¢ 171, 200 :
Babylonian exile (see Israel) Iam e 200
Barnabas, Epistle of ¢ 131-132 I shall prove to be 200
Beatty, Chester @ 106, 134, 207, 252 IAO (IAQ) ¢ 170, 175-176, 178,
Beza, Theodore ¢ 79-80fn ya Ji
Biblica Hebraica e 158-159 in Shem-Tob's Matthew ¢ 63-68
blasphemy ® 142-145, 196 Jehovah © 172, 178
Bodmer collections ® 106, 207 LORD « 7fn, 16, 158-160, 162-
Bodmer, M. Martin « 109 163)" 172,01 752079
British and Foreign Bible Society ¢ 210 occurrences in NWT e 50-51
Caesarea ® 276 orthographic simulation of ©
library at © 60, 277, 279 121fn |
Cairo @ ii, 11, 22fn, 165 prone of ¢ 6fn, 15-16,19, — |
Carthage, Council of * 86 174 yl
Carr, F.W. e 19, 158fn, 159fn, 162 Jah (Yah) @ 15
Christendom e 193 Jehovah ° 7, 15-16, 172
Christian Greek Scriptures Yaho ¢ 171
Greek text reliable « 139 Yahweh e 15, 171-172, 178
in Hebrew language e 133 YHVH « 6-8, 15
Tetragrammaton removed from ¢ YHWH « 4, 6, 158-159, 170,
13, 40, 119-135, 165 178
translation of ¢ iv YHWH « 7,8, 15
writing dates of ¢ i, 11,25 Yehowah e 19 i
church fathers ¢ 120, 125, 137fn, 152, The Name (QUi1) © 68-69, 133, 152 |
264, 268, 279 use today of © 18, 202fn |
Ante-Nicene ¢ 126
writings of ¢ 125, 127, 132, 194 MT” (general references too
church, early ¢ 103, 122, 124, 125-126, numerous to cite)
129, 131, 134, 143, 164, 166, 177, 300 du Tillet * 62, 67, 208
circumlocution (see Divine name) Ebionites e 242
 Subject Index 333

Egypt ¢ 134, 302 recto ® 253, 303

embeddment ¢ 121, 167, 175, 179, uncials © 96, 206-207, 254, 269
239fn, 292, 296 Vatican MS. 1209 ¢ 34fn, 41, 46,
Emerton, J.A. ¢ 177fn 99fn, 100, 206
Snes Diaglott © i-ii, 78, 211-212, verso ® 253, 303
245 ih dates of © 33fn, 36, 44, 47,
Ephesus ¢ 25fn
Erasmus ¢ 75fn, 79-80fn, 81, 87fn, ee materials for ¢ 95, 97, 100,
90fn, 102fn
Essenes @ 176 Greenlee, Harold ¢ 23fn
Eusebius ¢ 61, 70, 126, 277, 27 Gutenberg, Johannes ¢ 22
facsimile ¢ 252 Hebrew characters ¢ 4, 167-168, 276-
field service @ 193, 197 277, 283, 290, 295
Field, Fridericus @ 279, 281 He (7) © 4
First and Last, the ¢ 147 palaeo-Hebrew ¢ 3-4, 165, 180,
Fouad MS e 11fn 292, 295
Geniza @ 22fn square @ 4, 168, 175, 286, 293
Gentiles * 16, 167, 179, 202, 293 vowel points ° 6-7, 74, 200, 258,
popmphy e 120, 134-135 D17
esenius, William e 5
Gnostic Gospels ¢ 84, 86
Waw ()) ° 4,8
Gnostics ® 136 Yohdh (’) ¢ 4
God ® 158 Hebrew culture @ 57
attributes of e 189 Hebrew language ® 57, 61
son of ¢ 288fn Hebrew Scriptures
God's name (see Divine name) quotation of in CGS ® 34, 35, 38-
Greek language ® 95, 226 39, 50
cognate forme 75fn translated for Jews ¢ 164, 296
Koine @ 95, 98 translation into Greek (see
noun construction of ¢ 226 Septuagint)
Greek MSS « 14, 119, 137-138, 141, without quotation of in CGS e 35,
151-152, 191, 194, 206, 252, 263, 269, 38-39, 5
274, 297, 303 Hebrew versions ® 30, 44-45, 58fn, 73-
Aleph (8) MS « iii, 34fn, 41, 45, 78, 82-83, 90, 133, 189fn, 206, 208,
46, 99fn, 100, 101fn, 106, 112fn, 213, 245, 262, 264
206, 265 j2 as a recension ® 59, 62-63
Alexandrine MS ® 142, 206, 266 j18 « 72-78
Ambrosiana MS 174, 281fn, 283, J29 © 39, 194, 205, 213, 258-259,
293 300fn
as copies of original ¢ 122 publication dates of ¢ 45
asin of e 96-98 eos Jehovah in CGS e 34,
discovery of ¢ 105-108 41,
early support of Lord @ 32, 40-41, heresy © 124, 164, 174-177, 242, 268
47 Herod, king ¢ 3, 64
extant ¢ 79, 99, 111, 121-123 Hexapla ¢ 10fn, 175, 276-296
identification symbols for ¢ 30, 45 destruction of © 277
minuscules ® 96, 267, 269 higher criticism ¢ 24, 108
P MSS e 25fn, 34fn, 40fn, 41, 110- Hort, F.J.A. (see Westcott and Hort)
112, 116-117, 124, 207, 252-253 Howard, George ® iv, 13, 57-71, 119,
papyri ° ii, iv, 27, 95, 97, 100, 105, 133, 194, 236-244
108-109, 110, 112, 124, 134fn, Huleatt, Charles ¢ 302
252, 269, 297, 299 Hutter, Elias © 30, 41, 45, 48, 209, 245
parchment (vellum) ¢ 95, 134fn identity of Jesus with Jehovah @ 144,
penmanship @ 97-98 146, 148-149, 187-190, 192, 196, 201,
ee ation of e 101-104, 134, 301
if illustrations © 182
publication of ¢ iv, 109-110 indistinct meaning ¢ 181-184
 334 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

inspired Christian writers ¢ 40, 85, Mercati, Giovanni ® ii, 173, 282, 284
1é4, 299 Metzger, Bruce © 23fn, 25fn, 274fn,
Irenaeus @ 61, 70, 126-127 281fn, 297fn
Israel Migne, J.P. © 288, 294
exile of ¢ 9, 85 minuscule (see Greek MSS)
name of Jew ¢ 9 missionary translations * 304-305
preserved Scripture ¢ 27 Moabite Stone ¢ 4
theocracy within ¢ 9 Modalism ¢ 192fn
J references (see Hebrew versions) Moulton and Geden e 34, 225, 258
Jerome ¢ 12fn, 46, 60-61, 70, 123, 126, Minster, Sebastian © 59, 67, 208
133,165; 167, 211-242. Nebuchadnezzar, king © 10
Jerusalem ¢ 167 New American Standard Bible ¢ 158
Jewish Christians ¢ 176 New World Bible Translation
Jewish heritage ¢ 177 Committee ® i, v, 41, 57fn, 59, 69-70,
Jewish Theological Seminary * 59, 208 72fn, 73, 83, 89, 91, 105, 109, 116,
John Rylands Library ¢ 108 119, 140, 152fn, 160, 162-163, 173,
John, Gospel of ¢ 124, 207 179, 275, 297, 301
Josephus e 60-61fn, 126fn New World Translation (general
Justin Martyr ¢ 126 references too numerous to cite)
Kenyon, Sir Frederic * 26-27 new light on since 1940's ¢ i, v-vi,
King James Version ¢ i, 73, 79-80fn, 82, 69-70, 108, 110, 116-117, 137,
87, 162, 245, 247, 249, 251, 267 152
Kingdom Interlinear Translation publication date of © 29, 70, 139,
. (general references too numerous to 181
cite) New York Public Library * 208-210
as being reliable ¢ 140 Nicaea, council of ¢ 125
footnotes within ¢ 29-31, 44-49 Nomina Sacra (Sacred Name) ¢ 297-
format of ¢ 31-32 301, 303
kingdom of God ¢ 133fn Old Testament ¢ 157, 160, 162-163
kingdom of heaven ¢ 133fn, 298fn Origen ¢ 10, 17, 23, 61, 70, 102fn, 103-
Knorr, Nathan H. ¢ v 104fn, 126-127, 175, 265, 267-268,
Agréos (KU ptos) (general references 276-296
too numerous to cite) Hexapla e ii, 10, 167, 174, 180,
as a title for Jesus ¢ 201 276-296
frequency of in CGS ¢ 36fn Origenis Opera Omnia ¢ 288
having meaning of i117” ¢ 201 orthography ¢ 3
Palestine ¢ 276
spelling of ¢ 32, 226 pan sest @ 172, 282, 283
lectionaries ¢ 100, 263, 269, 274
limit of inspiration (see Scripture,
amphilus ¢ 279
canon) papyrus (papyri) (see Greek MSS)
arent language © 169fn
London Jewish Society © 210 aul (Saul) © 85-86, 95, 122fn, 124,
Lord's Evening Meal ¢ 196-198 129fn, 131, 144, 150, 166-167, 179,
love for Jesus @ 198-199
183-184, 187, 189, 195, 198, 201-202,
Magdalen Papyrus e 302-303 207, 252
Marcion(ists) ¢ 83, 136
martyr © 182-184 Epistle to Laodicea ¢ 8
Philo ¢ 237
Mary, mother of Jesus © 187, 298fn
phonetic duplicate ¢ 169-171, 173, 176
Masada ® 106
Masoretes ® 7, 102fn PIPY (CILMI) -¢ 17, 121,123, 167, 170,
Matthew (general references too 174-175, 179-180, 280, 282, 287, 294-
frequent to cite) 29 5
Greek Gospel of ¢ ivfn, 57, 59, 62, Polycarp * 126
67-68, 70, 75, 78, 91, 133, 208 printing press © 22, 102fn
Hebrew Gospel of ¢ ivfn, 12, 57- probability (see random distribution)
68, 70, 75, 119, 123, 126, 133 rophesy ¢ 180
Shem-Tob recension of ¢ 58 uinquarboreus ¢ 59, 67
Memorial service ¢ 196 Quinta © 283
 Subject Index 335

Qumran (see Dead Sea Scrolls) St. Catharine monastery ° iiifn, 101-
random distribution ¢ 101-102 102fn, 106
recension ® 75, 78 Stafford, Greg © 19
recto (see Greek MSS) Stephanus, Robert ¢ 79-80fn
research, Bible ¢ 53 Stoops Mfg. Co. © 19
resurrection @ 194fn surrogate ¢ 13, 96fn, 179, 236, 238-
Roberts, Colin ¢ 302 240, 254, 256, 287, 297, 299, 301,
Roman empire ¢ 9, 95, 101, 125, 134,
176, 239fn
S07tw ortaw
ame (Jehovah) © 175
invasion of Palestine © 98, 176, LW KW © 287
296 KS (Kgréos) © 13, 174-176, 287
Russell, Charles Taze ¢ ivfn
Ou (Theos) © 287
Rutherford, W.G. ¢ 211
Rylands, John ¢ 17, 25, 303 11 (Name) © 64, 67
Saracens (Arabs) ¢ 277 symbol ¢ 169, 288
scribal error @ 12, 22-23, 25, 119, 124, Symmachus ° 10, 70, 277, 283, 291,
129, 132, 143, 152 93, 295
scribe ¢ 242, 299 panogue ° 176
Scripture acitus © 126 ©
canon of ¢ 83-84, 86-89 target language e 171, 174
guidance from ¢ 140 rece corsbio ¢ 176
inerrant (infallible) ¢ i, 20, 121, Tetragrammaton (general references
137, 187, 191 too numerous to cite)
inspired (inspiration) ¢ i, 20-22, definition of ¢ 3,5, 172
24fn, 26, 91, 121, 137, 140-141, found in Septuagint ¢ ii, 46fn
145-151-152, 157,160,181, importance of ¢ 194
187fn, 189-190, 196, 299 in Hebrew characters ® 166, 169
knowledge of ¢ i in HS ¢ 8
non-canonical writings ¢ 120, in Watch Tower teaching ¢ 12-13
125,2129--135 removal of © 13, 164-166, 196,
reservation of @ 27 283, 295
scroll ¢ 95,98, 105 textual apparatus ¢ 263-264
Septuagint @ ii, 9-12, 16-17, 57, 119, textual criticism ¢ 23, 24-26, 46, 59,
121, 126, 142fn, 162, 170, 176-178, 88fn, 99fn, 103fn, 109, 137fn, 157-
158, 160, 194, 277
201-202, 237-239, 242-243, 265, 276, definition of ¢ 24
279, 291, 293, 295-298 Textus Receptus ¢ 79-80fn, 87, 90fn,
as a Greek translation ¢ 9, 11 267
Bible of early church ¢ 12, 164 Theodotion ¢ 10, 164, 168, 176, 277,
distinct from GCS e 12 283, 287, 291, 293, 295
distinct from Hebrew language HS Theos (Qe6s) (references too numerous
e10
to cite)
distinct from other Greek Thiede, Carsten @ 302-303
translations ¢ 10 Tischendorf, Fredrich von ¢ 101-102fn,
history of ¢ 9 106
Jewish use of ¢ 11, 16, 169, 176- Titus ¢ 176
177 transcription e 169-170, 178, 296
Tetragrammaton removed from ¢ translation @ 72, 178, 296 —
13, 164-166, 283, 295 dynamic ¢ 166
Tetragrammaton within ¢ 9-10, word-for-word ® 166fn, 171
16-18, 46 transliteration © 168-170, 178, 276-
Shem-Tob (see Matthew) 2h7
Shepherd of Hermas ¢ 83fn Trinitarian Bible Society * 73, 210
_ Sinai peninsula ¢ 134
_ Smith, Joseph ¢ 84, 86 Tyndale, William ¢ 162
Solomon, king ¢ 9, 85 uncials (see Greek MSS)
| Spain, Barcelona ¢ 303 United Bible Societies ¢ 112, 211, 213,
_ Special pioneering ¢ 197 246, 263, 267, 269, 299
336 The Tetragrammaton and the Christian Greek Scriptures

Textual Commentary ¢ 48fn, 267 Vespasian * 176

UBS apparatus © 112 visual duplicate ¢ 170
variant @ be.122-123, 240, 264, 266- vowel points (see Hebrew characters)
268, 287 Westcott and Hort ° iii, 26, 31, 66,
Vatican MS 1209 (see Greek MSS) 75fn, 79-80, 87, 99-100, 109, 122,
vellum ¢ 95, 97, 100, 105 138fn, 140, 151, 157, 160, 213, 225,
versions ®@ 211, 263, 269 245, 254, 264, 299
as translations ® 75, 82 Westcott, B.F. (see Westcott and Hort)
definition of ¢ 72, 75 Wilson, Benjamin ¢ i, 212
in textual criticism ¢ 46 witness (martuses) © 182-184
Latin. ¢ 30, 46, 100, 211 Writing Department, Watch Tower
Syriac * 30, 46, 100, 212 Society ¢ 288
ulgate * 46-47, 75, 78, 211-212 Yankee Stadium (1950) ¢ v
verso (see Greek MSS) Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses © 197
The author

There is merit in following the practice of the Watch Tower Society

wherein the author's name is not listed in a book. However, since this
book has been independently published, the author needs to be
identified for the sake of credibility. We trust this brief introduction
will be sufficient for that purpose without bringing offense.

Lynn Lundquist is a general journeyman electrician currently working as

a manufacturing plant supervising electrician/millwright. He is a
certified welder. He was the General Manager of a small plastic
injection molding plant for three years. In addition to his training in
the trades, he holds both a BA in Anthropology and a Master's degree
in Education. Among his other writings in print is an electrical textbook
distributed by a nationally recognized professional book publisher.

In final preparation for writing this book, the author completed a year
of evening classes in New Testament Greek. The author has never been
one of Jehovah's Witnesses, though he attends weekly mecha g: ata
~ local Kingdom Hall.

This book was written solely for the purpose of sharing the results of a ©
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Scriptures. The author receives no royalties from this book.

This book was produced with personal funds. Word Resources, Inc. is
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or printing of this book.

337
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