John 1:1 ‘…and the Word was God’ (NIV)

The New World Translation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses translates this verse idiosyncratically: “In the beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.”

‘Their explanation for this is that in the Greek there is no definite article before ‘God’, whereas if God (theos) were meant in the full and absolute sense it should be ho theos: ‘God’ with the definite article. But the grammatical rule is quite simply this: if the noun comes after the verb and functions as a predicate, it lacks the definite article. If John wanted to say that the Word was God, making the word ‘God’ a predicate of Jesus, then he did so in the best way open to him, by omitting the article.’ (McLeod, A Faith to Live By)

Keener comments on two aspects of the JW misinterpretation:

‘First, “God” does not always have a definite article in John’s Gospel; the God who sent John the Baptist does not have a definite article (Jn 1:6), but Jehovah’s Witnesses never say he was simply “a god.”  Second, grammatically “God” is a predicate nominative in “the Word was God,” and predicate nominatives usually omit definite articles.’

Modern versions of the Bible, based as they are on an eclectic text, ascribe the title ‘God’ to Jesus Christ at least as frequently as the AV Of eight texts which, prima facie, do this (Jn 1:1; 1:18; Acts 20:28; Rom 9:5; 2 Thess 1:12; Tit 2:13; Heb 1:8; 2 Pet 1:1) the AV, RSV and NEB accept 4 as referring to Jesus’ deity, the RV accept 6, and the NIV accepts 7, plus one in the margin.

It is instructive to reflect on the ways in which John’s Gospel represents Christ as being:-

• in the beginning, (Jn 8:58) “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
• with God; (Jn 10:30) “I and the Father are one.” (Jn 17:11) “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name-the name you gave me-so that they may be one as we are one.” (Jn 17:22) “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one”
• very God, (Jn 20:28) Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

When we think of the fierce tenacity with which the Jews upheld their doctrine of monotheism, we realise that is was no light matter for John to assert here a second personality within the Godhead. Not that he is giving up his monotheistic belief: but he cannot withhold from the Word the designation ‘God’. The Jehovah’s Witnesses, of course, propose the translation ‘and the Word was a god.’ But this is both bad grammar and bad theology.

‘Is it conceivable that John, schooled in the Jewish belief that there is one God, should suddenly spring on us the idea that in fact a whole collection of deities?’ (Donald Macleod, Shared Life, 19)