The Textual Question?

Below is a list of versions that call Jesus "God." A (y) means the version in question does directly ascribe deity to Jesus: a cross (n) means it does not. Most of the abbreviations listed are well known.



John 1:1

John 1:18

Acts 20:28

Rom. 9:5

2 Thess. 1:12

Titus 2:13

Heb.1:8

2 Peter 1:1

KJV

y

n

y

n

n

n

y

n

RV

y

n

y

y

n

y

y

y

RVmg


y

n

n


n


n

RVS

y

n

n

n

n

y

n

n

NEB

y

n

n

n

n

y

y

y

RVSmg


y

y

y


y

y

y

NEBmg


y

n

y


n

n


Moffatt

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

y

TEV

y

n

n

n

n

y

y

y

TEVmg


n

n

y





NIV

y

y

y

y

n?

y

y

y

NIVmg


y

y

n

y




MLB

y

n

y

y

n

y

y

y

NWT

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

NAS

y

y

y

n

n




GS

n

n

y

n

n

y

n

y

(GoodSpeed)

A number of observations may draw attention to the most important results of our survey. (1) Only the NWT (JWs') omits all specific references to the deity of Jesus; and that of course is predictable. (2) Even James Moffatt and Edgar Goodspeed whose liberal proclivities are well known, manage one and three references respectively. (3) The KJV accepts only four of the eight as references to the deity of Christ. (4) The highest number of such references belong to the evangelicals (The NIV) based on an eclectic text.

Of course the doctrine of Jesus' deity does not depend exclusively on the passages that explicitly call Him "God," but the point I am making is that the doctrine of Jesus' deity is affirmed by all the above translations with the exception of the Jehovah's Witness (NWT).