"Rufus" wrote in message
news:92171F1E-1B67-A35A-5521-2A0D999110C5@srcbs.org...
>
> "Sarah Kanary" wrote in message
> news:A945F305-7E62-E0D9-2792-5178D0A4E606@srcbs.org...
>> Rufus wrote:
>>> "Other translators" - that's a laugh. We know of whom you speak and
>>> such
>>> a
>>> reference holds zero credibility with Christians.
>>
>> Why? Translating it 'the Word was God' does not hold "zero"
>> credibility with the Christian Congragation of Jehovah's Witnesses.
>
> Sarah, I hate to tell you this, but the Christian Congregation of
> Jehovah's
> Witnesses holds zero credibility with Christians.

??? I just agreed with you that 'the Word was God' is also acceptable.
Why do you claim to 'hate' doing something that you obviously enjoy, since
you have troubled to say it twice? What does that teach from Scripture?
Shouldn't we all try to be a source of light instead of heat?

It actually can be translated either way. There is no scholar that
Christians dismiss as having "zero" credibility; that is a paranoid, bigoted
approach that does not come from Christian reasonableness. The English word
"god" does not define elohim/theos, it is the other way around.

Jn 1:1 is a unique verse, for nowhere else does 'theos' appear twice in the
same sentence, once with, and once without, the definite article.

And the Word was WITH the God. If I'm with you, am I you?

> John 20:28 - Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" - "ho kurios mou
> kai
> ho theos mou."

> There it is, Christ is called "ho theos." You will of course, attempt to
> claim that Thomas was just exclaiming to God the Father. Unfortunately,
> that would nullify the statement that he said it * TO* Christ. It would
> also make Thomas a blasphemer because he would have been taking the name
> of the Lord in vain. It would have been the ancient equivalent of
> someone
> today seeing something really interesting and going "Jesus Christ, that's
> amazing!".

Exclamations of praise do not constitute blasphemy. Especially since Thomas
WAS actually seeing the Risen Lord Jesus Christ, the only Mediator between
God and men. Something most definitely more than just "really interesting",
yes?

> So, which is it - is Christ "*The* God" or is Thomas a blasphemer?

Based on how elohim/theos is used in the rest of the Bible, as well as the
rest of John, the answer is: "none of the above."

Since Thomas had repeatedly seen Jesus pray (proseuchomai)to the same God
Thomas did (Jehovah, there could be no other), even calling Him 'the *only*
true God' it is