Was Jesus a separate god?

Question

The New World Translation of John 1 seems to indicate that Jesus was a separate god from the Father.

1 In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.

2 This one was in [the] beginning with God.

3 All things came into existence through him, and apart from him not even one thing came into existence.

How does the concept of the trinity fit with this concept of Jesus being a separate God?

Answer 1

The verse in question is:

Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος.

That bold part is, somewhat literally, "God the word was".

The issue here is the lack of the indefinite article in Greek. They had no word for "a, an". Depending on context, it is acceptable and even necessary to insert those words into a translation. The question is whether or not it is appropriate here.

I think not, for lots of reasons. John and all the apostles were Jews, monotheists, and if they were teaching some new polytheism, wouldn't it have shown up in more places than an ambiguous Greek sentence?

edit in response to @Sotiris' comment:

Greek usually uses the definite article in front of proper nouns, which is probably what you're getting at. But in this case the lack of the article before θεὸς is easily explainable. A word-by-word translation would be "God was the word". Word order is flexible in Greek, and since both θεὸς and λόγος are in the nominative case, it would be impossible to determine which is the subject and which is the predicate nominative except for the placement of the article. ὁ λόγος clearly identifies λόγος as the subject, but ὁ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος would be ambiguous (God was the word, or the word was God?).

Answer 2

According to this article, the New World Translation translated this incorrectly. http://carm.org/religious-movements/jehovahs-witnesses/john-11-word-was-god

The New World translation is incorrect in its translation of this verse for several reasons. First of all, the Bible teaches a strict monotheism. To say that Jesus is "a god" is to suggest that there is another god besides YHWH, which is contrary to scripture (Isaiah 43:10; 44:6,8, etc.). Of course, the Jehovah's Witnesses will respond that Jesus is not the Almighty God, but a "lesser" kind of God.

I believe this was actually translated in this way to support their beliefs, rather than basing their beliefs on accurate translations.

Answer 3

The concept of "Trinity in Unity," where the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are a mysterious 3-in-1 composite being, is not Biblical and has no actual justification anywhere in scripture. Aside from the introduction to John, look at the baptism of Jesus, where Jesus is shown to be in the water, the Father in Heaven, and the Holy Ghost descending upon Jesus in the form of a dove, as three separate and distinct entities. See also the Crucifixion, where Jesus cries out in anguish at the Father "forsaking" him, leaving him to suffer alone.

The notion of the Trinity comes from Greek philosophy, which was greatly in vogue in the Roman empire during the early Christian period. The Holy Trinity as "Trinity in Unity" bears a much closer resemblance to some of Plato's notions about Deity than it does to anything in the Bible.

Answer 4

You're reading from the Jehovah Witnesses' version of the bible. The Witnesses preach that Jesus is a separate God.

Jesus IS GOD. There's a thousand verses that back this up, but the Witnesses deny Jesus of His deity. They actually try and teach that Jesus is a created angel, which the Bible states the exact opposite. Jesus IS GOD.

John 5:16-18 Therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

Colossians 1:16 For by him [Jesus] were all things created.

Colossians 2:9 For in him [Jesus] dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

1 Timothy 3:16 God was made manifest in the flesh.

Answer 5

A good way to think of the Trinity is three persons sharing one infinite nature. That is, the way in which God is one is not the same as the way in which he is three; not that he is somehow three of one thing and at the same time one of that same thing, but that he is three of one thing and one of a completely different thing.

As humans, we're used to being one person and having one nature unique from other persons so it's hard, but not impossible, for us to conceive of a single nature shared by three people.

A great treatise on the Trinity can be found in the first part of Frank Sheed's "Theology and Sanity".

Answer 6

This question does a good job at explaining part of your question, especially the answer with a lot of references: Biblical basis for the doctrine of the Trinity

Some verses shed some light on Christ as a/the God:

• Hebrews 1:2-4- Christ help make the world (universe in NIV), sat on right hand of God, and was made 'better than the angels' (KJV) (compare to Genesis 1)
• Isaiah 9:6- Generally accepted as a prophecy of Christ, it mentions calling Christ these names: "The Mighty God", "The Everlasting Father", among other holy names
• Acts 4:12- no salvation by any name other than Christ's (compare with Hosea 13:4, "no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me", KJV)
  • Either this suggests Christ and the God of the Old Testament were the same being OR
  • Christ has the same "name" (or status, title) as God the Father

There are plenty others, but these seem to me to be the most clear in support of a Jesus is God stance.

The Bible does not, however, seem to teach God and Christ as sharing the same physical body. Here is some basic evidence to refute that assumption:

• John 17:21- In the intercessory prayer, Jesus explains the meaning of "one-ness"
• Baptism of Jesus (voice of God heard)
• Vision of Stephen (Acts 7:55-56, as mentioned in the other question)

Answer 7

Joh 1:1

εν......A primary preposition denoting (fixed) position (in place, time or state)

αρχη....1) beginning, origin 2) the person or thing that commences

ην......the first person singular present indicative; to be, to exist

ο.......the definite article, “the”

λογος...a word, uttered by a living voice, embodies a conception or idea

........reason, the mental faculty of thinking, meditating, reasoning, calculating

και.....And, used simply joining single words and clauses

ο.......the definite article, “the”

Λογος....a word, uttered by a living voice, embodies a conception or idea

.........reason, the mental faculty of thinking, meditating, reasoning, calculating

ην.......the first person singular present indicative; to be, to exist

προς.....1) to the advantage of 2) at, near, by 3) to, towards, with, with regard to

Τον......the definite article, “the”

Θεον......God

και......and

Θεος......God

ην........the first person singular present indicative; to be, to exist

ο.........the definite article, “the”

λογος......a word, uttered by a living voice, embodies a conception or idea

...........reason, the mental faculty of thinking, meditating, reasoning, calculating

εν αρχη ην ο λογος και ο λογος ην προς

In beginning was the word and the word was to the advantage (with)

τον θεον και θεος ην ο λογος

the God and God was the word

It is not that hard look at the meaning and translate the words.