The Bible published by Jehovah’s Witnesses is full of references, which link a biblical verse to one or more other biblical verses, for the purpose of exegesis. For example, they connect the verse from John 1:1 In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, with Colossians 1:15 and Proverbs 8:22. Firstly, after the sentence sequence In the beginning was the Logos (in their translation: In the beginning was the Word), they make a reference to the Epistle to the Colossians by St. Paul 1:15. In the Greek original, the verse reads ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου, πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως.
The Apostle Paul speaks about the Lord Jesus Christ here. The Serbian translation is: Who is the icon of the invisible God, the firstborn before all creation. The Apostle Paul calls the Logos the icon of the invisible God and says that He is the firstborn before all creation. By saying this, the Apostle Paul separates the Logos from all creation, because he does not say that He was created before all creation, but that He is the firstborn before all creation. Of whom is he born? Of God the Father, he is His only begotten Son. Firstborn does not just mean that He was born before the creation of the world, but that His birth is before time as such, or rather that it belongs to eternity – the Firstborn is co-eternal with the One who begot Him.
Jehovah’s Witnesses distort the Greek noun πρωτότοκος (prototokos, the firstborn) and translate the verse as follows: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Through this falsification, Jehovah’s Witnesses give the apostolic words a heretical, Arian meaning – the Logos is the firstborn of all creation, that is He is the first-created. Let me remind you, this is precisely what the Arians taught – God first creates the Logos, and then, through Him, creates the world. However, πρωτότοκος does not just mean the first, in terms of numerical order, but rather the firstborn – which certainly does not mean the first-created. The very etymology of the noun πρωτότοκος shows this to be true. If we break it down, we get: πρῶτος (protos, the first) and τίκτω (tikto, to give birth). Jehovah’s Witnesses did not translate the noun πρωτότοκος as the first for no reason – they purposely left out the born part from the noun, so that, within the context of the quoted sentence, the Logos is tied to creation, in order to deny His eternal and divine nature – that is, His consubstantiality with the Father, who eternally begets Him. Creation can under no circumstances be said to be born of God, nor that it is the second-born, after the Logos. For what is born is of the same nature or essence with the One who begot it, while that which is created is of necessity different in nature or essence from its Creator.
The same meaning applies to the second reference, which Jehovah’s Witnesses place after the second part of the sentence in John 1:1 – and the Logos was with God (in their translation: and the Word was with God). Namely, they connect this part of the sentence with the verse 8:22 from Proverbs. The Greek text (Septuagint) reads: κύριος ἔκτισέν με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ.
The Serbian translation is: The Lord created me at the beginning of his ways, before his works of old.
The translation by Jehovah’s Witnesses reads: Jehovah created me, I am the beginning of his creative work, the earliest of his ancient works.
We notice the use of the word Jehovah. It does not appear in the Greek text (Septuagint), where the word κύριος (kirios, the Lord) is used. The noun Yahweh (and not Jehovah, as “the witnesses” wrongly use it) we find in the Hebrew original (it is unlikely that Jehovah’s Witnesses used it for their translation). This Old Testament name for God is nowhere to be found in the New Testament – where we only find the nouns God, the Lord and, of course the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. If we were to adhere strictly to the Hebrew original, we would find a slightly different verb, and the translation would read: The Lord (Yahweh) possessed me at the beginning of his way, older than his deeds of old. We find this translation of the Hebrew original in the work of our priest Dragan Milin, as well as in many other translations, including the Latin Vulgate, which reads – Dominus possedit me initium viarum suarum (the Lord possessed me at the beginning of his ways). Let us note that this is the translation of Blessed Jerome, from the 4th century, who certainly translated from the Hebrew original. The Hebrew text could easily counter the argument of the created nature of God’s Wisdom ( of the Son, the Logos), but Jehovah’s Witnesses borrowed only the name of God from it – which obviously served their purpose. However, there is no obstacle in interpreting the quoted verse in terms of the Greek version of the text either –the Lord created me at the beginning of his ways…
Namely, Jehovah’s Witnesses were not the first to make the connection between the passage from Proverbs and the Son of God, or rather, God’s Wisdom. This exegesis has its origin in the patristic era, and was particularly relevant in the Holy Fathers’ struggle against Arianism – who used to call upon the Proverbs 8:22 in the same way that Jehovah’s Witnesses are doing today. However, just a little further, in Proverbs 8:25, we read about God’s Wisdom: πρὸ τοῦ ὄρη ἑδρασθῆναι πρὸ δὲ πά ντων βουνῶν γεννᾷ με.
The Serbian translation is: Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought fourth.
In refuting the Arian exegesis, the Holy Fathers used a Christological key to interpret these two verses from Proverbs. Saint Gregory the Theologian links created me and brought me forth in the following way:
“Since we clearly find both terms – Created me and Brought me forth [in Proverbs 8:22 and 25], the key to the interpretation is quite straightforward. What is said with a reason, we attribute to humanity, and what is simple and without reason we attribute to divinity. Is not Created said with a reason? For, it says, He created me at the beginning of his ways for his works…
Brought me forth stands outside of reason; or you need to explain what preceded it. Indeed, what word would defy claiming that the Holy Wisdom is a creature because of the lower [earthly] birth, and that it is also [the Father’s] offspring because of that initial and completely ineffable [birth]?” (Oration 30:2)
So, created me refers to Christ’s human nature, the reason being the salvation of mankind – God becomes man, to carry out the act of salvation. Christ’s human nature certainly has its beginning in time, and it is rightly described as created, or rather, that the Son of God took on a created, human nature, in time, and in history. Brought me forth refers to his divine nature, to the eternal, divine existence of the Son of God, or rather of God’s Wisdom. Saint Gregory says that no reason precedes His birth – which means that he has no beginning, or rather no reason in time for which he was born. He, God’s Wisdom is eternally the Son of God the Father. However, Jehovah’s Witnesses did not take into account Proverbs 8:25, but have, according to their Arian cunning, only dissected the verse 8:25.
Beware that you are not deceived. (Luke 21:8)
Deacon Dr Aleksandar Milojkov
