Nick

Overview

I was given Truth in Translation by a Jehovah’s Witness missionary during one of our recent discussions on the nature of Jesus. I went into this read with reservations; when a missionary hands you a book, you expect the author to simply reinforce that specific denomination's theology. While BeDuhn does favor the New World Translation (NWT) in several key areas, his scholarly investigation into how theological bias shapes the Bibles we read every day provided some genuinely interesting insights—even if the technical Greek was a bit of a slog at times.

The Work of Translation

As someone who values Formal Equivalence and generally avoids paraphrases, I appreciated the author’s focus on staying true to the original source texts. BeDuhn argues that most modern Bibles are "shackled" to the King James tradition, often reverting to traditional phrasing to please readers even when modern manuscript evidence (like the Codex Sinaiticus) suggests a different path.

He introduced a concept I found particularly striking: the"Protestant’s Burden." Because many denominations rely on sola scriptura, there is immense pressure for the translation itself to do the "heavy lifting" for their theology. He suggests that translations like the New American Bible (NAB) or the NWT are sometimes more literal precisely because they aren't trying to force the text to fit a traditional Trinitarian mold.

TRANSLATION QUICK-LOOK

KJV / NKJV

Strength: First modern committee work; historic beauty.

Weakness: Relies on the later Textus Receptus rather than early manuscript sources.

RSV / NRSV

Strength: Solid formal foundation; the basis for the ESV.

Weakness: "Revise to please" bias; newer editions move toward dynamic equivalence.

NASB

Strength: Highly popular in Protestant academic circles; formal.

Weakness: Anonymous translators; includes strange regressions to KJV-style phrasing.

NIV

Strength: Excellent readability and accessibility for general audiences.

Weakness: Admitted Evangelical bias; often prioritizes interpretation over literal text.

NWT

Strength: Very literal; translated directly from critical Greek texts.

Weakness: Anonymous translation team; shows sectarian bias in the New Testament.

Highlights and Critiques

The book earns its 7/10 because while the author brings up fascinating points, the density of the Greek analysis makes it hard to follow for someone without a background in the language.

The Good

• Deity of Christ Analysis: The chapters on high-stakes verses like John 1:1, John 8:58, and Philippians 2:5-11 are the meat of the book. BeDuhn makes strong arguments that mainstream translators often "insert" meanings to support orthodoxy.
• Gender Neutrality: I agreed with his critique of newer translations that force gender-inclusive language where it doesn't exist in the original culture, while also calling out the ESV and NWT for using "man" where the Greek actually says anthropos.
• The Divine Name: The appendix on the Tetragrammaton is excellent. He credits the NWT for its use of "Jehovah" in the Old Testament but correctly identifies inconsistencies in the New Testament—specifically where they avoid the name in verses like 2 Thessalonians 1:9 to avoid linking Jesus and Jehovah too closely.

The Bad

• Scholarly Minority: BeDuhn often finds himself at odds with the majority of the theological community. His dismissal of the Granville Sharp rule puts him in direct opposition to scholars like Daniel B. Wallace.
• Author Bias: Given that BeDuhn’s broader work focuses on Manichaeism, I wonder if his preference for "pluralistic" or non-traditional readings stems from a personal interest in early Christian rivals.

Final Thoughts

This book has reinforced my belief that using multiple translations is essential for serious study. It’s a utilitarian tool for spotting where the "seams" of translation are showing. More than anything, it has pushed me toward a new goal: learning Koine Greek. If you want the truth without the filter of anonymous committees, you have to go to the source.