How to translate John 1:1 θεόν & θεὸς: The Trinity Yay or Nay?

 

 I came across this in considering the Greek of John 1.1 and other related text in Greek relating to the Deity of Christ. I believe he is a Professor of Linguistics. I ordered his book "Babylon Cypher" Concerning language and possibly Social Sciences.

Interestingly, the New World Translation is often targeted as being "wrong" but it is far from the only translation that renders it as such. The argument was not even about the NWT at all so it seems someone may simply have a bee in their bonnet.

Here is an interesting comment from Robert Price, who although is considered by most a rebel to New Testament theology, does shed some light on John 1.1 and other trinitarian concepts. Also,  other beliefs Jehovah's Witnesses hold. 

Interestingly, the New World Translation is often targeted as being "wrong" but it is far from the only translation that renders it as such. The argument was not even about the NWT at all so it seems someone may simply have a bee in their bonnet.

 Here are a few translations, I am sure you could find more.

 1)14th century: "and God was the word" – Wycliffe's Bible (translated from the 4th-century Latin Vulgate) 

2)1808: "and the Word was a god" – Thomas Belsham

 3)The New Testament, in an Improved Version, Upon the Basis of Archbishop Newcome’s New Translation: With a Corrected Text, London. 1822: "and the Word was a god" – The New Testament in Greek and English (A. Kneeland, 1822.) 

4):1829 "and the Word was a god" – The Monotessaron; or, The Gospel History According to the Four Evangelists (J. S. Thompson, 1829) 

5) 1863 "and the Word was a god" – A Literal Translation of the New Testament (Herman Heinfetter [Pseudonym of Frederick Parker], 1863) 

6)1864  "and a god was the Word" – The Emphatic Diaglott by Benjamin Wilson, New York and London (left hand column interlinear reading) 

7) 1867 "and the Son was of God" – The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible 1879: "and the Word was a god" – Das Evangelium nach Johannes (J. Becker, 1979) 

8)1885  "and the Word was a god" – Concise Commentary on The Holy Bible (R. Young, 1885) 

9) 1911 "and [a] God was the word" – The Coptic Version of the New Testament in the Southern Dialect, by George William Horner 

10)1924  "the Logos was divine" – The Bible: James Moffatt Translation, by James Moffatt. 1935:

11) "and the Word was divine" – The Bible: An American Translation, by John M. P. Smith and Edgar J. Goodspeed, Chicago. 

12) 1955 "so the Word was divine" – The Authentic New Testament, by Hugh J. Schonfield, Aberdeen. 

13)1956  "And the Word was as to His essence absolute deity" – The Wuest Expanded Translation 

14)1958  "and the Word was a god" – The New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Anointed (J. L. Tomanec, 1958); 

15)1975   "and a god (or, of a divine kind) was the Word" – Das Evangelium nach Johnnes, by Siegfried Schulz, Göttingen, Germany 

16)1975   "and the Word was a god" – Das Evangelium nach Johannes (S. Schulz, 1975); 

17)1978   "and godlike sort was the Logos" – Das Evangelium nach Johannes, by Johannes Schneider, Berlin 

18) 1985  “So the Word was divine” - The Original New Testament, by Hugh J. Schonfield. 

19) 2017 “and the Logos was god” - The New Testament: A Translation, by David Bentley Hart.