Greek: ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος
Transliteration: En arche en ho logos, kai ho logos en pros ton theon, kai theos en ho logos
Literal Translation: In beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the God, and God was the Word
Translation: John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ESV
John 1:1 is a much attacked verse in Scripture by those that deny the deity of Christ. This can be well understood as this text clearly does proclaim the eternality and deity of the Word. The contended text is the phrase at the end of the verse “and the Word was God” (καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος, kia theos en ho logos). This is literally translated “and God was the Word”. The word “theos” in this phrase is anarthrous, meaning it has no definite article, because it is anarthrous the Jehovah’s Witnesses claim they are justified in translating this text as “and the Word was a god”.
