Benjamin Wison and the Emphatic Diaglott

The Emphatic Diaglott In 1888, Zion's Watch Tower carried in the July issue (Reprint page 1051) an offer to all its readers to receive a copy of the Emphatic Diaglott at a subsidized price of $1.50 which included a year's subscription (or renewal) to the Tower, and postage of sixteen cents. The brother who made this possible, acquired in 1902 the copyright and plates and presented them to the Society as a gift. An early copy at hand, which was presented in 1903 to Br. Silas Arnold of Dayton, Ohio by Br. Russell, includes an editor's page. As this has not been included in later editions, the text of this item may be of interest to our readers and is reprinted here. "A Friendly Criticism" This work we regard as a very valuable help to all Bible students, whether conversant with the Greek language or not. We esteem it (as a whole) the most valuable translation of the New Testament extant. We call special attention to the 'word for word' translation, found immediately under the Greek text, in the left hand column. It will be found valuable, especially for a critical examination of any particular text. A little study will enable you to appreciate it. Like all things made and done by imperfect mortals, we think this valuable work not without its faults. It would seem to us that the author must have held the view that Jesus had no prehuman existence, and that there is no personal devil; i.e., that when the word devil' is used evil principle is meant; also that Jesus is still a man and flesh, in glory. In commending this work to you as a whole so highly as we have done, we deem it but a duty to draw your attention to a very slight bias which we think pervades the work in the direction named. As some pointed illustrations of what we have remarked, we suggest an examination and comparison between the right and left columns of the work, in the following scriptures, viz: John 1:10, Rev. 13:8; Jude 9; Heb. 10:20. Editor of Zion's Watch Tower. WILSON OF THE DIAGLOTT. By Pilgrim J A Bohnet (St. Paul Enterprise, April 4, 1916) Doubtless many Enterprise readers will be interested to know something religiously and personally of the author of the Emphatic Diaglott from one who not only had his personal acquaintance but who several times visited him at his home in Sacramento California and spent hours with him in religious discussion This was in the year 1892 and at the suggestion of Brother C. T. Russell who furnished his address Mr. Wilson died some years later. I met Mr. Wilson by appointment the first time and was not prepared to accept the decrepit old gentleman who met me at the door as no less a personage than the distinguished author of the incomparable Emphatic Diaglott yet when he spoke I realized myself as in the presence of a' master mind---a scholar Bent with age and considerably below average height drawn featured and slow geared this was Wilson After some pleasant exchange of insignificant remarks on current topics we naturally drifted into religious themes Having several times heard, him referred to as of Christadelphian faith I asked him point blank Are you a Christadelphian? His answer was No I am a member of no organized denomination ' What then would you call yourself religiously? I asked He hesitated a moment and then said half reflectively Well you might call me a Resurrectionist As this was a new one on me I did not press the point further but switched over to the Diaglott We did not proceed far on that subject before Wilson spoke of the Russell criticism pasted in the inside front cover of all Diaglotts handled by the Watch Tower Society declaring it a very difficult matter to accurately translate languages owing to the lack of exactly corresponding words and that the right sense in some in stances lies rather between his interpretations and the friendly criticism of Mr. Russell Taking up the Diaglott I referred to the gospel of St John 3:1-4, and requested his understanding of the term Logos (the Word) He said: The Logos is the promise of God and not a personage I called his attention to the marginal interpretation was God and to the inter linear a God and asked a defining of leis understanding He declared it makes no real difference in the Greek or to a Greek scholar- the sense is identical and may be used interchangeably he said To my re tort then if there really is no difference in the two expressions why did you not use the original as set forth in the interlinear instead of using the other? he offered no satisfactory explanation Then said I if the Logos was merely the prom site of God how could we harmonize verses 3 and 4 showing that in the Logos was life and the life was the light of men? And again this light shone in the darkness (verse 5) which was true of Jesus but could not be true of a mere promise To this he made no intelligent reply though I pressed the point persistently I there detected his bias he would not squarely meet the issue neither would he admit the ransom for all Some days later Bro F. M. Campbell and I called on him together and wrestled with him on the subject of the ransom Adroitly Bro J. Campbell led Mr. Wilson step by step with Scripture following Scripture from dead in Adam to alive in Christ Wilson admitting and apparently accepting every point of the argument in the procedure until he must have realized himself as being led into an acknowledgment of the ransom when he declined to go further into the matter despite all at tempted persuasion and thus our Scripture examination together was necessarily terminated An ear to hear was evidently lacking -- 'Not many wise not many learned but the meek will the Lord guide in judgment and teach them His ways' I might add that there has been a report circulated charging Mr. Wilson as saying he would never have written the Diaglott could be have known beforehand that Mr. Russell would secure its control or use it so extensively but Mr. Wilson de need ever having made such a statement He expressed himself as having been greatly blessed in its preparation It did not net him much financially he told me. Benjamin Wilson and the Emphatic Diaglott By LEILA E. WHITEHEAD, Oregon, Illinois (THE HERALD OF CHRIST's KINGDOM - March, 1961) (THE HERALD OF CHRIST's KINGDOM - June, 1952) On two different occasions, I have been asked where Benjamin Wilson received the education that enabled him to write the Emphatic Diaglott. I will tell it to you as it was told to me. My father's people, the Whiteheads, and my mother's people, the Wilson's lived in the same neighborhood in Halifax, England. My father's oldest sister, Aunt Grace, married Uncle John Wilson. John and Benjamin were the first of the Wilson family to come to the United States; they settled in- Geneva, Illinois. Another sister of my father, who came much later, lived with us for several years. It was from her and from my Grandfather Wilson that I learned these facts. My maternal Great-grandfather Wilson was a well-educated man and scholar. He was poor and, could not afford to send his sons to private schools-public schools being unknown. His own education was far superior to that of many of the instructors in private schools. So, he formed a school in his own home for his sons, Daniel, John, Joseph, James (my grandfather), and Benjamin, and for any of the neighborhood children who - cared to come. This school met every evening because Great-grandfather worked in the daytime, and the boys were apprenticed to, some trade. I imagine this school was rather weary work for the little fellows sometimes. As the boys grew older, the Bible became a part . of their study-Great grandfather being a Bible student and a Baptist. It was not long before they studied themselves out' of the Baptist Church into the Christian Church, on the subject of baptism for the remission of sins. Then the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and what it meant led to an understanding of the mortal nature of man and the need for a resurrection. Christ's return and the establishment of the Kingdom on earth turned them back to the Abrahamic promises. Great-grandmother Wilson was a remarkable woman, a counselor and advisor to the neighborhood, and an able helpmate to her husband. So the boys were trained students, and their student habits remained with them through life; and they, in turn, passed the same on to their children. Sister Alena Ellis of Waterloo, Iowa, has in her possession an article written by William H. Wilson, Joseph Wilson's son. As a lad, in his teens, he was apprenticed to Benjamin at the time that' the Diaglott was being written. He told of the difficulties of the publishing task, and it is a very interesting article. These folks from Halifax, Englandthe Wilson, Underwoods, Appleyards, Shaws, Boices, Buttons, Sutcliffs, Shepards, and others-formed two early churches in Illinois-one at Geneva, and one at Northfield. - The Restitution Herald. Early Pioneers for Truth The Emphatic Diaglott Translation Benjamin Wilson [Excerpts from "Our Gospel Pioneers" by W.

Load more