>My question is this, I guess: Is, "the Word was a god" a
>legitimate translation from a strictly grammatical point of view (all
>theology aside)?
Yes, if we look only at the grammar and disregard the context, this is a
perfectly legitimate translation. It is not the only possibility - I believe
that "the Word was divine" and "the Word was God" are also grammatically
possible.
Since more than one possibility is grammatically possible, we need to look
at other factors to determine which one is right. This was the subject of a
great deal of debate just recently - I would be glad to forward you the
digests that contain this discussion. Send me private email if you want them.
Jonathan
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Jonathan Robie jwrobie@mindspring.com http://www.mindspring.com/~jwrobie
POET Software, 3207 Gibson Road, Durham, N.C., 27703 http://www.poet.com
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