Date: 07-27-92 (08:56)
From: DAVE CHRISTIE
To: CARLA RYGULA
Subj: Re: New World Translation

 CR>I have some information that I would like to share with you about the
 CR>NWT.
 CR>Did you know that the New World Translation is a literal
 CR>and consistent translation?  Take for example of the word
 CR>"soul." The NWT  consistently renders the Hebrew term nephesh and
 CR>the corresponding Greek word psykhe as "soul," and in its appendix
 CR>are listed many texts where these terms are found.  Other modern versions
 CR>may render the same original words not only as "soul" but also a
 CR>"creature," "being," "person," etc... A comparison of these Bibles
 CR>with the NWT will help sincere students to appreciate that the original-
 CR>language terms rendered "soul" refer to (1) persons, (2) animals and
 CR>(3) the life that they enjoy as such. But never do they convey the
 CR>idea that the soul is immortal.

Not correct.  Your limiting the Definitions and uses of the terms in the 
original languages.  But then again, the NWT was not translated by Greek 
Scholars, so it shouldn't even be called a translation.  Here is the 
Strong's reference for the Greek Word "PSYKHE" and the words that it can be
translated into.

 G5590 psuche, psoo-khay'; from 5594; breath, i.e. (by impl.) spirit,
      abstr. or  concr. (the animal sentient principle only; thus
      distinguished on the one hand from 4151, which is the rational and
      immortal soul; and on the other from 2222, which is mere vitality,
      even of plants; these terms thus exactly correspond respectively to
      the Hev. 5315, 7307 and 2416):- heart (+ -ily), life, mind, soul, +
      us, + you.

This can be translated into these words:

           doubt heart heartily life lives mind minds soul souls


Here is the reference for the Hebrew word "Nephesh"

 H5315 nephesh, neh'-fesh; from 5314; prop. a breathing creature, i.e.
      animal or (abstr.) vitality; used very widely in a lit.,
      accommodated or fig. sense (bodily or mental):-any, appetite,
      beast, body, breath, creature, X dead (-ly), desire, X [dis-]
      contented, X fish, ghost, + greedy, he, heart (-y), (hath, X
      jeopardy of) life (X in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally,
      one, own, person, pleasure, (her-, him-, my-, thy-) self, them
      (your) -selves, + slay, soul, + tablet, they, thing, (X she) will,
      X would have it.

This word can be translated into a lot of English renderings. This is a list
of them:

     angry any appetite beast body breath creature dead deadly desire
    discontented fish ghost greedy heart heart's hearts hearty herself
    himself life lives lust man men mind minds mortally myself one own
      person persons pleasure slay slayeth soul soul's souls tablets
              themselves thing thyself will would yourselves


Your also leaving out one other word used in the Hebrew for soul and that
word is Nediybah.   Here is the reference for it.

 H5082 nediybah, ned-ee-baw'; fem. of 5081; prop. nobility, i.e.
 reputation:-soul.


It is only translated into 2 words:

                              Free and Soul.


You have said that the NWT is a literal translation.  It should be called the
NWB for the New World Bible, simply because the seven men who supposedly
translated it, had no Greek Education.  Only 3 graduated from High School. 
Only one went to College and that was Fred Franz and he dropped out after one
semester in 1913 because Charles Russell said that Jesus was coming back in
1914 and so he didn't complete the College.  So, in light of this, the NWT is
not a translation, but simply a Bible that these men made.