The Phoenix bird and the pagan of the NIV Wherefore by their fruits shall ye know them. Matthew 7:20 The following selection is an excerpt from Blind Guides by Gail Riplinger, as used on her website in a response to James White's critique of her book, New Age Bible Versions.  You can read the entire article here.   This article is on the NIV (and some other Bible's) translation of the Greek word monogenes.   The NIV translates it "one and only Son" while the KJV translates it "only begotton Son."   The NIV translators claim that monogenes means "one", "only" or "unique."   But anyone can see that that is the translation for half the word.   The English prefix "mono-" is derived from Greek and means "one" or "only."   They didn't include "genes" in their translation at all!   The English suffix "-gen" is also derived from the Greek "-genes," which means "born!"   Just look these up in a Webster's or any dictonary that gives the origin of the words.   "Mono" means "only" and "genes" means "born."   Monogenes therefore means "only born," thus making "only begotton" the correct translation and "one and only" an abominable lie!!   Now on to the article itself, and see the paganism used as sorry excuse for this perverted translation!! ______________________________________________________________________________________ "THE PALMERWORM DEVOURED THEM" (Amos 4:9) "There is a bird which is named the Phoenix...the only one...makes for itself a coffin of frankincense and myrrh...then dies. But as the flesh rots, a certain worm is engendered which is nurtured from the moisture of the dead creature and puts forth wings...It takes up that coffin where are the bones of its parent, and carrying them, it journeys...to the place called the City of the Sun." This depraved pagan parody of the death, burial, and resurrection of our precious Saviour is given by NIV editor Richard Longenecker to 'help' us understand WHY the NIV translates John 1:14 and 1:18 as "One and Only" instead of "only BEGOTTEN" (see The NIV: The Making of a Contemporary Translation, pp. 119-126). He points also to such occult literature as the magical papyri's "One", Plato's (Critias) "one," and the Orphic Hymn's (gnostic) "only one". He cites numerous other early Greek writers, like Parmenides, head of the Eleatic School. He brought pantheism to the West after his trips to India and initiation into the Greek mysteries. Do we look to a pantheist and their god 'the One' to alter our view of God? Longenecker chides the KJV's "begotten Son" because "it neglects the current [time of Christ] usage for the word." Current usage amongst PAGAN OCCULTISTS should not change how Christians use words! He and the NIV translators have broadened the "semantic range of meaning" (Longenecker p. 122) to include the broad way that leadeth to destruction. The translators of the King James Version were so highly educated that they not only knew of these Greek quotes, but knew who Parmenides was and what he taught. They wouldn't touch such pagan sources. Either the NIV translators are ignorant of the philosophies of those they cite, like Aeschylus, Plato and Parmenides, and the Orphic Hymms or they are sympathetic to such ideas. (The "begotten God" seen in John 1:18 in the NASB comes directly from lexical support from the occult tome The Trimorphic Proitenoia!) Home