Lacture presented at St Athanasius Theological college

In this lecture, Pope Shenouda III speaks about Jehovah’s Witnesses, explaining in detail why the Orthodox Church does not consider them Christians.
He begins with Saint Athanasius the Apostolic, the defender of the true faith, to show the importance of right doctrine in resisting heresies, and then moves to explain the doctrinal errors of Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Church’s position toward them.

1. Who are Jehovah’s Witnesses?
The Pope affirms they cannot be considered Christians, even though they claim belief in both the Old and New Testaments, because they reject the Holy Trinity and use a corrupted translation of the Bible called “The New World Translation.” They also deny the Church, calling it the work of the devil, and reject governments, claiming they are made by Satan.

2. Their doctrinal errors:

• They deny the divinity of Christ, saying He is a “lesser god” created by the Father.

• They believe Jesus is Archangel Michael, denying the true Incarnation.

• They reject the bodily Resurrection, claiming Christ’s body disappeared and He appeared in another form.

• They deny the Holy Spirit as a Divine Person, considering Him only a power.

• They interpret biblical verses in a literal and distorted way to support their ideas.

3. The Orthodox response:
Pope Shenouda explains from Scripture that Christ is the eternal Creator God, not created but “the Only-Begotten Son of the Father before all ages.”
He quotes from John’s Gospel, the Epistle to the Hebrews, and Revelation to confirm His full divinity.
He clarifies that although God sometimes appears as man or angel, He is not created — He reveals Himself to humanity.

4. Personal testimony:
The Pope recounts that he began discussions with Jehovah’s Witnesses in the 1950s when they tried to influence one of his theological students. Through this, he learned the necessity of deep biblical knowledge to answer them wisely.
He warns against arguing with them without theological preparation, as they memorize verses and misuse them deceitfully.

5. Conclusion:
Pope Shenouda emphasizes that Christian faith is founded on the revelation of the Holy Trinity and the Divine Incarnation, and any belief denying the divinity of Christ or the Holy Spirit lies outside true Christianity.
He ends by urging that heresies should be refuted in love and truth, preserving the Orthodox faith handed down by the holy fathers.

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