Verified answer

None of the three is incorrect; Jesus can correctly be referred to as "author", "prince", or "chief agent" of life. The term "chief agent" actually conveys useful information, and seems superior to the alternatives suggested.

The questioner may be interested in the Strong's article on the original Greek term:

[quote]

G747 ἀρχηγός archēgos ar-khay-gos'

From G746 and G71; a chief leader: - author, captain, prince.

[end quote]

Consider the Strong's article for the other root of the original term of interest (the prefix "arch", Strong's #G746, plainly means "chief"):

[quote]

G71 ἄγω agō ag'-o

A primary verb; properly to lead; by implication to bring, drive, (reflexively) go, (specifically) pass (time), or (figuratively) induce: - be, bring (forth), carry, (let) go, keep, lead away, be open.

[end quote]

Thus, literally speaking, the term "archegos" might be understood as "chief inducer" or "chief carrier", supporting NWT's use of the similar term "chief agent". The term is used four times in the Bible, and in every one of the four instances the context would seem to highlight concepts incompatible with trinitarianism.

1. Jehovah God resurrected Jesus.. ..

.. ..(Acts 3:15) You killed the Chief Agent of life. But God raised him up from the dead

2. Jehovah is superior to and elevated Jesus.. ..

(Ac 5:31) God exalted this one as Chief Agent and Savior

3. Jehovah allowed Jesus to be "lower than angels", die, and 'made perfect through sufferings'.. ..

.. ..(Heb 2:9-10) Jesus, who has been made a little lower than angels, crowned with glory and honor for having suffered death, that he by God’s undeserved kindness might taste death for every man. For it was fitting for [God] to make the Chief Agent of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

4. Jehovah owns the throne, and Jesus is at Jehovah's right hand.. ..

.. ..(Heb 12:2) Look intently at the Chief Agent and Perfecter of our faith, Jesus. For the joy that was set before him he endured a torture stake, despising shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The actual Greek word used is "archēgos".

It would be great if there was always a one for one perfect match between each Greek word and one English word. But there sometimes is not. This is one of those times were there is no one English word that has all the meaning of the Greek word.

From the "arch" in this word, we get English words like "arch-angel" meaning the cheif of highest of the English. (Thus the translations "Prince" or "Cheif". But we also get the words architect, meaning the builder, author or creator of something. Because the word means not ONLY the Highest of something, but also the "Source". The one that is the power or creative agent behind something. Thus the translations "author" and "cheif agent".

The second half of the word (egos) refers to something or someone who leads, or who opens the way.

So the most literal translation would be they "killed the highest, first and most powerful leader of life". But that goes against the tradition of trying to match words one-for-one when translating, rather then using whole phrase. A phrase like that can leave people with the idea that Peter was preaching that Jesus was three different things - the highes, the first, and the most-powerful, and somebody would build a "trinity of Jesus" out of that verse, not realizing that it is an attempt to cover all the meanings in a single Greek word.

So all three are good attempts to find a single word that convoys the meaning of the word "archēgos". When considered together, it gives you all thee of the ideas.

Of all the translations i have seen of this verse, I like the Amplifed Bibles the best. It uses the words "You have Killed the very Source of Life..."

The apostle Luke wrote the book of Acts while in Rome with Paul.

John 1: 1-3 informs us that the Word was God and that He made all things.

John 1: 14, 17, and 18 informs us that the Word is Jesus.

KJV: "...the Prince of life,..."

With any translation there will always be differences like this, and asking which one is right is always going to get you a different answer depending on who you ask.

The closest you can get to the true meaning of any scripture is to is to learn Hebrew and Greek and read the Old and New Testament the original languages. Hebrew is actually a very easy language once you get past the symbols.

The NWT is intellectually dishonest, as they change the clear meaning of some words in their translation to justify their erroneous doctrine, so let's just ignore the NWT when answering your question.

However, the Greek is richer than English, and one English word can have 3 or 4 different Greek words.

For instance, Love in English, in the Greek, can be "Eros" (sexual love), "Phileo" (friendship), "Storge" (family love) and "Agape (pronounced "Ah-gah-pay"), which is God's infinite and eternal love, "universal unconcerned benevolence."

Therefore, many words in Greek can not be contained by only one English word in translating, because the English word can be confused with other Greek words.

That's why there is such a translation as the "Amplified", which gives every possible connotation of a Greek word.

For instance, John 3:16 in the amplified translation says "whosoever believes, trusts in, clings to and relies on Him" where as other translations will say "believes in him" or another would say "trusts in him", etc.

So, in answer to your question, Christ is the holy and righteous one, and He is the author of life. (In Him is life, and the life was the light of all men - referring to the Word in John 1:1, which became flesh in John 1:14, being both WITH God, and WAS God in the beginning.) (NWT adds a small but very significantly wrong word in their translation, when they say that the Word was A god. But the original Greek says "the Word WAS God" without "a").

God raised Jesus from the dead, but Jesus said that HE raised Himself from the dead, and yet in another place it says that the SPIRIT raised Christ from the dead.

Which one is correct? They ALL are, thus demonstrating that Jesus and the Father and the Holy Spirit is all one God. (not three gods).

Does this help at all?

All three are correct.

The greek word used there is ARCHEGOS, which has three basic meaning, Leader (as in ruler), example, or author, depending on context.

"Chief Agent", while correct, shows a very definite bias against the deity of Jesus, as is characteristic in the NWT.

In cases like this you should always turn to the original language (Greek in this case) for the answer.

www.blueletterbible.org

Has on on-line Greek concordance keyd to the KJV.

KJV...the Prince of Life.

The Prince of Life...KJV.

KJV...the Prince of Life.

Meaning= Same

The different versions of the Bible are made so that each person can find the easiest one to read