HELLENIC WATCHTOWER OBSERVER
All these questions will be discussed in this article.
Of course when you hear the word `Macedonia',the first thought that crosses your mind is Greece,as do the words `Alexander',`Acropolis' or `Athens'.To fully understand the issue raised here,lets quote from WTS' book,`INSIGHT', first, under "Greece": [caps and `comment' mine]
*INSIGHT,Vol 1 p.998 "Greece occupied the Southern part of the mountainous Balkan Peninsula.....Greece were not consolidated into a particular nation. However,in later times `Greece' is understood to have reached to the regions of Illyria (corresponding roughly to Western Yugoslavia and Albania) AND MACEDONIA.In actuality,the Macedonians may have been of the same basic stock as those later called Greeks".
Comment: So,we've just read that Greece were not consolidated into one particular nation and the Macedononian area was a Greek area.Let's read on..
*ibid,p.1003:"By taking over control of Judah in 332 B.C.E,GREECE now became the fifth successive world power [Macedonian Empire]...Before his death, however,Alexander had introduced GREEK CULTURE AND THE GREEK LANGUAGE INTO ALL OF HIS VAST REALM...and the INTERNATIONAL POPULARITY of THIS language contributed to the rapid spread of the Christian good news throughout the Mediterranean area."
Comment: The Macedonian Empire is named in the Scriptures (if we are to believe WTS) as GREECE runned by a GREEK KING.Greek was the official language throughout the country.
*ibid,p.508,under "Corinth":
"Achaia,as the ROMANS CALLED GREECE APART FROM MACEDONIA,.."
Comment: Implying that Macedonia was generally understood as a GREEK city-state.
* ibid,p.70,71,under "Alexander":
...,Alexander was shown the book of Daniel's prophecy,presumably chapter 8,
[8:20,21] where a mighty G R E E K KING would subdue and conquer the Persian
Empire......Alexander's conquest left its greatest mark on history by
SPREADING THE GREEK LANGUAGE AND CULTURE FAR AND WIDE.
Comment: Would someone who didn't speak Greek,enforce it as an official language of his World Empire? Hmmmm..
*ibid,p.40,under "ACHAIA": [A MAP OF GREECE DOWN-RIGHT]
"In 27 B.C.E.,when Caesar Augustus REORGANIZED THE TWO PROVINCES OF G R E E C
E,MACEDONIA and ACHAIA.....ACHAIA and its neighboring PROVINCE to the N
[north],MACEDONIA,were often LINKED TOGETHER IN COMMON USAGE.
Comment: Hmmm..So,Macedonia was a PROVINCE OF GREECE after all...! Some history lessons by WTS follows...
*ibid,Vol. 2,p.333 ("Grecian Empire"):
"GREECE seemed an unlikely candidate for world power,as its people WERE
DIVIDED INTO INDEPENENT TRIBES AND CITY-STATES.........Alexander the Great
proved to be that `conspicious horn.' Beggining in 334 B.C.E, HE LED A SMALL
BUT WELL- DISCIPLINED G R E E K ARMY to one victory after another."
No comment!!
Now say `good riddance' to the `Insight' book and see what the old
[and..apostate] Aid' book has to contribute..!
*`AID',p.692,: "GREECE" (MAP)
ANYTHING ELSE??
So,we've read so far,that the Macedonian Empire WAS GREECE,Alexander was GREEK,Macedonia's subjects spoke GREEK (not..`macedonian',which to me sounds like as if someone told me that someone speaks N.YORKIAN and not American !!!).Also GREEK culture was introduced,and GREEK language became INTERNATIONAL!.We also read,that Macedonia was a PROVINCE of GREECE,oftenely linked together with Achaia!
I,as a Greek,cannot speak or write this unknown `Macedonian' language listed in WT simply because it is a dialect of a slavian language,SUBTLY SELF-NAMED AS `macedonian'-Greece has NOTHING to do with slavians.It's all `chinese' to me,as we say here in GREECE (an equivalent to the American ..`Greek to me').Suppose they named it "American".Would that mean that you could read slavian,simply because they decided to use this term ?? It is still slavian!
Think of the fact that the capital of the `Macedonian World Empire',Salonica, was (and is) inhabitented by Greeks,because `Macedonian' or `Makednos' in a Greek ancient dialect (doric),means `lenghth',[in modern Greek "Ma'kros" or "Me'kos"] implying that these GREEKS were generally taller that the others in Athens,Sparta,Corinth e.t.c. Also,PAUL'S letter to `Thessalonians' (Macedonians) WAS WRITTEN IN GREEK,simply because they spoke GREEK.The same goes for the Corinthians (there is a city called `Corinthos' 55 miles from Athens).I could read PAUL'S ORIGINAL letters,( in `Interlinear') addressed to the ancient Northern Greeks (`Macedonians'),whereas these who read.. `Macedonian' issues of WT will NEVER be able to,unless they...study at a Greek University.There,this guy will learn that some centuries B.C.,[*some* centuries before slavian tribe's genesis-oops another Greek word] GREECE was divided into cities-states (i.e Athens,Theves,Sparta,MACEDONIA).But when they faced a danger to GREECE (Medo-Persian Empire) the city-state of Macedonia (Alexander) gathered the other Greek city-states in Corinth and decided to fight together for the freedom of the GREEK land (or spirit,if you may), although they were independent GREEK states and had fought each other. (similar to the U.S.A).
So,the big question here is : " WHAT IS THE WTS' MOTIVE IN LISTING A `MACEDONIAN' EDITION IN OTHER COUNTRIES BUT NOT IN THE GREEK EDITION? "
Two possible answers to that:
a) Make money AND in this country by advocating a promotion of false nationalistic propaganda for this pseudo-"macedonian" state,while being total indifferent of GREEK history (Aristotle [Alexanders' teacher], Alexan'der;in GREEK `Alex-' means "defending","-a'nder" or "-ane'r" means `man'-ask the WTS' translators of....`Macedonian' to tell you what does the word `Alexander' means in their ...`Macedonian' :-))) They also `forget' the Greek names of all cities of the Macedonian Empire which are valid up to now,(Greek-Egyptian friendship `ages' from the Macedonian Era,e.t.c.)
b) Submit to the state's law (as they did in Mexico) to distribute literature in this state,while not knowing the impact to GREEKS or to history.
Comment:The fact that they SUBTLY DO NOT LIST IT O N L Y IN GREEK EDITION ASSURES ME 100% THAT (a) IS MOST PROBABLE! DON'T YOU THINK SO??
So,it is clear that WTS wants to cover up the fact that they publish in `Macedonian' because they know that if this term appeared in the Greek edition,it would be so irritating and embarrasing,(not to say illegal),that NO ONE would ever want to hear about WTS or JW anymore,since WTS would be viewed as a promoter of the nationalistic and imperialistic propaganda,based on falsification of history,by spreading around the world that along with the Greek language there is a ..`Macedonian' spoken by a slavian ..`Macedonian' nation which was born 2,300 years after Alexander's death!!.Greek JW would also be shocked ! (although being in their mind control milieu).Of course, well-educated people who know some history,will have some fun with it! But,what about Japan,Iceland,China or anywhere else on the planet where people don't even know that the word `academy' is Greek,or never heard of Homerus, possibly!!
In conclusion,we should make a difference between ANCIENT MACEDONIAN EMPIRE and the Geographical area attributed as `Macedonia'.Today,GREECE has over 75% of the original area of the ancient Greek city-state Macedonia (as you can see it on page 40 of `Insight'-not when it became world power,of course).The rest is devided to Bulgaria,and this subtly self-named (pseudo) `Macedonia'.So, everybody understands that by naming their state this way,they imply that their `Macedonian' area in Greece (!!) and Bulgaria,where their `brothers' live, should be attached to it (by war,of course!!) as they STATED IN THEIR FIRST CONSTITUTION!! You won't hear,the Bulgarians who live in their macedonian area (NNE) call themselves `Macedonians',or claim that they speak `Macedonian' because they know that `Macedonia' was an ancient Greek state and a language such as `Macedonian' NEVER EXISTED,simply because...Macedonians spoke GREEK,AS ALL GREEK CITY-STATES.IT IS ONLY A PROPAGANDISTIC,IMPERIALISTIC TOOL.
Today,in Greece there are:
-A MINISTRY OF MACEDONIA AND THRACE (Territories of N,NE)
-A REGION OF EAST AND WEST MACEDONIA
Now,let's documentate the fraud and dishonesty of WTS towards Greek (JW or not).
Quoting from a booklet,WTS distributed to the public in 1993,[" Jehovah's Witnesses in Greece"] p.6: (translating from Greek edition) :
"Increase was reported in MACEDONIA and in SAMOS,CORFU and CRETE islands."
WTS leadership is quite aware of the fact that the terms `Macedonia' and `Macedonian' belongs,historicaly speaking,to Greece.But when money is at the risk,they submit to ANY law imposed by the local authorities (as in Mexico). Thus,in order to freely `preach' in this newly formed state,(and... collect donations of course,don't forget that! ) they faced the dilema to list this `macedonian' or `Macedonia' in their publications,or not,knowing the impact to the Greeks or Greek goverment.The solution handy was to use these terms in every other edition,BUT GREEK.! (pretty `cheap',wouldn't you say?) Of course, the Greeks would notice that this state is not listed in the Year Book,one day.Up to 1995,no mention of this state is recorded.However,in YB 1996,[Greek edition] they list it as `Scopje',thus the cover-up,became more obvious than ever before.
To sum up,
WTS IS BEING DISHONEST TO GREEKS (JW or NOT),AND THIS IS EASILY DOCUMENTATED BY THE FOLLOWING FACTS:
1) The GREEK YB 1996 DOES NOT LIST `it' AS MACEDONIA BUT AS "SCOPJE". (F.Y.R.O.M., which is a provisional name NOT accepted by GREEKS because O.M. stands for Of Macedonia.) English edition lists this state,falsely (and subtly),as `Macedonia'.
2) Similarily,GREEK edition of WT/AWAKE DOES NOT INCLUDE `Macedonian' in the list of p.1/p.5,while English (and as far as I know,both Albanian and Russian edition) DOES !!
3) WT has put in print statements in a Greek booklet (JW in Greece, 1993,printed in Italy-DISTRIBUTED TO THE GREEK PUBLIC AND AUTHORITIES) that shows clearily that Macedonia is a region of GREECE as are the Islands Samos,Corfu and Crete. (p.6)
So,WTS IS BEING DISHONEST TO GREECE AND GREEKS FOR TWO REASONS:
1) For using the terms `macedonian' and `Macedonia',thus advocating and promoting false imperialistic propaganda of a newly formed ex-Yugoslavian Republic....
2) and most subtle,for not listing these terms in Greek literature,thus nobody can see it when distributed in `the field' (while in every other language edition around the world they list both terms!!).Do you think it's a .....coinsidence??.....:-)
If you think that `macedonia' or `Macedonian' have nothing to do with GREECE or GREEK,but with a slavian nation instead,which 700 years later inhabited a small (~10%) nothern part of the area attributed as `Macedonia' in 3th Century B.C.,[while the slavian history begins in the 4th Century A.D !!- I mean..who is the older `on the block'?] ,then you are either ...too WT or a GB member...!!!
As we all know,cultists,fear mostly of two things:
1. Lack of 'donation' sources ,and
2. Dryness in the 'pool' of possible recruites,by public humiliation.
Some time ago an original copy of a..'Macedonian' WT reached us ( thank you ,Kent Steinhaug and Chris Arndt) and let's hope that the WTS will see some drastic reduce in its figures there!
To assure the Governing Body that we HAVE the mag,here is the scanned image of it!
HELLENIC WATCHTOWER OBSERVER Back to main page
Last updated 26/6/97
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