Rolf Furuli,
at the time of writing, lecturer in Semitic languages at the University of
Oslo, notwithstanding his book being a defence of the New World Translation,
and, being a Jehovah’s Witness, rejecting (1) baptismal regeneration and (2) a
conscious intermediate state (two foundational doctrines for posthumous salvation)
admitted that the “traditional” rendering is the best, which supports the LDS
view:
There can be no question that the most
natural rendering of baptizomenoi huper tōn
nekrōn would be “being baptized for the dead” or “being baptized in behalf
of the dead.” In almost every other context, such a rendering would have been
chosen. (Rolf Furuli, The Role of
Theology and Bias in Bible Translation With a Special Look at the New World Translation
of Jehovah’s Witnesses [Huntington Beach, Calif.: Elihu Books, 1999], 289)
