In the early time
of their modern-day history, they were referred to simply as Bible
Students. When others asked about the name of the organisation, they
often answer that they are Christians, by which the early saints were
known. How did it come about that they are known today as Jehovah's
Witnesses?
THE NAME CHRISTIAN
In the first
century, the manner of life that centered around faith in Jesus
Christ was referred to as ''The Way.''(Acts 9:2; 19:9) Others
referred to it as ''the sect of the Nazarenes.'' (Acts 24:5) By 44
C.E. faithful followers of Jesus Christ began to be known as
Christians and commentators state that the verb used at Acts 11:26
implies divine direction or revelation. By about 58 C.E. the name
Christian was well known. (Acts 26:28) However, as Jesus had
foretold, after the death of the apostles there were imitation
Christians who counterfeits also claimed the name Christian.
(Matt.13:24, 25, 37-39)
NEED FOR A
DISTINCTIVE NAME
In time, it became
evidente that in addition to the designation Christian, the
congregation of Jehovah's servants truly did need a distintive name.
In 1931, they embraced the distintive name Jehovah's Witnesses. This
not only provided an official name for the group but also made it
easy for them to interpret all the Biblical references to ''witness''
and ''witnessing'' as applying specifically to Jehovah's
Witnesses.—From Proclaimers of God's Kingdom-edited by the
Jehovah's Witnesses, See also: ''Worship That God Approves'',
edited by Jehovah's Witnesses.
