The term/noun “Godhead” (Romans 1:20; Colossians 2:9) was introduced by John Wycliffe when he translated the Bible into English (1395). John Tyndale in his latter translation (1525) used “Godhead” in Acts 17:29, Romans 1:20 and Colossians 2:9. The Greek text, however, contains three slightly different words, where Tyndale uses only one term, “Godhead.” Theologians have since used that term to support Trinitarian dogma. Martin Luther, in his definitive literary German translation of the New Testament (1522), three years prior to Tyndale, more correctly translated these three words by “Gottheit“ (“Godness,” meaning “divinity” or “divine nature”). The Trinitarian bias was retained by using the term “Godhead” in the King James Bible (1611). However, the New American Standard version (NAS 1971) has corrected it in each verse, as has the English Standard version (ESV 2001).
Paul McReynolds, Word Study Greek-English New Testament, distinguishes the three Greek words thus:
Theios, “Godly.” Acts 17:29(KJV), “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.” (NAS) “Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.”
Theiotēs, “Diety.” Romans 1:20(KJV), “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead …” (NAS) “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”
Theotēs, “Godness.” Colossians 2:9(KJV), “For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” (NAS) “For in Him all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form.” This scripture teaches that Jesus’ resurrected body is divine, or of God’s nature. Similarly, overcoming Christian believers will also be resurrected with the divine nature. 2 Peter 1:4, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine (theios) nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
