The Jehovah Witnesses do a lot of work shops on John 1:1, I had the pleasure to ask three ladies earlier this year when the JW where doing their rounds that if a manuscript was found with the article then a god cannot be used and the Christians have won this debate. They said that no such manuscript existed I then broke the news to them that an article would be just as detrimental to Christianity as to their Arianism. One of the ladies was of Greek origin but had rudimentary Koine greek understanding so on her ipad I showed what happens if the article is placed in 1b relative to the verb, she went Oh..
John 1:1b if it contained the article then how it would have been positioned relative to the verb it would allow you to substitute whatever God is for the Word. So you could replace God with the Word and likewise you could plonk down the Word for God.
That would support the early church heresy called Sabellianism, which they had no idea of which I had to explain to them, you quickly discover that Jehovah Witnesses are taught no early church history that is factually correct.
The fact that the anarthrous theos is employed by the Apostle in John 1:1b he differentiates the Word and God they are not one and the same but both are God yet they are monotheistic Jews. The triune nature of the Godhead found in the bible is resplendent in the Koine greek.
John 1:1 condemns not only the Jehovah Witnesses but also the Unitarian cults that have a modalism bent this one verse sends them all unfortunately lakeside.
