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Question 2

The lesson highlights that Ptolemy II invited Jewish scribes to translate the Scriptures into Greek, producing the Septuagint—the Bible used by many Jews, quoted by New Testament writers, and used by early Christians; what does that history suggest about how God intends Scripture to be accessible across languages and cultures, and what assumptions does it challenge about “God’s Word” being tied to a single sacred language?

Another way to ask: What does the Septuagint’s story say about God wanting Scripture to be understood in many languages, not just one “holy” language?

Direct Answer The transcript suggests that God’s Word was providentially made accessible beyond Hebrew into the common language of the wider world, challenging the assumption that Scripture must remain tied to one “sacred” language to be truly God’s Word.

Support from Transcript:

Ptolemy II “invited Jewish scribes…to translate the Jewish scriptures into Greek so that they could be read by all peoples.”
Bercot calls the Septuagint “the very first translation of the Bible covering all of the Old Testament,” highlighting translation as a major step, not a compromise.
The Septuagint “became the Bible of the Jews who lived throughout the Greek and Roman worlds,” meaning faithful Jews used Scripture in Greek.
It was “the Bible that the New Testament writers quote from,” implying apostolic use of a translation.
It was “the Old Testament version used by the early Christians after the apostles,” showing the post-apostolic church also treated a translation as authoritative for instruction.

Discussion Follow-ups If the apostles quoted a translation, what should that do to our confidence in modern Bible translation—and to our tendency to treat one language tradition as spiritually superior?

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