Direct Answer
Bercot argues that “the Bible alone” is impossible in a strict sense because every English Bible already contains translational interpretation. Before readers encounter the text, translators have made decisions about capitalization, punctuation, quotation marks, and meaning.
Support from Transcript
- He says the point is “illustrating the fallacy of our saying that we rely on the Bible alone.” - He states, “We have no choice but to add something to the Bible.” - One necessary addition is “an interpretation of how to translate the Greek.” - The original Greek had no capitalization, so translators must decide between “Spirit” and “spirit.” - He adds that the Greek New Testament “also had no commas or quotation marks.” - He notes from legal experience that “the placement of a comma can significantly change the meaning of a sentence.”
Discussion Follow-ups
For Bercot, this does not mean Scripture is unreliable; it means Christians should be honest that translation and tradition are already involved in reading Scripture.