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Question 4
Philo describes an annual festival on Pharos attended by Jews and “a great number of persons of other nations” thanking God for the translation; what does that scene imply about early Jewish/Gentile openness to Scripture in a common language, and how does it rebuke modern instincts to keep Scripture fenced behind “insider” vocabulary or culture?
Another way to ask: Philo describes Jews and many non-Jews celebrating and thanking God for the translation. What does that suggest about sharing Scripture in a common language, and how does it challenge our habit of using “insider” words or culture that keep others out?

Direct Answer That scene implies Scripture in a shared language created real openness: Gentiles were not only listening in synagogues but even publicly celebrating access to the translated Scriptures. It challenges the impulse to make God’s Word feel inaccessible by treating “insider” culture or language as a gate.

Support from Transcript:

  • Bercot quotes Philo describing a yearly “solemn assembly” and “festival… on the island of Pharos.”
  • Philo says “not only the Jews, but a great number of persons of other nations” attended, “thanking God” for the translation.
  • Bercot links the Septuagint to accessibility: it became available to “the Gentile world,” and Gentiles began “attending Jewish synagogues” to hear Scripture “in their very own language, Greek.”
  • He calls it a “momentous event” because “finally… the scriptures were available and accessible to the Gentile world.”
  • He says the Septuagint “lay the groundwork for the gospel to eventually reach the entire Gentile world.”
Discussion Follow-ups Do our church habits (how we preach, explain terms, or talk about history) function more like opening Scripture in Greek—or locking it back up in Hebrew?

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