Jumpstarter 6 of 10

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Question 6

Bercot insists we should verify claims by “primary sources” rather than trusting encyclopedias that admit apostolic reliance on the Septuagint but still default to the Masoretic text; where do you see “man-made tradition” functioning similarly in your own Bible habits, and what would it cost you to actually test these claims by comparison?

Another way to ask: Where might you be following “man-made tradition” in how you choose and trust Bible texts without checking the evidence? What would it cost you in time, comfort, or assumptions to compare the sources for yourself?

Direct Answer The transcript pushes you to examine whether you accept inherited Bible choices without testing them, and it suggests the “cost” is time, effort, and possibly changing long-held habits by directly comparing New Testament quotations with both the Septuagint and Masoretic-based Old Testament.

Support from Transcript:

Bercot warns: “never rely upon secondary sources,” since encyclopedias can be wrong.
He says scholars acknowledge the Septuagint was the apostles’ Bible but “don’t do anything about it… follow man-made tradition… back to the Masoretic text.”
He notes none of the sources he cited “advocate that we use the same Old Testament as the apostles did.”
He explains a practical method: take NT quotations, compare them with “a copy of the Septuagint” and a Masoretic source (e.g., KJV/NKJV OT).
He says “anyone can do” the comparison, but “it involves a bit of time.”

Discussion Follow-ups What tools would you need (a Septuagint, notes, time), and what relationships or routines might be disrupted if your findings challenge your tradition?

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