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Question 8

Bercot uses Stephen’s “75 souls” (Acts 7:14 vs. Genesis 46:27) and the hostile crowd’s quotation in John 6:31 to argue the Septuagint was widely known even in Palestine, possibly even among the Sanhedrin; what assumptions about early Jewish/Christian Scripture use does this overturn, and how might it change how you picture the first-century church reading and defending doctrine?

Another way to ask: If the Septuagint was widely known even in Palestine, what common ideas about how Jews and early Christians used Scripture does that overturn? How would it change the way you picture the first church reading the Bible and defending its beliefs?

Direct Answer The transcript overturns the assumption that Jews in Palestine mainly relied on the proto-Masoretic Hebrew text, suggesting instead that even hostile crowds and Jewish authorities were familiar with the Greek Septuagint, shaping how Scripture was read and debated.

Support from Transcript:

John 6:31 shows a hostile crowd quoting Scripture as “He gave them bread from heaven,” which aligns with Septuagint Psalm 78:24 more than the Masoretic wording.
Acts 7:14 has Stephen say Jacob’s household was “75 souls,” while Masoretic Genesis 46:27 says “70.”
Bercot argues the Sanhedrin must have known the Septuagint, because otherwise they would accuse Stephen: “There weren’t 75… only 70.”
He concludes this suggests “even among the Jews in the first century… the Septuagint was the common Bible that they used.”
He adds the Masoretic family existed but “was not the Bible used by the common people, or even by the Sanhedrin.”

Discussion Follow-ups How would this reshape your picture of synagogue reading, public debate, and the church’s ability to “prove” claims from Scripture in Greek-speaking settings?

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