Jumpstarter 9 of 10

Ideas to help restart your discussion

Question 9

The lesson highlights how New Testament theological vocabulary (“law,” “righteousness,” “mercy,” “propitiation,” and even “grace,” “church,” “bishop,” “presbyter,” and using “Hades” for “Sheol”) was shaped by Septuagint translation choices; what does this suggest about God’s intention to shape Christian doctrine through translation decisions, and how does that sit with modern evangelical discomfort with “theology built on a translation”?

Another way to ask: If many New Testament key words and ideas were shaped by the Septuagint’s translation choices, what might that say about God using translations to form Christian teaching? How do you feel about building theology from a translation?

Direct Answer Bercot suggests God providentially shaped Christian thought and vocabulary through the Septuagint’s translation choices, so discomfort with “theology built on a translation” clashes with how the New Testament itself was written and framed.

Support from Transcript:

He cites an encyclopedia: NT theological terms “law, righteousness, mercy, truth, and propitiation” were “taken over directly from the Septuagint” and must be understood in its light.
He adds “even better examples” like “grace, church, angel, bishop, and presbyter,” saying NT writers used the terms the Septuagint translators chose.
He notes translators “could have chosen many different terms,” but they selected specific equivalents that then set the pattern.
He gives “Hades” for “Sheol” as another example of a Septuagint choice carried into NT usage.
He argues these patterns show God’s “hand of providence” in preparing Scripture in Greek for the church’s mission.

Discussion Follow-ups If God used translation to form doctrine-language, what guardrails should we use to keep translation-based theology faithful rather than careless?

Jumpstarter 9 of 10

Add your phone number?

Thank you!

Jumpstarter 9 of 10