5.2 Scripture and Tradition

Views of the Relationship Between Scripture and Tradition

Catholicism: scripture and tradition are inseparable forms of God’s self-revelation

Luther: scripture alone (sola scriptura) has authority for deciding Christian faith and practice

Tradition

That which is passed down

Faith

Community

Teaching authority

Documents

The Bible itself

Tradition: Faith

Where do we get faith?

C: handed down to us from family, neighbors, church

P: individual’s response to the Bible, personal choice

Tradition: Community

C: Community was constituted by Christ and passed down to us

P: The chain was broken at some point and the best way to return to Christ’s plan is to go back to the Bible

P: Church communities are important but secondary, more like a club for people with a common interest

Tradition: Teaching Authority

The most controversial

C: Jesus gave apostles instructions and impressions beyond what is in the Bible

C: Jesus created the office of bishop, who receives a certain authority

P: The bishops today do not continue the authority of the apostles in any meaningful way

Tradition: Documents

Early documents not in the Bible

Early interpreters

Encyclicals

Dogmatic constitutions

Tradition: The Bible Itself

Who created the Bible?

C: Tradition produced the Bible, Bible establishes tradition, intertwined

P: God gave the Bible to people

Scripture: Different Understandings of the Word of God

C: Christ

P: Scripture

History of Scripture in Christian Life

1452 – first printed Bible in Latin

1534 – Luther’s translation of the Bible into German

1611 – King James Version of the Bible in English

1965 – Vatican II encourages ordinary Catholics to read the Bible in their own language

Thought Experiment

If we shot a Bible into space and an alien found it, could the alien become Christian? Could this icon be produced on a different planet that knows only the Bible? The alien figured out how to read the Bible but otherwise knows nothing of earth cultures.

C: No, core beliefs such as the Trinity and two natures of Christ (symbolized by the hand gesture) are not at all clear in the Bible. Bishop garments, halos, and icons are also traditions outside the Bible.

P: Yes, everything essential for salvation is clear in the Bible. The things that an alien could not get from a Bible (garments, art, and some speculative teachings) are not essential.