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
That which is passed down
Faith
Community
Teaching authority
Documents
The Bible itself
Where do we get faith?
C: handed down to us from family, neighbors, church
P: individual’s response to the Bible, personal choice
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
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
Early documents not in the Bible
Early interpreters
Encyclicals
Dogmatic constitutions
Who created the Bible?
C: Tradition produced the Bible, Bible establishes tradition, intertwined
P: God gave the Bible to people
C: Christ
P: Scripture
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
