Lecture 6: Tradition vs. Scripture?

Question 1

The History of ‘Tradition’

Answer 1

• The early church operated with a single-source theory of tradition: tradition is the church’s consensus interpretation of scripture
• Around the 14th -15th centuries, the Medieval Catholic Church had shifted to a dual source theory of tradition
• the seeds of this shift were planted in the 4th and 5th centuries

Question 2

Augustine and Basil

Answer 2

• These church father created a distinction between the authoritative teachings found in scripture and equally authoritative unwritten teachings that had been passed down in the church
• these unwritten teachings were authoritative because they were understood to have come from the apostles
• this distinction was opened up in order to defend certain church practices, not beliefs

Question 3

Irenaeus on tradition

Answer 3

Irenaeus believes that written scripture and oral tradition are identical. There is no distinction between the two. Apostolic tradition is the scripture. they are the same thing
- there is no separate unwritten communications. scripture is the only authoritative source and needs to be read in line with the church
- Tradition 1

Question 4

The church in the 14th and 15th Centuries

Answer 4

• accused of teaching things contrary to scripture
• the church’s response was not to deny this, but to claim their teachings came from unwritten traditions
• appeal to unwritten traditions was a host-hoc justification for beliefs which were taught prior to the creation of this novel account of unwritten tradition
• Argument: the church held xyz beliefs, therefore the church had always held xyz beliefs, therefore xyz beliefs originated with the apostles

Question 5

The argument between Tradition 1 and 2

Answer 5

The argument over whether the church can teach things contrary to scripture is an argument between Tradition 1 and Tradition 2
- this argument was at the heart of the Protestant Reformation
-

Question 6

Sola Scriptura

Answer 6

• Sola scriptural = ‘solely scripture’ or ‘scripture alone’
• this phrase is ambiguous. it could refer to a rejection of tradition 2 or a rejection of all tradition

Question 7

Sola Scriptura: The Magisterial Reformers

Answer 7

• rejected Tradition 2
• They held to Tradition 1

Question 8

Sola Scriptura: The Radical Reformers

Answer 8

• Rejected all forms of tradition
• they believed that the church had ‘fallen’ sometime after the NT period, and needed to be rejected
• They advocated a complete return to ‘New Testament Christianity’
• The Radical Reformers’ conception of sola scriptura (tradition 0) is the view that evangelicalism inherited from Fundamentalism

Question 9

Implications of Tradition 0

Answer 9

1. Changes in how scripture is interpreted
   - emphasis moves to individual interpretations, without external authorities guiding them
   - this results in frequent disagreements over what scripture means, causing endless splintering
2. Changing conceptions of scripture
   - in the wake of ‘solo scriptura’ scripture needed to bear the burden of sole authority for Christian belief and practice
   - scripture transitions from recording divine revelation to being divine revelation
   - This led to the development of a more robust account of its inspiration

Question 10

Verbal Plenary Inspiration

Answer 10

Verbal plenary inspiration is a theory of the Bible’s inspiration developed in the 19th century
- Verbal: inspiration extends to the choice of words used
- Plenary: each part of the bible is equally inspired by God