The case for SOLA SCRIPTURA
In this work I will make a case to prove or disprove the doctrine called SOLA SCRIPTURA using the following criteria:
This doctrine will be true if it meets one of three criteria:
• If it is implicitly or explicitly found in the Bible.
• If all teachings or quotes made by Jesus and the apostles in an oral or written form were done only using the Tanach (Jewish Bible) in all cases.
• If all the Apostolic Church Fathers from the first three centuries AD wrote using the Protestant Canon alone, because SOLA SCRIPTURA must be practiced under this canon exclusively.
Protestant and non-Protestant scholars have concluded that this doctrine is not found in the Bible at all, neither explicitly nor implicitly, which is why some Protestants have changed the definition and claim it is an epistemological tool, therefore, it will fail to meet the first criteria, allowing us to prove it right or wrong with two criteria from now on. As a first step we will see what is said in the first letter to the Corinthians, when Paul makes a distinction between what has been written and what has been or is going to be shared in an oral form.
1 Corinthians 11:34 (LEB)
34 If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And I will give directions about the remaining matters whenever I come.
As we can see in this verse, Paul is addressing the division among the Corinthians when they are meeting to be part of the Lord’s Supper, and he is going to give directions in an oral form when he finally comes to them, also history shows that the same was done by other apostles and writers.
Let’s understand that oral tradition came first, which means that God inspired men and what was said through oral tradition, and after a time, part of it was written down. This means that both, the oral tradition and the written tradition are inspired by God.
In Protestantism is believed that everything was written down in the sixty-six books and that there is no need of an oral tradition or never existed. Assuming that this is correct, is there a way to prove right this doctrine using the last two criteria? Did the Apostles or Jesus himself practice SOLA SCRIPTURA?
2 Timothy 3:16–17 (LEB)
16 All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, 17 in order that the person of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
Sometimes it is used this passage to support SOLA SCRIPTURA, if we examine these words, we find out that were written not to everybody in the church but to a Priest, someone who is capable to teach, in this case Timothy. The Apostle Paul tells us through his writing that Timothy knew the Scriptures of the Old Testament since he was little, but when referring to the New Testament he had the traditions given by the Apostles like Paul himself in this case, and this was done through a written and oral form, thus, we cannot use these verses to support SOLA SCRIPTURA.
It is necessary to understand that at this point in history, there was already a structure in the Church and that there was a unique interpretation of Scriptures and Oral tradition given by the Apostles because they did not have a New Testament like we have it today. And we know this because sometimes the authors refer as Scripture to what they said in written form using the Old Testament or other sources but also through tradition.
2 Peter 3:15–16 (LEB)
15 And regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as also our dear brother Paul wrote to you, according to the wisdom that was given to him, 16 as he does also in all his* letters, speaking in them about these things, in which there are some things hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction, as they also do the rest of the scriptures.
Here Peter is writing to some people who they have in common with Paul. He addresses more people here than in his first epistle, but it is known that Peter also addresses some of those named before.
1 Peter 1:1 (LEB)
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the chosen who are residing temporarily in the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
Now with a little of context to whom Peter is referring to, it is evident that Paul wrote to them concerning several points, which means that we only have some of his letters, and that Peter addresses in his second epistle the same people that received doctrine from Paul, and Peter said that there was already a misunderstanding of some things that was leading to distortion and ignorance, he said “which the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction”, probably because of the lacking of the correct interpretation given by the Apostles and / or the complexity of Paul’s writings, and at the end, this means that the Scriptures can be interpreted in a away leading to destruction instead of edification, therefore, it is dangerous for all people to have the Scriptures in their hands since they can interpret wrongly some passages and we know through the history of the Church that many heresies like Arianism and Nestorism, just to name a couple, were arise out of a misunderstanding of the written Word of God or because of “private revelation”. This same problem is happening now days in the Protestant circle.
So, to avoid this type of issues and in order to equip correctly the body of Christ, the Apostles were writing some things but some others were given as part of an oral tradition, this last will include interpretation of things that have been written before, and as evidence of this form of teaching (written + oral tradition) we can read the second letter of Paul to those in Thessalonica where explicitly says so.
2 Thessalonians 2:15 (LEB)
15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions which you were taught, whether by spoken word or by letter from us.
Although this can refer to the message of the Gospel, let’s not forget that the Gospel encircles more than just the incarnation of the Son of God, His passion and resurrection, we know that many other things were passed through an oral tradition from the Apostles to their own Apostles which make it clear evidence that since the beginning there was two types of tradition, an oral tradition that accompanied what we have in a written form. As an example, we can name Polycarp, one of the disciples of John the Apostle, who visited the Bishop of Rome named Anicetus (circa 154 AD) to speak about something that we know through Irenaeus, which is, that he has received traditions from John, in this case the biggest topic was the day to celebrate the Passover which is not commanded in the Bible.
Therefore, a precedent like this one can tell us that the Church has the authority to interpret and teach according to what has been given by a written and oral tradition.
Ephesians 3:10 (LEB)
10 in order that the many-sided wisdom of God might be made known now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places through the church,
As we can read in this letter to the Ephesians, the Church has the authority to make known the “many-sided wisdom of God”, and it is able to do it because she has the Scriptures and the traditions of the Apostles which some Apostolic Fathers wrote about.
For instance, we can name the epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus chapter XI dated in the second century AD circa 130 AD:
Then the fear of the law is chanted, and the grace of the prophets is known, and the faith of the gospels is established, and the tradition of the Apostles is preserved, and the grace of the Church exults;
There were also other Apostolic Church Fathers, some of them very close to the time of the Apostles like John or Peter that defended the Apostolic Tradition and Scriptures, we can name Ignatius of Antioch, Clement of Alexandria, Athanasius and there is also a writing from the time of the Apostles (around 70 AD) called the Didache, also known as the teachings of the twelve apostles to the nations, which is a manual of tradition, liturgy, and many other topics like eucharist, baptism and even abortion.
But since SOLA SCRIPTURA is based in the Protestant Bible, we must examine some passages and prove through them if the doctrine is true.
Matthew 23:1–2 (LEB)
23 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on the seat of Moses.
The seat of Moses was an authentic teaching authority only found in rabbinic tradition. The teaching says that those who seat on the “Seat of Moses”, had the only authority to interpret and teach the Scriptures (Jewish Scriptures), and bind the Jews to follow what he interpreted.
It is very known that Jews had a written tradition and an oral tradition, the Apostles were Jews, so many of the Jewish tradition were passed to the Christian Church through them. I am not saying that the seat of Moses was passed to the Church, but that they passed other traditions by an oral form to give a correct interpretation of Christian Scriptures in the same way that they did it through centuries on Judaism.
Now let’s dive into other verses that are written in the Bible as quotations of other books, and we will see if there is SOLA SCRIPTURA inside of SOLA SCRIPTURA.
James 4:5 (LEB)
5 Or do you think that in vain the scripture says, “The spirit which he caused to dwell in us desires jealously”?
James’ quotation in this chapter is not found in the Old Testament, and caught my attention that there are more examples like this one in the Bible.
Ephesians 5:14 (LEB)
14 for everything made visible is light. Therefore it says,
Wake up, sleeper,
and rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.
Some Scholars believe is a quotation of several passages, but the reality is that there is nothing found in Scriptures that can be considered as a direct quotation.
John 7:38 (LEB)
38 the one who believes in me. Just as the scripture said, ‘Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.’ ”
Jesus is quoting from a source that is not found in the Old Testament, which means that he is quoting from an interpretation of an oral or rabbinic tradition.
Matthew 2:23 (LEB)
23 And he came and* lived in a town called Nazareth, in order that what was said by the prophets would be fulfilled: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
Matthew in this chapter two is also quoting from an unknown source.
John 10:22–23 (LEB)
22 Then the feast of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple in the Portico of Solomon.
The feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) cannot be found in the Protestant Old Testament, because this is feast commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after being recaptured from the Seleucid Empire. We can read a bit in the first Book of Maccabees. The Protestant Bible doesn’t have these books among others because it is known that Martin Luther rejected them when he was creating and perfectioning his doctrines, therefore, he rejected all books that were not aligned with his new doctrine, even considered the epistle of James, Hebrews and the book of Revelation like sources less inspired and not so important, specially because some passages were in conflict with a clear understanding of SOLA FIDE.
Let’s continue with the examination of more verses in the Bible.
Mark 14:22–23, 26 (LEB)
22 And while* they were eating, he took bread and,* after* giving thanks, he broke it* and gave it* to them and said, “Take it,* this is my body.” 23 And after* taking the cup and* giving thanks, he gave it* to them, and they all drank from it.
26 And after they* had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus was celebrating the Pesach (Passover) and at the same time he was instituting the Eucharist, there is no record in the Scriptures about how to lead and give thanks in the Passover’s dinner. Here Jesus is taking the bread and giving thanks (we don’t know which words he used to give thanks), then Jesus broke the bread and gave it to his disciples in the manner that was customary when celebrating Passover. The same happened when he gave thanks for the cup of wine, therefore, it is a mystery in which manner he gave thanks since it is not found in the Old Testament at all, everything that Jesus did while breaking the bread, the singing of a Psalm or Hymn, probably Hallel Psalms (Psalms 113-118), traditionally sung during Passover, is only found in the Oral tradition not in the Scriptures.
Jude 9 (LEB)
9 But Michael the archangel, when he argued with the devil, disputing concerning the body of Moses, did not dare to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
This is not found in the Canonical records, this reference is being used by Saint Jude either because was found int the oral tradition or it is a reference to the apocryphal work called “The Assumption of Moses” according to the Apostolic Father Origen, thus this is another issue to sustain SOLA SCRIPTURA using the defined criteria for this case.
2 Timothy 3:8 (LEB)
8 And ⌊just as⌋ Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these oppose the truth, people corrupted in mind, disqualified concerning the faith.
These names are not found in the Old Testament when you search about this context; therefore, their names came from tradition and not Scriptures.
3 John 13–14 (LEB)
13 I have many things to write to you, but I do not want to write to you by means of ink and pen. 14 But I hope to see you right away, and to speak ⌊face to face⌋.
In the conclusion and final greeting of this epistle, John clearly says that he has many things to write to Gaius, but it will not be by means of ink and pen (other epistle), but in oral form face to face. Let’s remember that John wrote to him to love and walk according to the commandments of Jesus and be careful with those deceivers that do not confess Jesus Christ coming in the flesh, thus, they were talking about doctrinal issues too. This is why he also finished that letter saying:
2 John 12 (LEB)
12 Although* I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so by means of paper and ink, but I hope to be with you and to speak ⌊face to face⌋, so that your joy may be complete.
Something that scholars agree is that we only have a few writings of many written by the Apostles or other writers of the Apostolic era. And in those writings (including the gospels), we have only a small percentage of what was said and what really happened. This is known to us because of what John the Apostle said:
John 21:24–25 (LEB)
24 This is the disciple who is testifying about these things, and who has written down these things. And we know that his testimony is true. 25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did, which—if they were written down one after the other—I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written.
So, this can leave the door open to think that someone else could have written about different topics, like Jesus’ life and ministry, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the apostles or the early church life and ministry, or about more traditions given by an oral form. If archaeology finds more manuscripts or epistles rich in history and doctrine, we must recognize that SOLA SCRIPTURA will be a huge problem for Protestantism.
Now let’s see another quotation that in this case cannot be found in the New Testament although some believe probably is an allusion to Matthew 10:8, but scholarly talking, the exact words are not found in the New Testament which is very important when someone like Luke is writing about Jesus.
Acts 20:35 (LEB)
35 I have shown you with respect to all things that by* working hard in this way it is necessary to help those who are in need, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
This quotation must come from Oral tradition which is logical after reading the end of the Gospel of John. So, to finish this case of SOLA SCRIPTURA, let’s go to something that Paul refers that cannot be found in the Old Testament and again is probably alluding to tradition.
1 Corinthians 10:4 (LEB)
4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.
Paul is talking about the Israelites that came out of Egypt, this spiritual rock is not found in the Old Testament, but it is found in rabbinic tradition,
Conclusion
We can conclude that SOLA SCRIPTURA was not something that was believed or practiced by Jesus or the Apostles, nor the Apostolic Church Fathers and the early church, it is not found in the Bible, and we have credible evidence that cannot be supported, because until now, this doctrine has failed to meet all three criteria for this case. Also, we have confirmed that the church has the power and authority to interpret the Scriptures and make doctrine with the guidance of the Holy Spirit when using Scripture and Oral tradition. This is why a magisterium is needed to have a correct interpretation of Scripture and avoid heresies and different interpretations in passages that have only one interpretation, which means that the Bible cannot be interpreted by laypersons, thus, there is a need of a magisterium, bishops and priests to teach a sound doctrine and equip the body of Christ. It is evident that SOLA SCRIPTURA is a big problem in Protestantism because every person becomes his own interpreter and this explains why we have thousands of different denominations believing different things, also, the incorrect interpretation has been a cradle to heresies like Arianism, Nestorism, Montanism, Antinomianism, Calvinism including Once Saved always saved doctrine, prosperity gospel, Unitarism among others.
Having said that, here I leave other writing from Polycarp, where in one hand confirms that SOLA SCRIPTURA never existed in the early church, revealing also that the Protestant Canon is incomplete, and in the other hand, can be used as prove by some scholars to conclude that SOLA FIDE is also a false doctrine, other case that we can study using a similar criteria than the one detailed in this work.
Bonus
When you can do good, defer it not, because “alms delivers from death.” – Polycarp of Smryna, “The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians,” in The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, ed. Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, vol. 1, The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1885), 35.
Polycarp (disciple of John the Apostle) who died circa 155 AD was in this writing quoting from the book of Tobit to teach doctrine and at the same time shows his confidence that the book of Tobit is also inspired. This doctrinal truth “alms delivers from death” is found in the chapter four and chapter twelve.
Tobit 4:10 (RSV)
10 For charity delivers from death and keeps you from entering the darkness;
Tobit 12:9 (RSV)
9 For almsgiving delivers from death, and it will purge away every sin. Those who perform deeds of charity and of righteousness will have fulness of life;
In Matthew 6:12,14 Jesus after teaching how to pray to his disciples made a comment based in what is found int the book of Sirach 28:2
Matthew 6:14 (RSV2CE)
14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you;
Sirach 28:2 (RSV2CE)
2 Forgive your neighbor the wrong he has done,
and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray.
In other part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus seems to teach using what is found in Tobit.
Matthew 7:12 (RSV2CE)
12 ¶ So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them…
Tobit 4:15 (RSV2CE)
15 And what you hate, do not do to any one…
Jude quoted from the book of Enoch
Jude 14–15 (LEB)
14 And Enoch, the seventh from Adam, also prophesied about these people, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with tens of thousands of his holy ones 15 to execute judgment against all, and to convict all the ungodly concerning all their ungodly deeds that they have committed in an ungodly way, and concerning all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
1 Enoch 1:9
And behold! He cometh with ten thousands of His holy ones
To execute judgement upon all,
And to destroy all the ungodly:
And to convict all flesh
Of all the works of their ungodliness which they have ungodly committed,
And of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him
R. H. Charles and W. O. E. Oesterley, The Book of Enoch (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1917), Enoch 1:9.
Edgar Ramírez – BTh