by Daniel S. Trout
Christians, indebted as they are to the ancient Jews of their spiritual ancestry, have rightly been called the “people of the Book,” an observance both internally and externally prompted by their historic reliance on the authority of the Bible. Not only does this description accurately reflect Christianity’s traditional logo-centrism, but it also signifies the inherent dangers of abandoning this God-given foundation, which modern Christianity has tragically demonstrated for the world to see in the gradual self-destruction of liberalism. The Church must rely on the Scriptures for its dogma, worship and spiritual formation, but the question must be asked–given the diverse opinion on this matter within “conservative” Christianity:”Are we bound to Scripture alone?” Do we have to be centered on the Scriptures in order to be the “people of the book?”
Protestantism–reacting initially to the misuse, under-use and abuse of Scripture by the Roman church in the high Medieval era–still turns on the axis of sola Scriptura, insisting that, not only was the Bible uniquely the foundation of the apostolic era, but its inspired status makes it the only reliable source for the faith. Catholicism, on the other hand, has traditionally countered that the Bible cannot be considered our only authoritative source since the Church is perpetually illuminated and formed by the Holy Spirit and therefore possesses a dogmatic and didactic power in its own historical life and structure–what Catholics call “Holy Tradition.” Granted, Rome differs with Anglicanism and Orthodoxy on the nature of the relationship between Scripture and Tradition, but that explanation would make this post too long; so, we will simply put forth the view of the blogger (Anglican) and leave the other argument for another time.
Without being unnecessarily unfair to the pleasure of suspense, one must at least begin by noting that, historically, the Church has not represented the Protestant side of the argument, nor have those that have insisted upon its essentiality remained within the bounds of orthodoxy any longer than those who haven’t. In fact, Protestants have always, and continue to struggle with heresy and apostasy to a much greater degree than those professing Catholicity; the contemporary wreck of the mainline churches alone is a testament to this, although the problem truly finds its roots in Europe. That being said, Catholics have problems of their own that often stem from a misuse of Scripture, but what keeps them from going overboard is a consciousness that their ethos is ultimately defined by their vibrancy within a historical organism. Catholics, no matter what their specific affiliation may be, always have a sense of their “situatedness” in the Church. In other words, they cannot imagine (in this situation, e.g.) fidelity to Scripture disconnected from fidelity to what Christians everywhere have believed through the ages. Put plainly, Catholicism refuses to read and rank Scripture in isolation, and thereby make the Protestant mistake of putting the Church and Scripture indefinitely at odds. I don’t mean to say that Protestants pay no attention to how Christians from the past have interpreted and utilized the Bible, but I do mean to say that Protestants assume a priori that, due to the fallibility of man, the magisterial teaching power is unreliable and Scripture must therefore be treated as an unending archaeological excavation.
The problem with anything like a sola Scriptura position is that it reduces Christianity to a cult of book-adoration. Admittedly, I must give credit to my seminary professor John Frame for warning about the dangers of “bibliolatry,” but the problem is that a philosophy that insists upon the exclusivity of Scripture cannot help but become trapped in a kind of textual Baalism. Scripture becomes of such an absolute priority that everything else becomes either accidental or unnecessary to the faith system. Such, however, was not the character of the ancient Church, nor is it of Catholicism today. The reason is that ancient Christianity (which Catholicism can and does preserve) gave precedence to the spiritual life of the Church in the Holy Spirit, as it was sacramentally overseen and imparted by the collective power of the bishops. Even a cursory read of the earliest Fathers starting with Clement and Ignatius and continuing through the theologians of the great Councils reveals a faith distinguished by its life of worship and prayer. Its adherers could find nothing more vital than their new existence within the community of the Holy Trinity as it was revealed in the mysteries of the Church. Scripture was not central because it couldn’t be: the NT canon was not certain until the mid 4th century and the Church never understood what fragments it had as the sole deposit of apostolic teaching. What mattered was the illuminating power of the Spirit discovered in the life of the Body itself. Since these earliest centuries, Catholicism has always maintained that it is the directed soul and mind of the Church that distinguishes the right worship and dogma. Scripture, while essential to determining orthodoxy, is but part of the harmony that constitutes the living channel of revelation that is one, holy, catholic and apostolic.
It is unfortunate that the Western church had to take such a dramatic departure at the Reformation to restore the significance of Scripture to the life of the Church, but the reality remains that true Catholic Christianity has never died, but lives on in any parish that commits itself to the continuation of traditional Christian living and teaching in its fullness, including faithful preaching and instruction from the Word. East and West have developed different practices and emphases, but nevertheless, a Catholic core is recognizable in both from their devotion to the heritage passed on by the spiritual fathers and mothers of the Body. Christians, we shall say, are principally the “people of the Church,” viz., those faithful dedicated to working out their salvation in the sacramental existence of the pneumatic community. Catholics cannot be of the Book alone since such a view ultimately confuses a life in God with a life in abstract study. Put another way, the Church possesses Scripture, but it is not possessed by it. Christians cannot live without the witness of the Bible, but neither can they limit the extent of its witness through an intentional forgetfulness of the reciprocity that God has guided between it and its hearers since Pentecost. To those in tune with the burning life of this Memory, Scripture is best cherished as a divinely-prescribed tool–an instrument of worship for our edification and to the glory of God which remains, as it has always been, our bounden duty and service.
