Scripture and tradition

This site measures each tradition’s teaching against two things separately: the plain reading of Scripture, and the early church fathers (to about AD 750). It does not decide how much weight each should carry. The four traditions themselves answer that question differently, and readers can weigh the evidence for themselves.

How each tradition weights authority

The summaries below are kept neutral and short; each cites the tradition’s own confessional text.

Presbyterian: sola scriptura. (Westminster Confession, Larger and Shorter Catechisms.) Shorter Catechism Q. 2: the Word of God “is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him” (WSC, verified). Scripture is the only infallible rule; councils and the fathers are real but subordinate and fallible guides, to be tested by Scripture. Westminster Confession I.10: “The supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture.” (WCF I.10, verified.)

Lutheran: Scripture as norma normans. Scripture is the “norming norm”; the confessions are a norma normata, a norm that is itself normed by Scripture, and the fathers are honoured witnesses. Formula of Concord, Epitome, Rule and Norm 1: “the sole rule and standard according to which all dogmas together with [all] teachers should be estimated and judged are the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures of the Old and of the New Testament alone.” (FC Ep., Rule and Norm, verified. The Latin terms norma normans / normata come from later Lutheran theology, not the confession’s text: to verify against a specific source.)

Catholic: Scripture, Tradition and Magisterium. Scripture and Sacred Tradition together form one deposit of revelation, and the Church’s teaching office (Magisterium) interprets it authentically. Trent, Session IV (1546) receives both “with an equal affection of piety, and reverence” (Trent IV, verified). Vatican II, Dei Verbum 10: “Sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the word of God, committed to the Church”, and the task of authentic interpretation “has been entrusted exclusively to the living teaching office of the Church” (Dei Verbum, verified).

Orthodox: Scripture within Holy Tradition. Scripture is the highest expression of Holy Tradition, read within the Church’s continuous life: the fathers, the ecumenical councils and the liturgy. Confession of Dositheus (1672), Decree 2: “the witness also of the Catholic Church is, we believe, not of inferior authority to that of the Divine Scriptures” (Dositheus, verified). The broader characterisation of Scripture “within” Tradition reflects modern Orthodox theologians and is to verify against a specific source.

Anglican: Scripture supreme, with the creeds and the early church as a guide. Article VI: “Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man”. Article XXI: General Councils “may err, and sometimes have erred”; Article VIII receives the three creeds. (Articles, verified.)

Reformed Baptist: sola scriptura. Second London Confession (1689) 1.1: “The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience” (1689 ch. 1, verified).

General Baptist: Scripture as the rule, with the creeds received. Standard Confession (1660) art. 23: “the holy Scriptures is the rule whereby Saints both in matters of Faith, and conversation are to be regulated” (text, verified). The Orthodox Creed (1679) art. 38 says the three creeds “ought throughly to be received, and believed”, because they “may be proved, by most undoubted authority of holy Scripture”. That wording comes from a secondary transcription and is to verify.

Anabaptist: Scripture, especially the New Testament as Christ’s law. Dordrecht (1632) art. V: Christ’s New Testament is such “that neither angel nor man may alter it, nor add to it nor take away from it” (text, verified). Schleitheim (1527) grounds each article in Scripture. There is no doctrine of tradition.

Oriental Orthodox: Scripture within the tradition of the first three councils. The Coptic, Armenian, Ethiopian and Syriac churches read Scripture within the faith of Nicaea, Constantinople and Ephesus and the fathers, especially Cyril as received by Severus of Antioch and Timothy Aelurus, and through the liturgy. To verify: the sources are thin, and no primary text was checked here.

The Presbyterian, Reformed Baptist and General Baptist positions are compared point by point in the confessional sources note.

Both measures, side by side

Neither measure is a headline and neither is combined with the other. Percentages are confidence-weighted averages over the questions each tradition is scored on (method).

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