The Church

• The Catholic view : Apostolic tradition

  • Jesus commanded his apostles to teach the Gospels, this was done orally through the teachings Jesus gave to them
  • This is an ongoing tradition carried on through the Apostolic Succession - this is where Jesus appointed Bishops and this has gone on
  • Tradition and Scripture are closely connected through the Holy Spirit, who is active - Catholics embrace scripture and tradition because only The Church has the authority to interpret scripture
• The Protestant View: Sola Scriptura

  • 'By Scripture alone' - developed by Martin Luther in the protestant reformation
  • No one has the right to tamper with text and decide which bits are true and false
  • Therefore, Church teachings must be inline with the Bible
  • The Church was created by the word and not the other way around so the Church cannot judge the scripture
  • 'Priesthood of all believers' - all believers stand equally before God , and don't need a priest between them and God - everyone can access God through prayer