Welcome to Catholic Scripture

 

THE DEPOSIT OF FAITH

Sacred Scripture is rooted in Sacred Tradition, which includes the teachings, practices, and beliefs transmitted through the centuries within the faith community. Understanding and interpreting Scripture within the context of this Tradition is essential, as it provides a framework and insights that clarify the intended meaning of the biblical texts. This relationship ensures that interpretations remain aligned with the original context and the lived experience of the faith community.

Scripture can be understood as the written manifestation of Tradition, which encompasses the teachings, beliefs, and practices that have been passed down through generations. This sacred text serves not only as a historical record but also as a vital guide for faith and moral living, capturing the essence of spiritual knowledge and communal wisdom in a tangible form.

Tradition represents the unwritten word of God, embodying the teachings and practices that the Holy Spirit has communicated to the Church throughout history. It encompasses the beliefs, rituals, and customs passed down through generations, playing a crucial role in the life of the Church. This divine guidance serves as a foundation for the faith, enriching the understanding of Scripture and helping to illuminate the path for believers as they seek to live out their faith in a contemporary context.

Hence, Sacred Scripture must never be divorced from Sacred Tradition for several compelling reasons. First, Sacred Scripture, which consists of the written Word of God, was initially transmitted within the context of the early Christian community that relied heavily on oral teachings and practices. These traditions provide the necessary interpretive framework that helps us understand the Scriptures accurately.

Moreover, Sacred Tradition encompasses the teachings and practices that have been passed down through generations, enriching our understanding of faith and guiding our moral and spiritual lives. By remaining connected to Sacred Tradition, we maintain continuity with the beliefs and practices of the early Church, ensuring that our interpretation of Scripture is in alignment with the original authors' intentions.

Additionally, Sacred Tradition informs the Church’s Magisterium, or teaching authority, allowing it to discern and declare matters of faith and morals authoritatively. This interplay between Scripture and Tradition establishes a dynamic relationship in which both sources of divine revelation work together to nurture a deeper faith and a more authentic understanding of God’s will in our lives. Thus, the integration of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition is essential for a holistic approach to Christian faith that honors both the written Word and the living tradition of the Catholic Church.

“Those, therefore, who desert the preaching of the Church, call in question the knowledge of the
holy presbyters, not taking into consideration of how much greater consequence is a religious man,
even in a private station, than a blasphemous and impudent sophist. Now, such are all the heretics,
and those who imagine that they have hit upon something more beyond the truth, so that by
following those things already mentioned, proceeding on their way variously, in harmoniously,
and foolishly, not keeping always to the same opinions with regard to the same things, as blind men
are led by the blind, they shall deservedly fall into the ditch of ignorance lying in their path, ever
seeking and never finding out the truth. It behooves us, therefore, to avoid their doctrines, and to
take careful heed lest we suffer any injury from them; but to flee to the Church, and be brought up
in her bosom, and be nourished with the Lord’s Scriptures.”
Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 5,20:2 (A.D. 180)

“Now the cause, in all the points previously enumerated, of the false opinions, and of the impious
statements or ignorant assertions about God, appears to be nothing else than the not understanding the Scripture according to its spiritual meaning, but the interpretation of it agreeably to the mere letter. And therefore, to those who believe that the sacred books are not the compositions of men, but that they were composed by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, agreeably to the will of the Father of all things through Jesus Christ, and that they have come down to us, we must point out the ways (of interpreting them) which appear (correct) to us, who cling to the standard of the heavenly Church of Jesus Christ according to the succession of the apostles.”
Origen, First Principles, 4,1:9 (A.D. 230)

“But in learning the Faith and in professing it, acquire and keep that only, which is now delivered
to thee by the Church, and which has been built up strongly out of all the Scriptures….Take heed
then, brethren, and hold fast the traditions which ye now receive, and write them and the table of
your heart.”
 Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures, 5:12 (A.D. 350)

“But beyond these [Scriptural] sayings, let us look at the very tradition, teaching and faith of the
Catholic Church from the beginning, which the Lord gave, the Apostles preached, and the Fathers
kept.”
Athanasius, Four Letters to Serapion of Thmuis, 1:28 (A.D. 360)

“But when proper words make Scripture ambiguous, we must see in the first place that there is

nothing wrong in our punctuation or pronunciation. Accordingly, if, when attention is given to

the passage, it shall appear to be uncertain in what way it ought to be punctuated or pronounced,

let the reader consult the rule of faith which he has gathered from the plainer passages of Scripture,

and from the authority of the Church, and of which I treated at sufficient length when I was

speaking in the first book about things.”
Augustine, On Christian Doctrine, 3,2:2 (A.D. 397)

” ‘So then, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye were taught, whether by word, or

by Epistle of ours.’ Hence it is manifest, that they did not deliver all things by Epistle, but many

things also unwritten, and in like manner both the one and the other are worthy of credit.

Therefore let us think the tradition of the Church also worthy of credit. It is a tradition, seek no farther.”
John Chrysostom, Homily on 2nd Thessalonians, 4:2 (A.D. 404)

“But it will be said, If the words, the sentiments, the promises of Scripture, are appealed to by the
Devil and his disciples, of whom some are false apostles, some false prophets and false teachers,
and all without exception heretics, what are Catholics and the sons of Mother Church to do? How
are they to distinguish truth from falsehood in the sacred Scriptures? They must be very careful to
pursue that course which, in the beginning of this Commonitory, we said that holy and learned
men had commended to us, that is to say, they must interpret the sacred Canon according to the
traditions of the Universal Church and in keeping with the rules of Catholic doctrine, in which
Catholic and Universal Church, moreover, they must follow universality, antiquity, consent.”
Vincent of Lerins, Commonitory of the Antinquity and Universality of the Catholic Faith, 70
(A.D. 434)

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