Latin Phrase-HELP !!!

I’m trying to get a translation and good understanding of a Latin phrase. This was passed to my by a good friend who is trying to deal with a situation.

Apparently this phrase was used in a context that makes her think that the phrase applies to something that Christians ARE, but strict Roman Catholics ARE NOT. That’s all the clue she could give me.

Surely, a moment for the Teeming Millions to shine…so…help ! The phrase is as follows:

             SOLA   SCRIPTURA

Many thanks in advance, I’ll check back and see how we all do. Me, I hear “Latin”, I think of the late great Tito Puente…

Cartooniverse

“Scripture only”, the idea beign the Bible is the only proper authority, not the Church, too.

hoo boy. According to my high-school latin, that can be so many things.

  1. The one scripture.

  2. One (of many) scripture(s).

  3. (the) Only scripture.

  4. Only (as in nothing but) scripture.

And I’m probably neglecting a few others.

“By scripture alone.” See http://incolor.inetnebr.com/stuart/mottos.htm

Sola Scriptura simply means “only Scripture.”

Protestant theology generally says that every revealed truth is found in Scripture–and if it is not there it cannot be a revealed truth.

Catholic Theology says that Scripture arose from the Tradition of the Faith and that there are Truths that have been handed down through tradition that are not necessarily recorded in Scripture.

The two sides are not as far apart as some people would want to make them out to be. Catholics agree that there is nothing required of salvation that has not been revealed in Scripture. (And Protestants have been known to cite the “tradition” of a particular interpretation of a Scriptural passage in order to make their point.)

However, it was a really big fight during the Reformation and you can still find people who want to condemn the “other side” for not agreeing to their position.

Two major rallying cries of the Protestant Reformation were “sola fide” by faith alone(Martin Luther’s anti-scriptural idea) and “sola scriptura” meaning by [the authority of] scripture alone. In my views the latter is the nucleus of protestantism in general and fundamentalism in particular.

Protestant branches of Christianity still maintain that scrpture alone, i.e. the Holy Bible (sans the Apocrypha) is the only authority for Christian beliefs. Protestant doctrines are therefore by their own admission fallible.

Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches (I’m not sure about the Episcopalians and Anglicans) adhere to the tennet “sola verbum Dei” or by the word of God alone. Which allows for the revelation of the will and word of God in ways apart from the Bible. (See the post by our learned colleague tomndebb above.) It is partly by this argument that Catholics try to claim Papal infallibility.

An argument I recently came accross countering “sola scriptura” cited scriptural 2 Thessalonians 2:15 as “So then, bretheren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.” Which is a heavy verse to quote to Protestants as Paul seems to say that “sola criptura” wasn’t all there is.

To be fair, Protestants can quote the Bible too. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be completem equipped for every good work.” Granted he didn’t say “only scripture.”

Needless to say, this type of thing has sparked a lot of debate through the ages. But just ask your Protestant friend whwre in the Bible does the Bible say that the Bible is the only authority. She’ll have a hard time. Any Protestants wishing to dispute me may tell me all they want about how their particular sect’s tradition is the only one that really understands the Bible.

Thank you all SO much !!! This is exactly what my friend needed. I linked her to this page, and she is using this information this evening. Gotta love it…a little less ignorance than there was at 3:30 pm today.

In gratitude I remain,

Cartooniverse

Hey Cartoonuniverse,

So tell us what happened. You said the info was used somehow? Give us the scoop, man.