Scripture

There are a number of factors from within theological studies that make it difficult, if not impossible, to speak of the "authority" of Scripture today. The Bible and other sources of Scripture often clash with respect to authority, depending on different views of Catholics, Protestants, and Jewish theologians. As Bruce (1988) maintains, "The question to be examined is: how did certain documents, and these only, come to receive this recognition? Who, if anyone, decided that these, and no others, should be admitted to the list of holy Scriptures, and what were the criteria which influenced this decision?" (18). When examining theological perspectives on the "authority" of Scripture, we discover that historical context, competing groups, reform movements and other factors make it difficult to speak of the "authority" of Scripture in modern times.

The Bible is viewed primarily as a collection of stories, authoritative Scripture that plays a decisive role in shaping the lives of Christians. Many of today's theologians, however, insist on viewing the Scriptures as metaphorical truths without claiming they are factual. Creation, the Fall, the history of Israel and the life of Jesus have been recorded in the Scriptures. However, even within the Scriptures, such as the agnostic Gospels compared to the Gospel of John, there are discrepancies between accounts of such recordings. For example, many argue that John 14:6, wherein Jesus claims to be the only route to God,

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l interpretations of the Bible. Matthew 15 condemns tradition because it is merely human in nature, but 2 Thessalonians 2:15 discusses a tradition through which the Word of God is conveyed authoritatively. St. Paul also commends the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 11:2 to remain steadfast in their following of the traditions he has left them. Those who are opposed to sola scriptura argue that the concept is neither scriptural nor historical. These individuals maintain the Church spread for decades before the New Testament books were written, primarily based on the Word of God as handed down from Christ to the Apostles and their followers through doctrine, worship, and morals apart from the books of the New Testament. Jeffrey (2004) maintains that the loss of authority of the Church overall has led to a "de facto" loss of authority of Scripture. As the author argues, "The hackneyed adage among some adversaries of the faith, that Christians can make any verse of the Bible mean anything they want it to, is almost perfectly mirrored in the proclamation of some believers that the highest religious good is their right to interpret Scripture in whatever way they see fit" (Jeffrey 2004, 6). There are many issues that make it difficu

Category: Philosophy - S