[Claud]

Oh! People could frame heretical beliefs from Scripture can they? And does that perhaps tell us a little something about the supposed perspicacity we hear so much about?

I noticed your ellipses left out this little bit of the Stromata:

As, then, if a man should, similarly to those drugged by Circe, become a beast; so he, who has spurned the ecclesiastical tradition, and darted off to the opinions of heretical men, has ceased to be a man of God and to remain faithful to the Lord.

This is exactly what I mean about cutting and pasting select bits of the Fathers and ignoring the entirety of their arguments and lives. In that very same passage you quoted to defend the reliance on Scripture, Clement states clearly that he who departs from ecclesiastical tradition has ceased to be a man of God.

We have never objected to Scripture being a rule of faith. We object to it being made the only rule of faith, because we have always maintained that Scripture and Apostolic tradition go hand in hand. Seems to me that is exactly what Clement is saying.

At least you're reading Clement though. That's promising, and it speaks very well of your intellect.

[Elsie]

We object to it being made the only rule of faith, because we have always maintained that Scripture and Apostolic tradition go hand in hand.

Strange; considering what ROME has published thru the ages...

2 Timothy 3:15
...and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

[HarleyD]

I noticed your ellipses left out this little bit of the Stromata

I'm sure you'd understand if I do not post the entire Stromata here. As far as your quote, you left off the following:

As, then, if a man should, similarly to those drugged by Circe, become a beast; so he, who has spurned the ecclesiastical tradition, and darted off to the opinions of heretical men, has ceased to be a man of God and to remain faithful to the Lord. But he who has returned from this deception, ON HEARING THE SCRIPTURES, and turned his life to the truth, is, as it were, from being a man made a god.

For we have, as the source of teaching, the Lord, 1) both by the prophets, 2) the Gospel, and 3) the blessed apostles, "in divers manners and at sundry times," leading from the beginning of knowledge to the end. But if one should suppose that ANOTHER ORIGIN was required, then no longer truly could an origin be preserved.

There is no mention of "ecclesiastical tradition" in the sense it is used in the Catholic Church today. Clement is talking about the traditions set down by the apostles in the scriptures. As noted above, there are only four sources of teachings two of which (prophets and apostles) are no longer with us. That leaves only the Lord and the scriptures.

Don't complain if I'm only following the writings of the Church fathers. ;O)