[drstevej]

The written word (Scripures) and the living word (Christ) are both rightly called the Word of God. They testify to each other. Jesus authenticates the Scriptures and the Scriptures authenticate Jesus. In this sense neither are secondary.

Granted that Jesus as God is a member of the trinity and the Scriptures are a witness to Him. So if you call that secondary, I won't protest.

I will restate my point.

Give me the primary as fully primary and I will let the secondary be secondary to the extent the Scriptures allow. But don't inflate the secondary -- keep it the right size.

[Tantumergo]

"Give me the primary as fully primary and I will let the secondary be secondary to the extent the Scriptures allow."

Isn't this where we get back to the same old, same old debate about sola scriptura?

All the ancient churches hold to the Tradition which has been handed down from the apostles, including the typology and the understanding of the biblical texts which have been preserved from the beginning in our liturgies, patristic sources, and the teaching office of the Church.

The Scriptures and the Divine Liturgy flow from the same source of Revelation, and Holy Tradition preserves the true meanings of both as handed on from the apostles.

Your point of view is perfectly logical and consistent when operating in the sola scriptura paradigm, and having come from the Calvinist school myself, I know exactly what you mean.

However, most Christians throughout history live in a different paradigm where the blasphemy detectors would no more be fired off by the notion of salvation being by Christ through Mary, than a Protestant's blasphemy detectors would be set off by calling the bible the "Word of God".