Replies

I can see how the sola scriptura crowd would come to invent superstition of 'sola scriptura'. Once they abandoned the Church, all the could really take with them is that collection of writings the Church regards as scripture. They left the teachings of the Fathers, Holy Tradition, and the authority passed along through Apostolic Succession and were left with - a book.

To fill the void they invented the idea that book was perfect because they no longer had the Church. After that, the unraveling of their faith began and with that came the endless splintering that is Protestantism.

They sure threw out a really big baby when they tossed out the bath water during that Protestant Reformation. One need look no further than FreeRepublic to find the avalanche of heresies that came along with that reformation.

They left the teachings of the Fathers, Holy Tradition, and the authority passed along through Apostolic Succession and were left with - a book. To fill the void they invented the idea that book was perfect

The idea of inerrancy of the Bible is of a relatively recent origin. Wikipedia cites Theology Today published in 1975 as saying inerrancy doctrine is about two centuries old. Just as Luther believed in Mary's perpetual virginity, Protestants did not believe in error-proof scriptures for about 300 years after the Reformation.

In other words, Luther and the rest of them would be condemned as "Catholics" by the TULIP-staffel, possibly as dirty "progressivists," or even the abomonable Obamaphiles, and if possible—burned at stake. :)

So much for eschewing the traditions of men...

"Once they abandoned the Church, all the could really take with them is that collection of writings the Church regards as scripture. They left the teachings of the Fathers, Holy Tradition, and the authority passed along through Apostolic Succession and were left with - a book.

Well, yes and no. The first generation of Reformers still held to many of the tenets of Holy Tradition; the Perpetual Virginity of the Theotokos for example. In fact, the next generation after Luther attempted to connect with the Pat. of Constantinople and come under his omophorion, on their own terms of course and so it never happened but they did make the approach. By a generation or two later, that was all gone. It often takes awhile, but inevitably, to paraphrase The Shadow, the weed of heresy bears bitter fruit!

In any event, where do you and I learn our Faith? From the what we say when we pray, my brother, from the what we say when we pray. And the ultimate prayer of the People of God is the Divine Liturgy.

http://www.goarch.org/multimedia/audio/audiofiles/liturgy/liturgy-g

"Εἴδομεν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν, ἐλάβομεν Πνεῦμα ἐπουράνιον, εὕρομεν πίστιν ἀληθῆ, ἀδιαίρετον Τριάδα προσκυνοῦντες, αὕτη γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἔσωσεν.