The Four Traditions
Keith Mathison, in
The Shape of
Sola Scriptura,
states:
"...
the first three centuries of the Church a general
consensus existed on the subject of Scripture and
tradition. The New Testament was the "inscripturation" of
the apostolic proclamation, and it together with the Old
Testament was the sole source of revelation and the only
doctrinal norm. The Scriptures were to be interpreted in
and by the Church within the hermeneutical context of the
regula fidei (rule of
faith).
Following Oberman, this has been referred to as
Tradition I. In the fourth century the first hints of
a two-source concept of tradition - Tradition II - are
found in the writings of fathers such as Basil and
Augustine. While it is questionable that either of
them actually endorsed a two-source position, the
language they used would later be interpreted as
supporting such a position.
The consensus of the early Church continued throughout
most of the Middle Ages with most theologians holding to
Tradition I. In the twelfth century the first movements
toward a real Tradition II position began. But it is in
the early fourteenth century that we reach a turning
point in the writings of William of Ockham. He is the
first to clearly and explicitly teach a two-source
concept of tradition. From this point onward there is a
parallel development of these two concepts - Tradition I
and Tradition II.
In the sixteenth-century Reformation, Martin Luther and
John Calvin used Tradition I to battle the results of
Tradition II using the slogan sola scriptura. It must be
remembered, however, that they continued to teach that
this authoritative Scripture must be interpreted in and
by the Church within the hermeneutical context of
the
rule of
faith.
Because Tradition I was becoming identified with the
Protestant position, Rome reacted by dogmatizing
Tradition II at the Council of Trent. In recent
centuries Rome's position has begun to develop into a
Tradition III view in which the real source of
revelation is neither Scripture nor tradition but
instead is the living magisterium. Whatever Rome says
today is the apostolic faith. Scripture and tradition
are then interpreted by Rome to support whatever Rome
teaches.
Many of the Radical Reformers of the sixteenth century
not only rejected Tradition II but also Tradition I. They
advocated Scripture not merely as the only infallible
authority, but as the only authority altogether. The true
authority of the rule of faith and of the Church was
completely rejected by the radicals. According to this
Tradition 0 position, there is no sense in which
tradition of any kind has any true authority. The
individual believer needs only the Holy Spirit and the
Scripture.
In eighteenth-century America, this anabaptistic
individualism combined with Enlightenment rationalism and
democratic populism to create a radical version of
Tradition 0, which has prevailed to this day. This
doctrine has become the standard evangelical position on
scriptural authority. Recognizing the many errors
inherent in this doctrine, many evangelicals who wrongly
believe it to be THE Reformation doctrine of SOLA
SCRIPTURA have left evangelical Protestantism for Roman
Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy." (Mathison,
Shape of Sola
Scriptura)
Tradition 0 leads to the autonomy of the individual.
Tradition III leads to the autonomy of the Pope (or Roman
Catholic Church). As Keith Mathison shares in his
book,
"Anarchy is not the cure for tyranny."
Tradition 0 leads to anarchy, church splits, factions,
and new denominations. Essentially, in Tradition 0 each
person is his or her own "pope". Tradition III leads to
tyranny and "truth" becomes whatever the Roman Catholic
Church says is truth.
Tradition 1 is the oldest tradition and the only
tradition that can be called apostolic. Rome's Tradition
II only goes back to the twelfth century. The irony is
that Roman Catholic apologists will argue that "Sola
Scriptura" is a theological invention created by Luther
and is only as old as the Reformation. The truth is that
Luther's position goes all the way back to the original
church and Rome's positions (Tradition II and III) are
the newer inventions!
"If
we are to maintain a sound Christian doctrine of
authority we must, with the early fathers and with the
magisterial Reformers, insist that Scripture is the sole
source of revelation. We must insist that, by virtue of
its absolutely unique character as the inspired Word of
the living God, Scripture is the sole infallible
authority for doctrine and practice. And we must also
insist that Scripture is to be interpreted within the
hermeneutical boundaries of the apostolic
rule of
faith
in and by the communion of saints." (Mathison,
Shape of Sola
Scriptura)
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