Editing Sola scriptura (section)

==Critiques==
Following the Protestant churches' separation from the Roman Catholic Church, the relatively new idea of {{lang|la|sola scriptura}} came under serious critique by the [[Catholic]] and [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] Christians. In his 2001 ''[[The Shape of Sola Scriptura]]'',{{Sfn|Mathison|2001|p=13}} the [[Reformed Christian]] writer [[Keith A. Mathison]] mentions several recent examples of such critics.{{efn|name="namely"}} In response, Mathison distinguishes what he considers to be the true doctrine of {{lang|la|sola scriptura}} from the "subjective and individualistic version" of the doctrine that most Protestants have adopted.{{sfn|Mathison|2001|pp=13–14}}

The American Roman Catholic author and television presenter [[Patrick Madrid]] wrote that {{lang|la|sola scriptura}} is self-referentially incoherent, as the Bible itself does not teach {{lang|la|sola scriptura}}, and therefore the belief that the scriptures are the only source of Christian belief is self-contradicting given that it cannot be supported without extra-scriptural doctrine.{{sfn|Madrid|2012|pp=4–6}}

In the 2008 book ''Catholicism and Science'', the authors Peter M.&nbsp;J. Hess and Paul Allen wrote that {{lang|la|sola scriptura}} is "inherently divisive", citing the [[Marburg Colloquy]] where Martin Luther and [[Huldrych Zwingli]] debated the [[real presence of Christ in the Eucharist]] on scriptural grounds but were unable to reach agreement on [[sacramental union]]. Hess and Allen argue that, when scripture is seen as the only source of infallible teaching, its interpretation is subject to fallible interpretation, and without an infallible interpreter, a certainty of Christian belief is not possible.{{sfn|Hess|Allen|2008|pp=28–29}}

The Roman Catholic ''Encyclopedia of Theology'' notes that, since the 27 books that make up the [[Canon of the New Testament|New Testament canon]] of scripture are not based on a scriptural list that authenticates them to be inspired, their legitimacy would be impossible to distinguish with certainty without appealing to another infallible source, such as the [[magisterium]] of the [[Catholic Church]], which assembled and authenticated this list at [[Council of Rome|Synod of Rome]] and the [[Synod of Carthage]], both of which took place in the fourth century.{{sfn|Burkitt|1913}} Before this, a compiled and authenticated Bible as it is now known did not yet exist.{{sfn|Neuenzeit|1975|p=172}}

The American Roman Catholic writer [[Dave Armstrong (Catholic apologist)|Dave Armstrong]] wrote that there are several examples of Jesus and his Apostles accepting oral and extrabiblical tradition in the New Testament:{{sfn|Armstrong|2004|pp=43–44}}
*The reference to "He shall be called a Nazarene" cannot be found in the Old Testament, yet it was "spoken by the prophets" ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 2:23). This prophecy, which is considered to be "God's Word", was passed down orally rather than through Scripture. 
*In Matthew 23:2–3, Jesus teaches that the scribes and [[Pharisees]] have a legitimate, binding authority based "on Moses' seat", but this phrase or idea cannot be found anywhere in the Old Testament. It is found in the (originally oral) [[Mishnah]], which teaches a sort of "teaching succession" from Moses.
*In [[1 Corinthians]] 10:4, [[Paul the Apostle]] refers to a rock that "followed" the Jews through the Sinai wilderness. The Old Testament says nothing about such miraculous movement. But, this critic writes, [[rabbinic tradition]] does.
*"As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses" ([[2 Timothy]] 3:8). These two men cannot be found in the related Old Testament passage (cf. [[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] 7:8ff.) or anywhere else in the Old Testament.
*In the [[Epistle of Jude]] 9, a dispute is mentioned between the Archangel [[Michael (archangel)|Michael]] and [[Satan]] over Moses' body, which is not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible, and is drawn from oral Jewish tradition.
*In the [[Epistle of James]] 5:17, when recounting the prayers of [[Elijah]] described in [[1 Kings]] 17, a lack of rain for three years is mentioned, which is absent from the passage in 1 Kings.
Armstrong argues that since Jesus and the Apostles acknowledge authoritative Jewish oral tradition, Christians can therefore not dispute oral tradition's legitimacy and authority. However, according to scripture, Jesus also challenges some man-made Jewish traditions. But Catholics also make a similar distinction today between [[Sacred Tradition]], which is considered inerrant, and lesser ecclesiastical traditions or disciplines, which can be subject to change. In the Catholic view, one can know what belongs to Sacred Tradition and what is an ecclesiastical tradition or discipline by consulting the [[Magisterium]] of the [[Catholic Church|Church]]. The difference between the two, in the Catholic view, is that Sacred Tradition is apostolic and part of the [[deposit of faith]], while ecclesiastical traditions and disciplines are not.

=== Views of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ===
[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church) states: "The official, canonized scriptures of the Church, often called the standard works, are the [[Bible]], the [[Book of Mormon]], the [[Doctrine and Covenants]], and the [[Pearl of Great Price (Mormonism)|Pearl of Great Price]]."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scriptures |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/eng/manual/gospel-topics/scriptures |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=www.churchofjesuschrist.org |language=en}}</ref> The Church accepts the Bible as the word of God "as far as it is translated correctly,"<ref>See {{lds|Articles of Faith|a_of_f|1|8}} ("We believe the ''Bible'' to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly.") [[Joseph Smith]] wrote, "I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers" (''Teachings of The Prophet Joseph Smith'', p. 327).</ref> and it regards parts of the [[Apocrypha]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Doctrine and Covenants 91 |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/eng/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/91 |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=www.churchofjesuschrist.org |language=en}}</ref> some writings of the [[Protestant Reformers]] and non-Christian religious leaders, and the non-religious writings of some philosophers – and, notably, the [[Constitution of the United States of America]]<ref name="auto">See [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/101?lang=eng&id=80#p80 D&C 101:80]</ref> – to be ''inspired'', though ''not canonical''.<ref>{{cite web |date=1992 |title=Encyclopedia of Mormonism – World Religions (Non-Christian) and Mormonism |url=https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/World_Religions_(Non-Christian)_and_Mormonism |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080429193758/http://ldsfaq.byu.edu/emmain.asp?number=202 |archive-date=April 29, 2008 |access-date=2008-06-03}}</ref>

Regarding the Church's view on the belief held by many that the Holy Bible, as presently constituted (in any translation, or even from the extant Hebrew and Greek manuscripts), is inerrant or infallible, etc, or the doctrine of ''sola scriptura'', the Church has said the following: "The Latter-day Saints have a great reverence and love for the Bible. They study it and try to live its teachings. They treasure its witness of the life and mission of the Lord Jesus Christ. The [[Joseph Smith|Prophet Joseph Smith]] studied the Bible all his life, and he taught its precepts. He testified that a person who can 'mark the power of Omnipotence, inscribed upon the heavens, can also see God’s own handwriting in the sacred volume: and he who reads it oftenest will like it best, and he who is acquainted with it, will know the hand [of the Lord] wherever he can see it'."<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=Bible, Inerrancy of |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/eng/manual/gospel-topics/bible-inerrancy-of |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=www.churchofjesuschrist.org |language=en}}</ref>

The Church further said on the subject of ''sola scriptura'': "Latter-day Saints believe in an open scriptural canon, which means that there are other books of scripture besides the Bible (such as the Book of Mormon) and that God continues to reveal His word through living [[prophet]]s. The argument is often made that to be a Christian means to assent to the principle of ''sola scriptura,'' or the self-sufficiency of the Bible. But to claim that the Bible is the final word of God—more specifically, the final written word of God—is to claim more for the Bible than it claims for itself. Nowhere does the Bible proclaim that all revelations from God would be gathered into a single volume to be forever closed and that no further scriptural revelation could be received."<ref name=":02" />