B. Authority of Scriptures

Note: This list is a work in progress, and may change at any time both in the selection of quotations and the content of the annotations. In the meantime, feel free to offer any suggestions.

IGNATIUS

“When I heard some saying, If I do not find it in the ancient Scriptures, I will not believe the Gospel; on my saying to them, It is written, they answered me, That remains to be proved. But to me Jesus Christ is in the place of all that is ancient: His cross, and death, and resurrection, and the faith which is by Him, are undefiled monuments of antiquity; by which I desire, through your prayers, to be justified.”1

BARNABAS

“…as it is written, ‘Many are called, but few are chosen.’” (Epistle of Barnabas, chap. 4)2

IRENAEUS

“But in this, the third book I shall adduce proofs from the Scriptures, so that I may come behind in nothing of what thou hast enjoined…. taking these in connection with them, thou shalt have from me a very copious refutation of all the heretics; and faithfully and strenuously shalt thou resist them in defence of the only true and life-giving faith, which the Church has received from the apostles and imparted to her sons. For the Lord of all gave to His apostles the power of the Gospel, through whom also we have known the truth, that is, the doctrine of the Son of God; to whom also did the Lord declare: “He that heareth you, heareth Me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth Me, and Him that sent Me.” (Against Heresies, Book Three, Preface)3

“Suppose there arise a dispute relative to some important question among us, should we not have recourse to the most ancient Churches with which the apostles held constant intercourse, and learn from them what is certain and clear in regard to the present question? For how should it be if the apostles themselves had not left us writings? Would it not be necessary, [in that case,] to follow the course of the tradition which they handed down to those to whom they did commit the Churches?
        2.To which course many nations of those barbarians who believe in Christ do assent, having salvation written in their hearts by the Spirit, without paper or ink, and, carefully preserving the ancient tradition, believing in one God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and all things therein, by means of Christ Jesus, the Son of God; who, because of His surpassing love towards His creation, condescended to be born of the virgin, He Himself uniting man through Himself to God, and having suffered under Pontius Pilate, and rising again, and having been received up in splendour, shall come in glory, the Saviour of those who are saved, and the Judge of those who are judged, and sending into eternal fire those who transform the truth, and despise His Father and His advent. Those who, in the absence of written documents, have believed this faith, are barbarians, so far as regards our language; but as regards doctrine, manner, and tenor of life, they are, because of faith, very wise indeed; and they do please God, ordering their conversation in all righteousness, chastity, and wisdom. If any one were to preach to these men the inventions of the heretics, speaking to them in their own language, they would at once stop their ears, and flee as far off as possible, not enduring even to listen to the blasphemous address. Thus, by means of that ancient tradition of the apostles, they do not suffer their mind to conceive anything of the [doctrines suggested by the] portentous language of these teachers, among whom neither Church nor doctrine has ever been established.” (Against Heresies, Book Three, chap. 4)4

Athanasius

“These are fountains of salvation, that they who thirst may be satisfied with the living words they contain. In these alone is proclaimed the doctrine of godliness. Let no man add to these, neither let him take ought from these. For concerning these the Lord put to shame the Sadducees, and said, ‘Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures.’ And He reproved the Jews, saying, ‘Search the Scriptures, for these are they that testify of Me.” (From Letter XXXIX [For 367])5

  1. To Ignatius, the scriptures possess ultimate authority, and the touchstone by which one’s interpretation of the scripture must be tested is, whether or not it is in accordance with the cross, death and resurrection of Christ.
  2. An interesting quote, in that it shows how early the New Testament writings were referred to with the well-known formula for introducing inspired scriptures, viz., “It is written…”
  3. For similar passages, see above, Authority: Tradition. In this classic passage, standing at the head of his third book Against Heresies, and in which he provides some of the earliest and most strenuous arguments for the necessity of apostolic succession, Irenaeus makes it very clear that the Church must indeed hold fast to apostolic tradition, and indeed be built upon the same foundation, because they alone had the power of the Gospel, viz., the Truth, to which the inspired Scriptures bear witness. The apostles’ authority, therefore, was only that of the truth, as the Scriptures declare it; and anything not in accord with the truth of the scriptures can in no wise be called apostolic, or said to have apostolic authority.
  4. Here, Irenaeus accords primary authority to the written record of the apostles, but admits that barbarians with no access to the scriptures, if they have held fast to the same spoken apostolic traditions which purely accord with the written Word, are thereby enabled to stand firm in the truth.
  5. This is from a letter in which Athanasius explicitly accepts as divinely-inspired only the books of the Protestant canon, and makes a fundamental distinction between them and the books which we today know of as the Apocrypha. He is clear here that no other book may be added to this list, as the canonical scriptures alone are divinely authoritative, and contain within themselves all that is necessary for salvation.

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