Summary: I take issue with Baptist apologist Gavin Ortlund who claims that St. Augustine espoused sola Scriptura, and prove that he accepted several non-biblical infallible authorities.
Did St. Augustine believe in sola Scriptura? Dr. Gavin Ortlund (Truth Unites) says yes. In this respectful rebuttal, Kenny Burchard and Catholic apologist Dave Armstrong walk through Augustine’s own words—with citations on screen—to show why the great North African Doctor of the Church did not teach “Bible alone.” We start with Gavin’s definition of sola Scriptura (“Scripture is the only infallible rule… all tradition is reformable”) and then read Augustine in context. Yes—Augustine affirms Scripture’s unique inspiration and freedom from error. But he also affirms FIVE additional and real authorities that, at times, bind the Church infallibly:
- The Catholic Church / “authority of the Church universal”
- Sacred Tradition received from the apostles
- Ecumenical Councils (and their precedence over local synods)
- The Papacy / Primacy of Peter and the Roman See
- Apostolic Succession
Bottom line: Augustine is thoroughly Catholic, not “proto-Protestant.”
Related Articles
St. Augustine (d. 430) vs. Sola Scriptura as the Rule of Faith [8-1-03]
Augustine & Sola Scriptura (vs. Gavin Ortlund) [4-28-22]
Augustine & Sola Scriptura, Pt. 2 (vs. Gavin Ortlund) [4-29-22]
Related Books
The Quotable Augustine: Distinctively Catholic Elements in His Theology (Sep. 2012, 245p)
100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura (Nov. 2011 / 10 May 2012 / second revised edition: Aug. 2025, 127p)
Pillars of Sola Scriptura: Replies to Whitaker, Goode, & Biblical “Proofs” for “Bible Alone” (July 2012 / Sep. 2012, 310p)
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