{"id":39177,"date":"2019-10-08T13:02:48","date_gmt":"2019-10-08T17:02:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/?p=39177"},"modified":"2019-10-08T13:07:17","modified_gmt":"2019-10-08T17:07:17","slug":"is-sacred-tradition-inspired-no-only-sacred-scripture-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2019\/10\/is-sacred-tradition-inspired-no-only-sacred-scripture-is.html","title":{"rendered":"Is Sacred Tradition “Inspired”? No; Only Sacred Scripture Is"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
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\"\"<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I received the following question from a friend, and replied to it:<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Your \u201cdialogue\u201d vs. James White<\/a> contained this back-and-forth:<\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
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WHITE: Now this assertion of a second inspired source of God\u2019s truth has led, I feel, to some tremendously false beliefs.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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ME: We don\u2019t believe that tradition and Church proclamations are \u2018inspired\u201d but rather, infallible and authoritative \/ binding under certain carefully specified conditions. This is a surprising mistake from White on an elementary matter. <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Fr. Mitch Pacwa disagrees with you:<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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In a [1999] debate between White and Fr. Pacwa on Sola Scriptura<\/em><\/a> [ time: 1:00:50, cross examination section], White asked Fr. Pacwa, whether oral tradition is inspired, and Fr. Pacwa replied: 1. It has not been defined, 2. He thinks it is inspired even though there is some difference.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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My comment\/question:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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I have always thought that tradition was inspired indeed. My understanding is that the Word of God is transmitted via two modes \u2013 Scripture and tradition \u2013 therefore, both Scripture and tradition are inspired. According to 2 Thessalonians 2:15 we should \u201chold fast to the teachings apostles passed on to us, whether by word of mouth or by letter.\u201d If what was passed by letter is inspired, why what was passed by mouth not? It seems inconsistent to me. Could you comment on that please and give some resources you think support your claim, and could you comment on Fr. Pacwa\u00b4s reply? Thanks.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
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My reply follows:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Dei Verbum<\/em><\/a> [Vatican II] refers only to Holy Scripture as inspired \u2014 never to Sacred Tradition: as you can see by searching \u201cinspir\u201d in that document. <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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For example:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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9. Hence there exists a close connection and communication between sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture. For both of them, flowing from the same divine wellspring, in a certain way merge into a unity and tend toward the same end.\u00a0<\/span>For Sacred Scripture is the word of God inasmuch as it is consigned to writing under the\u00a0<\/span>inspiration<\/span>\u00a0of the divine Spirit<\/span><\/b>, while sacred tradition takes the word of God entrusted by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit to the Apostles, and hands it on to their successors in its full purity, so that led by the light of the Spirit of truth, they may in proclaiming it preserve this word of God faithfully, explain it, and make it more widely known. Consequently it is not from Sacred Scripture alone that the Church draws her certainty about everything which has been revealed. Therefore both sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture are to be accepted and venerated with the same sense of loyalty and reverence. (6)<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[Dave: the above explains the distinction best, in my opinion]<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

11. Those divinely revealed realities which are contained and presented<\/span>\u00a0in Sacred Scripture have been committed to writing under the\u00a0<\/span>inspiration<\/span>\u00a0of the Holy Spirit<\/span><\/b>. For holy mother Church, relying on the belief of the Apostles (see John 20:31; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-20, 3:15-16), holds that the books of both the Old and New Testaments in their entirety, with all their parts, are sacred and canonical because\u00a0<\/span>written under the\u00a0<\/span>inspiration<\/span>\u00a0of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author<\/span><\/b>\u00a0and have been handed on as such to the Church herself. (1)<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

18. . . .\u00a0<\/span>The Church has always and everywhere held and continues to hold that the four Gospels are of apostolic origin. For what the Apostles preached in fulfillment of the commission of Christ, afterwards they themselves and\u00a0<\/span>apostolic men, under the<\/span>\u00a0inspiration<\/span>\u00a0of the divine Spirit, handed on to us in writing: the foundation of faith, namely, the fourfold Gospel, according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John<\/span><\/b>. (1)
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\n<\/span>20. Besides the four Gospels, the canon of\u00a0<\/span>the New Testament also contains the epistles of St. Paul and other apostolic writings, composed under the\u00a0<\/span>inspiration<\/span>\u00a0of the Holy Spirit<\/span><\/b>, . . .\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

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With regard to Fr. Pacwa (whom I greatly admire and respect), he was correct in saying that apostolic tradition can be referred to as the \u201cword of God\u201d because that phrase is used in a wider sense than Scripture alone in Scripture (see, e.g., many instances of prophets speaking the \u201cword of God\u201d or \u201cword of the Lord\u201d).<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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But I think he was sloppy in applying the term \u201cinspired\u201d to sacred Tradition, because it is a technical term referring to direct guidance by God of Holy Scripture as divine revelation, which is \u201cGod-breathed\u201d (theopneustos<\/em>, as White noted, and often rightly notes).<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I believe that if you wrote to Fr. Pacwa and especially highlighted the above portions of Dei Verbum<\/em>, that he would correct himself, and concede that he misspoke: as we all do at times. If not, I\u2019d be very curious to see what he says, in light of what I have produced.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Likewise, Catholic Encyclopedia<\/em>, \u201cInspiration of the Bible\u201d<\/a> never applies inspiration to Sacred Tradition.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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And again, the Catholic Catechism in referring to inspiration, applies it solely to the Bible, not tradition (search \u201cinspir\u201d in the following section<\/a>). The phrase \u201cinspired tradition\u201d never appears in it<\/a>. See also:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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CCC 81 \u201cSacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit.\u201d42<\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cAnd [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching.\u201d43<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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See also: \u201cInspiration, Tradition, and Scripture\u201d<\/a> by Jimmy Akin.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The same is found also in the latest edition of Denzinger, Enchiridion symbolorum: Compendium of Creeds, Definitions, and Declarations on Matters of Faith and Morals<\/em><\/a> (43rd edition: San Francisco: Ignatius, 2012, edited in part by my good friend, Dr. Robert Fastiggi).<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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In the Index of Persons and Subjects (p. 1373), it has \u201cInspiration: of Sacred Scripture, A3bb . . . \u201c<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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When we go to that section (starting on p. 1192), we find:<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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3. The Tradition of God\u2019s Revelation<\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
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a. The Nature of the Tradition<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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The notion or characteristic of \u201cInspiration\u201d never appears in this section, excepting a reference to \u201cthe inspired books\u201d (i.e., Scripture).<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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b. Sacred Scripture<\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
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Here (pp. 1193-1195) we see a paragraph specifically devoted to \u201cInspiration\u201d (of Scripture), and several other references.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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***<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, Money Trees Do Not Exist<\/strong>:\u00a0<\/span>If you have been aided in any way by my work, or think it is valuable and worthwhile, please strongly consider financially supporting it (even $10 \/ month \u2014 a mere 33 cents a day \u2014 would be very helpful). I have been a full-time Catholic apologist since Dec. 2001, and have been writing Christian apologetics since 1981 (see\u00a0my Resume<\/a>). My work has been proven (by God\u2019s grace alone) to be fruitful, in terms of changing lives (see the tangible evidences\u00a0from unsolicited \u201ctestimonies\u201d<\/a>). I have to pay my bills like all of you: and have a (homeschooling) wife and three children still at home to provide for, and a mortgage to pay.<\/p>\n

My book royalties from\u00a0three bestsellers in the field<\/a>\u00a0(published in 2003-2007) have been decreasing, as has my overall income, making it increasingly difficult to make ends meet.\u00a0 I provide over 2500 free articles here, for the purpose of your edification and education, and have\u00a0written 50 books<\/a>.\u00a0It\u2019ll literally be a struggle to survive financially until Dec. 2020, when both my wife and I will start receiving Social Security. If you cannot contribute, I ask for your prayers. Thanks! See my\u00a0information on how to donate<\/a>\u00a0(including 100% tax-deductible donations). It\u2019s very simple to contribute to my apostolate via PayPal, if a tax deduction is not needed (my \u201cbusiness name\u201d there is called \u201cCatholic Used Book Service,\u201d from my old bookselling days 17 or so years ago). May God abundantly bless you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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***<\/p>\n

Photo credit:<\/span><\/strong> Pete unseth<\/a> (11-28-09):\u00a0Set of scrolls comprising the entire Tanakh<\/span> [Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/\u00a0Creative Commons<\/a>\u00a0CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication<\/a>]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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***<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I received the following question from a friend, and replied to it: Your \u201cdialogue\u201d vs. James White contained this back-and-forth: WHITE: Now this assertion of a second inspired source of God\u2019s truth has led, I feel, to some tremendously false beliefs. \u00a0 ME: We don\u2019t believe that tradition and Church proclamations are \u2018inspired\u201d but rather, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2331,"featured_media":39180,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[598,779,3735,3827,1568,514,33,1029,1529,1267,32,35,47,8222,36,932],"class_list":["post-39177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible-and-tradition","tag-apostolic-succession","tag-apostolic-tradition","tag-authoritative-church","tag-authoritative-tradition","tag-bible-tradition","tag-bible-only","tag-christian-authority","tag-church-authority","tag-infallible-church","tag-patrology","tag-rule-of-faith","tag-scripture-alone","tag-sola-scriptura","tag-st-paul-tradition","tag-three-legged-stool","tag-tradition"],"yoast_head":"\nIs Sacred Tradition "Inspired"? 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Formerly a campus missionary, as a Protestant, Dave was received into the Catholic Church in February 1991, by the late, well-known catechist and theologian, Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave\u2019s articles have appeared in many influential Catholic periodicals, including \\\"This Rock\\\" (now called \\\"Catholic Answers Magazine\\\"), \\\"Envoy Magazine\\\" (Patrick Madrid), \\\"The Catholic Answer,\\\" \\\"The Coming Home Journal,\\\" \\\"Gilbert Magazine\\\" (American Chesterton Society), and \\\"The Latin Mass.\\\" He also writes a featured column for every issue of \\\"The Michigan Catholic\\\": published by the archdiocese of Detroit, and was editor for most of the apologetics tracts published by the St. Paul Street Evangelization apostolate. Dave\u2019s apologetics and writing apostolate was the subject of a feature article in the May 2002 issue of \\\"Envoy Magazine.\\\" He served as the staff moderator at the Internet discussion forum for The Coming Home Network, from 2007-2010. Dave has been interviewed on many nationally syndicated Catholic radio shows, including \\\"Catholic Answers Live\\\" (twice), \\\"Faith and Family Live\\\" (Steve Wood), \\\"Kresta in the Afternoon,\\\" \\\"Son Rise Morning Show,\\\" \\\"Catholic Connection\\\" (Teresa Tomeo), and \\\"The Catholics Next Door.\\\" His large and popular website, \\\"Biblical Evidence for Catholicism,\\\" was online from March 1997 to March 2007, and received the 1998 Catholic Website of the Year award from \\\"Envoy Magazine.\\\" His blog of the same name (now transferred to Patheos), begun in February 2004, contains more than 1,500 papers, at least 500 debates or dialogues, and over 50 distinct \\\"index\\\" web pages. Unsolicited correspondence has indicated many hundreds of conversions (or returns) to the Catholic faith as a result, by God's grace, of these writings. Dave's conversion story was published in the bestselling book \\\"Surprised by Truth\\\" (edited by Patrick Madrid; San Diego: Basilica Press, 1994). Sophia Institute Press has published six of his books: \\\"A Biblical Defense of Catholicism\\\" (Foreword by Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J., 1996 \/ 2003), \\\"The Catholic Verses\\\" (2004), \\\"The One-Minute Apologist\\\" (2007), \\\"Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths\\\" (2009), \\\"The Quotable Newman\\\" (editor: 2012), and \\\"Proving the Catholic Faith is Biblical\\\" (2015). He is co-author (with Dr. Paul Thigpen) of the inserts for \\\"The New Catholic Answer Bible\\\" (Our Sunday Visitor: 2005), and editor for \\\"The Wisdom of Mr. Chesterton: The Very Best Quotes, Quips, and Cracks from the Pen of G. K. Chesterton\\\" (Saint Benedict Press \/ TAN Books: 2009). \\\"100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura\\\" was published by Catholic Answers in May 2012. His \\\"Quotable Wesley\\\" compilation was published by (Protestant \/ Wesleyan publisher) Beacon Hill Press in April 2014. Several of his 49 books are bestsellers in their field. Dave maintains a popular personal Facebook page, a Facebook author page, and has a Twitter account as well. He offers almost all of his books in e-book form on his own Biblical Catholicism site (http:\/\/biblicalcatholicism.com\/), at a permanent deep discount: only $2.99 for ePub, mobi, and AZW, and $1.99 for PDF. His writing has been enthusiastically endorsed or recommended by many leading Catholic apologists, authors, and priests, including Dr. Scott Hahn, Fr. Peter M. J. Stravinskas, Marcus Grodi, Patrick Madrid, Steve Ray, Tim Staples, Devin Rose, Mike Aquilina, Al Kresta, Karl Keating, Fr. Dwight Longenecker, Brandon Vogt, Marcellino D'Ambrosio, and Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave has been happily married to his wife Judy since October 1984. They have three sons and a daughter, and reside in southeast Michigan (metro Detroit).\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/biblicalcatholicism.com\/\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dave.armstrong.798\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@LuxVeritatisApologetics\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/author\/davearmstrong\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Is Sacred Tradition \"Inspired\"? 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No; Only Sacred Scripture Is"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/","name":"Biblical Evidence for Catholicism","description":"Catholic biblical apologetics","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/#\/schema\/person\/471eaa20e441eca4bb1ea50393cf632e","name":"Dave Armstrong","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/820e6db89734ae7a9e5dac8d498f5ac7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/820e6db89734ae7a9e5dac8d498f5ac7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dave Armstrong"},"description":"Dave Armstrong is a Catholic author and apologist, who has been actively proclaiming and defending Christianity since 1981, and Catholicism in particular since 1991 (full-time since December 2001). Formerly a campus missionary, as a Protestant, Dave was received into the Catholic Church in February 1991, by the late, well-known catechist and theologian, Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave\u2019s articles have appeared in many influential Catholic periodicals, including \"This Rock\" (now called \"Catholic Answers Magazine\"), \"Envoy Magazine\" (Patrick Madrid), \"The Catholic Answer,\" \"The Coming Home Journal,\" \"Gilbert Magazine\" (American Chesterton Society), and \"The Latin Mass.\" He also writes a featured column for every issue of \"The Michigan Catholic\": published by the archdiocese of Detroit, and was editor for most of the apologetics tracts published by the St. Paul Street Evangelization apostolate. Dave\u2019s apologetics and writing apostolate was the subject of a feature article in the May 2002 issue of \"Envoy Magazine.\" He served as the staff moderator at the Internet discussion forum for The Coming Home Network, from 2007-2010. Dave has been interviewed on many nationally syndicated Catholic radio shows, including \"Catholic Answers Live\" (twice), \"Faith and Family Live\" (Steve Wood), \"Kresta in the Afternoon,\" \"Son Rise Morning Show,\" \"Catholic Connection\" (Teresa Tomeo), and \"The Catholics Next Door.\" His large and popular website, \"Biblical Evidence for Catholicism,\" was online from March 1997 to March 2007, and received the 1998 Catholic Website of the Year award from \"Envoy Magazine.\" His blog of the same name (now transferred to Patheos), begun in February 2004, contains more than 1,500 papers, at least 500 debates or dialogues, and over 50 distinct \"index\" web pages. Unsolicited correspondence has indicated many hundreds of conversions (or returns) to the Catholic faith as a result, by God's grace, of these writings. Dave's conversion story was published in the bestselling book \"Surprised by Truth\" (edited by Patrick Madrid; San Diego: Basilica Press, 1994). Sophia Institute Press has published six of his books: \"A Biblical Defense of Catholicism\" (Foreword by Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J., 1996 \/ 2003), \"The Catholic Verses\" (2004), \"The One-Minute Apologist\" (2007), \"Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths\" (2009), \"The Quotable Newman\" (editor: 2012), and \"Proving the Catholic Faith is Biblical\" (2015). He is co-author (with Dr. Paul Thigpen) of the inserts for \"The New Catholic Answer Bible\" (Our Sunday Visitor: 2005), and editor for \"The Wisdom of Mr. Chesterton: The Very Best Quotes, Quips, and Cracks from the Pen of G. K. Chesterton\" (Saint Benedict Press \/ TAN Books: 2009). \"100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura\" was published by Catholic Answers in May 2012. His \"Quotable Wesley\" compilation was published by (Protestant \/ Wesleyan publisher) Beacon Hill Press in April 2014. Several of his 49 books are bestsellers in their field. Dave maintains a popular personal Facebook page, a Facebook author page, and has a Twitter account as well. He offers almost all of his books in e-book form on his own Biblical Catholicism site (http:\/\/biblicalcatholicism.com\/), at a permanent deep discount: only $2.99 for ePub, mobi, and AZW, and $1.99 for PDF. His writing has been enthusiastically endorsed or recommended by many leading Catholic apologists, authors, and priests, including Dr. Scott Hahn, Fr. Peter M. J. Stravinskas, Marcus Grodi, Patrick Madrid, Steve Ray, Tim Staples, Devin Rose, Mike Aquilina, Al Kresta, Karl Keating, Fr. Dwight Longenecker, Brandon Vogt, Marcellino D'Ambrosio, and Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave has been happily married to his wife Judy since October 1984. They have three sons and a daughter, and reside in southeast Michigan (metro Detroit).","sameAs":["https:\/\/biblicalcatholicism.com\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dave.armstrong.798","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@LuxVeritatisApologetics"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/author\/davearmstrong"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2331"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39177"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39177\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}