Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone) does not mean and should not entail solitary confinement of the Bible from church tradition or reason. Rather, the phrase entails that the Bible is the final written authority in all matters pertaining to the church’s faith and practice (See this helpful introduction to the subject in Lutheran theology).
For example, in his 95 Theses of 1517, Martin Luther challenged the use of “indulgences” granted by papal authority (See for example thesis 21 and thesis 27 on indulgences). Indulgences were permits given for the forgiveness of sins in exchange for payments (Refer to my blog post on our constant struggle with this subject titled “From Indulgences to Indulgent Love: Beyond Johann Tetzel and Marilyn Manson”).
Luther and other Reformers like John Calvin were all about tradition. Here I have in mind the tradition of Scripture and those figures from church history (indeed, members of the Catholic Church), whom they took to be faithful to biblical tradition, such as Augustine of Hippo. A key question for the Protestant Reformers and for their Catholic interlocutors was: “Who had the real or authentic Augustine?” Many from both sides of the debate saw themselves as faithful proponents of Augustinian Christianity. At the heart of the debate concerning Augustine involved different takes on Augustine’s theology pertaining to salvation; the Protestant Reformers differed with many Catholic theologians at the time who prized forms of medieval theology over what they took to be Scripture’s authoritative teaching on such subjects as salvation (Sola Gratia).
A vast amount of scholarship in Catholic circles has focused upon the relation of Scripture and Tradition (For a Catholic reflection on the evolution of thought and debate over Scripture and Tradition from Trent to Vatican II, see the section “Dei Verbum” in From Trent to Vatican II : Historical and Theological Investigations, edited by Raymond F. Bulman and Frederick J. Parrella {Oxford University Press, 2006}, pages 70-74). One of the important concerns Catholics have always had concerning the Protestant principle of Sola Scriptura is how leaving interpretation in the hands of individuals open up the biblical text to all kinds of abuse. While those hailing from Protestant circles have sometimes abused Scripture, it is not simply Protestants who have justified the use of Scripture in ways deemed inappropriate by others (take for example the inappropriate use of Scripture by Catholics as justification for the Spanish Inquisition and Crusades). Moreover, Reformers in the school of Luther emphasized that Scripture must interpret Scripture and that Jesus is central to it. Such methodological controls—in addition to considering what the church in the past and present has said about various matters—help to safeguard against the inappropriate use of Scripture.
It is important to read Scripture in conversation with a community of interpreters. As the title of this blog post indicates, Sola Scriptura is not intended to suggest solitary confinement. A community of interpreters from the ancient to recent past and global present help us to see and account for our blind spots (such as blindness to the problems of individualism and consumerism in the American context); such communal interpreters through time and across the globe may also help us to come to terms with how best to apply Scripture in our day.
We do not need less Bible reading today, only more communal Bible reading. For those who adhere to the Protestant principle, Scripture alone is the fundamental written authority for Christian faith and practice. However, we need the entire church to help us engage the entire Bible well.
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