Hey Tester…
part 1:\Two points must be made concerning whether the Bible teaches sola Scriptura. First, as Catholic scholars themselves recognize, it is not necessary that the Bible explicitly and formally teach sola Scriptura in order for this doctrine to be true. Many Christian teachings are a necessary logical deduction of what is clearly taught in the Bible (e.g., the Trinity). Likewise, it is possible that sola Scriptura could be a necessary logical deduction from what is taught in Scripture.
Like the Immaculate Conception; got it, and I agree with you.
But that does not answer the question: Was sola scriptura (which claims that scripture alone contains all knowledge necessary for salvation and holiness) - taught by Jesus and did Jesus pass on to His apostles the practice/teaching of sola scriptura ? If so, could you please elaborate?
Where does the Bible teach implicitly and logically, if not formally and explicitly, that the Bible alone is the ONLY infallible basis for faith and practice? 2 Timothy does not use the word ONLY or ALONE. Keeping in mind that I am not saying that the Bible is NOT infallible; quite the contrary! 2 Tim. simply does not say ONLY scripture, or scripture ALONE…It says: ALL scripture…It does not support “scripture alone;” It supports the “all scripture” concept, which is embraced by all catholics.
You said: “This flies in the face of the Catholic claim that the Bible is formally insufficient without the aid of tradition.” Tester, show me where the Bible says that scripture ALONE is infallible or that scripture ALONE is SUFFICIENT, and I will embrace it as well? By the way, Christians (teacher or otherwise) - belonging to the Catholic church absolutely do not claim that the Bible is formally insufficient without the aid of tradition; if the CC does teach that the bible is formally insufficient without the aid of tradition, please verify:
CCC 80 "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal."Each of them makes present and fruitful in the Church the mystery of Christ, who promised to remain with his own “always, to the close of the age”. 81 “Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit.” "And [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."82 As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, “does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.”
St. Paul declares that the God-breathed writings are sufficient.
Where in the bible, does St. Paul declare that the God-breathed writings are “sufficient?”
You said: “And contrary to some Catholic apologists, limiting this to only the Old Testament will not help the Catholic cause for two reasons: first, the New Testament is also called “Scripture” (2 Pet. 3:15-16; 1 Tim. 5:18; cf. Luke 10:7); second, it is inconsistent to argue that God-breathed writings in the Old Testament are sufficient, but the inspired writings of the New Testament are not.”
Let’s say that you are right and those apologists are wrong; where is, the word scripture “alone” and the word sufficient used to describe God-breathed inspired scripture, in the bible? If the bible said: only scripture, or scripture alone, is God-breathed or inspired, or infallible, or sufficient, I would agree with you, but it does not. It says: “all (not only scripture , or scripture alone) - scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
And I absolutely agree with Paul!
Further, Jesus and the apostles constantly appealed to the Bible as the final court of appeal. This they often did by the introductory phrase, “It is written,” which is repeated some 90 times in the New Testament. Jesus used this phrase three times when appealing to Scripture as the final authority in His dispute with Satan (Matt. 4:4, 7, 10).
So, based on the preceding statement, you believe that Jesus and the apostles embraced, and taught others, that sola scriptura (scripture alone) was/is the Christians only source of authoritative truth, in spite of the fact that Jesus and the apostles’ contemporaries (and those folks that succeeded the apostles, long after they passed away) - had no access to a Bible, as we do today?
Passages such as Matthew 4:4, in your mind, show Jesus and the apostles appealing to the Bible as the final court of appeal:
*“Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
*
I’m not seeing it, but if you are right, and the bible is the final court of appeal, (not the church) - then it must be via private interpretation, if in fact, no authority lies outside the scope of of the authoritative holy bible; is that what you are suggesting?
Of course, Jesus (Matt. 5:22, 28, 31; 28:18) and the apostles (1 Cor. 5:3; 7:12) sometimes referred to their own God-given authority.
Agreed!