To begin with, for a very long time there was no Bible at all
Christ and the Apostles founded the Church by preaching and exacting faith in their doctrines. No book told as yet of the Divinity of Christ, the redeeming value of His Passion, or of His coming to judge the world; nor are the words “Trinity,” “Incarnation,” “Ascension,” or “Bible” found in the Bible…these and all similar revelations had to be believed on the word of the Apostles and their successors, the bishops, some of the most excellent of which are called the Fathers of the Church.
As immediate, implicit submission of the mind was in the lifetime of the Apostles the only necessary token of faith, there was no room whatever for what is now called private judgment. This is quite clear from the words of Scripture: “
Therefore, we also give thanks to God without ceasing: because, that when you had received of us the word of the hearing of God, you received it not as the word of men, but (as it is indeed) the word of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). The word of hearing is received through a human teacher and is believed on the authority of God, who is its first author (cf. Romans 10:17). In the time of the Apostles, faith consisted in submitting to authorized teaching.
Furthermore, if we read Scripture, we find that
Scripture Alone is self-defeating.
For instance, Matthew. 28:20 teaches: “
observe all I have commanded” but, as we see in John 20:30; 21:25, not
all that Jesus taught is in Scripture…so there must be things outside of Scripture that we must observe…and which were transmitted “by word of mouth” (2 Thessalonians 2:15) or even by writing without being in Scripture (1 Cor. 5:9-11 for instance shows that a prior letter written to Corinth is equally authoritative - but it is not part of the Bible; Col. 4:16 shows that a prior letter written to Laodicea is equally authoritative but it is not part of the Bible).
In 1 Corinthians 11:2 Paul praises his brothers
for remembering him in everything and for holding to the traditions just as he passed them on, and in Philippians 4:9 he adds that
whatever they have learned or received or heard from him, or seen in him, they should put it into practice. Where is there any reference to Scripture at all?
Even further: in 1 Tim. 3:14-15 Paul feels moved to explain why he is putting in writing some teachings, clarifying that he does hope to visit them and instruct them in person soon, and that the sole reason he is writing these things down is for them to already have some instructions in case he is delayed.
The Church Fathers had all of this very clearly in mind. For instance: Irenaeus, disciple of John the Evangelist, writes in AD 189:
It is possible, then, for everyone in every church, who may wish to know the truth, to contemplate the tradition of the apostles which has been made known to us throughout the whole world.
But since it would be too long to enumerate in such a volume as this the successions of all the churches, we shall confound all those who, in whatever manner …] assemble other than where it is proper, by pointing out here the successions of the bishops of the greatest and most ancient church known to all, founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul—that church which has the tradition and the faith with which comes down to us after having been announced to men by the apostles. For with this Church, because of its superior origin, all churches must agree, that is, all the faithful in the whole world. And it is in her that the faithful everywhere have maintained the apostolic tradition. …]
it is not necessary to seek the truth among others which it is easy to obtain from the Church; since the apostles, like a rich man [depositing his money] in a bank, lodged in her hands most copiously all things pertaining to the truth, so that every man, whosoever will, can draw from her the water of life. . . . For how stands the case? 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 conversation, and learn from them what is certain and clear in regard to the present question?
[The spiritual man] shall also judge those who give rise to schisms …] and who for trifling reasons, or any kind of reason which occurs to them, cut in pieces and divide the great and glorious body of Christ, and so far as in them lies, destroy it …] For they can bring about no ‘reformation’ of enough importance to compensate for the evil arising from their schism. …] True knowledge is that which consists in the doctrine of the apostles, and the ancient constitution of the Church throughout all the world, and the distinctive manifestation of the body of Christ according to the successions of the bishops, by which they have handed down that Church which exists in every place.
Where the Church is, there is the Spirit of God; where the Spirit of God is, there is the Church and all grace.
