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Jerome on Haggai 1 and Sola Scriptura
In the following, please consider how Jerome contrasts arguments from Scripture with arguments from alleged Apostolic tradition. Jerome on Haggai, Chapter 1, vss. 11-12: (Verse 11.) And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the wheat, and upon the wine, and upon the oil, and upon whatever the…
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James Arminius on the Canon of Scripture
Those who know me, know I don’t endorse anything on the grounds that Arminius said it. However, since Arminius has recently been accused of holding to the wrong canon of Scripture or somehow being at odds with Sola Scriptura, I offer the following quotations from Arminius’ works, specifically Volume 2, his private disputations (link to…
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Duns Scotus and the Immaculate Conception
In our recent debate (link), Roman Catholic apologist William Albrecht took the position that the dogma of the immaculate conception was ancient and biblical. The careful listener will note that Mr. Albrecht was unable to provide any patristic quotations that actually affirmed the idea of the immaculate conception, and his rather bizarre exegesis of Galatians…
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Responding to Patrick Madrid's Claims about Athanasius and Sola Scriptura
Patrick Madrid in “Envoy for Christ” accuses us of selective patristic quotation. He writes: Sometimes Protestant apologists try to bolster their case for sola Scriptura by using highly selective quotes from Church Fathers such as Athanasius, John Chrysostom, Cyril of Jerusalem, Augustine, and Basil Caesarea. … These quotes, isolated from the rest of what the…
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Sola Scriptura in Athanasius: "On the Incarnation of the Word"
The sequel to “Contra Gentes,” Athanasius’ “On the Incarnation of the Word” picks up where the prior work left off (link to detailed discussion of Sola Scriptura in Contra Gentes). He already has proven the divinity of the Word, but now he’s going to discuss how the Word became flesh. There are 57 sections to…
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Sola Scriptura and Alexander of Alexandria "The Deposition of Arius" (Possibly Athanasius)
Around A.D. 320-324 Alexander of Alexandria sent out a letter regarding “The Deposition of Arius” (available from the CCEL here) As Athanasius was Alexander’s right hand man at the time and because the arguments are similar to Athansius’ own later arguments, it is believed Athanasius may have possibly authored the letter. What does this letter…
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The "Jesus Didn't Write a Book" Objection
Over the years, I’ve noticed a number of objections to accepting the Scriptures as an authority over the church. One of the oddest objections is “Jesus didn’t write a book” (example from David Meyers). Against certain Muslims who think that Jesus wrote a book called “the Injeel,” this might be an important objection. Against Christians, though,…
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Christian Answers to Two Roman Catholic Questions on "Catholic Answers"
The show that calls itself “Catholic Answers,” recently featured a Missouri Synod Lutheran caller as highlighted on a recent Dividing Line. In response to the caller, the hosts began asking him some questions. I wouldn’t be surprised if you get these same questions from some of your Roman Catholic friends and acquaintances, particularly those who…
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Binding and Loosing – a "Matter of Interpretation"?
Roman Catholics have the burden of establishing that there is some rule of faith outside Scripture. One typical appeal (and one I recently heard) is an appeal to the binding and loosing mentioned in Matthew 16 and 18. The problem with such an appeal is that “binding” and “loosing,” do not refer to defining dogma.…
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The "Bind and Loose" Argument Rebutted
Over at GreenBaggins, Scott tried to make an argument for an infallible rule of faith other than the Bible. He wrote: “The fact is that Matthew 16:18-19 and Matthew 18:18 teach that man and/or those men can bind or loose, not just sin, but whatsoever they choose.” Let’s consider this argument piece by piece: “that…