Not by the “Bible Alone”

The Protestant doctrine commonly known as "Sola Scriptura" does not come from Sacred Scripture. That doctrine asserts that any reader of the Bible can interpret Scripture, without error, thanks to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In short, it guarantees infallibility to any person who simply reads the Bible, regardless of whether or not that person has any education or sense or is living out a Christian life and spirituality. It is, therefore, a very dangerous doctrine since it leaves faithful Christians and believers exposed to unscrupulous leaders who don't have to answer to anyone for their actions. In the words of the author Robert Sungenis, "Fallible men will invariably produce fallible interpretations of Scripture." Our Lord and Savior loves us too much to leave us under the dangerous influence of "false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves." (Matthew 7, 15). For that reason, He established His Church, ordering Peter to care for His sheep (John 21, 16) and promising him that he would send His Spirit to guide the Church to all truth as explained in John 16, 13.

2 Thessalonians 2, 15 — Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.

St. Paul clearly affirms both tradition and oral teaching and orders the faithful to preserve those teachings. If the doctrine of "Sola Scriptura" were true, he would have called his readers to follow Scripture and nothing more. Clearly, he nor any of the other apostles make this type of declaration. Therefore, the principle of "Sola Scriptura" refutes itself. The principle essentially states that, "Scripture is the supreme authority on all principles of faith, except for proving this doctrine, which is not found nor even implied anywhere in Scripture.

2 Thessalonians 3, 6 — We instruct you, brothers, in the name of (our) Lord Jesus Christ, to shun any brother who conducts himself in a disorderly way and not according to the tradition they received from us.

Here, St. Paul again instructs his followers to recognize the autority of oral tradition and not only his letters. Actually, in each instance, he writes his letters in order to reiterate the teachings that he had previously imparted verbally.
1 Corinthians 11, 2 — I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the traditions, just as I handed them on to you.

Apostolic traditions seem to be important enough to be preserved, at least according to St. Paul.

Matthew 23, 1-3 — Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice."

In this passage, Jesus himself recognizes both the authority of the religious hierarchy of his time and that of oral tradition. The authority of the Pharisees did not come from the righteousness of their actions, since, with their hardened hearts, they were not leaders worthy of being emulated. Their autority had its origin and justification in their religious leadership positions in the community. Note too that Jesus uses the phrase"chair of Moses." There is no record of such "chair" in the Old Testament, which demonstrates that Jesus himself was adhering to the oral tradition of the Jews when he presented this teaching. It is clear that "Sola Scriptura" is not found in the Bible, nor in written form, nor in traditional Christian practice. One can therefore conclude that "Sola Scriptura" is one of the "traditions of men" against which St. Paul warns us in Colossians 2, 8.

Acts 8, 30-31 — Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?" He replied, "How can I, unless someone instructs me?" So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him.

Scripture tells us that it is not revealed by itself. The Holy Spirit does not infuse wisdom and knowledge of Scripture into someone through the mere reading of a book.

Ephesians 3, 8-10 — To me, the very least of all the holy ones, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ, and to bring to light [for all] what is the plan of the mystery hidden from ages past in God who created all things, so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the principalities and authorities in the heavens.

St. Paul tells us that it is the Church—and not Scripture—that teaches even the angels.

2 Timothy 3, 16-17 — All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

This is the passage that is cited most frequently by those who are trying to defend the doctrine of "Sola Scriptura." However, St. Paul is not telling us anything about Scripture as the source of authority, nor is he comparing Scripture to other sources of said spiritual authority. He is saying only that Scripture is very beneficial for preparing believers for the spiritual life—which, obviously, is not being disputed.

1 Corinthians 2, 12-13 — We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God. And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms.

In addition to his writings, the oral teachings of St. Paul are also inspired by the Holy Spirit. Of course, "Sola Scriptura" would have us ignore everything but the revelations that were written down. If the Corinthians—to whom St. Paul was writing—would have subscribed to "Sola Scriptura," they would have ignored these teachings, paying attention only to his letters. That clearly would have been absurd. Nevertheless, this is the position that the followers of "Sola Scriptura" hope that we would adopt today.

Acts 17, 10-11 — The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas to Beroea during the night. Upon arrival they went to the synagogue of the Jews. These Jews were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with all willingness and examined the scriptures daily to determine whether these things were so.

This is probably the main text used to support "Sola Scriptura." However, what it actually does is supports the dual authority of Sacred Tradition and Scripture since nowhere does this passage suggest that the believers of Beroea would have been able to conclude that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah without the oral teachings of St. Paul. Surely they never would have been able to do it. Upon thinking about it for a moment, it can definitively be said that there was a group in the New Testament that really clung to "Scripture alone" and refused to believe oral testimonies of Jesus himself. This group was the Pharisees. They were the ones who sought to thwart Jesus' influence with verse after verse of Scripture. However, the truth was not passed on to them by "Scripture alone." It was necessary that St. Paul teach the believers of Beroea to understand the truths about Christ contained in the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit did not enlighten each one of them directly.

2 Peter 1, 20 — Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of Scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation [...]

Personal interpretation can lead us to error. We don't have the authority to arrive at a definitive interpretation of Scripture by ourselves. Notice that St. Peter gives this paramount importance. Above all, Christians should know that nothing is revealed privately.

2 Peter 3, 15-16 — And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, as our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, also wrote to you, speaking of these things as he does in all his letters. In them there are some things hard to understand that the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction, just as they do the other scriptures.

The Bible can be interpreted wrongly—intentionally or not. God never guaranteed that our personal interpretation of Scripture would be free of errors. Without an authority—guided by the Holy Spirit—that interprets Scripture for us, it is inevitable that we will arrive at conflicting interpretations. This is what we see in tens of thousands of Protestant denominations that now exist. All of them agree that Scripture is the fundamental authority, but there are not two denominations in agreement about what Scripture actually teaches. This tragic situation can result in the loss of faith when doctrinal disagreements arise or when the leaders change the doctrines and hope that the faithful adopt them or separate themselves from the denomination. These constant separations and disagreements are not the work of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 11, 27-34 — Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are ill and infirm, and a considerable number are dying. If we discerned ourselves, we would not be under judgment; but since we are judged by (the) Lord, we are being disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. Therefore, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that your meetings may not result in judgment. The other matters I shall set in order when I come.

St. Paul is explicit here. Concerning this very serious matter—the abuse of the Eucharist that is causing illness and death among the abusers—St. Paul explains that he has teachings that he wants to share in person, apart from his written message. Nevertheless the doctine of "Sola Scriptura" would not let us consider the authority or the inspiration of those oral teachings.

Galatians 1, 6-9 — I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking the one who called you by (the) grace (of Christ) for a different gospel (not that there is another). But there are some who are disturbing you and wish to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach (to you) a gospel other than the one that we preached to you, let that one be accursed! As we have said before, and now I say again, if anyone preaches to you a gospel other than the one that you received, let that one be accursed!

Notice that St. Paul is referring to the truth of the Gospel that has been passed on to the faithful orally and not "written." Nowhere does he instruct the apostles to follow only the Gospels in written form.

2 Thessalonians 2, 3-5 — Let no one deceive you in any way. For unless the apostasy comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one doomed to perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god and object of worship, so as to seat himself in the temple of God, claiming that he is a god—do you not recall that while I was still with you I told you these things?

When St. Paul refers to the "lawless one," he is citing his previously given oral teachings and prophecies. The apostle hopes that his readers remember and obey such instructions. The readers of the apostolic letter should take into account the oral teaching already received in order to be able to discern the truth. The apostle St. Paul's intent is that his writings support and reinforce his oral teachings and sermons and never that they would be considered apart as if they have greater authority.

Luke 24, 13-35 — Now that very day two of them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?" They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?" And he replied to them, "What sort of things?" They said to him, "The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see." And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning (within us) while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?" So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, "The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!" Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Jesus had to explain to his disciples the meaning of Scripture before they could understand it. "Sola Scriptura" was not sufficient for them. It should be taken into account that many believe that the Holy Tradition of the Church contains much of what the Lord taught his followers on the road to Emmaus: specifically the parallels between Adam and Jesus, Moses and Jesus, the prophets and Jesus and also the notable parallels between Calvary and Passover. However, since these are interpretations that our forefathers of the Church have left us in their teaching and are not found formally in Scripture, the most fundamentalist followers of "Sola Scriptura" would have us reject them.

Luke 7, 18-23 — The disciples of John told him about all these things. John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" When the men came to him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?'" At that time he cured many of their diseases, sufferings, and evil spirits; he also granted sight to many who were blind. And he said to them in reply, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me."

Not even John the Baptist who was full of the Holy Spirit since before birth (Lucas 1, 15) could discern the true nature of Jesus based on "Sola Scriptura." He commanded his followers to ask Jesus. Notice that Jesus did not give them a direct answer. Instead, he interpreted the truth found in Scripture. The followers of John don't get any new information. Only an interpretation authorized by Scripture. If "Sola Scriptura" were true—that we don't need any authority to interpret Scripture for us—John and his followers would not have needed this clarification from Jesus.

John 5, 37-40 — Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf. But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form, and you do not have his word remaining in you, because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent. You search the scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf. But you do not want to come to me to have life.

If "Sola Scriptura" were true, the Holy Spirit would have inspired the temple leaders to discern the truth entirely by way of the Scripture that they scrupulously analyzed. Instead, Jesus condemns them for reducing it to only Scripture. Now we know how Scripture prophesied about Jesus. But the Pharisees, basing it only on "Sola Scriptura," could not discern that truth. Not even Jesus' followers themselves could (Luke 24, 13-35). They needed Jesus to reveal to them the true meaning of Holy Scripture.

John 16, 12-13 — "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming.

Jesus says that He is not going to reveal "all truth" during His time on Earth. He says that He will send the Holy Spirit, that it's about to come; this is a clear statement concerning inspired teaching and the deepening of our understanding of the faith.

Ephesians 3, 3 — [...] the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly earlier.

St. Paul openly states that he has not given all of revelation in his writings and that there is a portion that he teaches verbally. The intention of his writings is to support and reinforce his preaching, not to be autonomous and complete. Let us note that St. Paul did not become a follower of Christ by reading the Bible but by witnessing a miraculous apparition of the Lord. What is more, nowhere in the Bible do we find a single person that has been converted exclusively by reading Scripture, nor do we find any saints who appeal to Scripture as their greatest authority. In the Bible, only Satan, the Pharisees and the scribes do this in order to try to entrap Jesus as soon as they have the chance.

1 Timothy 3, 15 — [...] the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.

St. Paul says that the foundation of truth is the Church, not Scripture. This is logical, given that it was the Church who declared which, among the texts that the first believes read during Mass, were actually inspired. That is why we say that history shows us that the Bible rests on the authority of the Church and not the contrary. Sacred Tradition is the memory of the Church that it recalls in community and what keeps the apostles' teachings alive.

Luke 10, 16 — Whoever listens to you listens to me.

Jesus defends oral teaching, telling his followers to go out to preach what he has taught them. Those who listen to faithful followers of Christ, listen to Christ.

1 John 4, 6 — We belong to God, and anyone who knows God listens to us, while anyone who does not belong to God refuses to hear us. This is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit.

To submit oneself to apostolic authority—and not follow "Sola Scriptura"—is the guarantee of the integrity and truthfulness of our faith.

Hebrews 13, 17 — Obey your leaders and defer to them, for they keep watch over you [....]

The author urges obedience and not the development of an individual interpretation of the Bible, an exhaustive study of ancient languages, cultures, and traditions so that they can arrive at a more complete understanding of Scripture.Those of us who are too busy with our daily responsibilities—work, family, etc.—to embark on such a monumental scholastic undertaking should not worry. As long as we follow the teachings of the Magisterium of the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit and submitted to it, we will not be confused and will remain in the truth.

2 Timothy 2, 2 — And what you heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will have the ability to teach others as well.

St. Paul never teaches "Sola Scriptura." On the contrary, we find him invoking apostolic succession within an oral tradition. St. Paul—who is a close contemporary of Jesus—writes to the young Timothy about sharing the truth of the Gospel with the generations to come. In this exhortation, St. Paul doesn't mention the written word. Timothy is explicitly instructed to preserve the oral teachings received from St. Paul. Timothy obeyed this instruction and so did his successors. In this way, the deposit of Sacred Tradition has been passed from generation to generation up to the present.

1 Thessalonians 2, 13 — And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly, that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us, you received not a human word but, as it truly is, the word of God, which is now at work in you who believe.

St. Paul tells us that his discourse is as inspired and has as much authority as his writings. The word is neither static nor limited to the written page—it is dynamic—alive in the mind, on the lips and in the heart of the Church that he has founded on Christ.

Romans 10, 14-15 — But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring (the) good news!"

Once again, we don't see St. Paul invoking the authority of Scripture but the authority of those who preach. Those who announce the Good News declare it out loud.
Deuteronomy 19, 15 — One witness alone shall not take the stand against a man in regard to any crime or any offense of which he may be guilty; a judicial fact shall be established only on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

Scripture by itself needs more than a witness in order to establish truth. That's why the Hebrews never would have supported "Sola Scriptura," since if they had, we would rely on the testimony of a single witness: Scipture alone.

John 8, 17-18 — "Even in your law it is written that the testimony of two men can be verified. I testify on my behalf and so does the Father who sent me."

Jesus affirms that a single witness is not sufficient, even when it is Jesus himself who testifies. Jesus does not expect his own testimony to be accepted without another—God the Father—supporting it. Nevertheless, the Protestant position claims that we are guided by one witness: Scripture.

2 Corinthians 13, 1 — This third time I am coming to you. "On the testimony of two or three witnesses a fact shall be established."

St. Paul's teaching reinforces the previous passage. But the doctrine of "Sola Scriptura" establishes the idea that one witness—Scripture—is sufficient.
Ephesians 4, 11-14 — And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ, so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming.

The authors of Scripture by themselves are not enough "for building up the body of Christ." The variety of gifts of the Spirit exist in the community of faithful and not in documents.

Romans 10, 17 — Thus faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.

St. Paul defends oral teaching and tradition. What is more, nowhere in the Bible do we see someone who has converted after merely reading Scripture.

Exodus 28, 30 — In this breastpiece of decision you shall put the Urim and Thummim, that they may be over Aaron's heart whenever he enters the presence of the LORD. Thus he shall always bear the decisions for the Israelites over his heart in the LORD'S presence.

The oracle of God is pronounced through the high priest by way of the Urim and the Thummim.These mysterious devices were not, in any way, scriptural. Nevertheless, Scripture tells us that in ancient times the Israelites regularly consulted them in order to determine the will of God. However, the Jewish people did not use those devices to interpret the Word of God in the manner of "Sola Scriptura."

Deuteronomy 17, 12 — Any man who has the insolence to refuse to listen to the priest... shall die.

The Old Testament had its own magisterial method in which disagreements were to be resolved by the priests and the judges. The high priests spoke with the authority of God. This passage by itself is a refutation of "Sola Scriptura." Nowhere in the Old and New Testaments is it taught that Scripture is the ultimate authority of our faith.

2 Timothy 3, 14 — But you, remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it [...]

In other words, spiritual authority comes from apostolic succession, not from "Sola Scriptura." In fact, this approach would imply that the apostles that left nothing written—Andrew, Nathaniel, Bartholomew and the others—had little or no authority, given that their writings did not survive as part of the canon of Scripture. St. Paul's statement clearly indicates that the authority of the Church, on its most fundamental level, comes from preaching, not Scripture. The teaching of the apostles survives in the men who carried on the deposit of faith, the bishops and presbyters who they educated in the doctrine of Christ and whom they laid on hands, entrusting them to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 15, 11 — Therefore, whether it be I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Again, St. Paul defends oral tradition. Never in Scripture is there a single case of an individual whose conversion is based on "Sola Scriptura." And St. Paul never states "so we write and so you believed."

Acts 2, 42 — They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.

St. Luke defends oral teaching. The statement does not allude to "the writings of the apostles," which St. Luke never mentions.

Matthew 2, 23 — He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazorean."

Oral tradition is cited as authority. Remember that not all the prophets wrote. Nevertheless, "Sola Scriptura" makes us believe that their words would not have authority unless they were written in the sacred texts.

Matthew 10, 19-20 — "When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."

Jesus gives evidence of the fact that Scripture is not the only thing inspired by the Holy Spirit. That's why it can also inspire our speech and help us to preach the Gospel. It's important to stress that this writing does not declare that any Christian receives the help of the Holy Spirit to discern doctrines by oneself.

John 21, 25 — There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.

Not all that Christ said or did is found in Scripture. Are these acts unworthy of consideration because they were not written? This notion is obviously absurd, nevertheless the doctrine of "Sola Scriptura" wrongly supports this position, since it negates the authority of the words of Jesus that were not recorded in writing.

Isaiah 59, 21 — [...] my words that I have put into your mouth Shall never leave your mouth, nor the mouths of your children Nor the mouths of your children's children from now on and forever, says the LORD.

Inspired oral tradition passes from generation to generation. Note that the prophet is referring to the spoken word. This is a clear reference to Sacred Tradition that is preserved and transmitted from one generation to the next. It is the intervention of the Holy Spirit that inspires the prophet's speech. Apparently, the breath (pneuma) of God is not limited to "Sola Scriptura."

1 Corinthians 14, 3 — On the other hand, one who prophesies does speak to human beings, for their building up, encouragement, and solace.

Not all of God's truth is shared by way of Scripture. St. Paul says that the prophets are moved by the Holy Spirit for the sake of the believers.

2 Peter 3, 1-2 — This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you; through them by way of reminder I am trying to stir up your sincere disposition, to recall the words previously spoken by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and savior through your apostles.

The key part here is "words previously spoken." The apostle is not referring to written expressions here.

2 Chronicles 19, 6-7 — [...] and he said to them: "Take care what you do, for you are judging, not on behalf of man, but on behalf of the LORD; he judges with you. And now, let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Act carefully, for with the LORD, our God there is no injustice, no partiality, no bribe-taking."

When God instructs priests on how to resolve disputes, he does not teach them to turn to Scripture to make a decision.

Malachi 2, 7 — For the lips of the priest are to keep knowledge, and instruction is to be sought from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.
The priest has the authority to teach, not just read, Scripture.

Romans 6, 17 — [...] you have become obedient from the heart to the pattern of teaching to which you were entrusted.

Paul is explicit. We owe our obedience to apostolic teaching, not to Scripture. Actually, Scripture was not compiled with the intention of teaching the faith but with strengthening believers in their faith. In the Bible, we see individuals who are instructed through teaching and preaching—never, not even once—by way of "Sola Scriptura."

Genesis 17, 14 — If a male is uncircumcised, that is, if the flesh of his foreskin has not been cut away, such a one shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.

The apostles did not adhere to the authority of "Sola Scriptura" when they revoked this clear and ancient precept and declared that the converted Gentiles didn't need to be circumcised . The apostles felt that they had the authority to receive inspiration apart from Scripture, specifically the guidance of the Holy Spirit. That was how saints Peter y Paul accepted uncircumcised Gentiles in the Church—which launched them in a totally new and unexpected direction. Any faithful Jew who adhered to "Sola Scriptura" at that time would have been offended, angry and wrong.

Jeremiah 23, 1-4 — Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture, says the LORD. Therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, against the shepherds who shepherd my people: You have scattered my sheep and driven them away. You have not cared for them, but I will take care to punish your evil deeds. I myself will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands to which I have driven them and bring them back to their meadow; there they shall increase and multiply. I will appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them so that they need no longer fear and tremble; and none shall be missing, says the LORD.

Nowhere has God said that he would protect his sheep by providing them with the Scriptures. Instead, he raises up leaders from among the community for them to follow, shepherds that He uses to guide them. Even in the present day, God continues to act in this same way.

The Canon of Scripture was established by Pope Saint Damasus I around the year 400 B.C. Prior to that, there was no agreement in the primitive Church concerning which—among the hundreds of texts considered by some to be sacred—were actually inspired. So for almost 400 years—a considerable amount of time—there was no Bible that served as a reference for Christians. All those who learned the faith were instructed by others—following the same method used by the apostles. Eventually, the Church in her authority, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, determined the canon of Scripture that provided the believers with a trustworthy reference when building faith. If we believe that Scripture is truly inspired, it can be deduced naturally that the Church is infallible, since it was by her authority—not by Scripture itself—that those writings were declared specifically inspired by God. However, if the Church is not infallible in her teachings, we cannot assume that Scriptures validated by her are inspired by God, given that, the authority that declared them as such, would not be worthy of trust. Therefore, it cannot at the same time be asserted that the Catholic Church can err without condemning, at the same time, the origin and selection of Scripture that she passed on. Trusting the Bible and distrusting the Church that compiled, presented and later protected the Bible throughout time is something that betrays both logic and history. Without the Catholic Church, the Bible never would have existed.