I’m curious, what’s your understanding of what Sola Scriptura means? It’s something I still am processing.
Discussion
I think it's the idea that every doctrine should be tested by scripture, and that scripture is enough for salvation, not that there aren't secondary doctrines external to scripture.
Read the article. I’m most struck by the emphasis on exclusivity and infallibility. I wonder why there is such a strong focus on such things.
Probably in distinction to Catholicism, which is not exclusive. Over-emphasis of exclusivity leads to a lot of confusion I think, because protestants always say "sola" and then have to walk it back from the plain meaning of the term. The perspicuity of scripture is also an interesting term that can mean a lot of things.
Okay, so if that sola is softened to mean highest singular, infallible, authoritative element, not the only element in the set of infallible authoritative things in Christianity, that allows for other forms of lower authority.
What would you say those might be? The Early Church Fathers? Ecumenical councils?
I wouldn't say lower authorities are ever infallible, but yeah, councils, church fathers, pastors, theologians, scholars, individual reason, community, church discipline, prophecy (potentially).
That makes sense. I suppose even the term Protestant is defined in distinction to Catholicism.
Also, so many obscure theological terms… 🫣