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Sola Scriptura   

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Sola Scriptura is the doctrine which states that the Bible is the only authority about what Jesus said and taught. This is taught in the Protestant churches who reject the authority of the Catholic Magesterium.  To contrast, the Catholic church teaches that the Bible AND the Magesterium are the authorities of what Jesus taught.

Why the doctrine of Sola Scriptura doesn't work.

  1. You cannot prove the authority of a book by using that book. Therefore, the only proof that the Bible is the Word of God is that the Catholic church proclaimed it thusly when it gathered together the books of the New Testament.
  2. When Jesus started the church (see Matt 16:16) He designated a definite "leader", Peter.  For the first 3 centuries, the church was taught through the Apostles and those ordained by Apostles.  In the 4th century, the Catholic church held a conference and there, they selected the books to be included in the New Testament. Therefore, it's not that the church is based on the Bible but the Bible is based on the Catholic church.
  3. Protestants by accepting the books of the New Testament, are acknowledging that when the Catholic church decided which books should be included in the New Testament, they were led of the Holy Spirit. So even if they teach that the Bible alone is the authority of what Jesus said, they by accepting the Bible, are ALSO accepting the authority of the Catholic church.
  4. In the end of the gospel of John, it says "Many things that Jesus said and did, which are not written down here for if they were, they would fill all the books of the world".  Since Jesus is ALL God (as well as ALL man) was anything He did or said, unimportant?  If not, where are all these things He did and said which were not written down?  Those things are in the Magesterium of the Catholic church.  All these things Jesus did and said which are NOT in the Bible are what Catholics call "Apostolic Tradition".

Early Church Fathers on Apostolic Tradition