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The Writings of the Church Feber

Affirming the Reloriga ssPrinciple ofSolaSeriptura

David ‘T, King and William Webster

a oe
‘Editors
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 Holy Scripture
The Ground and Pillar of Our Faith

Volume III
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 Holy Scripture
The Ground and Pillar of Our Faith

Volume III

The Writings of the Church Fathers Affirming

the Reformation Principle of Sola Scriptura

David T. King and William Webster

Editors

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CONTENTS

Introduction 9

Part I: The Fathers: The Material Sufficiency and Ultimate Authority of

Scripture

1. The Material Sufficiency of Scripture 13

Justin Martyr, pp. 13-17; Irenaeus, pp. 17-24; Asterius Urbanus, p. 24; Clement
of Alexandria, pp. 25-31; Hippolytus, p. 31; Tertullian, pp. 31-36; Origen, pp.
36-39; Cyprian, pp. 39-41; Dionysius of Alexandria, p. 41; Lactantius, pp. 41-42;
Novatian, p. 42; Socrates Scholasticus, pp. 42-43; Constantine, p. 43; Eusebius
of Caesarea, pp. 43-44; Marius Victorinus, p. 44; Athanasius, pp. 44-51; Hilary
of Poitiers, pp. 51-57; Cyril of Jerusalem, pp. 57-62; Epiphanius of Salamis, pp.
62-63; Niceta of Remesiana, pp. 64-65; Ambrose, pp. 65-68; Basil of Caesarea, pp.
68-71; Gregory of Nyssa, pp. 71-77; Gregory of Nazianzus, pp. 77-78; Rufinus, p.
78; Theophilus of Alexandria, p. 78; Jerome, pp. 78-84; Chrysostom, pp. 84-92;
Optatus of Milevis, pp. 92; Augustine, pp. 92-116; John Cassian, pp. 116-120;
Nemesius of Emesa, p. 117; Theodoret of Cyrrhus, pp. 117-121; Cyril of Alex-
andria, pp. 121-126; Isidore of Pelusium, p. 126-127; Julianus Pomerius, p. 127;
Prosper of Aquitaine, p. 127; Caesarius of Arles, pp. 127; Salvian the Presbyter,
pp. 128-131; Fulgentius of Ruspe, p. 131; Justus of Urgel, pp. 131-132; Gregory
the Great, pp. 132-134; Cosmas of Indicopleustes, p. 134; John of Damascus,
pp. 135-137.

2. The Ultimate Authority of Scripture 139

Cyril of Jerusalem, p. 139; Basil of Caesarea, p. 139-140; Chrysostom, p. 140;

Jerome, p. 140; Optatus of Milevis, p. 140-141; Augustine, pp. 141-151; Cyril of
Alexandria, p. 151; Gregory the Great, p. 151-152.

Part II: The Fathers: The Formal Sufficiency of Scripture

3. The Perspicuity of Scripture 15)

Justin Martyr, p. 155; Irenaeus, pp. 156-161; Theophilus of Antioch, p. 160-161;

Clement of Alexandria, pp. 161-164; Tertullian, p. 164; Origen, pp. 164-165; Firmil-
ian, p. 165; Theonas of Alexandria, p. 165; Arnobius, p. 165; Alexander of Alexandria,
p. 166; Lactantius, pp. 166-167; Constantine, p. 167; Athanasius, pp. 167-171;
Hilary of Poitiers, pp. 171-177; Ambrosiaster, p. 177; Epiphanius of Salamis, pp.
177-181; Basil of Caesarea, pp. 181-182; Gregory of Nyssa, pp. 182-183; Niceta of
e
a
E ES S
S
Remesiana, pp. 183-184; Ambrose, pp. 184-185; Rufinus, p. 186; Chrysostom,
pp. 186-203; Jerome, pp. 203-207; Augustine, pp. 207-224; John Cassian, p. 224;
Theodoret of Cyrrhus, pp. 225-228; Cyril of Alexandria, pp. 228-230; Isidore of
Pelusium, pp. 230-232; Fulgentius of Ruspe, pp. 232-233; Salvian the Presbyter, p.
Arles, pp. 233-234; Gregory the Great, pp. 234-235; Paschasius
233; Caesarius of
of Dumium, p. 235.

yr. The Self-Interpreting Nature of Scripture Da

Irenaeus, p. 237; Tertullian, pp. 238-240; Archelaus, p. 240; Hilary of Poitiers, p.

240; Basil of Caesarea, p. 240-241; Epiphanius of Salamis, p. 241; Ambrose, pp.
240-242; Chrysostom, pp. 243-245; Jerome, p. 245-246; Augustine, pp. 246-249;
Theodoret of Cyrrhus, p. 249-250.

5. The Holy Spirit Makes Scripture Understandable for Those who Pray and
Walk in Obedience 251

Justin Martyr, pp. 251-252; Irenaeus, p. 252; Tertullian, p. 252-253; Theophilus of

Antioch, p. 253; Tatian, pp. 253-254; Gregory Thaumaturgus, p. 254; Athanasius,
pp. 254-255; Hilary of Poitiers, pp. 255-257; Cyril of Jerusalem, pp. 257-258;
Epiphanius of Salamis, p. 258; Gregory of Nyssa, p. 258-259; Gregory of Nazianzus,
p. 259; Basil of Caesarea, p. 259; Ambrose, pp. 259-261; Niceta of Remesiana, p.
261; Jerome, pp. 261-262; Chrysostom, pp. 262-266; Augustine, pp. 266-271;
John Cassian, pp. 271-272; Cyril of Alexandria, pp. 273; Theodoret of Cyrrhus, p.
273; Hilary of Arles, p. 273; Fulgentius of Ruspe, p. 273-274; Julianus Pomerius,
p. 274; Gregory the Great, pp. 274-275; John of Damascus, pp. 275-276.

6. The Scriptures are Understandable for Those who Dilignetly Read and
Study Them. aay

Clement of Rome, p. 277; Polycarp, pp. 277; Irenaeus, p. 278; Clement of Alex-
andria, p. 278; Tertullian, p. 278; Hippolytus, p. 279; Origen, p. 279; Athanasius,
pp- 279-280; Hilary of Poitiers, pp. 280-282; Cyril of Jerusalem, pp. 282; Basil
of Caesarea, p. 283; Ambrose, pp. 283; Chrysostom, pp. 283-289; Jerome, pp.
289-290; Augustine, pp. 290-292; Julianus Pomerius, p. 292-293; Caesarius of
Arles, pp. 293; Gregory the Great, p. 293-295,

7. The Necessity for Private Reading of Scripture for the Sanctification of

the Christian 297
Irenaeus, p. 297; Clement of Alexandria, p. 297; Cyprian, p. 298; Basil of Caesarea,
p- 298; Chrysostom, pp. 298-302; Ambrose, pp. 302-303; Augustine, pp. 303-304;
Caesarius of Arles, pp. 304-305. .

Index of Church Fathers 307

CGE.
SS
Rei AEE Eee SSS ee
S

Abbreviations

ACW: Ancient Christian Writers (Westminster: Newman Press).

ANF: Ante—Nicene Fathers, Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, Editors

(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans).

FC: Fathers of the Church (Washington D.C.: Catholic University of America)

and (New York: Fathers of the Church, Inc.).

Francis Turretin: Jnstitutes ofElenctic Theology, 3 Vols., trans. George Musgrave

Giger and ed. James T. Dennison (Phillipsburg: reprinted by Presbyterian and
Reformed Publishing Co., 1992).

NPNFI: Nicene and Post—Nicene Fathers, First Series, Philip Schaff, Editor
(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans).

NPNF2: Nicene and Post—Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Philip Schaff and
Henry Wace, Editors (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans).

The Panarion: The Panarion ofEpiphanius ofSalamis:, Frank Williams, trans.

(Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1987), Volumes 1 & II.

PG: Jacques Paul Migne, Patrologiae Graecae, 162 Volunes (Paris: J.P. Migne,
1857-87).

PL: Jacques Paul Migne, Patrologiae Latinae, 221 Volumes plus supplements
(Paris: J.P. Migne, 1857-87).

William Goode: The Divine Rule ofFaith and Practice, 2nd ed., 3 Vols. (Lon-
don: John Henry Jackson, 1853).

WSA: The Works of Saint Augustine, ed. John Rotelle, O.S.A., trans. Roland J.
Teske, S.J. (New York: New City Press, 1995).

William Whitaker: A Disputation on Holy Scripture Against the Papists, Espe-

cially Bellarmine and Stapleton, trans. and ed. William Fitzgerald (Cambridge:
University Press, reprinted 1849).
 Introduction

ck Roman Catholic Church has historically claimed that she is one

with the teaching of the Church of the patristic age. For centuries
she has attempted to monopolize the Church fathers as her exclusive
domain and as supportive of her distinctive teachings. This is particularly true
regarding the whole question of authority in the Church. The Roman Church
claims that the proper model for God—ordained authority is that of Scripture,
Tradition and the Church, with the Church as the ultimate authority as the
infallible interpreter of both Tradition and Scripture. The Reformation brought
a challenge to this teaching. The Reformers insisted that Scripture was the
ultimate authority for the Church and that the Church and Tradition must
be subordinated and held accountable to Scripture in that Scripture alone was
God-breathed revelation and the only infallible rule of faith. They maintained
that Scripture was materially sufficient in that there was no additional revela-
tion preserved in any other source such as Tradition and that it was formally
sufficient in that all that is necessary for the Christian faith is perspicuous, that
is, it is clearly revealed by God.
The Roman Catholic response was to charge the Reformers with setting
aside sixteen centuries of Church teaching and authority. She was adamant
that sola Scriptura was a theologial novelty in that it could find no support in
the patristic writings. Rome states categorically that Scripture is neither ma-
terially nor formally sufficient and that the early Church fathers unanimously
concur with this judgment. However, an examination of the writings of the
Church fathers reveals a very different reality. When they are allowed to speak
for themselves it becomes clear that they universally taught sola Scriptura in the
fullest sense of the term embracing both the material and formal sufficiency of
Scripture. This is clearly revealed by statements, such as the following, which
are found repeatedly in their writings:

1) Scripture is the sole source of doctrine for the faith of the Church.
2) All doctrines necessary for salvation and moral living for the Christian
are contained in Scripture.
10 HOLY SCRIP [URE

3.) All doctrines must be proven from Scripture.

4.) What the Apostles taught orally has been handed down in Scripture.
5.) Scripture is the ultimate judge in all controversies.
6.) Scripture is the ultimate and supreme authority for the Church.
7.) If Scripture is silent on an issue it cannot be known.
8.) All teachers and councils are subject to the authority of Scripture.
9.) Any bishop or teacher who teaches doctrines that are not contained in
Scripture or are contradictory to Scripture is to be rejected.
10.) Scripture reveals clearly and plainly all truths necessary for salvation
and moral living.
11.) Scripture interprets Scripture, i.e., it is self-interpreting.
12.) The Holy Spirit reveals truth and gives understanding of Scripture
directly to those who pray and walk in obedience.

This volume is a compilation of the teaching of the Church fathers on the

primacy, sufficiency and ultimate authority of Scripture. Page after page gives
eloquent testimony to the supreme authority that Scripture held in the life of
the early Church. The documentation conclusively demonstrates that it is the
Reformation principle of sola Scriptura which true to the ancient faith and
practice of the Church and that it is, in fact, the Roman Catholic Church which
has misrepresented the Church fathers and introduced theological novelty in
her denigration of the primacy, sufficiency and final authority of Scripture.
 Part I

The Fathers

The Material Sufficiency and Ultimate

Authority of Scripture
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 Chapter One

The Material Sufficiency of Scripture

Justin Martyr (wrote after 151)

And the angel of God who was sent to the same virgin at that time brought her
good news, saying, ‘Behold, thou shalt conceive of the Holy Ghost, and shalt
bear a Son, and He shall be called the Son of the Highest, and thou shalt call
His name Jesus; for He shall save His people from their sins,’ — as they who
have recorded all that concerns our Savior Jesus Christ have taught, whom
we believed, since by Isaiah also, whom we have now adduced, the Spirit of
prophecy declared that He should be born as we intimated before. ANF, Vol. 1,
First Apology ofJustin, Chapter 33.

‘There existed, long before this time, certain men more ancient than all those
who are esteemed philosophers, both righteous and beloved by God, who
spoke by the Divine Spirit, and foretold events which would take place, and
which are now taking place. They are called prophets. These alone both saw
and announced the truth to men, neither reverencing nor fearing any man,
not influenced by a desire for glory, but speaking those things alone which
they saw and which they heard, being filled with the Holy Spirit. Their writ-
ings are still extant, and he who has read them is very much helped in his
knowledge of the beginning and end of things, and of those matters which
the philosopher ought to know, provided he has believed them. For they did
not use demonstration in their treatises, seeing that they were witnesses to
the truth above all demonstration, and worthy of belief; and those events
which have happened, and those which are happening, compel you to assent
to the utterances made by them, although, indeed, they were entitled to credit
on account of the miracles which they performed, since they both glorified
the Creator, the God and Father of all things, and proclaimed His Son, the
Christ [sent] by Him: which, indeed, the false prophets, who are filled with
the lying unclean spirit, neither have done nor do, but venture to work certain
wonderful deeds for the purpose of astonishing men, and glorify the spirits
14 HOLY SCRIPTURE

and demons of error. But pray that, above all things, the gates of light may
be opened to you; for these things cannot be perceived or understood by all,
but only by the man to whom God and His Christ have imparted wisdom.’
ANF, Vol. I, Dialogue ofJustin, Chapter 7.

And I replied, ‘I would not bring forward these proofs, Trypho, by which I
am aware those who worship these [idols] and such like are condemned, but
such [proofs] as no one could find any objection to. They will appear strange
to you, although you read them every day; so that even from this fact we
understand that, because of your wickedness, God has withheld from you the
ability to discern the wisdom of His Scriptures; yet [there are] some excep-
tions, to whom, according to the grace of His long-suffering, as Isaiah said,
He has left a seed of salvation, lest your race be utterly destroyed, like Sodom
and Gomorrah. Pay attention, therefore, to what I shall record out of the
holy Scriptures, which do not need to be expounded, but only listened to.’
ANF, Vol. 1, Dialogue of Justin, Chapter 55.

If, therefore, you assert that the Holy Spirit calls some other one God and Lord,
besides the Father of all things and His Christ, answer me; for I undertake to
prove to you from Scriptures themselves, that He whom the Scripture calls
Lord is not one of the two angels that went to Sodom, but He who was with
them, and is called God, that appeared to Abraham.’
And Trypho said, ‘Prove this; for, as you see, the day advances, and we
are not prepared for such perilous replies; since never yet have we heard any
man investigating, or searching into, or proving these matters; nor would we
have tolerated your conversation, had you not referred everything to the
Scriptures: for you are very zealous in adducing proofs from them; and you
are of opinion that there is no God above the Maker of all things.’ ANF, Vol. I,
Dialogue ofJustin, Chapter 56.

Then I said to this, “Irypho, I wish to persuade you, and all men in short, of
this, that even though you talk worse things in ridicule and in jest, you will
not move me from my fixed design; but I shall always adduce from the words
which you think can be brought forward [by you] as proof [of your own views],
the demonstration of what I have stated along with the testimony of the
Scriptures.’ ANF, Vol. I, Dialogue ofJustin, Chapter 67.

And Trypho said, “You endeavour to prove an incredible and well—nigh im-
possible thing; [namely], that God endured to be born and become man.’ ‘If
I undertook,’ said I, ‘to prove this by doctrines or arguments of man, you
should not bear with me. But if I quote frequently Scriptures, and so many
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 15

of them, referring to this point, and ask you to comprehend them, you are
hard—hearted in the recognition of the mind and will of God. But if you wish
to remain for ever so, I would not be injured at all; and for ever retaining the
same [opinions] which I had before I met with you, I shall leave you.’
And Trypho said, “Look, my friend, you made yourself master of these
[truths] with much labour and toil. And we accordingly must diligently scru-
tinize all that we meet with, in order to give our assent to those things which
the Scriptures compel us [to believe].’ ANF, Vol. I, Dialogue ofJustin, Chapter 68.

And that the prophet whose name was changed, Jesus [Joshua], was strong
and great, is manifest to all. If, then, we know that God revealed Himselfin
so many forms to Abraham, and to Jacob, and to Moses, how are we at a loss,
and do not believe that, according to the will of the Father of all things, it
was possible for Him to be born man of the Virgin, especially after we have
such Scriptures, from which it can be plainly perceived that He became so
according to the will of the Father? ANF, Vol. I, Dialogue ofJustin, Chapter 75.

And now, if I say this to you, although I have repeated it many times, I know
that it is not absurd so to do. For it is a ridiculous thing to see the sun, and the
moon, and the other stars, continually keeping the same course, and bring-
ing round the different seasons; and to see the computer who may be asked
how many are twice two, because he has frequently said that they are four,
not ceasing to say again that they are four; and equally so other things, which
are confidently admitted, to be continually mentioned and admitted in like
manner; yet that he who founds his discourse on the prophetic Scriptures
should leave them and abstain from constantly referring to the same Scriptures,
because it is thought he can bring forth something better than Scripture.
ANF, Vol. 1, Dialogue ofJustin, Chapter 85.

Even as there was no ignorance on God’s part when He asked Adam where he
was, or asked Cain where Abel was; but [it was done] to convince each what
kind of man he was, and in order that through the record [of Scripture] we
might have a knowledge of all: so likewise Christ declared that ignorance was
not on His side, but on theirs, who thought that He was not the Christ, but
fancied they would put Him to death, and that He, like some common mortal,
would remain in Hades. ANF, Vol. 1, Dialogue ofJustin, Chapter 99.

For I have showed already that Christ is called both Jacob and Israel; and I
have proved that it is not in the blessing of Joseph and Judah alone that what
relates to Him was proclaimed mysteriously, but also in the Gospel it is writ-
ten that He said: ‘All things are delivered unto me by My Father;’ and, ‘No
16 HOLY SCRIPTURE

man knoweth the Father but the Son; nor the Son but the Father, and they
to whom the Son will reveal Him.’ Accordingly He revealed to us all that we
have perceived by His grace out of the Scriptures, so that we know Him to
be the first-begotten of God, and to be before all creatures; likewise to be the
Son ofthe patriarchs, since He assumed flesh by the Virgin of their family, and
submitted to become a man without comeliness, dishonoured, and subject to
suffering. Hence, also, among His words He said, when He was discoursing
about His future sufferings: “The Son of man must suffer many things, and be
rejected by the Pharisees and Scribes, and be crucified, and on the third day
rise again.” ANF, Vol. 1, Dialogue ofJustin, Chapter 100.

The Self—Evidencing Power of Truth.

The word of truth is free, and carries its own authority, disdaining to fall
under any skilful argument, or to endure the logical scrutiny of its hearers.
But it would be believed for its own nobility, and for the confidence due to
Him who sends it. Now the word of truth is sent from God; wherefore the
freedom claimed by the truth is not arrogant. For being sent with authority,
it were not fit that it should be required to produce proof of what is said;
since neither is there any proof beyond itself, which is God. For every proof
is more powerful and trustworthy than that which it proves; since what is
disbelieved, until proof is produced, gets credit when such proof is produced,
and is recognised as being what it was stated to be. But nothing is either more
powerful or more trustworthy than the truth; so that he who requires proof
of this is like one who wishes it demonstrated why the things that appear to
the senses do appear. For the test of those things which are received through
the reason, is sense; but of sense itself there is no test beyond itself. As then
we bring those things which reason hunts after, to sense, and by it judge what
kind of things they are, whether the things spoken be true or false, and then
sit in judgment no longer, giving full credit to its decision; so also we refer all
that is said regarding men and the world to the truth, and by it judge whether
it be worthless or no. But the utterances of truth we judge by no separate test,
giving full credit to itself. And God, the Father of the universe, who is the
perfect intelligence, is the truth. And the Word, being His Son, came to us,
having put on flesh, revealing both Himself and the Father, giving to us in
Himself resurrection from the dead, and eternal life afterwards. And this is
Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. He, therefore, is Himself both the faith
and the proof of Himself
and ofall things. Wherefore those who follow Him,
and know Him, having faith in Him as their proof, shall rest in Him. But
since the adversary does not cease to resist many, and uses many and divers
arts to ensnare them, that he may seduce the faithful from their faith, and that
he may prevent the faithless from believing, it seems to me necessary that
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 7

we also, being armed with the invulnerable doctrines of the faith, do battle
against him in behalf of the weak. ANF, Vol. 1, Fragments of the Lost Work ofJustin on
the Resurrection, Chapter I.

Irenaeus (c. 130—c. 200)

We have learned from none others the plan of our salvation, than from those
through whom the Gospel has come down to us, which they did at one time
proclaim in public, and, at a later period, by the will of God, handed down to
us in the Scriptures, to be the ground and pillar of our faith. For it is unlaw-
ful to assert that they preached before they possessed ‘perfect knowledge,’ as
some do even venture to say, boasting themselves as improvers of the apostles.
For, after our Lord rose from the dead, [the apostles] were invested with power
from on high when the Holy Spirit came down [upon them], were filled from
all [His gifts], and had perfect knowledge: they departed to the ends of the
earth, preaching the glad tidings of the good things [sent] from God to us,
and proclaiming the peace of heaven to men, who indeed do all equally and
individually possess the Gospel of God. Matthew also issued a written Gospel
among the Hebrews in their own dialect, while Peter and Paul were preaching at
Rome, and laying the foundations of the Church. After their departure, Mark,
the disciple and interpreter of Peter, did also hand down to us in writing what
had been preached by Peter. Luke also, the companion of Paul, recorded in a
book the Gospel preached by him. Afterwards, John, the disciple of the Lord,
who also had leaned upon His breast, did himself publish a Gospel during his
residence at Ephesus in Asia. ANF, Vol. I, Against Heresies, 3.1.1.

Such, then, is their system, which neither the prophets announced, nor the
Lord taught, nor the apostles delivered, but of which they boast that beyond
all others they have a perfect knowledge. They gather their views from other
sources than the Scriptures; and, to use a common proverb, they strive to
weave ropes of sand, while they endeavour to adapt with an air of probability
to their own peculiar assertions the parables of the Lord, the sayings of the
prophets, and the words of the apostles, in order that their scheme may not
seem altogether without support. In doing so, however, they disregard the order
and the connection of the Scriptures, and so far as in them lies, dismember
and destroy the truth. By transferring passages, and dressing them up anew,
and making one thing out of another, they succeed in deluding many through
their wicked art in adapting the oracles of the Lord to their opinions. ANF: Vol.
I, Against Heresies 1.8.1.
18 HOLY SCRIPTURE

The Church, though dispersed through our the whole world, even to the ends
of the earth, has received from the apostles and their disciples this faith: [She
believes] in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven, and earth, and the
sea, and all things that are in them; and in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God,
who became incarnate for our salvation; and in the Holy Spirit, who proclaimed
through the prophets the dispensations of God, and the advents, and the birth
from a virgin, and the passion, and the resurrection from the dead, and the
ascension into heaven in the flesh of the beloved Christ Jesus, our Lord, and
His [future] manifestation from heaven in the glory of the Father ‘to gather all
things in one,’ and to raise up anew all flesh of the whole human race, in order
that to Christ Jesus, our Lord, and God, and Saviour, and King, according to
the will of the invisible Father, ‘every knee should bow, of things in heaven,
and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should
confess’ to Him, and that He should execute just judgment towards all; that
He may send ‘spiritual wickednesses,’ and the angels who transgressed and
became apostates, together with the ungodly, and unrighteous, and wicked,
and profane among men, into everlasting fire; but may, in the exercise of His
grace, confer immortality on the righteous, and holy, and those who have kept
His commandments, and have persevered in His love, some from the beginning
[of their Christian course], and others from [the date of] their repentance, and
may surround them with everlasting glory.
As | have already observed, the Church, having received this preaching
and this faith, although scattered throughout the whole world, yet, as if oc-
cupying but one house, carefully preserves it. She also believes these points
[of doctrine] just as if she had but one soul, and one and the same heart, and
she proclaims them, and teaches them, and hands them down, with perfect
harmony, as if she possessed only one mouth. For, although the languages of
the world are dissimilar, yet the import of the tradition is one and the same.
For the Churches which have been planted in Germany do not believe or hand
down anything different, nor do those in Spain, nor those in Gaul, nor those
in the East, nor those in Egypt, nor those in Libya, nor those which have been
established in the central regions of the world. But as the sun, that creature of
God, is one and the same throughout the whole world, so also the preaching of
the truth shineth everywhere, and enlightens all men that are willing to come
to a knowledge of the truth. Nor will any one of the rulers in the Churches,
however highly gifted he may be in point of eloquence, teach doctrines different
from these (for no one is greater than the Master); nor, on the other hand, will
he who is deficient in power of expression inflict injury on the tradition. For
the faith being ever one and the same, neither does one who is able at great
length to discourse regarding it, make any addition to it, nor does one, who
can say but little diminish it. ANF, Vol. I, Against Heresies 1.10.1—2.
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 19
Having therefore the truth itself as our rule and the testimony concerning
God set clearly before us, we ought not, by running after numerous and diverse
answers to questions, to cast away the firm and true knowledge of God...If,
however, we cannot discover explanations of all those things in Scripture
which are made the subject of investigation, yet let us not on that account
seek after any other God besides Him who really exists. For this is the very
greatest impiety. We should leave things of that nature to God who created
us, being most properly assured that the Scriptures are indeed perfect, since
they were spoken by the Word of God and His Spirit; but we, inasmuch as
we are inferior to, and later in existence than, the Word of God and His
Spirit, are on that very account destitute of the knowledge of His mysteries.
And there is no cause for wonder if this is the case with us as respects things
spiritual and heavenly, and such as require to be made known to us by revela-
tion, since many even of those things which lie at our very feet (I mean such
as belong to this world, which we handle, and see, and are in close contact
with) transcend our knowledge, so that even these we must leave to God.
ANF, Vol. 1, Against Heresies, 2.28.1-2.

If, therefore, according to the rule which I have stated, we leave some ques-
tions in the hands of God, we shall both preserve our faith uninjured, and
shall continue without danger; and all Scripture, which has been given to
us by God, shall be found by us perfectly consistent; and the parables shall
harmonize with those passages which are perfectly plain; and those state-
ments the meaning of which is clear, shall serve to explain the parables; and
through the many diversified utterances [of Scripture] there shall be heard
one harmonious melody in us, praising in hymns that God who created all
things. If, for instance, any one asks, “What was God doing before He made the
world?’ We reply that the answer to such a question lies with God Himself. For
that this world was formed perfect by God, receiving a beginning in time, the
Scriptures teach us; but no Scripture reveals to us what God was employed
about before this event. The answer therefore to that question remains with
God, and it is not proper for us to aim at bringing forward foolish, rash, and
blasphemous suppositions [in reply to it]; so, as by one’s imagining that he
has discovered the origin of matter, he should in reality set aside God Himself
who made all things. ANF, Vol. I, Against Heresies, 2.28.3.

But we shall not be wrong if we affirm the same thing also concerning the
substance of matter, that God produced it. For we have learned from the
Scriptures that God holds the supremacy over all things. But whence or in
what way He produced it, neither has Scripture anywhere declared; nor does
it become us to conjecture, so as, in accordance with our own opinions, to
20 HOLY SCRIPTURE

form endless conjectures concerning God, but we should leave such knowledge
in the hands of God Himself. ANF, Vol. 1, Against Heresies 2.28.7.
That eternal fire, [for instance, ] is prepared for sinners, both the Lord has
plainly declared, and the rest of the Scriptures demonstrate. And that God
fore—knew that this would happen, the Scriptures do in like manner demon-
strate, since He prepared eternal fire from the beginning for those who were
[afterwards] to transgress [His commandments]; but the cause itself of the
nature of such transgressors neither has any Scripture informed us, nor has an
apostle told us, nor has the Lord taught us. It becomes us, therefore, to leave
the knowledge of this matter to God, even as the Lord does of the day and
hour [of judgment], and not to rush to such an extreme of danger, that we
will leave nothing in the hands of God, even though we have received only
a measure of grace [from Him in this world]. ANF, Vol. 1, Against Heresies, 2.28.7.

...then, in the first place, we prove from the authoritative Scriptures that all
the things which have been mentioned, visible and invisible, have been made
by one God. For these men are not more to be depended on than the Scrip-
tures; nor ought we to give up the declarations of the Lord, Moses, and the
rest of the prophets, who have proclaimed the truth, and give credit to them,
who do indeed utter nothing of a sensible nature, but rave about untenable
opinions. ANF, Vol. 1, Against Heresies, 2:30:6.

Now, that the preaching of the apostles, the authoritative teaching of the Lord,
the announcements of the prophets, the dictated utterances of the apostles,
and the ministration of the law — all of which praise one and the same Being,
the God and Father of all, and not many diverse beings, nor one deriving his
substance from different gods or powers, but [declare] that all things [were
formed] by one and the same Father (who nevertheless adapts this works]
to the natures and tendencies of the materials dealt with), things visible and
invisible, and, in short, all things that have been made [were created] neither
by angels, nor by any other power, but by God alone, the Father—are all in
harmony with our statements, has, I think, been sufficiently proved, while
by these weighty arguments it has been shown that there is but one God, the
Maker of all things. But that I may not be thought to avoid that series of
proofs which may be derived from the Scriptures of the Lord (since, indeed,
these Scriptures do much more evidently and clearly proclaim this very
point), I shall, for the benefit of those at least who do not bring a depraved
mind to bear upon them, devote a special book to the Scriptures referred to,
which shall fairly follow them out [and explain them], and I shall plainly set
forth from these divine Scriptures proofs to [satisfy] all the lovers of truth.
ANF, Vol. 1, Against Heresies 2.35.4.
 The Material Sufficiency of Scripture a
When, however, they are confuted from the Scriptures, they turn round and
accuse these same Scriptures, as if they were not correct, nor of authority,
and [assert] that they are ambiguous, and that the truth cannot be extracted
from them by those who are ignorant of tradition. For [they allege] that the
truth was not delivered by means of written documents, but viva voce...ANF,
Vol. 1, Against Heresies 3.2.1.

Since therefore we have such proofs, 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 she is the entrance to life; all others are thieves
and robbers. On this account are we bound to avoid them, but to make choice
of the thing pertaining to the Church with the utmost diligence, and to lay
hold of the tradition of the truth. 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
intercourse, and learn from them what is certain and clear in regard to the
present question? For how should it be if the apostles themselves had not left
us writings? Would it not be necessary, [in that case,] to follow the course of
the tradition which they handed down to those to whom they did commit the
Churches?...Since, therefore, the tradition from the apostles does thus exist
in the Church, and is permanent among us, let us revert to the Scriptural
proof furnished by those apostles who did also write the Gospel, in which they
recorded the doctrine regarding God, pointing out that our Lord Jesus Christ
is the truth, and that no lie is in Him. ANF, Vol. I, Against Heresies 3.4.1; 3.5.1.

Such, then, are the first principles of the Gospel: that there is one God, the
Maker of this universe; He who was also announced by the prophets, and who
by Moses set forth the dispensation of the law,—[principles] which proclaim
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and ignore any other God or Father except
Him. So firm is the ground upon which these Gospels rest, that the very
heretics themselves bear witness to them, and, starting from these [docu-
ments], each one of them endeavours to establish his own peculiar doctrine.
For the Ebionites, who use Matthew's Gospel only, are confuted out of this
very same, making false suppositions with regard to the Lord. But Marcion,
mutilating that according to Luke, is proved to be a blasphemer of the only
existing God, from those [passages] which he still retains. Those, again, who
separate Jesus from Christ, alleging that Christ remained impassible, but that
it was Jesus who suffered, preferring the Gospel by Mark, if they read it with
a love of truth, may have their errors rectified. Those, moreover, who follow
22 HOLY SCRIPTURE

Valentinus, making copious use of that according to John, to illustrate their

conjunctions, shall be proved to be totally in error by means of this very
Gospel, as I have shown in the first book. Since, then, our opponents do bear
testimony to us, and make use of these [documents], our proof derived from
them is firm and true. ANF, Vol. I, Against Heresies 3.11.7.

It is not possible that the Gospels can be either more or fewer in number than
they are. For, since there are four zones of the world in which we live, and four
principal winds, while the Church is scattered throughout all the world, and
the ‘pillar and ground’ of the Church is the Gospel and the spirit of life; it is
fitting that she should have four pillars, breathing out immortality on every
side, and vivifying men afresh. From which fact, it is evident that the Word,
the Artificer of all, He that sitteth upon the cherubim, and contains all things,
He who was manifested to men, has given us the Gospel under four aspects,
but bound together by one Spirit. ANF, Vol. I, Against Heresies 3.11.8.

But those who are from Valentinus, being, on the other hand, altogether
reckless, while they put forth their own compositions, boast that they possess
more Gospels than there really are. Indeed, they have arrived at such a pitch of
audacity, as to entitle their comparatively recent writing ‘the Gospel of Truth,’
though it agrees in nothing with the Gospels of the Apostles, so that they
have really no Gospel which is not full of blasphemy. For if what they have
published is the Gospel of truth, and yet is totally unlike those which have
been handed down to us from the apostles, any who please may learn, as
is shown from the Scriptures themselves, that that which has been handed
down from the apostles can no longer be reckoned the Gospel of truth. But
that these Gospels alone are true and reliable, and admit neither an increase
nor diminution of the aforesaid number, I have proved by so many and such
[arguments]. For, since God made all things in due proportion and adaptation,
it was fit also that the outward aspect of the Gospel should be well arranged
and harmonized. The opinion of those men, therefore, who handed the Gospel
down to us, having been investigated, from their very fountainheads, let us
proceed also to the remaining apostles, and inquire into their doctrine with
regard to God; then, in due course we shall listen to the very words of the
Lord. ANF, Vol. I, Against Heresies 3.11.9.

But that all his Epistles are consonant to these declarations, I shall, when ex-
pounding the apostle, show from the Epistles themselves, in the right place.
But while I bring out by these proofs the truths of Scripture, and set forth
briefly and compendiously things which are stated in various ways, do thou
also attend to them with patience, and not deem them prolix; taking this
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 23
into account, that proofs [of the things which are] contained in the Scriptures
cannot be shown except from the Scriptures themselves. ANF, Vol. |, Against
Heresies 3:12:9

But that Paul taught with simplicity what he knew, not only to those who
were [employed] with him, but to those that heard him, he does himself make
manifest... Thus did the apostles simply, and without respect of persons,
deliver to all what they had themselves learned from the Lord. Thus also
does Luke, without respect of persons, deliver to us what he had learned
from them, as he has himself testified, saying, ‘Even as they delivered them
unto us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the
Word.’ ANF, Vol. I, Against Heresies 3:14:2.

But our faith is steadfast, unfeigned, and the only true one, having clear proof
from these Scriptures, which were interpreted in the way Ihave related; and
the preaching of the Church is without interpolation. For the apostles, since
they are of more ancient date than all these [heretics], agree with this aforesaid
translation; and the translation harmonizes with the tradition of the apostles.
For Peter, and John, and Matthew, and Paul, and the rest successively, as well
as their followers, did set forth all prophetical [announce—merits], just as the
interpretation of the elders contains them. ANF, Vol. I, Against Heresies 3.21.3.
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 distinc-
tive 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, and has come even unto us, being guarded and preserved without any
forging of Scriptures, by a very complete system of doctrine, and neither receiv-
ing addition nor {suffering} curtailment [in the truths which she believes]; and
[it consists in] reading [the word of God] without falsification, and a lawful
and diligent exposition in harmony with the Scriptures, both without danger
and without blasphemy; and [above all, it consists in] the pre-eminent gift of
love, which is more precious than knowledge, more glorious than prophecy,
and which excels all the other gifts [of God]. ANF, Vol. I, Against Heresies 4.33.8.

NowI shall simply say, in opposition to all the heretics, and principally against
the followers of Marcion, and against those who are like to these, in maintaining
that time prophets were from another God [than He who is announced in the
Gospel], read with earnest care that Gospel which has been conveyed to us by
the apostles, and read with earnest care the prophets, and you will find that
the whole conduct, and all the doctrine, and all the sufferings of our Lord,
were predicted through them. ANF, Vol. I, Against Heresies 4.34.1.
24 HOLY SCRIPTURE

When, therefore, they shall have agreed among themselves as to the things
predicted in the Scriptures, then also shall they be confuted by us. For, though
holding wrong opinions, they do in the meanwhile, however, convict them-
selves, since they are not of one mind with regard to the same words. But as we
follow for our teacher the one and only true God, and possess His words as
the rule of truth, we do all speak alike with regard to the same things, know-
ing but one God, the Creator of this universe, who sent the prophets, who led
forth the people from the land of Egypt, who in these last times manifested
His own Son, that He might put the unbelievers to confusion, and search out
the fruit of righteousness. ANF, Vol. 1, Against Heresies 4.35.4.

It behooves us, therefore, to avoid their doctrines, and to take careful heed lest
we suffer any injury from them; but to flee to the Church, and be brought up
in her bosom, and be nourished with the Lord’s Scriptures. For the Church
has been planted as a garden (paradisus) in this world; therefore says the Spirit
of God, ‘Thou mayest freely eat from every tree of the garden, that is, Eat ye
from every Scripture of the Lord; but ye shall not eat with an uplifted mind,
nor touch any heretical discord.’ ANF, Vol. 1, Against Heresies 5.20.2.

Remember, therefore, my beloved friend, that thou hast been redeemed by

the flesh of our Lord, re-established by His blood; and ‘holding the Head,
from which the whole body of the Church, having been fitted together, takes
increase’ — that is, acknowledging the advent in the flesh of the Son of God,
and [His] divinity (deum), and looking forward with constancy to His human
nature (hominem), availing thyself also of these proofs drawn from Scripture
— thou dost easily overthrow, as I have pointed out, all those notions of
the heretics which were concocted afterwards. ANF, Vol. I, Against Heresies 5:14:4.

Asterius Urbanus (fl. 188)

Having now for a very long and surely a very sufficient period had the charge
pressed upon me by thee, my dear Avircius Marcellus, to write some sort of
treatise against the heresy that bears the name of Miltiades, I have somehow
been very doubtfully disposed toward the task up till now; not that I felt
any difficulty in refuting the falsehood, and in bearing my testimony to the
truth, but that I was apprehensive and fearful lest I should appear to any
to be adding some new word or precept to the doctrine of the Gospel of
the New Testament, with respect to which indeed it is not possible for one
who has chosen to have his manner of life in accordance with the Gospel
itself, either to add anything to it or to take away anything from. ANF, Vol.
VU, Asterius Urbanus, The Extant Writings, The Exordium, Chapter 1.
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 25

Clement of Alexandria (150 — c. 215)

But godliness, that makes man as far as can be like God, designates God as our
suitable teacher, who alone can worthily assimilate man to God. This teaching
the apostle knows as truly divine. ‘Thou, O Timothy,’ he says, ‘from a child
hast known the holy letters, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation,
through faith that is in Christ Jesus.’ For truly holy are those letters that sanc-
tify and deify; and the writings or volumes that consist of those holy letters and
syllables, the same apostle consequently calls ‘inspired of God, being profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that
the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished to every good work.’
No one will be so impressed by the exhortations of any of the saints, as he is
by the words of the Lord Himself, the lover of man...Faith will lead you in;
experience will teach you; Scripture will train you, for it says, ‘Come hither,
O children; listen to me, and I will teach you the fear of the LORD.’ ANF,
Vol. I, Exhortation to the Heathen, Chapter 9.

The exercise of faith directly becomes knowledge, reposing on a sure foun-

dation. Knowledge, accordingly, is defined by the sons of the philosophers
as a habit, which cannot be overthrown by reason. Is there any other true
condition such as this, except piety, of which alone the Word is teacher? I
think not. Theophrastus says that sensation is the root of faith. For from it
the rudimentary principles extend to the reason that is in us, and the under-
standing. He who believeth then the divine Scriptures with sure judgment,
receives in the voice of God, who bestowed the Scripture, a demonstration
that cannot be impugned. Faith, then, is not established by demonstration.
‘Blessed therefore those who, not having seen, yet have believed.’ ANF, Vol.
Il, The Stromata, Book II, Chapter II.

But we, who have heard by the Scriptures that self—-determining choice and
refusal have been given by the Lord to men, rest in the infallible criterion of
faith, manifesting a willing spirit, since we have chosen life and believe God
through His voice. And he who has believed the Word knows the matter to
be true; for the Word is truth. But he who has disbelieved Him that speaks,
has disbelieved God. ANF, Vol. I, The Stromata, Book II, Chapter IV.

Now, faith being twofold—the faith of knowledge and that of opinion—

nothing prevents us from calling demonstration twofold, the one resting on
knowledge, the other on opinion; since also knowledge and foreknowledge are
designated as twofold, that which is essentially accurate, that which is defective.
And is not the demonstration, which we possess, that alone which is true, as
26 HOLY SCRIP PURE

being supplied out of the divine Scriptures, the sacred writings, and out of
the ‘God-taught wisdom,’ according to the apostle? Learning, then, is also
obedience to the commandments, which is faith in God. And faith is a power
of God, being the strength of the truth. For example, it is said, ‘If ye have faith
as a grain of mustard, ye shall remove the mountain.’ And again, ‘According
to thy faith let it be to thee.’ And one is cured, receiving healing by faith;
and the dead is raised up in consequence of the power of one believing that
he would be raised. The demonstration, however, which rests on opinion is
human, and is the result of rhetorical arguments or dialectic syllogisms. For
the highest demonstration, to which we have alluded, produces intelligent
faith by the adducing and opening up of the Scriptures to the souls of those
who desire to learn; the result of which is knowledge (gnosis). ANF, Vol. Il, The
Stromata, Book II, Chapter XI.

But for the benefit of one’s neighbours, in the case of those who have proclivi-
ties for writing, and those who set themselves to deliver the word, both is other
culture beneficial, and the reading of the Scriptures of the Lord is necessary,
in order to the demonstration of what is said, and especially if those who hear
are accessions from Hellenic culture. ANF, Vol. II, The Stromata, Book IV, Chapter XI.

But if from any creature they received in any way whatever the seeds of the
Truth, they did not nourish them; but committing them to a barren and rain-
less soil, they choked them with weeds, as the Pharisees revolted from the Law,
by introducing human teachings, — the cause of these being not the Teacher,
but those who choose to disobey. But those of them who believed the Lord’s
advent and the plain teaching of the Scriptures, attain to the knowledge of
the law; as also those addicted to philosophy, by the teaching of the Lord,
are introduced into the knowledge of the true philosophy: ‘For the oracles of
the Lord are pure oracles, melted in the fire, tried in the earth, purified seven
times.’ Just as silver often purified, so is the just man brought to the test, be-
coming the Lord’s coin and receiving the royal image. ANE Vol. II, The Stromata,
Book VI, Chapter VII.

And after a little again he draws the inference that the Scriptures owed their
origin to the divine providence, asserting as follows: ‘For we know that God
enjoined these things, and we say nothing apart from the Scriptures.” ANF,
Vol. II, The Stromata, Book VI, Chapter XV.

And this signified that the Scripture is clear to all, when taken according
to the bare reading; and that this is the faith which occupies the place of the
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 25
rudiments. Wherefore also the figurative expression is employed, ‘reading
according to the letter;’ while we understand that the gnostic unfolding of
the Scriptures, when faith has already reached an advanced state, is likened to
reading according to the syllables. Further, Esaias the prophet is ordered to
take ‘a new book, and write in it’ certain things: the Spirit prophesying that
through the exposition of the Scriptures there would come afterwards the
sacred knowledge, which at that period was still unwritten, because not yet
known. For it was spoken from the beginning to those only who understand.
Now that the Saviour has taught the apostles, the unwritten rendering of
the written [Scripture] has been handed down also to us, inscribed by the
power of God on hearts new, according to the renovation of the book. ANF,
Vol. Il, The Stromata, Book VI, Chapter XV.

This pretext is then, in the case of the Greeks, futile; for those who are willing
may find the truth. But in the case of those who adduce unreasonable excuses,
their condemnation is unanswerable. For whether do they deny or admit that
there is such a thing as demonstration? I am of opinion that all will make the
admission, except those who take away the senses. There being demonstration,
then, it is necessary to condescend to questions, and to ascertain by way of
demonstration by the Scriptures themselves how the heresies failed, and how
in the truth alone and in the ancient Church is both the exactest knowledge,
and the truly best set of principles (atpeot). ANF, Vol. II, The Stromata, Book VII,
Chapter XV.

But those who are ready to toil in the most excellent pursuits, will not
desist from the search after truth, till they get the demonstration from the
Scriptures themselves...Now all men, having the same judgment, some, fol-
lowing the Word speaking, frame for themselves proofs; while others, giving
themselves up to pleasures, wrest Scripture, in accordance with their lusts.
And the lover of truth, as I think, needs force of soul. For those who make
the greatest attempts must fail in things of the highest importance; unless,
receiving from the truth itself the rule of the truth, they cleave to the truth.
But such people, in consequence of falling away from the right path, err in
most individual points; as you might expect from not having the faculty for
judging of what is true and false, strictly trained to select what is essential. For
if they had, they would have obeyed the Scriptures...
For we have, as the source of teaching, the Lord, both by the prophets,
the Gospel, and the blessed apostles, ‘in divers manners and at sundry times,’
leading from the beginning of knowledge to the end. But if one should sup-
pose that another origin was required, then no longer truly could an origin
be preserved.
28 HOLY SCRIPTURE

He, then, who of himself believes the Scripture and voice of the Lord,
which by the Lord acts to the benefiting of men, is rightly [regarded] faithful.
Certainly we use it as a criterion in the discovery of things. What is subjected
to criticism is not believed till it is so subjected; so that what needs criticism
cannot be a first principle. Therefore, as is reasonable, grasping by faith the
indemonstrable first principle, and receiving in abundance, from the first
principle itself, demonstrations in reference to the first principle, we are by
the voice of the Lord trained up to the knowledge of the truth.
For we may not give our adhesion to men on a bare statement by them,
who might equally state the opposite. But if it is not enough merely to state
the opinion, but if what is stated must be confirmed, we do not wait for the
testimony of men, but we establish the matter that is in question by the
voice of the Lord, which is the surest of all demonstrations, or rather is the
only demonstration; in which knowledge those who have merely tasted the
Scriptures are believers; while those who, having advanced further, and become
correct expounders of the truth, are Gnostics. Since also, in what pertains to
life, craftsmen are superior to ordinary people, and model what is beyond
common notions; so, consequently, we also, giving a complete exhibition
of the Scriptures from the Scriptures themselves, from faith persuade by
demonstration.
And if those also who follow heresies venture to avail themselves of the
prophetic Scriptures; in the first place they will not make use of all the Scrip-
tures, and then they will not quote them entire, nor as the body and texture of
prophecy prescribe. But, selecting ambiguous expressions, they wrest them to
their own opinions, gathering a few expressions here and there; not looking to
the sense, but making use of the mere words. For in almost all the quotations
they make, you will find that they attend to the names alone, while they alter
the meanings; neither knowing, as they affirm, nor using the quotations they
adduce, according to their true nature.
But the truth is not found by changing the meanings (for so people sub-
vert all true teaching), but in the consideration of what perfectly belongs to
and becomes the Sovereign God, and in establishing each one of the points
demonstrated in the Scriptures again from similar Scriptures. Neither, then,
do they want to turn to the truth, being ashamed to abandon the claims of
self—love; nor are they able to manage their opinions, by doing violence to the
Scriptures. But having first promulgated false dogmas to men; plainly fight-
ing against almost the whole Scriptures, and constantly confuted by us who
contradict them; for the rest, even now partly they hold out against admitting
the prophetic Scriptures, and partly disparage us as of a different nature, and
incapable of understanding what is peculiar to them. And sometimes even
they deny their own dogmas, when these are confuted, being ashamed openly
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 29
to own what in private they glory in teaching. For this may be seen in all the
heresies, when you examine the iniquities of their dogmas. For when they are
overturned by our clearly showing that they are opposed to the Scriptures,
one of two things may be seen to have been done by those who defend the
dogma. For they either despise the consistency of their own dogmas, or
despise the prophecy itself, or rather their own hope. And they invariably
prefer what seems to them to be more evident to what has been spoken by
the Lord through the prophets and by the Gospel, and, besides, attested and
confirmed by the apostles. ANF, Vol. II, The Stromara, Book VII, Chapter 16.

Seeing, therefore, the danger that they are in (not in respect of one dogma,
but in reference to the maintenance of the heresies) of not discovering the
only demonstration; in which knowledge those who have merely tasted the
Scriptures are believers; while those who, having advanced further, and become
correct expounders of the truth, are Gnostics. Since also, in what pertains to
life, craftsmen are superior to ordinary people, and model what is beyond
common notions; so, consequently, we also, giving a complete exhibition
of the Scriptures from the Scriptures themselves, from faith persuade by
demonstration.
And if those also who follow heresies venture to avail themselves of the
prophetic Scriptures; in the first place they will not make use of all the Scrip-
tures, and then they will not quote them entire, nor as the body and texture of
prophecy prescribe. But, selecting ambiguous expressions, they wrest them to
their own opinions, gathering a few expressions here and there; not looking to
the sense, but making use of the mere words. For in almost all the quotations
they make, you will find that they attend to the names alone, while they alter
the meanings; neither knowing, as they affirm, nor using the quotations they
adduce, according to their true nature.
But the truth is not found by changing the meanings (for so people sub-
vert all true teaching), but in the consideration of what perfectly belongs to
and becomes the Sovereign God, and in establishing each one of the points
demonstrated in the Scriptures again from similar Scriptures. Neither, then,
do they want to turn to the truth, being ashamed to abandon the claims of
self-love; nor are they able to manage their opinions, by doing violence to the
Scriptures. But having first promulgated false dogmas to men; plainly fight-
ing against almost the whole Scriptures, and constantly confuted by us who
contradict them; for the rest, even now partly they hold out against admitting
the prophetic Scriptures, and partly disparage us as of a different nature, and
incapable of understanding what is peculiar to them. And sometimes even
they deny their own dogmas, when these are confuted, being ashamed openly
to own what in private they glory in teaching. For this may be seen in all the
30 HOLY SCRIPTURE

heresies, when you examine the iniquities of their dogmas. For when they are
overturned by our clearly showing that they are opposed to the Scriptures,
one of two things may be seen to have been done by those who defend the
dogma. For they either despise the consistency of their own dogmas, or
despise the prophecy itself, or rather their own hope. And they invariably
prefer what seems to them to be more evident to what has been spoken by
the Lord through the prophets and by the Gospel, and, besides, attested and
confirmed by the apostles. .
Seeing, therefore, the danger that they are in (not in respect of one dogma,
but in reference to the maintenance of the heresies) of not discovering the
truth; for while reading the books we have ready at hand, they despise
them as useless, but in their eagerness to surpass common faith, they have
diverged from the truth. For, in consequence of not learning the mysteries of
ecclesiastical knowledge, and not having capacity for the grandeur of the truth,
too indolent to descend to the bottom of things, reading superficially, they have
dismissed the Scriptures...Accordingly, those fall from this eminence who follow
not God whither He leads. And He leads us in the inspired Scriptures.
Though men’s actions are ten thousand in number, the sources of all sin are
but two, ignorance and inability. And both depend on ourselves; in as much as
we will not learn, nor, on the other hand, restrain lust. And of these, the one is
that, in consequence of which people do not judge well, and the other that, in
consequence of which they cannot comply with right judgments. For neither
will one who is deluded in his mind be able to act rightly, though perfectly able
to do what he knows; nor, though capable of judging what is requisite, will
he keep himself free of blame, if destitute of power in action. Consequently,
then, there are assigned two kinds of correction applicable to both kinds of
sin: for the one, knowledge and clear demonstration from the testimony of
the Scriptures; and for the other, the training according to the Word, which
is regulated by the discipline of faith and fear. And both develop into perfect
love. For the end of the Gnostic here is, in my judgment, two—fold—partly
scientific contemplation, partly action... But if one is curable, able to bear (like
fire or steel) the outspokenness of the truth, which cuts away and burns their
false opinions. let him lend the ears of the soul. And this will be the case, unless,
through the propensity to sloth, they push truth away, or through the desire of
fame, endeavour to invent noyelties. For those are slothful who, having it in
their power to provide themselves with proper proofs for the divine Scrip-
tures from the Scriptures themselves, select only what contributes to their
own pleasures. And those have a craving for glory who voluntarily evade, by
arguments of a diverse sort, the things delivered by the blessed apostles and
teachers, which are wedded to inspired words; opposing the divine tradition
by human teachings, in order to establish the heresy...
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 31
Following, then, the Scriptures, let us establish what has been said: ‘Wis-
dom,’ says Solomon, ‘has inflated her children.’ For the Lord did not work
conceit by the particulars of His teaching; but He produces trust in the truth
and expansion of mind, in the knowledge that is communicated by the Scrip-
tures, and contempt for the things which drag into sin, which is the meaning
of the expression ‘inflated.’ ANF, Vol. II, The Stromata, Book VII, Chapter XVI.

Hippolytus (c. 170-c. 236)

There is, brethren, one God, the knowledge of whom we gain from the
Holy Scriptures, and from no other source. For just as a man, if he wishes
to be skilled in the wisdom of this world, will find himself unable to get at it
in any other way than by mastering the dogmas of philosophers, so all of us
who wish to practice piety will be unable to learn its practice from any other
quarter than the oracles of God. Whatever things, then, the Holy Scriptures
declare, at these let us look; and whatsoever things they teach, these let us
learn; and as the Father wills our belief to be, let us believe; and as He wills
the Son to be glorified, let us glorify Him; and as He wills the Holy Spirit to
be bestowed, let us receive Him. Not according to our own will, nor according
to our own mind, nor yet as using violently those things which are given by
God, but even as He has chosen to teach them by the Holy Scriptures, so
let us discern them. ANF, Vol. V, Against the Heresy of One Noetus, 9.

Tertullian (c. 160-c. 220)

But, that we might attain an ampler and more authoritative knowledge at

once of Himself, and of His counsels and will, God has added a written
revelation for the behoof of every one whose heart is set on seeking Him,
that seeking he may find, and finding believe, and believing obey. ANE Vol.
Ill, The Apology, Chapter 18.

The action, therefore, of the Christ who is come must be examined by be-
ing placed side by side with the rule of the Scriptures. ANE Vol. III, An Answer
To The Jews, Chapter 9.

I revere the fulness of His Scripture, in which He manifests to me both the

Creator and the creation. In the gospel, moreover, I discover a Minister and
Witness of the Creator, even His Word. But whether all things were made out
of any underlying Matter, I have as yet failed anywhere to find. Where such a
32 HOLYSCRIP TURE

statement is written, Hermogenes’ shop must tell us. If it is nowhere written,

then let it fear the woe which impends on all who add to or take away from
the written word. ANE Vol. Ill, Against Hermogenes, Chapter 22.

Of course nothing is ‘too hard for the Lord.’ But if we choose to apply this
principle so extravagantly and harshly in our capricious imaginations, we may
then make out God to have done anything we please, on the ground that it was
not impossible for Him to do it. We must not, however, because He is able to
do all things suppose that He has actually done what He has not done. But
we must inquire whether He has really done it. God could, if He had liked,
have furnished man with wings to fly with, just as He gave wings to kites. We
must not, however, run to the conclusion that He did this because He was
able to do it.. .It will be your duty, however, to adduce your proofs out of the
Scriptures as plainly as we do...ANE Vol. III, Against Praexes 10, 11.

Let them, then, prove to us that those angels derived their flesh from the
stars. If they do not prove it because it is not written, neither will the flesh
of Christ get its origin therefrom, for which they borrowed the precedent
of the angels. It is plain that the angels bore a flesh which was not naturally
their own; their nature being of a spiritual substance, although in some sense
peculiar to themselves, corporeal; and yet they could be transfigured into hu-
man shape, and for the time be able to appear and have intercourse with men.
Since, therefore, it has not been told us whence they obtained their flesh, it
remains for us not to doubt in our minds that a property of angelic power
is this, to assume to themselves bodily Shape out of no material substance.
How much more, you say, is it (within their competence to take a body) out
of some material substance? That is true enough. But there is no evidence of
this, because Scripture says nothing. ANE Vol. III, On the Flesh of Christ, Chapter 6.

What sort of truth is that which they patronize, when they commend it to us
with a lie? Well, but they actually treat of the Scriptures and recommend (their
opinions) out of the Scriptures! To be sure they do. From what other source
could they derive arguments concerning the things of the faith, except from
the records of the faith? ANF: Vol. III, The Prescription Against Heretics, Chapter 14.

But here is, as we have said, the same madness, in their allowing indeed that
the apostles were ignorant of nothing, and preached not any (doctrines)
which contradicted one another, but at the same time insisting that they did
not reveal all to all men, for that they proclaimed some openly and to all the
world, whilst they disclosed others (only) in secret and to a few, because Paul
addressed even this expression to Timothy: ‘O Timothy, guard that which is
 The Material Sufficiency of Scripture 33
entrusted to thee; * and again: “That good thing which was committed unto
thee keep.’ What is this deposit? Is it so secret as to be supposed to characterize
a new doctrine? or is it a part of that charge of which he says, “This charge |
commit unto thee, son Timothy?’ and also of that precept of which he says, ‘I
charge thee in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Jesus
Christ who witnessed a good confession under Pontius Pilate, that thou keep
this commandment?’ Now, what is (this) commandment and what is (this)
charge? From the preceding and the succeeding contexts, it will be manifest that
there is no mysterious hint darkly suggested in this expression about (some)
far—fetched doctrine, but that a warning is rather given against receiving any
other (doctrine) than that which Timothy had heard from himself, as J take
it publicly: “Before many witnesses’ is his phrase. Now, if they refuse to allow
that the church is meant by these ‘many witnesses,’ it matters nothing, since
nothing could have been secret which was produced ‘before many witnesses.’
Nor, again, must the circumstance of his having wished him to ‘commit these
things to faithful men, who should be able to teach others also,’ be construed
into a proof of there being some occult gospel. For, when he says ‘these things,’
he refers to the things of which he is writing at the moment. In reference,
however, to occult subjects, he would have called them, as being absent, those
things, not these things, to one who had a joint knowledge of them with himself.
ANE Vol. Ill, The Prescription Against Heretics, Chapter 25.

One Lord God does she [i. e. the Church] acknowledge, the Creator of the
universe, and Christ Jesus (born) of the Virgin Mary, the Son of God the Cre-
ator; and the Resurrection of the flesh; the law and the prophets she unites
in one volume with the writings of evangelists and apostles, from which she
drinks in her faith. ANE Vol. Il, The Prescription Against Heretics, Chapter 36.

Silence! Silence on such blasphemy. Let us be content with saying that Christ
died, the Son of the Father; and Jet this suffice, because the Scriptures have
told us so much. For even the apostle, to his declaration—which he makes
not without feeling the weight of it—that “Christ died,’ immediately adds,
‘according to the Scriptures,’ in order that he may alleviate the harshness of
the statement by the authority of the Scriptures, and so remove offence from
the reader. ANF, Vol. III, Against Praxeas, Chapter 3.

But what hinders them from readily perceiving this community of the Father's
titles in the Son, is the statement of Scripture, whenever it determines God
to be but One; as if the selfsame Scripture had not also set forth Two both as
God and Lord, as we have shown above. Their argument is: Since we find Two
and One, therefore Both are One and the Same, both Father and Son. Now
34 HOLY SCRIPTURE

the Scripture is not in danger of requiring the aid of any one’s argument,
lest it should seem to be self-contradictory. It has a method of its own, both
when it sets forth one only God, and also when it shows that there are Two,
Father and Son; and is consistent with itself (or sufficient itself — sufficit sibi,
PL 2:177). ANF, Vol. III, Against Praxeas, Chapter 18.

He, therefore, will not be a Christian who shall deny this doctrine which is
confessed by Christians; denying it, moreover, on grounds which are adopted
by a man who is not a Christian. Take away, indeed, from the heretics the
wisdom which they share with the heathen, and let them support their
inquiries from the Scriptures alone: they will then be unable to keep their
ground. For that which commends men’s common sense is its very simplicity,
and its participation in the same feelings, and its community of opinions;
and it is deemed to be all the more trustworthy, inasmuch as its definitive
statements are naked and open, and known to all. ANE Vol. III, On the Resurrec-
tion of the Flesh, Chapter 3.

Well, if it occurs occasionally in certain portions of it, you will say, then why
not in that phrase, where the resurrection might be spiritually understood?
There are several reasons why not. First, what must be the meaning of so
many important passages of Holy Scripture, which so obviously attest the
resurrection of the body, as to admit not even the appearance of a figura-
tive signification? And, indeed, (since some passages are more obscure than
others), it cannot but be right — as we have shown above — that uncertain
statements should be determined by certain ones, and obscure ones by such
as are clear and plain; else there is fear that, in the conflict of certainties and
uncertainties, of explicitness and obscurity, faith may be shattered, truth en-
dangered, and the Divine Being Himself be branded as inconstant. Then arises
the improbability that the very mystery on which our trust wholly rests, on
which also our instruction entirely depends, should have the appearance of
being ambiguously announced and obscurely propounded, inasmuch as the
hope of the resurrection, unless it be clearly set forth on the sides both of
punishment and reward, would fail to persuade any to embrace a religion
like ours, exposed as it is to public detestation and the imputation of hostil-
ity to others. There is no certain work where the remuneration is uncertain.
There is no real apprehension when the peril is only doubtful. But both the
recompense of reward, and the danger of losing it, depend on the issues of
the resurrection. ANE Vol. II, On the Resurrection of the Flesh, Chapter 21

But since we have touched on one special point of empty observance, it will
not be irksome to set our brand likewise on the other points against which
 The Material Sufficiency of Scripture 35
the reproach of vanity may deservedly be laid; if, that is, they are observed
without the authority of any precept either of the Lord, or else of the apostles.
For matters of this kind belong not to religion, but to superstition, being
studied, and forced, and of curious rather than rational ceremony; deserving
of restraint, at all events, even on this ground, that they put us on a level with
Gentiles. ANF, Vol. III, On Prayer, Chapter 15.
Sed quoniam unum aliquod attigimus vacuae observationis, non pigebit
caetera quoque denotare, quibus merito vanitas exprobranda est; siquidem sine
ullius aut dominici, aut apostolici praecepti auctoritate fiunt. Hujusmodi enim
non religioni, sed superstitioni deputantur, affectata, et coacta, et curiosi potius,
quam rationalis officii; certe vel eo coercenda, quod gentilibus adaequent. De
Oratione, Caput XV, PL 1:1170.

What Scripture does not note, it denies. ANE Vol. IV, On Monogamy, Chapter 4.

These (arguments), moreover; (we have advanced) for their sakes who think
that they are acting in conformity with Peter’s model, (a model) of which
they are ignorant: not as if we slighted the ninth hour, (an hour) which, on
the fourth and sixth days of the week, we most highly honor; but because, of
those things which are, observed on the ground of tradition, we are bound
to adduce so much the more worthy reason, that they lack the authority of
Scripture, until by some signal celestial gift they be either confirmed or else
corrected. ANF, Vol. IV, On Fasting in Opposition to the Psychics, Chapter 10.

And even if Matter had previously existed, we must have believed that it had
been really made by God, since we maintained (no less) when we held the rule
of faith to be, that nothing except God was uncreated. Up to this point there
is room for controversy, until Matter is brought to the test of the Scriptures,
and fails to make good its case. AVF, Vol. III, Against Hermogenes, Chapter 33.
Et ex materia non constat: quae etiam si fuisset, ipsam quoque a Deo factam
credidissemus, quia nihil innatum praeter Deum praescribentes, obtineremus.
In hunc usque articulum locus est retractatui, donec ad Scripturas provocata
deficiat, exhibitio materiae. Tertullian, Adversus Hermogenem, Caput XXXIII, PL 2:228.

Where diversity of doctrine is found, there, then, must the corruption both
of the Scriptures and the expositions thereof be regarded as existing. On
those whose purpose it was to teach differently, lay the necessity of differently
arranging the instruments of doctrine. They could not possibly have effected
their diversity of teaching in any other way than by having a difference in the
means whereby they taught. As in their case, corruption in doctrine could
not possibly have succeeded without a corruption also of its instruments,
36 HOLY SCRIPTURE

so to ourselves also integrity of doctrine could not have accrued, without

integrity in those means by which doctrine is managed. Now, what is there
in our Scriptures which is contrary to us? What of our own have we intro-
duced, that we should have to take it away again, or else add to it, or alter
it, in order to restore to its natural soundness anything which is contrary
to it, and contained in the Scriptures? What we are ourselves, that also the
Scriptures are (and have been) from the beginning. Of them we have our
being, before there was any other way, before they were interpolated by you.
ANE Vol. Ill, The Prescription Against Heretics, Chapter 38.

Origen (c. 185-c. 254)

But that we may not appear to build our assertions on subjects of such im-
portance and difficulty on the ground of inference alone, or to require the
assent of our hearers to what is only conjectural, let us see whether we can
obtain any declarations from holy Scripture, by the authority of which these
positions may be more credibly maintained. ANE Vol. IV, Origen, De Principiis,
Book I, Chapter V.4.

And now what we have drawn from the authority of Scripture ought to be
sufficient to refute the arguments of the heretics. ANF Vol. IV, Origen, De Principiis,
Book II, Chapter V.3.

And so far, indeed, as the credibility of Scripture is concerned, the declara-

tions on such a matter seem easy of proof. Even the heretics, although widely
opposed on many other things, yet on this appear to be at one, yielding to the
authority of Scripture. ANE Vol. IV, Origen, De Principiis, Book III, Chapter V.1.

But as it is not sufficient, in the discussion of matters of such importance, to

entrust the decision to the human senses and to the human understanding,
and to pronounce on things invisible as if they were seen by us, we must,
in order to establish the positions which we have laid down, adduce the
testimony of Holy Scripture. And that this testimony may produce a sure
and unhesitating belief, either with regard to what we have still to advance,
or to what has been already stated, it seems necessary to show, in the first
place, that the Scriptures themselves are divine, i.e., were inspired by the
Spirit of God. We shall therefore with all possible brevity draw forth from
the Holy Scriptures themselves, such evidence on this point as may produce
upon us a suitable impression, (making our quotations) from Moses, the
first legislator of the Hebrew nation, and from the words of Jesus Christ,
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture Bi

the Author and Chief of the Christian religious system. ANF, Vol. IV, Origen,
De Principiis, Book IV, Chapter I.1.

To the best of my understanding, I think in these two days the two Testa-
ments can be understood. In these, every word that pertains to God—for this
is a sacrifice—can be sought and discussed and even the whole knowledge
of things can be received from these. But if something ‘has been left over,’
that the divine Scripture does not discern, no other third scripture ought to
be received as an authority of knowledge... FC, Vol. 83, Origen, Homilies on Leviticus
1-16, Homily 5.3, p. 107.

And these things will be gathered together, when we also read and know, and
remembering them, compare at a fitting time things spiritual with spiritual, not
comparing things that cannot be compared with one another, but things which
admit of comparison, and which have a certain likeness of diction signifying
the same thing, and of thoughts and of opinions, so that by the mouth of two
or three or more witnesses from the Scripture, we may establish and confirm
every word of God. By means of them also we must refute those who, as far
as in them lies, cleave in twain the God head and cut off the New from the
Old, so that they are far removed from likeness to the householder who brings
forth out of his treasury things new and old. ANF, Vol. X, Commentary on the Gospel
of Matthew, Book 10, Chapter 15.

And now, what we have drawn from the authority of Scripture ought to be
sufficient to refute the arguments of the heretics. ANE Vol. IV, De Principiis, Book
II, Chapter 5.3.

These are the two works of the high priest: that he either learn from God by
reading the divine Scriptures and by meditating often on them, or teach the
people. But let him teach those things that he has learned from the Lord,
not ‘from his own heart,’ or from human understanding, but what the Spirit
teaches. FC, Vol. 83, Origen, Homilies on Leviticus 1-16, Homily 6.6, p. 128.

For this reason, as we said, we ought to ascend from this shadow to the truth.
The discourse is of a Christian to Christians by whom the authority of the
apostolic words ought to be valued. But ifanyone, pufted up by pride, despises
or rejects the apostolic words, that is a matter for him. ‘But for me,’ as ‘for God’
and our Lord Jesus Christ, ‘it is good to cling’ to his apostles and to receive
understanding from divine Scriptures according to their tradition. FC, Vol. 83,
Origen, Homilies on Leviticus 1-16, Homily 7.4, p. 142.

We must take the Scriptures as witnesses [to prove the truth of what we say].
38 HOLY SCRIPTURE

For our doctrines and interpretations without such witness, are not to be be-
lieved. In Jeremiam, Homilia 1.7. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 55.
udptupas Set AaPeiv Tas Fpadds. ’Apdptupor yap ai émBodrat
Hav Kal alt €Enyrjoets AmLoTot ELOLW. In Jeremiam, Homilia 1.7, PG 13:261.

If the oracles of God are in the law and Prophets and Gospels and Apostles,
it will behove one who has been taught by the oracles of God, to reckon God
his master. Jn Jeremiam, Homilia X.1. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 55.
Ei @cod \Oyid EaTiv Ev V6pW, Kal TPOdTTaLs, EVayyeAdtots Te kal
dtooténots, Serjoet TOV padnTEvopEevov Oceod hoylots S5dckadov
eTLypadeabat OEdv" In Jeremiam, Homilia X.1, PG 13:357.

As our Saviour imposed silence on the Sadducees by the word of his doctrine,
and confidently refuted the false dogma which they esteemed to be the truth, so
will the followers of Christ also do by instances from the Scriptures, to which,
according to sound doctrine, it behoves every voice of Pharoah to submit in
silence... We ought to treat of those things that are not written, according to
the things that are written. In Mattheum Commentariorum Series |. Translation by Wil-
liam Goode, Vol. 3, p. 55.
Sicut ergo Salvator verbo doctrine sue silentium imposuit Sadduczis,
et falsum dogma, quod apud illos veritas putabatur, convicit fiducialiter: sic
facient et Christi imitatores exemplis Scripturarum, quibus oportet secundum
sanam doctrinam omnem vocem Pharaonis...secundum ea enim que scripta
sunt, tractare debemus et ea que scripta non sunt. Jn Martheum Commentariorum
Series 1, PG 13: 1600-1601.

Therefore in proof of all the words we utter when teaching, we ought to produce
the doctrine of Scripture as confirming the doctrine we utter. For, as all the
gold that is without the temple is not sanctified, so every doctrine that is not
in the divine Scripture, although it may seem admirable to some, is not sacred,
because it is not comprehended within the doctrine of Scripture, which sancti-
fies that doctrine alone which it contains within itself, as the temple [renders
sacred] the gold that is in it. We ought not, therefore, for the confirmation
of our instructions, to swear by and take as evidence our own notions, which
we individually hold, and think to be agreeable to truth, unless we are able to
show, that they are sacred, as being contained in the divine Scriptures as in
some temples of God. In Mattheum Commentariorum Series 18. Translation by William
Goode, Vol. 3, pp. 57-58.
Debemus ergo ad testimonium omnium verborum que proferimus in
doctrina, proferre sensum Scripture, quasi confirmantem quem exponimus
sensum. Sicut enim omne aurum quod fuerit extra templum non est sanctifica-
tum, sic omnis sensus qui fuerit extra divinam Scripturam, quamvis admirabilis
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 39
videatur quibusdam, non est sanctus, quia non continetur a sensu Scripture,
quz solet eum solum sensum sanctificare quem habet in se, sicut templum,
proprium aurum. Non ergo debemus ad confirmadam doctrinam nostram
intelligit, et secundum veritatem existimat esse, ni ostenderit eos sanctos esse,
ex eo quod in Scripturis continentur divinis, quasi in templis quibusdam Dei.
In Mattheum Commentariorum Series 18, PG 13: 1624.

Speaking of Paul, Origen comments: ...as is his custom, is desirous of con-

firming what he had said from the Holy Scriptures; and at the same time
affords an example to the teachers of the Church, that in what they preach
to the people, they should bring forward not their own imaginations, but
things that are supported by the divine testimonies. For if so great and gifted
an apostle does not believe that the authority of his sayings can suffice unless
he can say that what he says is written in the Law and Prophets, how much
more ought we who are the least of all observe this, that we do not set forth
our own opinions when we teach, but those of the Holy Spirit? Commentaria in
Epistolam B. Pauli ad Romanos, Liber 11.2. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 55, and
Martin Chemntz, Vol. 1, p. 153.
...ut ei moris est, de Scripturis sanctis vult affirmare quod dixerat; simul
et doctoribus Ecclesie prebet exemplum, ut ea que loquuntur ad populum,
non propriis presumpta sententiis, sed divinis munita testimoniis proferant.
Si enim ipse tantus ac talis Apostolus auctoritatem dictorum suorum sufficere
posse non credit, nisi doceat in Lege et Prophetis scripta esse que dicit, quanto
magis nos minimi hocobservare debemus, ut non nostras cum docemus, sed
sancti Spiritus sententias proferamus? Commentaria in Epistolam B. Pauli ad Romanos,
Liber I11.2, PG 14:929.

Concerning the judgment of teachers: See how close they are upon danger,
who neglect to be versed in the divine Scriptures, which alone ought to direct
our judgment in such an examination. Commentaria in Epistolam B. Pauli ad Romanos,
Liber X.35. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 56.
Unde vide quam proximi periculo fiant hi qui exerceri in divinis litteris
negligunt, ex quibus solis hujusmodi examinationis agnoscenda discretio est.
Commentaria in Epistolam B. Pauli ad Romanos, Liber X.35, PG 14:1284.

Cyprian (c. 200-258)

The martyrs order something to be done; but if what they order be not
written in the law of the Lord, we must first know that they have obtained
what they ask from God, and then do what they command. For that may
not always appear to be immediately conceded by the divine majesty, which
has been promised by man’s undertaking. ANF Vol. V, On the Lapsed 18.
40 HOLY SCRIPTURE

Whence is that tradition? Whether does it descend from the authority of the
Lord and of the Gospel, or does it come from the commands and the epistles
of the apostles? For that those things which are written must be done, God
witnesses and admonishes, saying to Joshua the son of Nun: “The book of this
law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate in it day and
night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein.’
Also the Lord, sending His apostles, commands that the nations should be
baptized, and taught to observe all things which He commanded. If, therefore,
it is either prescribed in the Gospel, or contained in the epistles or Acts of the
Apostles, that those who come from any heresy should not be baptized, but
only hands laid upon them to repentance, let this divine and holy tradition
be observed. ANE Vol. V, The Epistles of Cyprian, Epistle 73.2.
Unde est ista traditio? Utrumne de dorinica et evangelica auctoritate
descendens, an de Apostolorum mandatis atque epistolis veniens? Ea enim
facienda esse quae scripta sunt Deus testatur et praemonet ad Jesum Nave
dicens: Non recedet liber legis hujus ex ore tuo, sed meditaberis in eo die ac nocte,
ut observes facere omnia quae scripta sunt in eo. Item Dominus Apostolos suos
mittens mandat baptizari Gentes et doceri ut observent omnia quaecumque
ille praecepit. Si ergo aut in Evangelio praecipitur aut in Apostolorum episto-
lis vel actibus continetur ut a quacumque haeresi venientes non baptizentur,
sed tantum manus illis imponatur in poenitentiam, observetur divina haec et
sancta traditio. Epistola LXXIV.2, PL 3:1129.

But there is a brief way for religious and simple minds, both to put away error,
and to find and to elicit truth. For if we return to the head and source of divine
tradition, human error ceases; and having seen the reason of the heavenly
sacraments, whatever lay hid in obscurity under the gloom and cloud of
darkness, is opened into the light of the truth. If a channel supplying water,
which formerly flowed plentifully and freely, suddenly fail, do we not go to
the fountain, that there the reason of the failure may be ascertained, whether
from the drying up of the springs the water has failed at the fountainhead, or
whether, flowing thence free and full, it has failed in the midst of its course;
that so, if ithas been caused by the fault of an interrupted or leaky channel,
that the constant stream does not flow uninterruptedly and continuously, then
the channel being repaired and strengthened, the water collected may be sup-
plied for the use and drink ofthe city, with the same fertility and plenty with
which it issues from the spring? And this it behooves the priests of God to do
now, if they would keep the divine precepts, that if in any respect the truth
have wavered and vacillated, we should return to our original and Lord, and
to the evangelical and apostolical tradition; and thence may arise the ground
of our action, whence has taken rise both our order and our origin. ANE Vol.
V, The Epistles of Cyprian, Epistle 73.10.
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 4]

You have desired, beloved Fortunatus that, since the burden of persecutions
and afflictions is lying heavy upon us, and in the ending and completion of
the world the hateful time of Antichrist is already beginning to draw near, I
would collect from the sacred Scriptures some exhortations for preparing and
strengthening the minds of the brethren, whereby I might animate the soldiers
of Christ for the heavenly and spiritual contest. I have been constrained to
obey your so needful wish, so that as much as my limited powers, instructed
by the aid of divine inspiration, are sufficient, some arms, as it were, and de-
fenses might be brought forth from the Lord’s precepts for the brethren who
are about to fight. For it is little to arouse God’s people by the trumpet call
of our voice, unless we confirm the faith of believers, and their valor dedi-
cated and devoted to God, by the divine readings. NPNF2, Vol. VIII, Letters, On
the Exhortation to Martyrdom Addressed to Fortunatus \.
Desiderasti, Fortunate carissime, ut, quoniam persecutionum et pressu-
rarum pondus incumbit, et in fine atque in consummatione mundi antichristi
tempus infestum appropinquare jam coepit, ad praeparandas et corroborandas
fratrum mentes de divinis Scripturis hortamenta componerem, quibus milites
Christi ad coeleste et spiritale certamen animarem. Obtemperandum fuit
desiderio tuo tam necessario, ut, quantum sufficit mediocritas nostra auxilio
divinae inspirationis instructa, quasi arma ac munimenta quaedam pugna-
turis fratribus de praeceptis Dominicis promerentur. Parum est enim quod
Dei plebem classico nostrae vocis erigimus, nisi credentium fidem et dicatam
Deo devotamque virtutem divina lectione firmemus. Epistola Ad Fortunatum De
Exhortatione Martyrit 1, PL 4:652.

Dionysius of Alexandria (c. 200-265)

Nor did we evade objections, but we endeavored as far as possible to hold to

and confirm the things which lay before us, and if the reason given satisfied us,
we were not ashamed to change our opinions and agree with others; but on the
contrary, conscientiously and sincerely, and with hearts laid open before God,
we accepted whatever was established by the proofs and teachings of the Holy
Scriptures. NPNF2, Vol. 1, The Church History of Eusebius, Book 7, Chapter 24.

Lactantius (260-330)

For since all error arises either from false religion or from wisdom, in refuting
error it is necessary to overthrow both. For inasmuch as it has been handed
down to us in the sacred writings that the thoughts of philosophers are foolish,
42 HOLY SCRIPTURE
this very thing is to be proved by fact and by arguments, that no one, induced
by the honourable name of wisdom, or deceived by the splendour of empty
eloquence, may prefer to give credence to human rather than to divine things.
Which things, indeed, are related in a concise and simple manner. For it was
not befitting that, when God was speaking to man, He should confirm His
words by arguments, as though He would not otherwise be regarded with
confidence: but, as it was right, He spoke as the mighty Judge of all things,
to whom it belongs not to argue, but to pronounce sentence. He Himself,
as God, is truth. But we, since we have divine testimony for everything, will
assuredly show by how much surer arguments truth may be defended, when
even false things are so defended that they are accustomed to appear true.
Wherefore there is no reason why we should give so much honour to philoso-
phers as to fear their eloquence. For they might speak well as men oflearning;
but they could not speak truly, because they had not learned the truth from
Him in whose power it was. ANF, Vol. VII, The Divine Institutes, Book III, Chapter I.

And since he did not do this, being carried away by his distinguished knowl-
edge of the sacred writings, so that he was content with those things alone
in which faith consists, | have undertaken, with the favor of God, to do this,
and at the same time to prepare the way for the imitation of others. ANE Vol.
VII, The Divine Institutes, Book V, Chapter 4.

Novatian (d. 257)

And yet the divine Scripture easily convicts and discloses the frauds and
artifices of the heretics. For if it were thus only, ‘The Spirit shall come upon
thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore that Holy
Thing which is born of thee shall be called the Son of God,’ perchance we
should have had to strive against them in another sort, and to have sought for
other arguments, and to have taken up other weapons, with which to overcome
both their snares and their wiles; but since the Scripture itself, abounding in
heavenly fullness, divests itself of the calumnies of these heretics, we easily
depend upon that that is written, and overcome those errors without any
hesitation. ANE Vol. V, A Treatise Concerning the Trinity, Chapter 24.

Socrates Scholasticus (b. 380)

In conformity with evangelic and apostolic tradition, we believe in one God

the Father Almighty, the Creator and Framer ofthe universe...And if any one
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 43
shall teach contrary to the sound and right faith of the Scriptures, affirming
that there is or was a period or an age before the Son of God existed, let him
be accursed. And if any one shall say that the Son is a creature as one of the
creatures, or that he is offspring as one of the oftsprings, and shall not hold
each of the aforesaid doctrines as the Divine Scriptures have delivered them
to us: or if any one shall teach or preach any other doctrine contrary to that
which we have received, let him be accursed. For we truly and unreservedly
believe and follow all things handed down to us from the sacred Scriptures
by the prophets and apostles. NPNF2, Vol. 11, The Ecclesiastical History, by Socrates
Scholasticus, Book II, Chapter X.

Constantine’s speech to the bishops at Nicea:

‘For the gospels’ (continued he), ‘the apostolical writings, and the oracles of
the ancient prophets, clearly teach us what we ought to believe concerning
the divine nature. Let, then, all contentious disputation be discarded; and let
us seek in the divinely—inspired word the solution of the questions at issue.’
According to Theodoret, cf. NPNF2, Vol. II, Ecclesiastical History, Book 1, Chapter 6.

Eusebius of Caesarea (260-340)

Meanwhile let the sacred oracles, given, not by the spirit of divination (or
rather let me say of madness and folly), but by the inspiration of Divine truth,
be our instructors in these mysteries; speaking to us of sovereignty, generally:
the heavenly array which surrounds the Lord of all; of that exemplar of imperial
power which is before us, and that counterfeit coin: and, lastly, of the conse-
quences which result from both. With these oracles, then, to initiate us in
the knowledge of the sacred rites, let us essay, as follows, the commencement
of our divine mysteries. NPNF2, Vol. 1, The Church History of Eusebius, The Oration of
Eusebius Pamphilus, In Praise of the Emperor Constantine.

According as we received from the bishops who preceded us, both in our
instruction [in the knowledge of the truth], and when we were baptized; as
also we have ourselves learned from the sacred Scriptures: and in accordance
with what we have both believed and taught while discharging the duties of
presbyter and the episcopal office itself, so now we believe and present to you
the distinct avowal of our faith. NPNF2, Vol. III, Theodoret’s Ecclesiastical History, Book
1, Chap. 11. See also NPNF2, Vol. II, Socrates Scholasticus, Book 1, Chap. 8.
4 HOLY SCRIPTURE

These are the circumstances which I had to communicate respecting the pub-
lished formulary of the faith. To it we all agreed, not without investigation,
but, after having subjected the views submitted to us to thorough examination
in the presence of our most beloved emperor, for the above reasons we all ac-
quiesced in it. We also allowed that the anathema appended by them to their
formulary of faith should be accepted, because it prohibits the use of words
which are not scriptural; through which almost all the disorder and troubles
of the Church have arisen. And since no passage of the inspired Scripture
uses the terms ‘out of the non-existent,’ or that ‘there was a time when He was
not,’ nor indeed any of the other phrases of the same class, it did not appear
reasonable to assert or to teach such things. NPNF2, Vol. III, Theodoret's Ecclesiastical
History, Book 1, Chap. 11. See also NPNF2, Vol. II, Socrates Scholasticus, Book 1, Chap. 8.

Marius Victorinus (born 281-291, converted around 356)

That such is the faith, with the permission of God and Jesus Christ and the
Holy Spirit, we shall affirm. Let no one say, understanding me in a blasphe-
mous way, that it is my own teaching. Indeed, all that I say is said by Holy
Scripture and comes from Holy Scripture. FC, Vol. 69, Marius Victorinus, Theological
Treatises on the Trinity, Reply of Victorinus, Book IA, p. 165.

Athanasius (297-373)

The knowledge of our religion and of the truth of things is independently

manifest rather than in need of human teachers, for almost day by day it as-
serts itself by facts, and manifests itself brighter than the sun by the doctrine
of Christ. Still, as you nevertheless desire to hear about it, Macarius, come let
us as we may be able set forth a few points of the faith of Christ: able though
you are to find it out from the divine oracles, but yet generously desiring to
hear from others as well. For although the sacred and inspired Scriptures are
sufficient to declare the truth,—while there are other works of our blessed
teachers compiled for this purpose, ifhe meet with which a man will gain some
knowledge of the interpretation of the Scriptures, and be able to learn what he
wishes to know,—still, as we have not at present in our hands the compositions
of our teachers, we must communicate in writing to you what we learned from
them,—the faith, namely, of Christ the Saviour; lest any should hold cheap
the doctrine taught among us, or think faith in Christ unreasonable, NPNF2,
Vol. IV, Against the Heathen, Part 1.1-3.

But this all inspired Scripture also teaches more plainly and with more
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 45
authority, so that we in our turn write boldy to you as we do, and you, if
you refer to them, will be able to verify what we say. For an argument when
confirmed by higher authority is irresistibly proved. NPNF2, Vol. IV, Against the
Heathen, Part III.45.

Has then the divine teaching, which abolished the godlessness of the heathen
or the idols, passed over in silence, and left the race of mankind to go entirely
unprovided with the knowledge of God? Not so: rather it anticipates their
understanding when it says : “Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one God;’
and again, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all
thy strength;’ and again, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him
only shalt thou serve, and shalt cleave to Him.’ But that the providence and
ordering power of the Word also, over all and toward all, is attested by all
inspired Scripture, this passage suffices to confirm our argument, where
men who speak of God say: “Thou hast laid the foundation of the earth and
it abideth.’ NPNF2, Vol. IV, Against the Heathen, Part III.45.

For Jews in their incredulity may be refuted from the Scriptures, which even
themselves read; for this text and that, and, in a word, the whole inspired
Scripture, cries aloud concerning these things, as even its express words
abundantly shew. NPNF2, Vol. IV, On the Incarnation of the Word 33.

Since then nothing is said in the Scriptures, it is evident that these things
had never taken piace before. NPNF2, Vol. IV, On the Incarnation of the Word 38.

And if so be the same terms are used of God and man in divine Scripture,
yet the clear—sighted, as Paul enjoins, will study it, and thereby discriminate,
and dispose of what is written according to the nature of each subject, and
avoid any confusion of sense, so as neither to conceive of the things of God
in a human way, nor to ascribe the things of man to Gods. For this were to
mix wine with water, and to place upon the altar strange fire with that which
is divine. NPNF2, Vol. IV, De Decretis or Defense of the Nicene Definition, Chapter III.10.

And we have proof of this, not from external sources, but from the Scriptures;
NPNF2, Vol. IV, De Decretis or Defense of the Nicene Definition, Chapter IV.17.

But perhaps being refuted as touching the term Unoriginate also, they will
say according to their evil nature, ‘It behoved, as regards our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ also, to state from the Scriptures what is there written of Him,
and not to introduce non-scriptural expressions.’ Yes, it behoved, sayI too;
for the tokens of truth are more exact as drawn from Scripture, than from
other sources... NPNF2, Vol. IV, De Decretis or Defense ofthe Nicene Definition, Chapter VII.
46 HOLY SCRIPTURE

Wherefore keep yourselves all the more untainted by them, and observe the
traditions of the fathers, and chiefly the holy faith in our Lord Jesus Christ,
which you have learned from the Scripture, and of which you have often been
put in mind by me.’ NPNF2, Vol. IV, Life ofAnthony 89.

Thus Paul was an Apostle of the Gospel, ‘which God promised afore by His
prophets in the holy Scriptures :’ and our Lord Himself said, ‘ye search the
Scriptures, for they are they which testify of Me.’ How then shall they confess
the Lord unless they first search the Scriptures which are written concerning
Him?... Thus each of these heresies, in respect of the peculiar impiety of its
invention, has nothing in common with the Scriptures. And their advocates
are aware of this, that the Scriptures are very much, or rather altogether,
opposed to the doctrines of every one of them; but for the sake of deceiving
the more simple sort (such as are those of whom it is written in the Prov-
erbs, “The simple believeth every word ),’ they pretend like their ‘father the
devil ‘ to study and to quote the language of Scripture, in order that they
may appear by their words to have a right belief, and so may persuade their
wretched followers to believe what is contrary to the Scriptures. NPNF2, Vol.
IV, To the Bishops of Egypt, Chapter I.4.

But further, as they have had the boldness to say that there is another Word in
God, and since they cannot bring any dear proof of this from the Scriptures,
let them but shew one work of His, or one work of the Father that was done
without this Word; so that they may seem to have some ground at least for
their own idea. NPNF2, Vol. IV, To the Bishops ofEgypt, Chapter II.15.

But seeing that, as the Prophet has said, from the feet even to the head there is
no reasonableness in it, but it is full ofall filthiness and all impiety, so that the
very name of it ought to be avoided as a dog’s vomit or the poison of serpents;
and seeing that Costyllius openly exhibits the image of the adversary; in order
that our words may not be too many, it will be well to content ourselves with
the divine Scripture, and that we all obey the precept which it has given us
both in regard to other heresies, and especially respecting this. That precept
is as follows; ‘Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean
thing; go ye out of the midst of them, and be ye separate, that bear the vessels
of the Lord’ This may suffice to instruct us all, so that if any one has been
deceived by them, he may go out from them, as out of Sodom, and not return
again unto them, lest he suffer the fate of Lot’s wife... NPNF2, Vol. IV, History of
the Arians, Part VIII.80, Duty ofSeparating from Heretics.

How then can they be Christians, who for Christians are Ario—maniacs? or
how are they of the Catholic Church, who have shaken off the Apostolical
faith, and become authors of fresh evils? who, after abandoning the oracles of
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 47
divine Scripture, call Arius’s Thaliae a new wisdom? NPNF2, Vol. IV, Four Discourses
Against the Arians, Discourse I, Chapter I.4.

For, behold, we take divine Scripture, and thence discourse with freedom of
the religious Faith, and set it up as a light upon its candlestick, saying: —Very
Son ofthe Father, natural and genuine, proper to His essence, Wisdom Only—
begotten, and Very and Only Word of God is He; not a creature or work, but
an offspring proper to the Father’s essence. NPNF2, Vol. IV, Four Discourses Against
the Arians, Discourse I, Chapter III.9.

Which of the two theologies sets forth our Lord Jesus Christ as God and Son
of the Father, this which you vomited forth, or that which we have spoken
and maintain from the Scriptures? If the Saviour be not God, nor Word, nor
Son, you shall have leave to say what you will, and so shall the Gentiles, and
the present Jews. But if He be Word ofthe Father and true Son, and God from
God, and ‘over all blessed for ever,’ is it not becoming to obliterate and blot
out those other phrases and that Arian Thalia, as but a pattern of evil, a store
of all irreligion, into which, whoso falls, ‘knoweth not that giants perish with
her, and reacheth the depths of Hades?’ This they know themselves, and in
their craft they conceal it, not having the courage to speak out, but uttering
something else. For if they speak, a condemnation will follow; and if they be
suspected, proofs from Scripture will be cast at them from every side. . . Nor
does Scripture afford them any pretext; for it has been often shewn, and it
shall be shewn now, that their doctrine is alien to the divine oracles. NPNF2,
Vol. IV, Four Discourses Against the Arians, Discourse 1, Chapter IT.10.

Whence then this your discovery? Why do ye, as ‘the heathen, rage, and imagine
vain phrases against the Lord and against His Christ?’ for no holy Scripture
has used such language of the Saviour, but rather ‘always’ and ‘eternal’ and
‘coexistent always with the Father.’ NPNF2, Vol. IV, Four Discourses Against the Arians,
Discourse I, Chapter IV.11.

But with God this cannot be; for He is not composed of parts, but being
impassible and simple, He is impassibly and indivisibly Father of the Son.
This again is strongly evidenced and proved by divine Scripture. For the
Word of God is His Son, and the Son is the Father’s Word and Wisdom; and
Word and Wisdom is neither creature nor part of Him whose Word He is,
nor an offspring passibly begotten. NPNF2, Vol. IV, Four Discourses Against the Arians,
Discourse I, Chapter VIII.28.
48 HOLY SCRIPTURE

For being forced from the conceptions or rather misconceptions of their own
hearts, they fall back upon passages of divine Scripture, and here too from
want of understanding, according to their wont, they discern not their mean-
ing; but laying down their own irreligion as a sort of canon of interpretation,
they wrest the whole of the divine oracles into accordance with it. And so on
the bare mention of such doctrine, they deserve nothing but the reply, “Ye do
err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God;’ and if they persist in
it, they must be put to silence, by the words, ‘Render to’ man ‘the things that
are’ man’s, ‘and to God the things that are’ God’s. NPNF2, Vol. IV, Four Discourses
Against the Arians, Discourse I, Chapter XII.52.

Now what has been briefly said above may suffice to shew their misunderstand-
ing of the passages they then alleged; and that of what they now allege from
the Gospels they certainly give an unsound interpretation, we may easily see,
if we now consider the scope of that faith which we Christians hold, and
using it as a rule, apply ourselves, as the Apostle teaches, to the reading of
inspired Scripture. For Christ’s enemies, being ignorant of this scope, have
wandered from the way of truth, and have stumbled on a stone of stumbling,
thinking otherwise than they should think.
Now the scope and character of Holy Scripture, as we have often said,
is this,—it contains a double account of the Saviour; that He was ever God,
and is the Son, being the Father’s Word and Radiance and Wisdom; and that
afterwards for us He took flesh of aVirgin, Mary Bearer of God, and was made
man. And this scope is to be found throughout inspired Scripture, as the Lord
Himself has said, ‘Search the Scriptures, for they are they which testify of
Me.’ NPNF2, Vol. IV, Four Discourses Against the Arians, Discourse II] Chapter XXVI.29.

All everywhere tell us of the being of the Word, but none of His being ‘by will,’
nor at all of His making; but they, where, I ask, did they find will or pleasure
‘precedent’ to the Word of God, unless forsooth, leaving the Scriptures, they
simulate the perverseness of Valentinus? NPNF2, Vol. IV, Four Discourses Against the
Arians, Discourse HI Chapter XXX.60.

Vainly then do they run about with the pretext that they have demanded
Councils for the faith’s sake; for divine Scripture is sufficient above all things;
but ifa Council be needed on the point, there are the proceedings of the Fathers,
for the Nicene Bishops did not neglect this matter, but stated the doctrine so
exactly, that persons reading their words honestly, cannot but be reminded by
them of the religion towards Christ announced in divine Scripture. NPNF2,
Vol. IV, Councils ofAriminum and Seleucia, Part I History of the Councils, 6.

For neither is safe to say that the Son is from nothing, (since this is no where
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 49

spoken of Him in divinely inspired Scripture,) nor again of any other subsis-
tence before existing beside the Father, but from God alone do we define Him
genuinely to be generated. For the divine Word teaches that the Ingenerate
and Unbegun, the Father of Christ, is One. NPNF2, Vol. IV, Councils ofAriminum
and Seleucia, Part I, History ofArian Opinions 26.

But since many persons are disturbed by questions concerning what is called
in Latin ‘Substantia,’ but in Greek ‘Usia,’ that is, to make it understood more
exactly, as to ‘Coessential,’ or what is called, ‘Like-in—Essence,’ there ought to
be no mention of any of these at all, nor exposition of them in the Church,
for this reason and for this consideration, that in divine Scripture nothing
is written about them, and that they are above men’s knowledge and above
men’s understanding; and because no one can declare the Son’s generation, as
it is written, “Who shall declare His generation (Is. liii. 8)? for it is plain that
the Father only knows how He generated the Son, and again the Son how He
has been generated by the Father. NPNF2, Vol. IV, Councils ofAriminum and Seleucia,
Part II, History ofArian Opinions 28.

For you must know, and not be in doubt, that while before your election you
lived to yourself, after it, you live for your flock. And before you had received
the grace of the episcopate, no one knew you; but after you became one, the
laity expect you to bring them food, namely instruction from the Scriptures.
NPNF2, Vol. IV, Letters ofAthanasius, The Festal Letters, U1. Personal Letters, Letter 49, Letter
to Dracontius.

In proceeding to make mention of these things, I shall adopt, to commend my

undertaking, the pattern of Luke the Evangelist, saying on my own account:
‘Forasmuch as some have taken in hand,’ to reduce into order for themselves
the books termed apocryphal, and to mix them up with the divinely inspired
Scripture, concerning which we have been fully persuaded, as they who
from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word, delivered
to the fathers; it seemed good to me also, having been urged thereto by true
brethren, and having learned from the beginning, to set before you the books
included in the Canon, and handed down, and accredited as Divine; to the
end that any one who has fallen into error may condemn those who have led
him astray; and that he who has continued stedfast in purity may again rejoice,
having these things brought to his remembrance.
There are, then, of the Old Testament, twenty-two books in number;
for, as I have heard, it is handed down that this is the number of the letters
among the Hebrews; their respective order and names being as follows. The
first is Genesis, then Exodus, next Leviticus, after that Numbers, and then
Deuteronomy. Following these there is Joshua, the son of Nun, then Judges,
50 HOLY SCRIPTURE

then Ruth. And again, after these four books of Kings, the first and second
being reckoned as one book, and so likewise the third and fourth as one book.
And again, the first and second of the Chronicles are reckoned as one book.
Again Ezra, the first and second are similarly one book. After these there is the
book of Psalms, then the Proverbs, next Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs.
Job follows, then the Prophets, the twelve being reckoned as one book. Then
Isaiah, one book, then Jeremiah with Baruch, Lamentations, and the epistle,
one book; afterwards, Ezekiel and Daniel, each one book. Thus far constitutes
the Old Testament.
Again it is not tedious to speak of the [books] of the New Testament.
These are, the four Gospels, according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Afterwards, the Acts of the Apostles and Epistles (called Catholic), seven, viz.
of James, one; of Peter, two; of John, three; after these, one of Jude. In addi-
tion, there are fourteen Epistles of Paul, written in this order. The first, to the
Romans; then two to the Corinthians; after these, to the Galatians; next, to the
Ephesians; then to the Philippians; then to the Colossians; after these, two to
the Thessalonians, and that to the Hebrews; and again, two to Timothy; one
to Titus; and lastly, that to Philemon. And besides, the Revelation of John.
These are fountains of salvation, that they who thirst may be satisfied with
the living words they contain. In these alone is proclaimed the doctrine of
godliness. Let no man add to these, neither let him take ought from these.
For concerning these the Lord put to shame the Sadducees, and said, ‘Ye do
err, not knowing the Scriptures.’ And He reproved the Jews, saying, ‘Search
the Scriptures, for these are they that testify of Me.’ NPNF2, Vol. IV, Letters of
Athanasius, I, Festal Letters, Letter 39.

They have put themselves in an absurd position. Because they cannot under-
stand how the holy Triad is indivisible, the Arians make the Son one with the
creation, and the Tropici, for their part, number the Spirit with the creatures. It
would be better for them either to say nothing at all in their incomprehension,
the Arians not ranking the Son with the creatures nor the Tropici the Spirit;
or else to acknowledge what is written, and join the Son to the Father and
not divide the Spirit from the Son—so that the Holy Triad may still be rightly
characterized as indivisible and ofone nature...All the more presumptuous,
then, if, when we cannot speak, we devise for these subjects strange forms of
expression other than those in the Scriptures. C.R.B. Shapland, trans., The Letters
ofAthanasius Concerning the Holy Spirit (New York: Philosophical Library, 1951), Ad Serapion
1.17, pp. 105-106.

Since, therefore, such an attempt is futile madness, nay, more than madness},
let no one ask such questions any more, or else let him learn only that which
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture avi

is in the Scriptures. For the illustrations they contain which bear upon this
subject are sufficient and suitable. C.R.B. Shapland, trans., The Letters ofAthanasius
Concerning the Holy Spirit (New York: Philosophical Library, 1951), Ad Serapion 1.19, p. 108.
Ilepittfs Tovyapotv kat tA€ov pavias ovons Ths ToLta’Tns
ETLXELPHOEWS, LNKETL TOLAatTd Tis EpwTdTo, f pdvov Ta év Tais
Tpadats pavOavetw. AUTapKn ydp kal tkava Ta év Tat’Tats Keipeva
Tepl TOUTOU TapadelyPLaTa. Ad Serapionem 1.19, PG 26:573.

Who delivered these things to them? Who was their teacher? Certainly no
one taught them out of the divine Scriptures. It was out of the abundance of
their hearts this folly came. C.R.B. Shapland, trans., The Letters ofAthanasius Concerning
the Holy Spirit (New York: Philosophical Library, 1951), Ad Serapion 4.5, p. 186.

These things are sufficient to refute your foolish speech. Mock no more at the
Godhead. For it is the part of those who mock to ask the questions which
are not written and to say, So the Spirit is a son and the Father a grandfather?
C.R.B. Shapland, trans., The Letters ofAthanasius Concerning the Holy Spirit (New York: Philo-
sophical Library, 1951), Ad Serapion 4.7, p. 188.

Quoting Antony (297-373): One day when he had gone forth because all
the monks had assembled to him and asked to hear words from him, he spoke
to them in the Egyptian tongue as follows: “The Scriptures are enough for
instruction...’ NPNF2, Vol. IV, Select Writings and Letters, Life ofAntony 16.

But if the Scriptures do not speak of the Spirit as an angel, what excuse
have they for so great and absurd an audacity? C.R.B. Shapland, trans., The Let-
ters of Athanasius Concerning the Holy Spirit (New York: Philosophical Library, 1951), Ad
Serapion 1.11, p. 88.

Hilary of Poitiers (c 315-367)

HowI admire you, lord Constantius, as a man of blessed and religious will
who yearns for a creed only according to the scriptures! Very rightly do you
haste towards those utterances of the Only-begotten God so that the breast
holding an emperor’s cares may be full with the awareness of divine words.
He who rejects this is anti-Christ, he who feigns it is anathema...Hear it
not from new pamphlets, but God’s books. Lionel R. Wickham, Hilary of Poitiers:
Conflicts of Conscience and Law in the Fourth—century Church, (Liverpool: Liverpool University,
1997), Liber Il, Ad Constantium 8, p. 108.
a HOLY SCRIPTURE

Hear, I beg you, what the Bible says of Christ, lest what it does not say be
preached instead. Bend your ears to what I shall say from the scriptures.
Lionel R. Wickham, Hilary of Poitiers: Conflicts of Conscience and Law in the Fourth—century
Church, (Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 1997), Liber II, Ad Constantium 10, p. 108.

Those things which are not contained in the book of the law, we ought not
even to be acquainted with. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 120.
Quae enim libro legis non continentur, ea nec nosse debemus. Psalmus
CXXXII. Canticum graduum 6, PL 9:749.

For he is the best student who does not read his thoughts into the book,
but lets it reveal its own; who draws from it its sense, and does not import
his own into it, nor force upon its words a meaning which he had determined
was the right one before he opened its pages. Since then we are to discourse
of the things of God, let us assume that God has full knowledge of Himself,
and bow with humble reverence to His words. For He Whom we can only
know through His own utterances is the fitting witness concerning Himself.
NPNF2, Vol. TX, On the Trinity, Book 1.18.

Enable us to utter the things that we believe, that so we may confess, as

Prophets and Apostles have taught us, Thee, One God our Father, and One
Lord Jesus Christ, and put to silence the gainsaying of heretics, proclaiming
Thee as God, yet not solitary, and Him as God, in no unreal sense. NPNF2,
Vol. IX, On the Trinity, Book 1.38.

For there have risen many who have given to the plain words of Holy Writ
some arbitrary interpretation of their own, instead of its true and only sense,
and this in defiance of the clear meaning of words. Heresy lies in the sense
assigned, not in the word written; the guilt is that of the expositor, not of
the text. Is not truth indestructible? When we hear the name Father, is not
sonship involved in that Name? The Holy Ghost is mentioned by name; must
He not exist? We can no more separate fatherhood from the Father or son-
ship from the Son than we can deny the existence in the Holy Ghost of that
gift which we receive. Yet men of distorted mind plunge the whole matter
in doubt and difficulty, fatuously reversing the clear meaning of words, and
depriving the Father of His fatherhood because they wish to strip the Son of
His sonship. NPNF2, Vol. IX, On the Trinity, Book II.3.

Their treason involves us in the difficult and dangerous position of having to

make a definite pronouncement, beyond the statements of Scripture, upon
this grave and abstruse matter. The Lord said that the nations were to be
baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
The words of the faith are clear; the heretics do their utmost to involve the
 The Material Sufficiency of Scripture 53

meaning in doubt. We may not on this account add to the appointed form,
yet we must set a limit to their license of interpretation. Since their malice,
inspired by the devil’s cunning, empties the doctrine of its meaning while it
retains the Names which convey the truth, we must emphasize the truth which
those Names convey. We must proclaim, exactly as we shall find them in the
words of Scripture, the majesty and functions of Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
and so debar the heretics from robbing these Names of their connotation of
Divine character, and compel them by means of these very Names to confine
their use of terms to their proper meaning. NPNF2, Vol. IX, On the Trinity, Book IL.5.

This faith, and every part of it, is impressed upon us by the evidence of the
Gospels, by the teaching of the Apostles, by the futility of the treacherous
attacks which heretics make on every side. The foundation stands firm and
unshaken in face of winds and rains and torrents; storms cannot overthrow
it, nor dripping waters hollow it, nor floods sweep it away. Its excellence is
proved by the failure of countless assaults to impair it. Certain remedies are
so compounded as to be of value not merely against some single disease but
against all; they are of universal efficacy. So it is with the Catholic faith. It is
not a medicine for some special malady, but for every ill; virulence cannot
master, nor numbers defeat, nor complexity baffle it. One and unchanging it
faces and conquers all its foes. Marvelous it is that one form of words should
contain a remedy for every disease, a statement of truth to confront every
contrivance of falsehood...Such is the Catholic and Apostolic Faith which
the Gospel has taught us and we avow. NPNF2, Vol. 1X, On the Trinity, Book 11.22.

You hear the words, I and the Father are one. Why do you rend and tear the
Son away from the Father? They are a unity: an absolute Existence having all
things in perfect communion with that absolute Existence, from Whom He
is. When you hear the Son saying, I and the Father are one, adjust your view
of facts to the Persons; accept the statement which Begetter and Begotten
make concerning Themselves. Believe that They are One, even as They are
also Begetter and Begotten. Why deny the common nature? Why impugn
the true Divinity? You hear again, The Father in Me, and I in the Father...I
would not have you flatter the Son with praises of your own invention; it is
well with you if you be satisfied with the written word. NPNF2, Vol. IX, On the
Trinity, Book HL.23.

Let us understand, that that only ought to be believed respecting God, for
the belief of which concerning himself he himself is both witness and author.
Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 117.
Hoc solum de Deo bene credi intelligamus, ad quod de se credendum ipse
sibi nobiscum et testis et auctor exsistat. De Trinitate, Liber Tertius 26, PL 10:95.
54 HOLY SCRIPTURE

To assure ourselves of the needfulness of these two phrases, adopted and

employed as the best of safeguards against the heretical rabble of that day, I
think it best to reply to the obstinate misbelief of our present heretics, and
refute their vain and pestilent teaching by the witness of the evangelists and
apostles. They flatter themselves that they can furnish a proof for each of their
propositions; they have, in fact, appended to each some passages or other from
holy Writ; passages so grossly misinterpreted as to ensnare none but the il-
literate by the semblance of truth with which perverted ingenuity has masked
their explanation. NPNF2, Vol. IX, On the Trinity, Book IV.7.

Now that we have exposed their plan of belittling the Son under cover of mag-
nifying the Father, the next step is to listen to the exact terms in which they
express their own belief concerning the Son. For, since we have to answer in
succession each of their allegations and to display on the evidence of Holy
Scripture the impiety of their doctrines, we must append, to what they say of
the Father, the decisions which they bare put on record concerning the Son,
that by a comparison of their confession of the Father with their confession
of the Son we may follow a uniform order in our solution of the questions as
they arise. NPNF2, Vol. IX, On the Trinity, Book IV.11.

Such is their error, such their pestilent teaching; to support it they borrow
the words of Scripture, perverting its meaning and using the ignorance of
men as their opportunity of gaining credence for their lies. Yet it is certainly
by these same words of God that we must come to understand the things
of God. For human feebleness cannot by any strength ofits own attain to the
knowledge of heavenly things; the faculties which deal with bodily matters can
form no notion of the unseen world. Neither our created bodily substance,
nor the reason given by God for the purposes of ordinary life, is capable of
ascertaining and pronouncing upon the nature and work of God. Our wits
cannot rise to the level of heavenly knowledge, our powers of perception lack
the strength to apprehend that limitless might. We must believe God’s word
concerning Himself, and humbly accept such insight as He vouchsafes to
give. We must make our choice between rejecting His witness, as the heathen
do, or else believing in Him as He is, and this in the only possible way, by
thinking of Him in the aspect in which He presents Himself to us. Therefore
let private judgment cease; let human reason refrain from passing barriers
divinely set. In this spirit we eschew all blasphemous and reckless assertion
concerning God, and cleave to the very letter of revelation. Each point in
our enquiry shall be considered in the light of His instruction, Who is our
theme; there shall be no stringing together of isolated phrases whose context is
suppressed, to trick and misinform the unpracticed listener. The meaning of
 The Material Sufficiency of Scripture 55
words shall be ascertained by considering the circumstances under which they
were spoken words must be explained by circumstances not circumstances
forced into conformity will words. We, at any rate, will treat our subject
completely; we will state both the circumstances under which words were
spoken, and the true purport of the words. Each point shall be considered
in orderly sequence. NPNF2, Vol. IX, On the Trinity, Book IV.14.

Human judgment must not pass its sentence upon God. Our nature is not such
that it Can lift itself by its own forces to the contemplation of heavenly things.
We must learn from God what we are to think of God; we have no source
of knowledge but Himself...Of all this he could have known nothing except
through God Himself. And we, in like manner, must confine ourselves, in
whatever we say of God, to the terms in which He has spoken to our under-
standing concerning Himself. NPNF2, Vol. IX, On the Trinity, Book V.21.

And it is obvious that these dissensions concerning the faith result from a
distorted mind, which twists the words of Scripture into conformity with its
opinion, instead of adjusting that opinion to the words of Scripture. NPNF2,
Vol. LX, On the Trinity,, Book VIL4.

If any man propose to express what is known in other words than those sup-
plied by God [namely the Scriptures], he must inevitably either display his
own ignorance, or else leave his readers’ minds in utter perplexity. NPNF2,
Vol. IX, On the Trinity, Book VII.38.

The Only—begotten God suffered indeed all that men can suffer: but let us
express ourselves in the words and faith of the Apostle. He says, For I delivered
unto you first ofall how that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures,
and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the
Scriptures. This is no unsupported statement of his own, which might lead
to error, but a warning to us to confess that Christ died and rose after a
real manner, not a nominal, since the fact is certified by the full weight of
Scripture authority; and that we must understand His death in that exact
sense in which Scripture declares it. In his regard for the perplexities and
scruples of the weak and sensitive believer, he adds these solemn conclud-
ing words, according to the Scriptures, to his proclamation of the death and
the resurrection. He would not have us grow weaker, driven about by every
wind of vain doctrine, or vexed by empty subtleties and false doubts: he
would summon faith to return, before it were shipwrecked, to the haven of
piety, believing and confessing the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ,
Son of Man and Son of God, according to the Scriptures, this being the safe-
56 HOLY SCRIPTURE
guard of reverence against the attack of the adversary, so to understand the
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as it was written of Him. There is
no danger in faith: the reverent confession of the hidden mystery of God is
always safe. Christ was born of the Virgin, but conceived of the Holy Ghost
according to the Scriptures. Christ wept, but according to the Scriptures: that
which made Him weep was also a cause of joy. Christ hungered; but according
to the Scriptures, He used His power as God against the tree which bore no
fruit, when He had no loath Christ suffered: but according to the Scriptures,
He was about to sit at the right hand of Power. He complained that He was
abandoned to die: but according to the Scriptures, at the same moment He
received in His kingdom in Paradise the thief who confessed Him. He died:
but according to the Scriptures, He rose again and sits at the right hand of
God. In the belief of this mystery there is life: this confession resists all attack.
NPNF2, Vol. TX, On the Trinity,, Book X.67.

In our reply we have followed Him to the moment of His glorious death,
and taking one by one the statements of their unhallowed doctrine, we have
refuted them from the teaching of the Gospels and the Apostle. But even
after His glorious resurrection there are certain things which they have made
bold to construe as proofs of the weakness of alower nature, and to these we
must now reply. Let us adopt once more our usual method of drawing out
from the words themselves their true signification, that so we may discover
the truth precisely where they think to overthrow it. For the Lord spoke in
simple words for our instruction in the faith, and His words cannot need
support or comment from foreign and irrelevant sayings. NPNF2, Vol. IX, On
the Trinity, Book X1.7.

But, as we are now about to cover the whole ground once more, employing
this time the language of the Gospels as our weapon against this most godless
heresy, it has seemed best to repeat here, in the sixth book, the whole hereti-
cal document, though we have already given a full copy of it in the fourth, in
order that our opponents may read it again, and compare it, point by point,
with our reply, and so be forced, however reluctant and argumentative, by
the clear teaching of the Evangelists and Apostles, to recognize the truth.
NPNF2, Vol. IX, On the Trinity, Book V1.4.

And if you, in your heresy, do not know that it was God the Only—begotten
Whom the prophet saw in that glory, listen to the Evangelist—These things
said Esaias, when he saw His glory, and spake of Him. The Apostle, the
Evangelist, the Prophet combine to silence your objections. NPNF2, Vol. IX,
On the Trinity, Book V.33.
 The Material Sufficiency of Scripture 57

And therefore the action of God must not be canvassed by human faculties;
the Creator must not be judged by those who are the work of His hands. We
must clothe ourselves in foolishness that we may gain wisdom; not in the
foolishness of hazardous conclusions, but in the foolishness of a modest sense
of our own infirmity, that so the evidence of God’s power may teach us truths
to which the arguments of earthly philosophy cannot attain. For when we are
fully conscious of our own foolishness, and have felt the helplessness and
destitution of our reason, then through the counsels of Divine Wisdom we
shall be initiated into the wisdom of God; setting no bounds to boundless
majesty and power, nor tying the Lord of nature down to nature’s laws; sure
that for us the one true faith concerning God is that of which He is at once
the Author and the Witness. NPNF2, Vol. IX, On the Trinity, Book IIl.26.

When after a long night of ignorance, after the ambiguous and uncertain
teaching of human opinions, after the various views of different religions,
man has long been in error and inquiring respecting God...every prudent
man having betaken himself to the Prophets and Apostles will have obtained
the knowledge of the whole law of God, under the mystery of its eternal ar-
rangement...And then this mystery of piety being received, being placed in
the light of knowledge after the night ofignorance, he thus speaks, ‘Shall not
my soul be subject unto God? For from him comes my salvation. Translation by
William Goode, Vol. 3, pp. 245-246.
Cum post multam inscientiae noctem, post ambiguam humanarum
sententiarum incertamque doctrinam, post diversarum religionum variam
opinionem, cum diu erratum quaesitumque de Deo sit...prudens quisque
conversus ad prophetas atque apostolos, Dei legem omnem sub sacramento
aeternae dispositionis perceperit...ac tum hoc sacramento pietatis accepto, post
ignorationis noctem in scientiae lumine collocatus, ita dicit: Nonne Deo subdita
erit anima mea? ab ipso enim salutare meum. Psalmus LXI, vs. 2-3. PL 9:396.

Cyril of Jerusalem (318-386)

Have thou ever in thy mind this seal, which for the present has been lightly
touched in my discourse, by way of summary, but shall be stated, should the
Lord permit, to the best of my power with the proof from the Scriptures. For
concerning the divine and holy mysteries of the Faith, not even a casual
statement must be delivered without the Holy Scriptures; nor must we be
drawn aside by mere plausibility and artifices of speech. Even to me, who tell
thee these things, give not absolute credence, unless thou receive the proof of
the things which I announce from the Divine Scriptures. For this salvation
which we believe depends not on ingenious reasoning, but on demonstration
of the Holy Scriptures. NPNE2, Vol. VIL, Catechetical Lectures, Lecture IVa
58 HOLY SCRIPTURE

OF THE DIVINE SCRIPTURES: Now these the divinely—inspired Scrip-

tures of both the Old and the New Testament teach us. For the God of the
two Testaments is One, Who in the Old Testament foretold the Christ Who
appeared in the New; Who by the Law and the Prophets led us to Christ’s
school. For before faith came, we were kept in ward under the law, and, the law
hath been our tutor to bring us unto Christ . And if ever thou hear any of the
heretics speaking evil of the Law or the Prophets, answer in the sound of the
Saviour’s voice, saying, Jesus came not to destroy the Law, but to fulfil it. Learn
also diligently, and from the Church, what are the books of the Old Testament,
and what those of the New. And, pray, read none of the apocryphal writings
: for why dost thou, who knowest not those which are acknowledged among
all, trouble thyself in vain about those which are disputed? Read the Divine
Scriptures, the twenty-two books of the Old Testament, these that have
been translated by the Seventy-two Interpreters .
Of these read the two and twenty books, but have nothing to do with
the apocryphal writings. Study earnestly these only which we read openly in
the Church. Far wiser and more pious than thyself were the Apostles, and the
bishops of old time, the presidents of the Church who handed down these
books. Being therefore a child of the Church, trench thou not upon its stat-
utes. And of the Old Testament, as we have said, study the two and twenty
books, which, if thou art desirous of learning, strive to remember by name,
as I recite them. For of the Law the books of Moses are the first five, Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. And next, Joshua the son of Nave
, and the book of Judges, including Ruth, counted as seventh. And of the
other historical books, the first and second books of the Kings are among the
Hebrews one book; also the third and fourth one book. And in like manner,
the first and second of Chronicles are with them one book; and the first and
second of Esdras are counted one. Esther is the twelfth book; and these are the
Historical writings. But those which are written in verses are five, Job, and the
book of Psalms, and Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs, which
is the seventeenth book. And after these come the five Prophetic books: of the
Twelve Prophets one book, of Isaiah one, of Jeremiah one, including Baruch
and Lamentations and the Epistle ; then Ezekiel, and the Book of Daniel, the
twenty-second of the Old Testament.
Then of the New Testament there are the four Gospels only, for the rest
have false titles and are mischievous. The Manichaeans also wrote a Gospel
according to Thomas, which being tinctured with the fragrance of the evangelic
title corrupts the souls of the simple sort. Receive also the Acts of the Twelve
Apostles; and in addition to these the seven Catholic Epistles of James, Peter,
John, and Jude; and as a seal upon them all, and the last work of the disciples,
the fourteen Epistles of Paul . But let all the rest be put aside in a secondary
 The Material Sufficiency of Scripture 59
rank, And whatever books are not read in Churches, these read not even by
thyself, as thou hast heard me say. Thus much of these subjects. WPNF2, Vol.
VII, Catechetical Lectures, Lecture 1V.33—37.

But in learning the Faith and in professing it, acquire and keep that only,
which is now delivered to thee by the Church, and which has been built up
strongly out of all the Scriptures. For since all cannot read the Scriptures,
some being hindered as to the knowledge of them by want of learning,
and others by a want of leisure, in order that the soul may not perish from
ignorance, we comprise the whole doctrine of the Faith in a few lines...For
the articles of the Faith were not composed as seemed good to men; but
the most important points collected out of all the Scripture make up one
complete teaching of the Faith. And just as the mustard seed in one small
grain contains many branches, so also this Faith has embraced in few words
all the knowledge of godliness in the Old and New Testaments. Take heed
then, brethren, and hold fast the traditions which ye now receive, and write
them on the table of your heart. NPNF2, Vol. VII, Catechetical Lectures, Lecture V.12.

And again, Go to the bee, and learn how industrious she is: how, hovering round
all kinds of flowers, she collects her honey for thy benefit: that thou also, by
ranging over the Holy Scriptures, mayest lay hold of salvation for thyself, and
being filled with them mayest say, How sweet are thy words unto my throat,
yea sweeter than honey and the honeycomb unto my mouth. NPNF2, Vol. Vil,
Catechetical Lectures, Lecture [X.13.

What else is there that knoweth the deep things ofGod, save only the Holy Ghost,
who spoke the Divine Scriptures? But not even the Holy Ghost Himself
has spoken in the Scriptures concerning the generation of the Son from the
Father. Why then dost thou busy thyself about things which not even the
Holy Ghost has written in the Scriptures? Thou that knowest not the things
which are written, busiest thou thyself about the things which are not writ-
ten? There are many questions in the Divine Scriptures; what is written we
comprehend not, why do we busy ourselves about what is not written? It is
sufficient for us to know that God hath begotten One Only Son. NPNF2, Vol.
VII, Catechetical Lectures, Lecture X1.12.

And first let us inquire for what cause Jesus came down. Now mind not my
argumentations, for perhaps thou mayest be misled but unless thou receive
testimony of the Prophets on each matter, believe not what I say: unless
thou learn from the Holy Scriptures concerning the Virgin, and the place,
the time, and the manner, receive not testimony from man. For one who at
60 HOLY SCRIPTURE

present thus teaches may possibly be suspected: but what man of sense will
suspect one that prophesied a thousand and more years beforehand? If then
thou seekest the cause of Christ’s coming, go back to the first book of the
Scriptures. NPNF2, Vol. VII, Catechetical Lectures, Lecture XII.5.

Was it without reason that Christ was made Man? Are our teachings ingenious
phrases and human subtleties? Are not the Holy Scriptures our salvation?
Are not the predictions of the Prophets? Keep then, I pray thee, this deposit
undisturbed, and let none remove thee: believe that God became Man. But
though it has been proved possible for Him to be made Man, yet if the Jews
still disbelieve, let us hold this forth to them What strange thing do we an-
nounce in saying that God was made Man, when yourselves say that Abraham
received the Lord as a guest? NPNE2, Vol. VII, Catechetical Lectures, Lecture XII.16.

Spiritual in truth is the grace we need, in order to discourse concerning the

Holy Spirit; not that we may speak what is worthy of Him, for this is impos-
sible, but that by speaking the words of the divine Scriptures, we may run
our course without danger. For a truly fearful thing is written in the Gospels,
where Christ has plainly said, Whosoever shall speak a word against the Holy
Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to
come. NPNF2, Vol. VII, Catechetical Lectures, Lecture XV1.1.

Let us then speak concerning the Holy Ghost nothing but what is written;
and whatsoever is not written, let us not busy ourselves about it. The Holy
Ghost Himself spoke the Scriptures; He has also spoken concerning Himself
as much as He pleased, or as much as we could receive. Let us therefore speak
those things which He has said; for whatsoever He has not said, we dare not
say. NPNF2, Vol. VII, Catechetical Lectures, Lecture XVI1.2.

The Father through the Son, with the Holy Ghost, is the giver of all grace;
the gifts of the Father are none other than those of the Son, and those of the
Holy Ghost; for there is one Salvation, one Power, one Faith; One God, the
Father; One Lord, His only—begotten Son; One Holy Ghost, the Comforter.
And it is enough for us to know these things; but inquire not curiously into
His nature or substance: for had it been written, we would have spoken of
it; what is not written, let us not venture on; it is sufficient for our salva-
tion to know, that there is Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost. NPNF2, Vol. VII,
Catechetical Lectures, Lecture XVI.24.

For now, as well as then, we candidly own that our weakness is overwhelmed
by the multitude of things written. Neither today will we use the subtleties
of men, for that is unprofitable; but merely call to mind what comes from
the divine Scriptures; for this is the safest course, according to the blessed
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 61
Apostle Paul, who says, Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s
wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparin g spiritual things
with spiritual. NNPNF2, Vol. VU, Catechetical Lectures, Lecture XVIL.1.

By all these proofs, and by more which have been passed over, is the personal,
and sanctifying, and effectual power of the Holy Ghost established for those
who can understand; for the time would fail me in my discourse if Iwished to
quote what yet remains concerning the Holy Ghost from the fourteen Epistles
of Paul, wherein he has taught with such variety, completeness, and reverence.
And to the power of the Holy Ghost Himself it must belong, to grant to us
forgiveness for what we have omitted because the days are few, and upon you
the hearers to impress more perfectly the knowledge of what yet remains;
while from the frequent reading of the sacred Scriptures those of you who
are diligent come to understand these things, and by this time, both from
these present Lectures, and from what has before been told you, hold more
steadfastly the Faith in ‘One God the father Almighty; And in our Lord Jesus
Christ, His Only—begotten Son; and in the Holy Ghost the Comforter.’ Though
the word itself and title of Spirit is applied to Them in common in the sacred
Scriptures, — for it is said of the Father, God is a Spirit, as it is written in
the Gospel according to John; and of the Son, A Spirit before our face, Christ
the Lord, as Jeremias the prophet says; and of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter,
the Holy Ghost, as was said; — yet the arrangement of articles in the Faith, if
religiously understood, disproves the error of Sabellius also. NPNF2, Vol. VII,
Catechetical Lectures, Lecture XVII.34.

And many are the proofs concerning the life eternal. And when we desire to
gain this eternal life, the sacred Scriptures suggest to us the ways of gaining
it; of which, because of the length of our discourse, the texts we now set
before you shall be but few, the rest being left to the search of the diligent.
NPNF2, Vol. VIL, Catechetical Lectures, Lecture XVIII.30.

The teaching you have heard is that of the divinely—inspired Scriptures, both
of the Old and the New Testament. For there is One God of the two Testa-
ments, who foretold in the Old Testament the Christ who appeared in the New,
and who, through the preparatory school of the Law and the Prophets, led
us to Christ. For ‘before the faith came, we were guarded under the Law’; and,
‘the Law trained us for Christ’s school.’ And so, if ever you hear any heretic
blaspheming the Law or the Prophets, quote that saving word against him:
Jesus came not to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it. Be eager to learn, and from
the Church, what are the books of the Old Testament, what of the New; and
I pray you, read none of the apocryphal books. For why should you when
you do not know the books acknowledged by all, trouble yourself needlessly
62 HOLY SCRIPTURE

with those whose authenticity is disputed? Read the divine Scriptures, these
twenty-two books of the Old Testament translated by the seventy-two
interpreters. FC, Vol. 61, Catechetical Lectures, Lecture IV.33, p. 135.

Epiphanius of Salamis (310/320—403)

In the first place their ideas are at variance, and each professes to demolish the
other’s. Secondly, there is no proof of their mythological constructions. No
scripture said these things—not the Law of Moses or any prophet after Moses,
not the Savior or his evangelists, certainly not the apostles. If these things
were true, the Lord who came to enlighten the world and the prophets before
him, would have told us something of the kind in plain language. And then
the apostles too. They confuted idolatry and all sorts of wrongdoing, and
were not afraid to write against unlawful teaching, and opposition. Especially
when the Savior himself says, ‘Unto them that are without, in parables; but to
you must the parables’ interpretation be told, for knowledge of the kingdom
of heaven.’ It is plain that he explained any parables he told in the Gospels
immediately. He surely says who the mustard seed is, who the leaven is, the
woman who put the leaven in the three measures, the vineyard, the fig tree,
the sower, the best soil. The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis, Book I, Section II,Heresy
34.1-4., pp. 189-190.
And he [John] omitted nothing essential; but by the Holy Spirit’s inspiration
he introduced the divine Word who was before all ages, begotten of the Father
without beginning and not in time, and told of his coming in the flesh for our
sakes. And thus we obtain a full and precise knowledge, fleshly and divine,
from four evangelists. The Panarion ofEpiphanius of Salamis, Books II and III, Against
the sect which does not accept the Gospel according to John, and his Revelation, Heresy 19,5, p. 45.

For since none of the ancient apostles or prophets in the Old and New Testa-
ments held this opinion, you are asserting your superiority to God himself,
and your unshakeability. The Panarion of Epiphanius ofSalamis, Books I and III, Section
VI, Heresy 41,2, p. 548.

For they [i.e. the Dimoerites, Apolinarians] have abandoned the following and
the righteousness of the sacred scriptures, and the simple profession—the
faith of the prophets, Gospels and apostles—and introduced a sophistical,
fictitious doctrine, and a series of many dreadful teachings with it, so that
they are examples of the scripture, “They shall turn away from sound doctrine
and give heed unto fables and empty words.’ The Panarion ofEpiphanius ofSalamis,
Books II and III, Section VII, Heresy 77.1-4., p. 568.
 The Material Sufficiency of Scripture 63

I cannot give the answer to any question with my own reason, but I can with
a conclusion from scripture. The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis, Book II, Section V,
Against Paul the Samosatian, Heresy 65.5,3, p. 213.

Theodotus’ followers have not told the truth, then, and neither have this
‘Brainy’ (N6nTos)—Brainless,’ (7AvénTos) actually—and his followers,
since the sacred scriptures refute them both, and all the erring. To anyone
whose mind is sound in God, and who is enlightened in sacred scripture
and the Holy Spirit, their arguments will seem easily refutable and full of
all sorts of nonsense. The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis, Books II and III, Section IV,
57. Against Noetians 2,10-3,1, p. 91.

The scripture always guards against men’s falls into extremes, and recalls their
minds from all places to the middle way of the truth. The Panarion ofEpiphanius
of Salamis, Books II and III, Section IV, 57. Against Noetians 10,1, p. 98.

Peter also makes us certain of the Holy Spirit by saying to Ananias, “Why hath
Satan tempted you to lie to the Holy Ghost? You have not lied to men, but
unto God,’ for the Spirit is of God and not different from God. The Panarion of
Epiphanius of Salamis, Books Il and III, Section lV, 57. Against the Impure ‘Purists,’10,1, p. 109.

We believe what the truth everywhere discloses and sound reasoning suggests
in agreement with the standard of piety, with the Law and prophets, and the
ancient patriarchs in succession, and with the teaching of the Savior himself.
(3) For <the Lord> and his apostles plainly teach us to confess one God
and Father, the almighty sovereign of all, and our Lord Jesus Christ and his
Holy Spirit, one Trinity uncreate—while all other things were created out of
nothing, subsequent to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (4) Now since these
things are confessed plainly believed, by these holy prophets, evangelists,
and apostles, so shifty invention can withstand the truth’s bright beam, as
I have said in detail often enough in opposition to every sect. The Panarion of
Epiphanius of Salamis, Book 1 , Section III, Heresy 21.2-4., pp. 231-232.

But we of the Catholic church who have received the confession of faith from
the divine scriptures hold that the Father is Father of a Son like himself, and
the Son is like the Father, from which Father he is regarded as the Son. The
Panarion of St. Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis: Selected Passages, Philip R. Amidon, S.J., trans.,
(New York: Oxford University, 1990), 73.14.1.
64 HOLY SCRIPTURE

Niceta of Remesiana (335—415)

My single appeal will be to the Holy Scriptures. And yet, I am sure that it
will be hard to gain entrance to ears and minds already filled, unfortunately,
with a prejudiced opinion. FC, Vol. 7, Writings ofNiceta of Remestana, The Power of the
Holy Spirit 1, p. 23.

How does the faith of the Church face this dilemma? Must it bow to a trick
of logic and believe, in the face of the whole witness of the Old and New
Testaments, in which the Spirit is never described as a creature, that the Holy
Spirit of God was created? Of course not. It is obviously better to despise
such human conclusions and insidious questions, and turn to the words of
the Lord. He tells us in the Gospel whence the Holy Spirit came. He put
an end to this endless debate. He told the Apostles: ‘I will send you from the
Father [the Paraclete] the spirit of truth.’ But whence, then, is He? If you do
not know, but wish to know, listen to what the Lord adds: *...who proceeds
from the Father.’ What, then, my brothers are we to do? Should we pay heed
to Christ or to men? Christ says neither that the Spirit was born nor that He
was made, but only that He proceeds from the Father. Those who oppose us
say that He was made and created. I should think that it is better to believe
what Christ revealed rather than what human presumption has imagined.
When we in our turn ask them how they can prove that the Holy Spirit was
made, they can produce no certain and evident witness in Scripture. FC, Vol.
7, Writings of Niceta ofRemesiana, The Power of the Holy Spirit 3, p. 25.

It is enough, then, for the faithful to know that, while the Son was begotten,
the Spirit proceeds from the Father. Let us use the very words which the
Scripture of God wishes us to use. FC, Vol. 7, Writings ofNiceta of Remesiana, The
Power of the Holy Spirit 5, p. 28.
Sufficit itaque fidelibus hoc scire quia Filius quidem genitus est, Spiritus
autem de Patre procedens est: et ipsis utamur verbis quibus uti divina Scriptura
nos voluit. De Spiritus sancti potentia 5, PL 52:855,

And so, let no one feel annoyed if |summarize the powers of the Holy Spirit,
nor close his ears when I set down the words of divine revelation. One should
believe heavenly witnesses rather than human fictions. My only point in
this is to draw attention to the undoubted tradition of the Lord. If it is not
enough to be baptized in the name of the Father and the Son, without the
Holy Spirit, neither are we made holy and started on the way to eternal life
without the Holy Spirit. FC, Vol. 7, Writings of Niceta of Remesiana, The Power of the
Holy Spirit 6, p. 30.
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 65
There are, indeed, many heretics who distort this faith in resurrection. They
claim that salvation is only for the soul and deny the resurrection of your body.
‘For to this end Christ died and rose again; that he might be Lord both of
the dead and of the living.’ Nor do you believe this without foundation. You
have authorities enough. Take the Prophet Isaias... And you have the Lord of
the Prophets promising in the Gospel...And, in another place...You have St.
Paul, who assures us...etc. FC, Vol. 7, Writings of Niceta of Remesiana, Explanation of
the Creed 11, p. 51.

These things beings so, beloved, persevere in the tradition which you have
learned. Be true to the pact you made with the Lord, to the profession of
faith which you made in the presence of angels and of men. The words of the
Creed are few—but all the mysteries are in them. Selected from the whole
of Scripture and put together for the sake of brevity, they are like precious
gems making a single crown. Thus, all the faithful have sufficient knowledge
of salvation, even though many are unable, or too busy with their worldly
affairs, to read the Scriptures. FC, Vol. 7, Writings ofNiceta ofRemesiana, Explanation
of the Creed 13, p. 53.

I shall prove this by adducing many texts of Holy Scripture, but, first, Imust
appeal to the very text of the Apostle to refute, by what it prescribes, the
folly of all those who find there a condemnation of vocal singing. FC, Vol. 7,
Writings of Niceta of Remesiana, Liturgical Singing (De utilitate hymnorum) 2, p. 66.

Beloved, we have been brought up in all the teachings of the Prophets, the
Gospels, and the apostolic writings. Let us keep before our eyes all that has
been said and done by those to whom we owe all that we are. Let us appeal
to the authority of those who have spoken from the beginning to prove how
pleasing to God are spiritual canticles. FC, (New York: Fathers of the Church, Inc.,
1949), Vol. 7, Writings of Niceta of Remesiana, Liturgical Singing (De utilitate hymnorum)
3, p. 67.

Ambrose (c. 339-397)

Further, that none may fall into error, let a man attend to those signs vouch-
safed us by holy Scripture, whereby we may know the Son. He is called the
Word, the Son, the Power of God, the Wisdom of God. The Word, because
He is without blemish; the Power, because He is perfect; the Son, because He
is begotten of the Father; the Wisdom, because He is one with the Father, one
66 HOLY SCRIPTURE

in eternity, one in Divinity. Not that the Father is one Person with the Son;
between Father and Son is the plain distinction that comes of generation; so
that Christ is God of God, Everlasting of Everlasting, Fullness of Fullness.
NPNF2, Vol. X, Of the Christian Faith, Book I, Chapter 2, $16.

I do not therefore claim for myself the glory of the apostles (for who can do
this save those whom the Son of God Himself has chosen?); nor the grace
of the prophets, nor the virtue of the evangelists, nor the cautious care of
the pastors. I only desire to-attain to that care and diligence in the sacred
writings, which the Apostle has placed last amongst the duties of the saints;
and this very: thing I desire, so that, in the endeavor to teach, I may be able to
learn. For one is the true Master, Who alone has not learnt, what He taught
all; but men learn before they teach, and receive from Him what they may
hand on to others. NPNF2, Vol. X, On the Duties of the Clergy, Book I, Chapter 1.3.

(Speaking of the fathers assembled at Nicaea). So, indeed, following the guid-
ance of the Scriptures, our fathers declared, holding, moreover, that impious
doctrines should be included in the record of their decrees, in order that the
unbelief of Arius should discover itself, and not, as it were, mask itself with dye
or face—paint. NPNE2, Vol. X, On the Duties of the Clergy, Book I, Chapter 18.119.

Men of the world give many further rules about the way to speak, which I think
we may pass over; as, for instance, the way jesting should be conducted. For
though at times jests may be proper and pleasant, yet they are unsuited to the
clerical life. For how can we adopt those things which we do not find in the
holy Scriptures? NPNF2, Vol. X, On the Duties of the Clergy, Book I, Chapter 23.102.

On consideration, your Majesty, of the reason wherefore men have so far gone
astray, or that many—alas!—should follow diverse ways of belief concerning
the Son of God, the marvel seems to be, not at all that human knowledge has
been baffled in dealing with superhuman things, but that it has not submit-
ted to the authority of the Scriptures. NPNF2, Vol. X, Of the Christian Faith, Book
IV, Chapter 1.1.

Wouldst thou know what is the nature of the Word—hear the Scriptures.
‘For the Word of God is living and mighty, yea, working effectually, sharp
and keener than any the sharpest sword, piercing even to the sundering of
soul and spirit, of limbs and marrow.’ NPNF2, Vol. X, Of the Christian Faith, Book
IV, Chapter 7.74.

I do not wish that credence be given to us; let the Scripture be quoted. Not
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 67

of myself do I say: ‘In the beginning was the Word,’ but I hear it; I do not
feign but I read what we all read, but do not understand. And when it is read,
we all hear, and all do not hear [i.e. understand]. ‘For the heart of some has
been hardened, and their ears have heard heavily, that is, the ears of interior
disposition. FC, Vol. 44, Saint Ambrose: Theological and Dogmatic Works, The Sacrament of
the Incarnation of Our Lord, Chapter 3, p.224,

The Lord’s money is the divine Scripture; for when about to depart, he
distributed pence to his servants, and divided talents; for the cure of the
wounded man, left two pieces of money to the keeper of the inn; for, by
the two ‘Testaments, our wounds are cured. Expositio Evangelii secundum Lucam.
Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 149.
Pecunia enim Domini Scriptura divina est; nam et denarios servis distri-
buit profecturus, et talenta divisit, et pro sanitate hominis vulnerati duo aera
stabulario dereliquit; duobus enim Testamentis vulnera nostra curantur. Expositio
Evangelti secundum Lucam, Liber Nonus 18, PL 15:1797-1798.

The heretical objection, that the Son cannot be equal to the Father, because
He cannot beget a Son, is turned back upon the authors of it. From the case
of human nature it is shown that whether a person begets offspring or not, has
nothing to do with his power. Most of all must this be true since, otherwise,
the Father Himself would have to be pronounced wanting in power. Whence
it follows that we have no right to judge of divine things by human, and
must take our stand upon the authority of Holy Writ, otherwise we must
deny all power either to the Father or to the Son. NPNF2, Vol. X, Exposition ofthe
Christian Faith, Book 4, Chapter 8.

This monster's cavern, your sacred Majesty, thick laid, as seafaring men do say
it is, with hidden lairs, and all the neighborhood thereof, where the rocks of
unbelief echo to the howling of her black dogs, we must pass by with ears in
a manner stopped. For it is written: “Hedge thine ears about with thorns;’
and again: “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers;’ and yet again: ‘A man
that is an heretic, avoid after the first reproof, knowing that such an one is
fallen, and is in sin, being condemned of his own judgment.’ So then, like
prudent pilots, let us set the sails of our faith for the course wherein we may
pass by most safely, and again follow the coasts of the Scriptures. NPNF2, Vol.
X, Exposition of the Christian Faith, Book 1, Chapter 6.47.

The Arians, then, say that Christ is unlike the Father; we deny it. Nay, indeed,
we shrink in dread from the word. Nevertheless I would not that your sacred
Majesty should trust to argument and our disputation. Let us enquire of the
68 | HOLY SCRIPTURE

Scriptures, of apostles, of prophets, of Christ. In a word, let us enquire of the

Father, Whose honor these men say they uphold, if the Son be judged inferior
to Him, But insult to the Son brings no honor to the good Father. It cannot
please the good Father, if the Son be judged inferior, rather than equal, to His
Father. NPNF2, Vol. X, Exposition of the Christian Faith, Book 1, Chapter 6.43.

Basil of Caesarea (A.D. 329-379)

When, by the grace of God, I learned of your piety’s command, worthy as it

is of the love you bear God in Christ, whereby you sought from us a written
profession of our holy faith, I hesitated at first as to my answer, sensible as
I am of my own lowliness and weakness...At any rate, you yourselves know
that a faithful minister must preserve unadulterated and unalloyed whatever
has been entrusted to him by his good master for dispensation to his fellow
servants. Consequently, I also am obliged in the common interest to place
before you, in accordance with God’s good pleasure, what I have learned from
the Holy Scriptures...But if ‘the Lord is faithful in all his words’ and ‘All his
commandments are faithful, confirmed for ever and ever, made in truth and
equity,’ to delete anything that is written down or to interpolate anything
not written amounts to open defection from the faith and makes the offender
liable to a charge of contempt. For our Lord Jesus Christ says: ‘My sheep hear my
voice,’ and, before this, He had said: ‘But a stranger they follow not but fly from him
because they know not the voice of strangers.’ And the Apostle, using a human
parallel, more strongly forbids adding to or removing anything from Holy
Writ in the following words: ‘yet a man’s testament if it be confirmed, no
man despiseth nor addeth to it.’ So, then, we have determined in this way
to avoid now and always every utterance and sentiment not found in the
Lord’s teaching... have neither the leisure nor the skill at present, however, to
collect from the Holy Scripture, even at your urging, all the references made
throughout to the Father and Son and Holy Spirit, but I think it will satisfy
even your conscience if I place before you a few selected passages to show
how our thoughts derive from the Scriptures and to provide grounds for
certainty both for you yourselves and any others who desire to place their
confidence in us; for, just as many proofs declare to us only one divine doc-
trine, so also, a fair-minded person will recognize in the few proofs I have
give the divine character which is in all. FC, Vol. 9, Saint Basil, Ascetical Works,
Concerning Faith, pp. 57, 59, 63).

But you stand round me rather as judges than as learners. Your desire is rather
to test and try me than to acquire anything for yourselves. I must therefore,
as it were, make my defense before the court, again and again giving answer,
 The Material Sufficiency of Scripture 69
an again and again saying what I have received. And you I exhort not to be
specially anxious to hear from me what is pleasing to yourselves, but rather
what is pleasing to the Lord, what is in harmony with the Scriptures, what
is not in opposition to the Fathers. Homily 24, Contra Sabellianos et Arium et
eis Cited by NPNF2, Vol. VIIL Prolegomena2,Works 4, Homiletical,
pals:

Friends godly and well beloved, do, I implore you, beware of the shepherds of
the Philistines; let them not choke your wills unawares; let them not befoul the
purity of your knowledge of the faith. This is ever their object, not to teach
simple souls lessons drawn from Holy Scripture, but to mar the harmony
of the truth by heathen philosophy. NPNF2, Vol. VIII, Letters, Letter 8, To
the Caesareans 2.

Question: Whether it is desirable for new converts immediately to learn

things from the Scriptures. Answer...[it is] proper and necessary that each
one should learn that which is useful from the inspired Scripture, both for
the establishment of piety, and that he may not be accustomed to human
traditions. Regulae Brevius Tractate, Interrogatio et Responsio XCV. Translation
by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 132.
Ei cupdépet Tots dpte TpodEpxXopevors EVOUS TO ATO TOV Tpaddv
ExpavOdvetv...TO yap Tpds TH xpelav EkaoTov EkpavOdvetv Ek THs
Seotvetvotou Tpadfis akdéA\ou8ov Kal dvayxaiov, eis Te TANPOdopt-
‘av This Se00eRelas, kal UTeép Tod pn TPOGEBLOBfValt avOpuTivats
tapaddceotv. Regulae Brevius Tractate, Interrogatio et Responsio XCV, PG
31:1148-1149.

Question: What mind ought a prelate to have in those things which he com-
mands or appoints? Answer: Towards God, as a servant of Christ, and a
steward of the mysteries of God, fearing lest he should either speak or order
anything beyond the will of God as declared in the Scriptures, and be found
a false witness of God, or sacrilegious, in either introducing anything foreign
to the doctrine of the Lord, or omitting anything acceptable to God. Regu-
lae Brevius Tractate, Interrogatio et Responsio XCVIII. Translation by William
Goode, Vol. 3, p. 132.
Tlotatév dpdvnpa ogetret EXELV ) TPOEOTOS EV OLS ETMLTAOOEL, T
SLATAOOETAL. TIpos lev TOV OEdv WS omnpeTns Xptorov, Kal OiKO-
vopos voTnplwv Oeod, boBovpevos py TL Tapa TO BeAnpna TOU Ocov
TO €v Tats Tpadais Opohoyoupevov i elt, i TUTOR, kal eupe bf
wevsopapTtus Tou Weou, Th Lepdovios, Ev TO eTELoayELV TL GAAOTPLOV
Tis Tou Kuptou &:5aoKantas, 1} Tapadeibal, TL TOV apeokovTuV Océ.
Regulae Brevius Tractate, Interrogatio et Responsto XCVIIL PG 31:1149-1152.
70 HOLY SCRIPTURE

Believe those things that are written. What is not written inquire not into.
Homilia Adversus Calumn. S. Trinitatis. Translation by William Goode, Vol.
3, p. 134.
Tots yeypappevors tioteve, TA LT YEYPapLWEva pT CyTEL. Homilia
Adversus Calumn. S. Trinitatis, PG 31:1493.

All the commands of the Savior are written. Translation by William Goode, Vol.
3yp. 134:
El yap pt tavta hutv Teds TOV THs cuTnplas oKOTOV avayKata
Hv, oT av éypddnoav acai at EvTONAL...Sermo I — De Virtute et Vitio 1,
PG 32:1116.

Shall I then prefer foolish wisdom to the oracles of the Holy Spirit? Shall I
not rather exalt Him who, not wishing to fill our minds with these vanities,
has regulated all the economy of Scripture in view of the edification and the
making perfect of our souls? It is this which those seem to me not to have
understood, who, giving themselves up to the distorted meaning of allegory,
have undertaken to give a majesty of their own invention to Scripture. It is
to believe themselves wiser than the Holy Spirit, and to bring forth their
own ideas under a pretext of exegesis. Let us hear Scripture as it has been
written. NPNF2, Vol. VIII, Hexaemeron, Homily 9, The Creation of Terrestrial Animals 1.

That every word and deed should be ratified by the testimony of the Holy
Scripture to confirm the good and cause shame to the wicked. FC, Vol. 9, Asceti-
cal Works, The Morals, Rule 26, p. 106.

Concerning the Hearers: that those hearers who are instructed in the Scriptures
should examine what is said by the teachers, receiving what is in conformity
with the Scriptures and rejecting what is opposed to them; and that those
who persist in teaching such doctrines should be strictly avoided. FC, Vol. 9,
Ascetical Works, The Morals, Rule 72, pp. 185-186.

What is the mark of a Christian? Faith working by charity. What is the mark
offaith? A sure conviction of the truth ofthe inspired words, not to be shaken
by any process of reasoning, nor by the alleging of natural requirements, nor
by the pretences of false piety. What is the mark of a faithful soul? To be in
these dispositions of full acceptance on the authority of the words [of the
Scripture], not venturing to reject anything nor making additions. For, if ‘all
that is not of faith is sin,’ as the Apostle says, and ‘faith cometh by hearing and
hearing by the word of God,’ everything outside Holy Scripture, not being
of faith, is sin. FC, Vol. 9, Ascetical Works, The Morals, Rule 80, Cap. 22, pp. 203-204.
 The Material Sufficiency of.Scripture Tih

They are charging me with innovation, and base their charge on my confession
of three hypostases, and blame me for asserting one Goodness, one Power,
one Godhead. In this they are not wide of the truth, for I do so assert. Their
complaint is that their custom does not accept this, and that Scripture does
not agree. What is my reply? I do not consider it fair that the custom which
obtains among them should be regarded as a law and rule of orthodoxy.
If custom is to be taken in proof of what is right, then it is certainly com-
petent for me to put forward on my side the custom which obtains here.
If they reject this, we are clearly not bound to follow them. Therefore let
God-inspired Scripture decide between us; and on whichever side be found
doctrines in harmony with the word of God, in favour of that side will be
cast the vote of truth. NPNF2, Vol. VIII, Letters, Letter 189 — To Eustathius the physician 3.

Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335-395)

For an inspired testimony is a sure test of the truth of any doctrine: and so
it seems to me that ours may be well guaranteed by a quotation from the
divine words. NPNF2, Vol. V, Against Eunomius, Book 1.22.
ETELST] YAP KPLTNPLOV dodanrés Tis dAnOelas Em Tavtds Séypa-
TOS 1 PedTVEVOTOS EOTL LapTUPLA. Contra Eunomium, Liber 1.22, PG 45:341,

Let him tell us whence he has this boldness assertion. From what inspired
utterance? What evangelist, what apostle ever uttered such words as these?
What prophet, what lawgiver, what patriarch, what other person of all
who were divinely moved by the Holy Ghost, whose voices are preserved
in writing, ever originated such a statement as this? In the tradition of the
faith delivered by the Truth we are taught to believe in Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit. If it were right to believe that the Son was created, how was it
that the Truth in delivering to us this mystery bade us believe in the Son, and
not in the creature? and how is it that the inspired Apostle, himself adoring
Christ, lays it down that they who worship the creature besides the Creator
are guilty of idolatry? NPNF2, Vol. V, Against Eunomius, Book 2.9.

What shadow of such a notion did he find in Scripture, that he ventures upon
this assertion? by deduction from what premises did he bring his profanity
to such a conclusion as this? Which of the Evangelists says it? what apostle?
what prophet? Nay, on the contrary every scripture divinely inspired, written
by the afflatus of the Spirit, attests the Divinity of the Spirit. For example
(for it is better to prove my position from the actual testimonies), those who
receive power to become children of God bear witness to the Divinity of the
2 HOLY SCRIPTURE

Spirit. Who knows not that utterance of the Lord which tells us that they who
are born of the Spirit are the children of God? For thus He expressly ascribes
the birth of the children of God to the Spirit, saying, that as that which is
born of the flesh is flesh, so that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. But as
many as are born of the Spirit are called the children of God. NPNF2, Vol. V,
Against Eunomius, Book 11.14.

It is true that we learn from Holy Scripture not to speak of the Holy Ghost
as brother of the Son: but that we are not to say that the Holy Ghost is homo-
geneous with the Son, is nowhere shown in the divine Scriptures. For if there
does reside in the Father and the Son a life-giving power, it is ascribed also to the
Holy Spirit, according to the words of the Gospel. If one may discern alike in
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit the properties of being incorruptible, immutable,
of admitting no evil, of being good, right, guiding, of working all in all as He
wills, and all the like attributes, how is it possible by identity in these respects
to infer difference in kind? NPNF2, Vol. V, Against Eunomius, Book II.15.

That no created thing is deserving of man’s worship, the divine word so clearly
declares as a law, that such a truth may be learned from almost the whole of
the inspired Scripture. Moses, the Tables, the Law, the Prophets that follow,
the Gospels, the decrees of the Apostles, all alike forbid the act of reverencing
the creation. It would be a lengthy task to set out in order the particular pas-
sages which refer to this matter; but though we set out only a few from among
the many instances of the inspired testimony, our argument is surely equally
convincing, since each of the divine words, albeit the least, has equal force
for declaration of the truth. VPNF2, Vol. V, Against Eunomius, Book V.1.

If these doctrines approve themselves to some of the sages ‘who are without,’
let not the Gospels nor the rest of the teaching of the Holy Scripture be in any
way disturbed. For what fellowship is there between the creed of Christians
and the wisdom that has been made foolish? But ifhe leans upon the support
of the Scriptures, let him show one such declaration from the holy writings,
and we will hold our peace. NPNF2, Vol. V, Against Eunomius, Book X.4.

For he says that ‘the Son, Who is and lives because of the Father, does not
appropriate this dignity,’ having no Scripture to support his statement, and
not conducting, his statement to so senseless a conclusion by any process of
logical inference, but as if he had taken into his intestines some windy food,
he belches forth his blasphemy in its crude and unmethodized form, like some
unsavory breath. NPNF2, Vol. V, Against Eunomius, Book X.4.
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture hs)
But he strives to prop up his absurdity by the testimony of Scripture, and
puts forth Moses as his advocate against the truth. For as though that were
the source from which he drew his arguments, he freely sets forth to us his
own fables, saying, ‘He Who sent Moses was the Existent Himself, but He
by Whom He sent and spake was the Angel of the Existent, and the God of
all else.’ That his statement, however, is not drawn from Scripture, may be
conclusively proved by Scripture itself. But if he says that this is the sense
of what is written, we must examine the original language of Scripture...
Well, the absurdity of our author is refuted by the Scripture itself, in the
passage where Moses beseeches the Lord not to entrust an angel with the
leadership of the people, but Himself to conduct their march. NPNF2, Vol. V,
Against Eunomius, Book X1.3.

He says that the Lord did not exist before His own generation — he who can-
not prove that He was in anything separated from the Father. And this he says,
not quoting any Scripture as a warrant for his assertion, but maintaining his
proposition by arguments of his own. NPNF2, Vol. V, Against Eunomius, Book X1.4.

That when he wrote this, he did so not under the guidance of evangelists,
apostles, or any of the authors of the Old Testament, is plain to every one
who has any acquaintance with the sacred and Divine Scripture. NPNF2, Vol.
V, Against Eunomius, Book X1.5.

What then, shall be our way of arguing? We shall answer nothing new, nothing
of our own invention, though they challenge us to it; we shall fall back upon
the testimony in Holy Scripture about the Spirit, whence we learn that the
Holy Spirit is Divine, and is to be called so. Now, if they allow this, and will
not contradict the words of inspiration, then they, with all their eagerness
to fight with us, must tell us why they are for contending with us, instead
of with Scripture. We say nothing different from that which Scripture says.
NPNF2, Vol. V, Against Eunomius
2nd Book.

Now they charge us with innovation, and frame their complaint against us in
this way:—They allege that while we confess three Persons we say that there is
one goodness, and one power, and one Godhead. And in this assertion they do
not go beyond the truth; for we do say so. But the ground of their complaint
is that their custom does not admit this, and Scripture does not support it.
What then is our reply? We do not think that it is right to make their prevail-
ing custom the law and rule of sound doctrine. For if custom is to avail for
proof of soundness, we too, surely, may advance our prevailing custom; and

if they reject this, we are surely not bound to follow theirs. Let the inspired
74 HOLY SCRIPTURE

Scripture, then, be our umpire, and the vote of truth will surely be given to
those whose dogmas are found to agree with the Divine words. NPNF2, Vol.
V, On the Holy Trinity, and of the Godhead of the Holy Spirit, second paragraph.

All, maybe, know that; but there are those who, as might have been expected,
wish besides this to discover, if possible, a process by which we may be actu-
ally guided to it. Well, the Divine books are full of such instruction for our
guidance; and besides that many of the Saints cast the refulgence of their own
lives, like lamps, upon the path for those who are ‘walking with God.’ But
each may gather in abundance for himself suggestions towards this end out
of either Covenant in the inspired writings; the Prophets and the Law are
full of them; and also the Gospel and the Traditions of the Apostles. NPNF2,
Vol. V, On Virginity, Chapter XI.

The divine books are filled with pertinent suggestions, and many of the saints
set before those on their way to God their own lives as guiding lights. It is
possible for each of us to gather a wealth of suggestions from both Testa-
ments. For there is much in the prophets and in the Law and much in the
evangelical and apostolic tradition to take in abundance. FC, Vol. 58, On Virgin-
ity, Chapter 12, p. 42.

(This Treatise of Gregory, On the Soul and the Resurrection, was written by
him in the form of a dialogue betweem himself and his sister Macrina) —
Macrina is speaking here: You are quite justified, she replied, in raising this
question, and it has ere this been discussed by many elsewhere; namely, what
we are to think of the principle of desire and the principle of anger within us.
Are they consubstantial with the soul, inherent in the soul’s very self from her
first organization, or are they something different, accruing to us afterwards?
In fact, while all equally allow that these principles are to be detected in the
soul, investigation has not yet discovered exactly what we are to think of them
so as to gain some fixed belief with regard to them. The generality of men
still fluctuate in their opinions about this, which are as erroneous as they are
numerous. As for ourselves, if the Gentile philosophy, which deals methodi-
cally with all these points, were really adequate for a demonstration, it would
certainly be superfluous to add a discussion on the soul to those speculations,
But while the latter proceeded, on the subject of the soul, as far in the direction
of supposed consequences as the thinker pleased, we are not entitled to such
license, I mean that of affirming what we please; we make the Holy Scriptures
the rule and the measure of every tenet (dogma); we necessarily fix our eyes
upon that, and approve that alone which may be made to harmonize with
the intention of those writings. NPNF2, Vol. V, On the Soul And the Resurrection.
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture hs)
TO pev yap evopaodar TH buxd TavTa, Tapa TavtTwv etions
oporoyet rat d€ 6, TL Xp TEpl avTdV oleaPat, oiTW SU akptBetas
ebpev 6 dOyoi, doTeE BeBatav THY TEpl TOUTWV UTdANLV ExELV, GAA
Tb MemAavmWevaus Ol TOAAOL Kat Stahopous Tals TEPL TOUTWY bdEats
emt6taTdCovaw. * Hpty de €l ev iKavn TpOs aTdSevELv adnOds nv
n EEw birooodta, N TEXVLKHS Tept TOUTWL dtadaBovoa, TEpPLTTOV a
v qv tows TOV Tept TOUTUOV WuxXfs Adyov MpoTLBevat TM OKELPaTL.
"Emel 5€ Tots pev KaTa TO bavev aKddovdOV KAT EEovotav TpohAVev
1 TEpl Wuxfis Pewpta’ Hytets S€ THs EEovatas dpotpot tatTAs EOE,
THs AE€yetv byl dep Bovldpeba, kavdui TavTds SéypLaTos Kal VdpLO
Kexpnpevot Ti ayla Tpadi dvayKkatws mpds tattnv BréTIOVTEs,
TOUTO SExdpE8a pdvov, 6, TL TEP Av H GULdbwVObV TG TOV yeypap-
LLEvWV OKOTIO. Dialogus de anima et resurrectione, Migne PG 46.49.

Much moved by these words, I said: To any one who reflects indeed, your
exposition, advancing as it does in this consecutive manner, though plain and
unvarnished, bears sufficiently upon it the stamp of correctness and hits the
truth. And to those who are expert only in the technical methods of proof a
mere demonstration suffices to convince; but as for ourselves, we were agreed
that there is something more trustworthy than any of these artificial con-
clusions, namely, that which the teachings of Holy Scripture point to: and
so I deem that it is necessary to inquire, in addition to what has been said,
whether this inspired teaching harmonizes with it all. And who, she (Mac-
rina) replied, could deny that truth is to be found only in that upon which
the seal of Scriptural testimony is set? So, if it is necessary that something
from the Gospels should be adduced in support of our view, a study of the
Parable of the Wheat and Tares will not be here out of place. NPNF2, Vol. V, On
the Soul And the Resurrection.

We must therefore neglect the Platonic chariot and the pair of horses of dis-
similar forces yoked to it, and their driver, whereby the philosopher allegorizes
these facts about the soul; we must neglect also all that is said by the philosopher
who succeeded him and who followed out probabilities by rules of art, and
diligently investigated the very question now before us, declaring that the soul
was mortalby reason of these two principles; we must neglect all before and
since their time, whether they philosophized in prose or in verse, and we will
adopt, as the guide of our reasoning, the Scripture, which lays it down as an
axiom that there is no excellence in the soul which is not a property as well of
the Divine nature. NPNF2, Vol. V, On the Soul And the Resurrection.
76 HOLY SCRIPTURE

For whichever of these he chooses, it is all one as regards impiety: for we who
are initiated into the mystery of godliness by the Divinely inspired words
of the Scripture do not see between the Father and the Son a partnership of
Godhead, but unity, inasmuch as the Lord hath taught us this by His own
words, when He saith, ‘I and the Father are one ,’ and ‘he that hath seen Me
hath seen the Father.’ NPNF2, Vol. V, Against Eunomius, Book I1.6.

It is true that we learn from Holy Scripture not to speak of the Holy Ghost
as brother of the Son: but that we are not to say that the Holy Ghost is ho-
mogeneous with the Son, is nowhere shown in the divine Scriptures. For if
there does reside in the Father and the Son a life-giving power, it is ascribed
also to the Holy Spirit, according to the words of the Gospel. NPNF2, Vol. V,
Against Eunomius, Book II.15.

And that this is the reference of the enigmatical sayings is clearly revealed by
the passage that follows, which says, ‘Now therefore hearken unto me, my
son: and blessed is he that keepeth my ways,’ meaning of course by ‘ways’ the
approaches to virtue, the beginning of which is the possession of Wisdom.
Who, then, who looks to the divine Scripture, will not agree that the enemies
of the truth are at once impious and slanderous? — impious, because, so far
as in them lies, they degrade the unspeakable glory of the Only—begotten
God, and unite it with the creation, striving to show that the Lord Whose
power over all things is only—begotten, is one of the things that were made
by Him: slanderous, because, though Scripture itself gives them no ground
for such opinions, they arm themselves against piety as though they drew
their evidence from that source. Now since they can by no means show any
passage of the Holy Scriptures which leads us to look upon the pre-temporal
glory of the Only—begotten God in conjunction with the subject creation,
it is well, these points being proved, that the tokens ofvictory over falsehood
should be adduced as testimony to the doctrine ofgodliness, and that sweeping
aside these verbal systems of theirs by which they make the creature answer
to the creator, and the thing made to the maker, we should confess, as the
Gospel from heaven teaches us, the well—beloved Son — not a bastard, not a
counterfeit; but that, accepting with the name ofSon all that naturally belongs
to that name, we should say that He Who is of Very God is Very God, and that
we should believe of Him all that we behold in the Father, because They are
One, and in the one is conceived the other, not overpassing Him, not inferior
to Him, not altered or subject to change in any Divine or excellent property.
NPNF2, Vol. V, Against Eunomius, Book III.2.

He asserts that the word ‘Lord is significative of essence, and by way of proof of
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 77
this assumption he brings up the passage above mentioned. ‘The Lord,’ it says,
‘is the Spirit.’ But our friend who interprets Scripture at his own sweet will
calls ‘Lordship’ by the name of ‘essence,’ and thinks to bring his statement
to proof by means of the words quoted. Well, if it had been said by Paul,
‘Now the Lord is essence,’ we too would have concurred in his argument.
But seeing that the inspired writing on the one side says, ‘the Lord is the
Spirit,’ and Eunomius says on the other, ‘Lordship is essence,’ I do not know
where he finds support for his statement, unless he is prepared to say again
that the word ‘Spirit’ stands in Scripture for ‘essence.’ Let us consider, then,
whether the Apostle anywhere, in his use of the term ‘Spirit,’ employs that
word to indicate ‘essence.’ He says, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our
Spirit,’ and ‘no one knoweth the things of aman save the Spirit of man which
is in him,’ and ‘the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life,’ and ‘if ye through
the Spirit do mortify the deeds ofthe body, ye shall live,’ and ‘ifwe live in the
Spirit let us also walk in the Spirit.’ Who indeed could count the utterances
of the Apostle on this point? and in them we nowhere find ‘essence’ signified
by this word. NPNF2, Vol. V, Against Eunomius, Book VII.1.

Seeing then that these modes of generation (those, I mean, which are the result
of cause) are ordinarily known among us, and are employed by Holy Scripture
for our instruction on the subjects before us, in such a way as it might be
expected that each of them would be applied to the presentation of Divine
conceptions, let the reader of our argument ‘judge righteous judgment,’
whether any of the assertions that heresy makes have any force against the
truth. NPNEF2, Vol. V, Against Eunomius, Book VIII.4.

Gregory of Nazianzus (329/330-389)

Over and over again you turn upon us the silence of Scripture. But that it is
not a strange doctrine, nor an afterthought, but acknowledged and plainly set
forth both by the ancients and many of our own day, is already demonstrated
by many persons who have treated of this subject, and who have handled the
Holy Scriptures, not with indifference or as a mere pastime, but have gone
beneath the letter and looked into the inner meaning, and have been deemed
worthy to see the hidden beauty, and have been irradiated by the light of
knowledge. ..But since the fact, that Scripture does not very clearly or very
often write Him God in express words (as it does first the Father and after-
wards the Son), becomes to you an occasion of blasphemy and of this exces-
sive wordiness and impiety, we will release you from this inconvenience by
a short discussion of things and names, and especially of their use in Holy
Scripture. NPNF2: Vol. VII, Oration XXXII.21.
78 HOLY SCRIPTURE

We however, following the Divine Scriptures, and removing out of the way
of the blind the stumbling blocks contained in them, will cling to salvation,
daring any and every thing rather than arrogance against God. NPNF2: Vol.
VII, Oration 42.

Rufinus (344/345-410)

These are the writings which the Fathers included in the canon, and on
which they desired the affirmations of our faith to be based. ACW, Vol. 20,
Rufinus: A Commentary on the Apostles’ Creed 38, p. 73.

As for His coming to judge living and dead, the truth of this is guaranteed
for us by numberous testimonies in Holy Scripture. ACW, Vol. 20, Rufinus: A
Commentary on the Apostles’ Creed 33, p. 67.

Theophilus of Alexandria (bishop from 385-412)

It would be the instigation of a demonical spirit to follow the conceits of

the human mind, and to think anything divine, beyond what has the au-
thority of the Scriptures. A Paschal Letter (401 A.D.). Translation by William Goode,
Vol spe isaei ss.
Ignorans quod daemoniaci spiritus esset instinctus, sophismata humanarum
mentium sequi, et aliquid extra Scripturarum auctoritatem putare divinum.
A Paschal Letter (401 A.D.). See Jerome's translation of this epistle of Theophilus
from the Greek to Latin in Epistola XCVI, PL 22:77

Jerome (347-420)

The doctrine of the church, which is the house of God, may be found in
the fulness of the divine books. Epistola XXX, Ad Paulum 6. Translation by William
Goode, Vol. 3, p. 153.
Doctrina Ecclesiae, quae domus Dei est, in librorum reperiatur plenitudine
divinorum. Epistola XXX, Ad Paulum 6, PL 22:443.

For all questions, let us seek for suitable beams from the testimonies of the
Scriptures, and cut them down, and build the house of wisdom within us.
Commentariorum In Aggaeum Prophetam \:17-18. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 151.
Ad singula problemata, congrua de testimoniis Scripturarum ligna quaer-
entes, praecidamus ea, et aedificemus domum sapientiae in nobis: postquam
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 79
enim haec fuerit exstructa, finis aedificationis ejus erit, ut Dominus glorificetur
in nobis. Commentariorum In Aggaeum Prophetam,\:17-18, PL 25:1396.

There is no argument that is so forcible, as a passage from the Holy Scrip-

tures. In Zachariam Prophetam 10:15-16. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 152.
Nihil enim ita percutit, ut exemplum de Scripturis sanctis. Commentariorum
In Zachariam Prophetam 10:15-16, PL 25:1488.

When Paula comes to be a little older and to increase like her Spouse in wis-
dom and stature and in favor with God and man, let her go with her parents
to the temple of her true Father but let her not come out of the temple with
them. Let them seek her upon the world’s highway amid the crowds and the
throng of their kinsfolk, and let them find her nowhere but in the shrine of
the scriptures, questioning the prophets and the apostles on the meaning of
that spiritual marriage to which she is vowed. NPNF2, Vol. VI, The Letters of St.
Jerome, Letter 107 — To Laeta7.

The error, neither of parents nor ancestors, is to be followed; but the authority
of the Scriptures, and the government of God as our teacher. Commentariorum
in Jeremiam, Liber Secundus, Cap. IX, v. 12. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 151.
Ergo nec parentum nec majorum error sequendus est: sed auctoritas Scrip-
turarum, et Dei docentis imperium. Commentariorum in Jeremiam, Liber Secundus,
Gap lsc vale el 2Aya5.

That storehouse in which are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,
(Col. 2.) is either God the Word, who seems hidden in the flesh of Christ,
or the Holy Scriptures, in which the knowledge of the Saviour is laid up.
Commentariorum In Evangelium Matthaei, v.13:44. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, pp.
153-154.
Thesaurus iste in quo sunt omnes thesauri sapientiae et scientiae absconditi,
aut Deus Verbum est, qui in carne Christi videtur absconditus (Coloss. II),
aut sanctae Scripturae, in quibus reposita est notitia Salvatoris. Commentariorum
In Evangelium Matthaei, v.13:44, PL 25:94.

They that prattle without the authority of the Scriptures, they have no
faith; unless they did seem to strengthen their perverse doctrine with Di-
vine testimonies. Commentariorum In Epistolam Ad Titum Cap. I, vs. 10, 11. Translation
by Jeremy Taylor. Found in The Works ofJeremy Taylor (London: Henry G. Bohn, 1853), Vol.
II, p. 867. oy
Et quidem sine Scripturarum auctoritate garrulitas non haberet fidem, nisi
viderentur perversam doctrinam etiam divinis testimoniis roborare. Commentari-
orum In Epistolam Ad Titum, Cap. I, vs. 10, 11, PL 26:570.
80 HOLY SCRIPTURE
The Church of Christ—which is in a flourishing state, and, possessing
Churches throughout the whole world, is joined together by unity of spirit,
and has the cities of the Law, the Prophets, the Gospel, and the Apostles—has
not gone out of her borders, that is, from the Holy Scriptures. Commentariorum
In Michaeam Prophetam 1:10. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 153.
Ecclesiam autem Christi, quae habitat bene, et in toto orbe Ecclesias
possidet, spiritus unitate conjuncta est, et habet urbes Legis, prophetarum,
Evangelii, et apostolorum, non est egressa de finibus suis, id est, de Scripturis
sanctis. Commentariorum In Michaeam Prophetam 1:10, PL 25:1162.

The sword of God smites whatever they draw and forges from a pretended
(quasi) apostolic tradition, without the authority and testimony of the
Scriptures, Translation by Francis Turretin. Found in Francis Turretin, /nstitutes of Elenctic
Theology, trans. George Musgrave Giger and ed. James T. Dennison (Phillipsburg: reprinted by
Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1992), Vol. 1, p. 143.
Sed et alia quae absque auctoritate et testimoniis Scripturarum quasi tra-
ditione apostolica sponte reperiunt atque confingunt, percutit gladius Dei;
Commentariorum In Aggaeum Prophetam 1:11, PL 25:1398.

That which does not have authority from the Scriptures, we may as readily
despise (contemn), as well approve. Commentariorum In Evangelium Matthaei, Liber
Tertius. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 150.
Hoc quia de Scripturis non habent auctoritatem, eadem facilitate contem-
nitur, qua probatur. Commentariorum In Evangelium Matthaet, Liber Quartus, PL 26:180.

When anything appears to you harsh in my work, do not look at my words,

but at Scripture, whence my words are derived. Epistola XLVII.20. Translation by
William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 150.
Quando aliquid tibi asperum videtur in nostro opusculo, non ad mea verba
respicias, sed ad Scripturam, unde mea tracta sunt verba. Epistola XLVIII.20, Seu
Liber Apologeticus, Ad Pammachium, Pro Libris Contra Jovinianum, PL 22:510.

We may spiritually say, when they persecute us in one city, that is, in one
book or testimony of the Scriptures, let us fly to other cities, that is, to other
books. Commentariorum In Evangelium Matthaei v.10:23. Translation by William Goode,
Vol. 3, p. 152.
Spiritualiter autem possumus dicere: Cum persecuti nos fuerint in una
civitate, hoc est, in uno Scripturarum libro vel testimonio, nos fugiamus ad
alias civitates, id est, ad alia volumina. Commentariorum In Evangelium Matthaei
v.10:23, PL 26:65.
 The Material Sufficiency of Scripture 81
‘In his record of the peoples the Lord shall tell’; in the sacred writings, in His
Scripture that is read to all peoples in order that all may know. Thus the
apostles have written; thus the Lord Himself has spoken, not merely for a few,
but that all might know and understand. Plato wrote books, but he did not
write for all people but only for a few, for there are not many more than two
or three men who know him. But the princes of the Church and the princes
of Christ did not write only for the few, but for everyone without exception.
‘And princes’: the apostles and evangelists. ‘Of those who have been born
in her.’ Note ‘who have been’ and not ‘who are.’ That is to make sure that,
with the exception of the apostles, whatever else is said afterwards should
be removed and not, later on, hold the force of authority. No matter how
holy anyone may be after the time of the apostles, no matter how eloquent,
he does not have authority, for ‘in his record of the peoples and princes the
Lord shall tell of those who have been born in her.’ FC, Vol. 48, The Homilies of
St. Jerome, Vol. 1, On the Psalms, Homily 18, pp. 142-143.

Someone may say to me: Give me an example from Holy Writ where Judea
alone is spoken of as an island. Everything we say, we ought to confirm from
Sacred Scripture. ‘A judicial fact shall be established only on the testimony
of two or three witnesses.’ The word of the witness does not have as much
weight as the precept of God. FC, Vol. 48, The Homilies of St. Jerome, Vol. 1, On the
Psalms, Homily 26, p. 205.

Someone may say: Prove your claim from Sacred Scripture, for we must not
make an assertion unless it has been adduced from and confirmed by Scrip-
ture. Judas was a traitor, but Satan had entered into him and had betrayed
him into treachery. When the wife of Putiphar caught hold of Joseph, her
servant—the mistress, the servant; the wealthy woman, the young pauper; the
citizen, the stranger—she was clinging to him but the saintly man apprehended
the devil gripping him by her hands. FC, Vol. 48, The Homilies of St. Jerome: Vol. 1,
On the Psalms, Homily 43, p. 326.

Our care is to speak, not what each may be able or willing to speak, but what
the Scriptures direct. Epistola XLVIII, Seu Liber Apologeticus, Ad Pammachium, Pro Libris
Contra Jovinianum. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 150.
Nobis curae est, non quid unusquisque possit, aut velit; sed quid Scripturae
praecipiant, dicere. Epistola XLVII, Seu Liber Apologeticus, Ad Pammachium, Pro Libris
Contra Jovinianum, PL 22:506.

The apostle Paul learned the Law of Moses and the prophets at the feet of
Gamaliel and was glad that he had done so, for armed with this spiritual armor,
he was able to say boldly ‘the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty
through God to the pulling down of strongholds;’ armed with these we war
82 HOLY SCRIPTURE
‘casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience
of Christ; and being in a readiness to revenge all disobedience.’ He writes to
Timothy who had been trained in the holy writings from a child exhorting
him to study them diligently and not to neglect the gift which was given him
with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. To Titus he gives com-
mandment that among a bishop’s other virtues (which he briefly describes)
he should be careful to seek a knowledge of the scriptures: A bishop, he says,
must hold fast ‘the faithful word as he hath been taught that he may be able
by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.’... Why is
the apostle Paul called a chosen vessel? Assuredly because he is a repertory of
the Law and of the holy scriptures. The learned teaching of our Lord strikes
the Pharisees dumb with amazement, and they are filled with astonishment to
find that Peter and John know the Law although they have not learned letters.
For to these the Holy Ghost immediately suggested what comes to others by
daily study and meditation; and, as it is written, they were ‘taught of God.’
The Savior had only accomplished his twelfth year when the scene in the
temple took place; but when he interrogated the elders concerning the Law
His wise questions conveyed rather than sought information. NPNF2, Vol. VI,
The Letters of St. Jerome, Letter 53.3.

I beg of you, my dear brother, to live among these books, to meditate upon
them, to know nothing else, to seek nothing else. Does not such a life seem
to you a foretaste of heaven here on earth? Let not the simplicity of the
scripture or the poorness ofits vocabulary offend you; for these are due either
to the faults of translators or else to deliberate purpose: for in this way it is
better fitted for the instruction of an unlettered congregation as the educated
person can take one meaning and the uneducated another from one and the
same sentence. | am not so dull or so forward as to profess that I myself know
it, or that I can pluck upon the earth the fruit which has its root in heaven,
but I confess that I should like to do so. I put myself before the man who sits
idle and, while I lay no claim to be a master, I readily pledge myself to be a
fellow—student. ‘Every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth;
and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ Let us learn upon earth that
knowledge which will continue with us in heaven. NPNF2, Vol. VI, The Letters
of St. Jerome, Letter 53.10.

Is it | then that let him loose upon the crowd? Is it I that act sponsor to other
preachers like him? No, for I know that a difference must be made between
the apostles and all other preachers. The former always speak the truth; but
the latter being men sometimes go astray. NPNF2, Vol. VI, The Letters ofSt. Jerome,
Letter 82.7.
 The Material Sufficiency of Scripture 83
I need not go through the lives of the saints or call attention to the moles and
spots which mark the fairest skins. Many of our writers, it is true, unwisely,
take this course; however, a few sentences of scripture will dispose alike of the
heretics and the philosophers. NPNF2, Vol. V1, The Letters of St. Jerome, Letter\33.2.
Neque nunc mihi necesse est ire per singulos Sanctorum, et quasi in cor-
pore pulcherrimo nevos quosdam et maculas demonstrare: quod plerique
Nostrorum simpliciter faciunt, cum paucis sententiolis Scripturarum possint
Haereticorum, et per eos Philosophorum argumenta convinci. Epistola CXXXIII,
Ad Ctesiphontem 2. PL 22:1149.

For this purpose I shall rely on the holy scriptures in which God every day
speaks to those who believe. NPNF2: Vol. VI, The Letters ofSt. Jerome, Letter 133.
Quod nobis sanctarum Scripturarum testimoniis asserendum est, in quibus
quotidie credentibus loquitur Deus. Fpistola CXXX. PL 22:1160.

All the questions raised by the heretics and the heathen are the same, because
they do not follow the authority of the Scriptures, but the sense of human
reason. Commentariorum In Osee Prophetam, Liber Secundus, Caput VI. Translation by
William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 151.
Omnes enim haereticorum et gentilium quaestiones eaedem sunt, quia non
Scripturarum auctoritatem, sed humanae rationis sensum sequuntur. Commen-
tariorum In Osee Prophetam, Liber Secundus, Caput VII. PL 25:882.

It is necessary, therefore, for me and my saints to migrate to the lofty pinnacles

of Holy Writ, where, according to the Gospel: ‘If someone strikes thee on the
right cheek, turn to him the other also.’ It does not say turn to him the left,
but the other, that is, the other right cheek, because the just man has nothing
in him that is left-handed. If he shall confound you, the Gospel says, in one
Testament, vanquish him with the other Testament and fulfill the word written
in another psalm: “Deep calls unto deep in the roar of your cataracts,’ so that
the two Testaments fortify each other, and in so doing break the heretics’
net by the counter evidence of another right hand, by transmigration to the
mountains, and by deep calling unto deep. FC, Vol. 57, The Homilies of St. Jerome,
Vol. 2, Homily 60, p. 7.

Give me any churchman trained in divine Scripture. Let Eunomius come, let
Arius come and try to adduce anything from the prophets against us, does
not our churchman stand firm as a bar? Does he not refute them with the
fixed firmness of a bar? FC, Vol. 48, The Homilies of St. Jerome, Vol. 1, On the Psalms,
Homily 57, p. 409.
84 HOLY SCRIPTURE

They therefore err, because they know not the Scriptures; and because they
are ignorant of the Scriptures, they consequently know not the power of God;
that is, Christ, who is the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Commentari-
orum In Evangelium Matthaei 22:29, Liber Tertius. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 151.
Propterea errant, quia Scripturas nesciunt: et quia Scripturas ignorant,
consequenter nesciunt virtutem Dei, hoc est, Christum, qui est Dei virtus, et
Dei sapientia (I Cor. I). Commentariorum In Evangelium Matthaei 22:29, Liber Tertius.
PL 26:164.

Chrysostom (349-407)

Delectable indeed are the meadow, and the garden, but far more delectable
the study of the divine writings. For there indeed are flowers which fade, but
here are thoughts which abide in full bloom; there is the breeze of the zephyr,
but here the breath of the Spirit: there is the hedge of thorns, but here is the
guarding providence of God; there is the song of cicadae, but here the melody
of the prophets: there is the pleasure which comes from sight, but here the
profit which comes from study. The garden is confined to one place, but the
Scriptures are in all parts of the world; the garden is subject to the necessities
of the seasons, but the Scriptures are rich in foliage, and laden with fruit alike
in winter and in summer. Let us then give diligent heed to the study of the
Scriptures: for if thou doest this the Scripture will expel thy despondency, and
engender pleasure, extirpate vice, and make virtue take root, and in the tumult
of life it will save thee from suffering like those who are tossed by troubled
waves. The sea rages but thou sailest on with calm weather; for thou hast the
study of the Scriptures for thy pilot; for this is the cable which the trials of life
do not break asunder. NPNF1, Vol. IX, On Eutropius, Patrician and Consul, Homily I1.1.

Discussing the afflictions of the people of God, he said: These then are the
reasons; but it is necessary to establish them all from the Scriptures, and to
show with exactness that all that has been said on this subject is not an inven-
tion of human reasoning, but the very sentence of the Scriptures. For thus
will what we say be at once more deserving of credit, and sink the deeper into
your minds. NPNFI, Vol. [X, Homilies Concerning the Statues, Homily 1.14.

What then? Do they say that the Scriptures are not useful? I reply; they are most
useful and most necessary. NPNF'1, Vol. IX, Homilies Concerning the Statues, Homily 9.3.

Now Luke tells us also the cause wherefore he proceeds to write: ‘that thou
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 85

mayest hold,’ saith he, ‘the certainty of the words wherein thou hast been
instructed;’ that is, that being continually reminded thou mayest hold to the
certainty, and abide in certainty...Of Matthew again it is said, that when
those who from amongst the Jews had believed came to him, and besought
him to leave to them in writing those same things, which he had spoken to
them by word, he also composed his Gospel in the language of the Hebrews.
And Mark too, in Egypt, is said to have done this self-same thing at the entreaty
of the disciples... VPNFI, Vol. X, Homilies on Matthew, Homily 1.7.

Having then signified that they who were trampling on the law could not be
justly entitled to blame men for transgressing a command of certain elders,
He points out this same thing again from the prophet likewise. Thus, having
once laid hold of them severely, He proceeds further: as on every occasion
He doth, bringing forward the Scriptures, and so evincing Himself to be in
accordance with God. NPNFI, Vol. X, Homilies on Matthew, Homily 51.2.

But this comes to pass, when any hold fast their own prejudices contrary to
what is approved by the Scriptures. NPNF1, Vol. X, Homilies on Matthew, Homily 86.4.

For when Christ performed miracles, they often contradicted Him. But when
Christ brought forward the prophet, saying, “The Lord said unto my Lord,
Sit Thou on my right hand,’ they were silent, and ‘no man,’ we read, ‘was
able to answer Him a word.’ And on all occasions He Himself also appealed
to the Scriptures; for instance, ‘If he called them gods to whom the word of
God came.’ (John x. 35.) And in many places one may find this. NPNF1, Vol.
XI, Homilies on the Acts ofthe Apostles, Homily 5.

(Recapitulation.) “Three Sabbath—days,’ it says, being the time when they had
leisure from work, ‘he reasoned with them, opening out of the Scriptures’ (v.
2): for so used Christ also to do: as on many occasions we find Him reasoning
from the Scriptures, and not on all occasions (urging men) by miracles. Because
to this indeed they stood in a posture of hostility, calling them deceivers and
jugglers; but he that persuades men by reasons from the Scriptures, is not
liable to this imputation. NPNF1, Vol. X1, Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles, Homily 37.

Let us not therefore carry about the notions of the many, but examine into
the facts. For how is it not absurd that in respect to money, indeed, we do not
trust to others, but refer this to figures and calculation; but in calculating upon
facts we are lightly drawn aside by the notions of others; and that too, though
we possess an exact balance, and square and rules for all things, the declara-
tion of the divine laws? Wherefore I exhort and entreat you all, disregard
86 HOLY SCRIPTURE
what this man and that man thinks about these things, and inquire from
the Scriptures all these things; and having learnt what are the true riches, let
us pursue after them that we may obtain also the eternal good things; which
may we all obtain, through the grace and love towards men of our Lord Jesus
Christ, with Whom, to the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory, might, and
honor, now and ever, and world without end. Amen. NPNFI, Vol. XII, Homilies
on Second Corinthians, Homily 13.

When Abraham was requested to send Lazarus, he replied, “They have Moses
and the Prophets; let them hear them: if they hear them not, neither will they
be persuaded, if one rise from the dead.’ (Luke xvi: 31.) And Christ introduces
Abraham thus speaking, to show that He would have the Scriptures accounted
more worthy of credence, even than one raised from the dead: Paul too, (and
when I say Paul, Imean Christ, who directed his mind,) prefers them before an
angel come down from heaven. And justly, for the angels, though mighty, are
but servants and ministers, but the Scriptures were all written and sent, not
by servants, but by God the Lord of all. He says, if ‘any man’ preach another
Gospel to you than that which we have preached,—not ‘if this or that man:’
and herein appears his prudence, and care of giving offence, for what needed
there still any mention of names, when he had used such extensive terms as to
embrace all, both in heaven and earth? In that he anathemized evangelists and
angels, he included every dignity, and his mention of himself included every
intimacy and affinity, “Tell me not,’ he exclaims, ‘that my fellow—apostles and
colleagues have so spoken; I spare not myself if 1preach such doctrine.’ And
he says this not as condemning the Apostles for swerving from the message
they were commissioned to deliver; far from it, (for he says, whether we or
they thus preach;) but to show, that in the discussion of truth the dignity of
persons is not to be considered. NPNFI, Vol. XIII, Commentary on the Epistle of St.
Paul to the Galatians, Chapter 1, Ver. 8, 9.

‘Tarry not, I entreat, for another to teach thee; thou hast the oracles of God.
No man teacheth thee as they; for he indeed oft grudgeth much for vain-
glory’s sake and envy. Hearken, I entreat you, all ye that are careful for this
life, and procure books that will be medicines for the soul. If ye will not any
other, yet get you at least the New Testament, the Apostolic Epistles, the
Acts, the Gospels, for your constant teachers. If grief befall thee, dive into
them as into a chest of medicines; take thence comfort of thy trouble, be it
loss, or death, or bereavement of relations; or rather dive not into them merely,
but take them wholly to thee; keep them in thy mind. This is the cause of all
evils, the not knowing the Scriptures. We go into battle without arms, and
how ought we to come off safe? Well contented should we be if we can be
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 87
safe with them, let alone without them. NPNFI, Vol. XIII, Homilies on the Epistle of
St. Paul to the Colossians, Homily 9.

But let us sail upwards, not floating, for we shall soon be weary, and sink; but
using the divine Scriptures, as some vessel, let us unfurl the sails of faith. If
we sail in them, then the Word of God will be present with us as our Pilot.
But if we float upon human reasonings, it will not be so. For to whom of
those who float, is a Pilot present? So that the danger is twofold, in that
there is no vessel, and that the Pilot is absent. For if even the boat without
a pilot is unsafe, when both are wanting, what hope is there of safety? Let
us not then throw ourselves into manifest danger, but let us go upon a safe
vessel, having fastened ourselves by the sacred anchor. For thus we shall sail
into the tranquil haven, with much merchandise, and at the same time with
great safety, and we shall obtain the blessings laid up for them that love Him,
in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom, to the Father, together with the Holy
Spirit, be glory, power, honor, now and always and world without end. Amen.
NPNFI, Vol. XIII, Homilies on the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians, Homily VU,
Comments on I Thessalonians 4:13.

Mark how he disapproves of questioning. For where faith exists, there is no need
of question. Where there is no room for curiosity, questions are superfluous.
Questioning is the subversion of faith. For he that seeks has not yet found.
He who questions cannot believe. Therefore it is his advice that we should not
be occupied with questions, since if we question, it is not faith; for faith sets
reasoning at rest. But why then does Christ say, ‘Seek and ye shall find, knock
and it shall be opened unto you (Matt. vii. 7); and, “Search the Scriptures,
for in them ye think ye have eternal life’? (John v. 39.) The seeking there is
meant of prayer and vehement desire, and He bids ‘search the Scriptures,’
not to introduce the labors of questioning, but to end them, that we may
ascertain and settle their true meaning, not that we may be ever questioning,
but that we may have done with it. NPNFI, Vol. XIII, Homilies on the First Epistle of
St. Paul to Timothy, Homily I.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for re-
proof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be
perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.’ [R. V.: Every Scripture inspired
of God is also profitable, &c.]
Having offered much exhortation and consolation from other sources, he
adds that which is more perfect, derived from the Scriptures; and he is reason-
ably full in offering consolation, because he has a great and sad thing to say.
For if Elisha, who was with his master to his last breath, when he saw him
88 HOLY SCRIPTURE

departing as it were in death, rent his garments for grief, what think you must
this disciple suffer, so loving and so beloved, upon hearing that his master was
about to die, and that he could not enjoy his company when he was near his
death, which is above all things apt to be distressing? For we are less grateful
for the past time, when we have been deprived of the more recent intercourse
of those who are departed. For this reason when he had previously offered
much consolation, he then discourses concerning his own death: and this in
no ordinary way, but in words adapted to comfort him and fill him with joy;
so as to have it considered as a sacrifice rather than a death; a migration, as in
fact it was, and a removal to a better state. ‘For I am now ready to be offered
up’ (2 Tim. iv. 6), he says. For this reason he writes: ‘All Scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness.’ All what Scripture? all that sacred writing,
he means, of which I was speaking. This is said of what he was discoursing of;
about which he said, ‘From a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures.’ All
such, then, ‘is given by inspiration of God’; therefore, he means, do not doubt;
and it is ‘profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished
unto all good works.’
‘For doctrine.’ For thence we shall know, whether we ought to learn or to
be ignorant of anything. And thence we may disprove what is false, thence
we may be corrected and brought to a right mind, may be comforted and
consoled, and if anything is deficient, we may have it added to us.
‘That the man of God may be perfect.’ For this is the exhortation of the
Scripture given, that the man of God may be rendered perfect by it; without
this therefore he cannot be perfect. Thou hast the Scriptures, he says, in place
of me. If thou wouldest learn anything, thou mayest learn it from them.
And if he thus wrote to Timothy, who was filled with the Spirit, how much
more to us!
‘Thoroughly furnished unto all good works’; not merely taking part in them,
he means, but ‘thoroughly furnished.” NPNFI, Vol. XIII, Homilies on the Second Epistle
ofPaul to Timothy, Homily 9.

The Scriptures were not given us for this only, that we might have them in
books, but that we might engrave them on our hearts. For this kind of pos-
session, the keeping the commandments merely in letter, belongs to Jewish
ambition; but to us the Law was not so given at all, but in the fleshy tables of
our hearts. And this I say, not to prevent you from procuring Bibles, on the
contrary, I exhort and earnestly pray that you do this, but I desire that from
those books you convey the letters and sense into your understanding, that
so it may be purified when it receiveth the meaning ofthe writing. For if the
devil will not dare to approach a house where a Gospel is lying, much less
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 89
will any evil spirit, or any sinful nature, ever touch or enter a soul which bears
about with it such sentiments as it contains. Sanctify then thy soul, sanctify
thy body, by having these ever in thy heart, and on thy tongue. For if foul
speech defiles and invites devils, it is clear that spiritual reading sanctifies
and draws down the grace of the Spirit. The Scriptures are divine charms,
let us then apply to ourselves and to the passions of our souls the remedies to
be derived from them. For if we understand what it is that is read, we shall
hear it with much readiness. I am always saying this, and will not cease to say
it. Is it not strange that those who sit by the market can tell the names, and
families, and cities of charioteers, and dancers, and the kinds of power pos-
sessed by each, and can give exact account of the good or bad qualities of the
very horses, but that those who come hither should know nothing of what is
done here, but should be ignorant of the number even of the sacred Books? If
thou pursuest those worldly things for pleasure, I will show thee that here is
greater pleasure. NPNF1, Vol. XIV, Homilies on the Gospel according to St. John, Homily 32.

Great is the profit of the divine Scriptures, and all—sufficient is the aid which
comes from them. And Paul declared this when he said, “Whatsoever things
were written aforetime, were written aforetime for our admonition upon whom
the ends of the world are come, that we through patience and comfort of the
Scriptures might have hope.’ (Romans 15:4, and 1 Corinthians 10:11) For
the divine oracles are a treasury of all manner of medicines, so that whether
it be needful to quench pride, to lull desire to sleep, to tread under foot the
love of money, to despise pain, to inspire confidence, to gain patience, from
them one may find abundant resource. For what man of those who struggle
with long poverty or who are nailed to a grievous disease, will not, when he
reads the passage before us, receive much comfort? NPNF1, Vol. XIV, Homilies on
the Gospel According to St. John, Homily 37.1.

‘Search the Scriptures, for they are they which testify of Me.’
Since by these the Father gave His testimony. He gave it indeed by Jordan
also and in the mount, but Christ bringeth not forward those voices; perhaps by
doing so He would have been disbelieved; for one of them, that in the mount,
they did not hear, and the other they heard indeed, but heeded not. For this
reason He referreth them to the Scriptures, showing that from them cometh
the Father’s testimony, having first removed the old grounds on which they
used to boast, either as having seen God or as having heard His voice. For as
it was likely that they would disbelieve His voice, and picture to themselves
what took place on Sinai, after first correcting their suspicions on these points,
and showing that what had been done was a condescension, He then referreth
them to the testimony of the Scriptures.
And from these too let us also, when we war against heretics, arm and
90 HOLY SCRIPTURE

fortify ourselves. For ‘all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profit-
able for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto every good
work’ (2 Tim. iii. 16, 17); NPNFI, Vol. XIV, Homilies on the Gospel according to St. John,
Homily 40.

‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold,
but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.’
Observe the marks of a robber; first, that he doth not enter openly; sec-
ondly, not according to the Scriptures, for this is the, ‘not by the door.’ Here
also He referreth to those who had been before, and to those who should be
after Him, Antichrist and the false Christs, Judas and Theudas, and whatever
others there have been of the same kind. And with good cause He calleth the
Scriptures ‘a door,’ for they bring us to God, and open to us the knowledge
of God, they make the sheep, they guard them, and suffer not the wolves to
come in after them. For Scripture, like some sure door, barreth the passage
against the heretics, placing us in a state of safety as to all that we desire,
and not allowing us to wander; and if we undo it not, we shall not easily be
conquered by our foes. By it we can know all, both those who are, and those
who are not, shepherds. But what is ‘into the fold’? It refers to the sheep, and
the care of them. For he that useth not the Scriptures, but ‘climbeth up some
other way,’ that is, who cutteth out for himself another and an unusual way,
‘the same is a thief.’ Seest thou from this too that Christ agreeth with the
Father, in that He bringeth forward the Scriptures? On which account also
He said to the Jews, ‘Search the Scriptures’ (c. 5:39); and brought forward
Moses, and called him and all the Prophets witnesses, for ‘all,’ saith He, ‘who
hear the Prophets shall come to Me’; and,’ Had ye believed Moses, ye would
have believed Me.’ But here He hath put the same thing metaphorically. And
by saying, ‘climbeth up some other way,’ He alluded to the Scribes, because
they taught for commandments the doctrines of men, and transgressed the
Law (Matthew 15:9); with which He reproached them, and said, ‘None of
you doeth the Law.’ (c. 7:19) Well did He say, ‘climbeth up,’ not ‘entereth
in,’ since to climb is the act ofa thief intending to overleap a wall, and who
doeth all with danger. Hast thou seen how He hath sketched the robber? now
observe the character of the shepherd. What then is it? NPNF1/, Vol. XIV, Homilies
on the Gospel according to St. John, Homily 59.2.

Do you see into what extreme absurdity those people fall who are unwilling
to take their cue from the canon of Sacred Scripture but rather have com-
plete confidence in their own reasoning? FC, Vol. 87, Homilies on Genesis, Homily
58.13, p. 160.
 The Material Sufficiency of Scripture 9]

If, however, you do not believe the biblical authors, we can supply clear,
unmistakable evidence that they were inspired, and that they told us nothing
on their own account but with the inspiration coming from that divine love
which is higher even than the heavens. Everything said by them achieves its
purpose, and everything reaches fulfillment in the truth of reality, whether
it is a question of ancient things or recent. What was said by the inspired
authors about the Jews came true, and the fulfillment of it was clear to ev-
eryone; likewise what was said about Christ in the New Testament — which
demonstrates above all the divine character of both Scriptures. Now, if what
is said about God in Scripture comes from God, it is all true. Robert Charles
Hili, trans., St John Chrysostom: Commentary on the Psalms, Vol. 1, Psalm 4 (Brookline: Holy
Cross Orthodox Press, 1998), p. 68.

Since reasoned arguments are so weak, come, let us join battle with out
opponents with arguments from the Scriptures as our weapons. From what
source am I to begin my discourse? From whichever source you wish, either
from the New Testament or from the Old. We can see that the glory of the
only begotten shines forth with a great abundance of light not only in the words
of the evangelists and apostles but also in the what the prophets said and in the
entire Old Testament. I think it is best to fight my adversaries with weapons
taken from the Old Testament because, if I draw my arguments from that
source, I can strike down not only those enemies but many other heretics as
well. FC, Vol. 72, On the Incomprehensible Nature of God, Homily 11.7-8, p. 273.

Let us, however, I beg you not be convinced by them, but block our ears against
them; let us instead place our credence in Sacred Scripture and heed what it
told us there; let it be our concern to lay its sound teachings in our soul and
be scrupulously careful about them and about our life, so that our life may
witness to the teachings and the teachings may declare the integrity of our life.
FC, Vol. 74, Homilies on Genesis 1-17, 13.16, pp. 177-178.

But that you may be assured for another reason that the teaching of the Apostles
is more convincing than that of the restored to life, consider this—that a dead
man is altogether a servant, but the things which the Scriptures declare are
uttered by the Lord himself; so that though one should rise from the dead,
though an angel should descend from heaven, the Scriptures would still be
the surest testimony. For the Ruler of angels and the Lord of the dead and of
the living has Himself given the written law. EF Allen, trans., Four Discourses ofChryso-
stom, Chiefly on the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, 4th Sermon, S3 (London: Longmans,
Green, Reader and Dyer, 1869), p. 97.
92 HOLY SCRIPTURE

Optatus, bishop of Milevis (wrote 366/367)

You say, ‘it is granted;’ we say, ‘it is not granted.’ Between your ‘it is granted’
and our ‘it is not granted’ the souls of the people tack and veer. Let no—one
believe you, no-one believe us; all of us are people at loggerheads. Judges must
be sought; if Christians, neither side can give them, because truth is hindered
by zeal. A judge must be sought from those without; ifapagan, he cannot
know the secrets of Christians, if a Jew, he is an enemy of Christian baptism;
therefore in the world no judgment on this matter can be found; a judge
must be sought from heaven.
But why do we batter heaven, when we have here a testament in the
Gospel? For in this place earthly things can rightly be compared to heavenly
ones. The case is the same as with any person who has a lot of children: so
long as the father is present the father himself commands them individually;
no testament is necessary yet. And so too Christ, so long as he was present
in the world, while he was not yet wanting, gave whatever commands were
necessary for the time to his disciples. But when an earthly father feels
himself to be on the brink of death, fearing lest after his death the brothers
should break the peace and be at odds, he brings witnesses and transfers his
will from his dying breast to tablets which will last a long time; and if any
dispute arises among the brothers, they do not go to the burial—place, but
seek the testament, and the one who rests in the burial—place speaks silently
from the tablets; just so, the one whose testament [the Gospel] is alive in
heaven, and therefore let his will be sought in the Gospel, as in a testament.
Mark Edwards, trans. and ed., Optatus: Against the Donatists, Book 5.3 (Liverpool: Liverpool
University Press, 1997), p. 100.

Augustine (354-430)

All those Catholic expounders of the divine Scriptures, both Old and New,
whom I have been able to read, who have written before me concerning the
Trinity, Who is God, have purposed to teach, according to the Scriptures, this
doctrine, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit intimate a divine
unity of one and the same substance in an indivisible equality; and therefore
that they are not three Gods, but one God: although the Father hath begotten
the Son, and so He who is the Father is not the Son; and the Son is begotten
by the Father, and so He who is the Son is not the Father; and the Holy Spirit
is neither the Father nor the Son, but only the Spirit of the Father and of the
Son, Himself also co—equal with the Father and the Son, and pertaining to
the unity of the Trinity. NPNFI, Vol. III, On The Trinity 4.7.
 The Material Sufficiency of Scripture 93

What does 4omoousios mean, I ask, but The Father and I are one (Jn. 10:30)?
I should not, however, introduce the Council of Nicea to prejudice the case in
my favor, nor should you introduce the Council of Ariminum that way. lam
not bound by the authority of Ariminum, and you are not bound by that of
Nicea. By the authority of the scriptures that are not the property of anyone,
but the common witness for both of us, let position do battle with position,
case with case, reason with reason. WSA, Answer to Maximinus, Part I, Vol. 18, peor.

I know that the Lord will not despise your love interceding for me, especially
in such a cause as this; and accepting it as a sacrifice of sweet savor, He will
restore me to you, perhaps, within a period shorter than I have craved, thor-
oughly furnished for His service by the profitable counsels of His written
word. NPNFI, Vol. I, Letters of St.Augustin, Letter 21, To Valerius 6.

I answer, therefore, that if the authority of Scripture has decided which of

these methods is right, there is no room for doubting that we should do ac-
cording to that which is written; and our discussion must be occupied with
a question, not of duty, but of interpretation as to the meaning of the divine
institution. NPNF1Z, Vol. 1, Letters of St.Augustin, Letter 54.6.

When therefore it is asserted that our souls are procreated from a kind of
immaterial seed, and that they, like our bodies, come to us from our parents,
yet are made souls by the working of God, it is not by human guesses that
the assertion is to be refuted, but by the witness of divine scripture. Num-
bers of passages may indeed be quoted from the sacred books which have
canonical authority, to prove that our souls are God’s handiwork. But such
passages only refute those who deny that each several human soul is made by
God; not at all those who while they admit this contend that, like our bodies,
they are formed by divine agency through the instrumentality of parents. To
refute these you must look for unmistakable texts; or, if you have already
discovered such, shew your affection by communicating them to me. For
though I seek them most diligently I fail to find them. NPNFI, Vol. I, Letters of
St. Augustin, Letter 144, From Augustine to Optatus.

On such terms we might amuse ourselves without fear of offending each other
in the field of Scripture, but I might well wonder if the amusement was not
at my expense. For I confess to your Charity that I have learned to yield this
respect and honour only to the canonical books of Scripture: of these alone
do I most firmly believe that the authors were completely free from error.
And if in these writings I am perplexed by anything which appears to me op-
posed to truth, I do not hesitate to suppose that either the Ms. is faulty, or
94 HOLY SCRIPTURE
the translator has not caught the meaning of what was said, or I myself have
failed to understand it. As to all other writings, in reading them, however
great the superiority of the authors to myself in sanctity and learning, I do
not accept their teaching as true on the mere ground of the opinion being
held by them; but only because they have succeeded in convincing my judg-
ment of in truth either by means of these canonical writings themselves, or
by arguments addressed to my reason. I believe, my brother, that this is your
own opinion as well as mine. I do not need to say that I do not suppose you
to wish your books to be read like those of prophets or of apostles, concerning
which it would be wrong to doubt that they are free from error. Far be such
arrogance from that humble piety and just estimate of yourself which I know
you to have, and without which assuredly you would not have said, “Would
that I could receive your embrace, and that by converse we might aid each
other in learning!’ NPNF1, Vol. I, Letters of St. Augustine, Letter 82, Chapter 1.3.

Better far that I should read with certainty and persuasion of its truth
the Holy Scripture, placed on the highest (even the heavenly) pinnacle of
authority, and should, without questioning the trustworthiness of its state-
ments, learn from it that men have been either commended, or corrected, or
condemned, than that, through fear of believing that by men, who, though
of most praiseworthy excellence, were no more than men, actions deserving
rebuke might sometimes be done, I should admit suspicions affecting the
trustworthiness of the whole ‘oracles of God.’ NPNF1, Vol. I, Letters ofSt. Augustin,
Letter 82, Chapter 2.5.

You say that it is incredible that Paul should have rebuked in Peter that which
Paul himself had done. I am not at present inquiring about what Paul did,
but about what he wrote. This is most pertinent to the matter which I have in
hand,— namely, the confirmation of the universal and unquestionable truth
of the Divine Scriptures, which have been delivered to us for our edification
in the faith, not by unknown men, but by the apostles, and have on this
account been received as the authoritative canonical standard. NPNF1, Vol. I,
Letters of St. Augustin, Letter 82, Chapter 2.7.

However, if you inquire or recall to memory the opinion of our Ambrose, and
also of our Cyprian, on the point in question, you will perhaps find that I also
have not been without some whose footsteps I follow in that which I have
maintained. At the same time, as I have said already, it is to the canonical
Scriptures alone that I am bound to yield such implicit subjection as to fol-
low their teaching, without admitting the slightest suspicion that in them
any mistake or any statement intended to mislead could find a place. Epistola
LXXXII, Caput 3.24
Quanquam, sicut paulo ante dixi, tantummodo Scripturis canonicis hanc
 The Material Sufficiency of Scripture 95

ingenuam debeam servitutem, qua eas solas ita sequar, ut conscriptores earum
nihil in eis omnino errasse, nihil fallaciter posuisse non dubitem. Epistola LXXXII,
Caput 3.24, PL 33:286.

Wherefore, when I look round for a third name that I may oppose three on
my side to your three, I might indeed easily find one, I believe, if my reading
had been extensive; but one occurs to me whose name is as good as all these
others, nay, of greater authority—I mean the Apostle Paul himself. To him I
betake myself; to himself I appeal from the verdict of all those commentators
on his writings who advance an opinion different from mine. I interrogate
him, and demand from himself to know whether he wrote what was true,
or under some plea of expediency wrote what he knew to be false, when
he wrote that he saw Peter not walking uprightly, according to the truth of
the gospel, and withstood him to his face. because by that dissimulation he
was compelling the Gentiles to live after the manner of the Jews. And I hear
him in reply proclaiming with a solemn oath in an earlier part of the epistle,
where he began this narration, “The things that I write unto you, behold,
before God, I lie not.’
Let those who think otherwise, however great their names, excuse my dif-
fering from them. The testimony of so great an apostle using, in his own
writings, an oath as a confirmation of their truth, is of more weight with me
than the opinion of any man, however learned, who is discussing the writings
of another. NPNF1, Vol. I, Letters of St. Augustin, Letter 82, Chapter 3.2425.

Wherefore, my brother, refrain from gathering together against divine

testimonies so many, so perspicuous, and so unchallenged, the calumnies
which may be found in the writings of bishops either of our communion,
as Hilary, or of the undivided Church itself in the age preceding the schism
of Donatus, as Cyprian or Agrippinus; because, in the first place, this class
of writings must be, so far as authority is concerned, distinguished from
the canon of Scripture. For they are not read by us as if a testimony brought
forward from them was such that it would be unlawful to hold any different
opinion, for it may be that the opinions which they held were different from
those to which truth demands our assent. For we are amongst those who do
not reject what has been taught us even by an apostle: ‘If in anything ye be
otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you; nevertheless, whereto
we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule,’ — in that way, namely,
which Christ is; of which way the Psalmist thus speaks: “God be merciful unto
us, and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us: that Thy way may be
known upon earth, Thy saving health among all nations.’ NPNFI, Vol. 1, Letters
ofSt. Augustine, Letter 93, Chapter10.35.
96 HOLY SCRIPTURE

The man who, out of regard to the sameness of the sacraments, does not
presume to insist on the second administration of baptism even to heretics, is
not, by thus avoiding Cyprian’s error, placed on a level with Cyprian in merit,
any more than the man who does not insist upon the Gentiles conforming to
Jewish ceremonies is thereby placed on a level in merit with the Apostle Peter.
In Peter’s case, however, the record not only of his halting, but also of his cor-
rection, is contained in the canonical Scriptures; whereas the statement that
Cyprian entertained opinions at variance with those approved by the constitu-
tion and practice of the Church is found, not in canonical Scripture, but in his
own writings, and in those of aCouncil; and although it is not found in the
same records that he corrected that opinion, it is nevertheless by no means an
unreasonable supposition that he did correct it, and that this fact may perhaps
have been suppressed by those who were too] much pleased with the error into
which he fell, and were unwilling to lose the patronage of so great a name. At
the same time, there are not wanting some who maintain that Cyprian never
held the view ascribed to him, but that this was an unwarrantable forgery
passed off by liars under his name. For it was impossible for the integrity
and authenticity of the writings of any one bishop, however illustrious, to
be secured and preserved as the canonical Scriptures are through translation
into so many languages, and through the regular and continuous manner in
which the Church has used them in public worship. Even in the face of this,
some have been found forging many things under the names of the apostles.
It is true, indeed, that they made such attempts in vain, because the text of
canonical Scripture was so well attested, and so generally used and known;
but this effort ofan unholy boldness, which has not forborne to assail writings
which are defended by the strength of such notoriety, has proved what it is
capable of essaying against writings which are not established upon canonical
authority. NPNFI, Vol. I, Letters of St. Augustine, Letter 93, Chapter10.38.

I do not want you to depend on my authority, so as to think that you must

believe something because it is said by me; you should rest your belief either
on the canonical Scriptures, if you do not see how true something is, or on
the truth made manifest to you interiorly, so that you may see clearly. FC,
Vol. 20, Saint Augustine Letters, 147, Chapter 2, p. 171.
But if it is supported by the evident authority of the divine Scriptures, namely,
of those which in the Church are called canonical, it must be believed without
any reservation. In regard to other witnesses of evidence which are offered as
guarantees of belief, you may believe or not, according as you estimate that
they either have or have not the weight necessary to produce belief. FC, Vol.
20, Saint Augustine Letters, 147, Chapter 4, p. 173.
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture oF
We know that God can be seen , because it is written: ‘Blessed are the clean
of heart, for they shall see God.’ Perhpas I should not have said ‘We know,’
but “We believe,’ since we have not at any time seen God either corporeally,
as we see this light, or mentally, as we see the very faith in us by which we
believe; but I do so only because it is written in that part of Scripture. FC
Vol. 20, Saint Augustine Letters, 147, Chapter 12, p. 180.

For it cannot be remotely possible that the authority of the Scriptures should
be fallacious at any point. FC, Vol. 20, Saint Augustine Letters, 147, Chapter 14, p. 181.

Now, note carefully and recall what has been said, so as to see whether I have
explained what you submitted to me, and what seemed difficult to explain. If
you ask whether God can be seen, I answer: He can. If you ask how Iknow, I
answer that we read in Scripture, the source of truth: ‘Blessed are the clean
of heart, for they shall see God,’ and other passages of like tenor. FC, Vol. 20,
Saint Augustine Letters, 147, Chapter 37, p. 204.

You do not put the same faith in me as you do in Ambrose, from whose
books I have drawn this weighty testimony; or if you do think that we are
both to be weighed in the same balance, of course you will not compare us
in any way with the Gospel, or put our writings on the same footing with
the canonical Scriptures. Obviously, if you are wise enough to distinguish
correctly, you see that we fall far short of that authority, and that I fall even
farther; however much credibility you assign to both of us, you compare us
in vain to that high standard. FC, Vol. 20, Saint Augustine Letters, Letter147, Chapter
yor AVY

Perhaps you do not know how far you ought or ought not to believe us,
and you are on guard not to be led astray by believing us either more or less
than you ought. About the divine Scriptures, however, even when they are
not clearly understood, you have no doubt that they are to be believed. FC,
Vol. 20, Saint Augustine Letters, Letter 147, Chapter 39, p. 207.

My reason for inserting these opinions of such great men on such a great
subject was not to make you think that anyone’s interpretation should be
accepted with the authority due to the canonical Scripture, but that those
who are otherwise minded may try to see with their mind what is true, and
to seek God in the simplicity of their heart, and cease to find fault so rashly
with the learned expounders of the divine words. FC, Vol. 20, Saint Augustine
Letters, Letter 147, Chapter 54, p. 223.
98 HOLY SCRIPTURE
I have thought it my duty to quote all these passages from the writings of both
Latin and Greek authors who, being in the Catholic Church before our time,
have written commentaries on the divine oracles, in order that our brother,
if he hold any different opinion from theirs, may know that it becomes him,
laying aside all bitterness of controversy, and preserving or reviving fully the
gentleness of brotherly love, to investigate with diligent and calm consideration
either what he must learn from others, or what others must learn from him.
For the reasonings of any men whatsoever, even though they be Catholics,
and of high reputation, are not to be treated by us in the same way as the
canonical Scriptures are treated. We are at liberty, without doing any violence
to the respect which these men deserve, to condemn and reject anything in
their writings, if perchance we shall find that they have entertained opinions
differing from that which others or we ourselves have, by the divine help,
discovered to be the truth. I deal thus with the writings of others, and I
wish my intelligent readers to deal thus with mine. NPNF1, Vol. I, Letters of St.
Augustine, Letter 148.15.

Wherefore let us most firmly hold that which faith, resting on authority
established beyond all question, maintains: ‘that Christ died according to
the Scriptures,’ and that “He was buried,’ and that “He rose again the third
day according to the Scriptures,’ and all other things which have been written
concerning Him in records fully demonstrated to be true. NPNFI, Vol. I, Letters
of St. Augustine, Letter 164, Chapter 5.14.

This Mediator, having spoken what He judged sufficient first by the prophets,
then by His own lips, and afterwards by the apostles, has besides produced
the Scripture which is called canonical, which has paramount authority, and
to which we yield assent in all matters of which we ought not to be ignorant,
and yet cannot know of ourselves. NPNF1, Vol. II, The City ofGod, Book XI, Chapter 3.

Of all visible things, the world is the greatest; of all invisible, the greatest is
God. But, that the world is, we see; that God is, we believe. That God made
the world, we can believe from no one more safely than from God Himself.
But where have we heard Him? Nowhere more distinctly than in the Holy
Scriptures, where His prophet said, ‘In the beginning God created the heavens
and the earth.’ NPNFI, Vol. II, The City ofGod, Book XI, Chapter 4.

However, it is for the philosophers to determine whether and how they differ,
though their own writings sufficiently testify that they make great account of
love (amor) placed on good objects, and even on God Himself. But we wished
to show that the Scriptures of our religion, whose authority we prefer to all
writings whatsoever, make no distinction between amor, dilectio, and caritas;
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture oD
and we have already shown that amor is used in a good connection... What we
assert let us prove from Scripture. NPNF1, Vol. II, The City ofGod, Book XIV, Chapter 7.

(Says of the City of God): It believes also the Holy Scriptures, old and new,
which we call canonical, and which are the source of the faith by which the
just lives and by which we walk without doubting whilst we are absent from the
Lord. So long as this faith remains inviolate and firm, we may without blame
entertain doubts regarding some things which we have neither perceived by
sense nor by reason, and which have not been revealed to us by the canonical
Scriptures, nor come to our knowledge through witnesses whom it is absurd
to disbelieve. NPNFI, Vol. II, The City of God, Book XIX, Chapter 18.

For the authority is extant of the divine Scriptures, from which our reason
ought not to turn aside; nor by leaving the solid support of the divine ut-
terance, to fall headlong over the precipice of its own surmisings, in matters
wherein neither the perceptions of the body rule, nor the clear reason of the
truth shines forth. NPNFI, Vol. III, On the Trinity, Book III, Chapter 11.

As I say to the former, Do not be willing to yield to my writings as to the

canonical Scriptures; but in these, when thou hast discovered even what thou
didst not previously believe, believe it unhesitatingly; while in those, unless
thou hast understood with certainty what thou didst not before hold as certain,
be unwilling to hold it fast: so I say to the latter, Do not be willing to amend
my writings by thine own opinion or disputation, but from the divine text, or
by unanswerable reason. If thou apprehendest anything of truth in them, its
being there does not make it mine, but by understanding and loving it, let it
be both thine and mine; but if thou convictest anything of falsehood, though
it have once been mine, in that I was guilty of the error, yet now by avoiding
it let it be neither thine nor mine. NPNF1, Vol. III, On the Trinity, Book Il, Preface 2.

Receive, my children, the Rule of Faith, which is called the Symbol (or Creed).
And when ye have received it, write it in your heart, and be daily saying it to
yourselves; before ye sleep, before ye go forth, arm you with your Creed. The
Creed no man writes so as it may be able to be read: but for rehearsal of it,
lest haply forgetfulness obliterate what care hath delivered, let your memory
be your record—roll: what ye are about to hear, that are ye to believe; and what
ye shall have believed, that are about to give back with your tongue. For the
Apostle says, ‘With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation.’ For this is the Creed which ye are
to rehearse and to repeat in answer. These words which ye have heard are
in the Divine Scriptures scattered up and down: but thence gathered and
reduced into one, that the memory of slow persons might not be distressed;
that every person may be able to say, able to hold, what he believes. For have
100 HOLY SCRIPTURE

ye now merely heard that God is Almighty? But ye begin to have him for your
father, when ye have been born by the church as your Mother. NPNFI, Vol. III,
On the Creed: A Sermon to the Catechumens.

Whereas, therefore, in every question, which relates to life and conduct, not
only teaching, but exhortation also is necessary; in order that by teaching we
may know what is to be done, and by exhortation may be incited not to think
it irksome to do what we already know is to be done; what more can I teach
you, than what we read in the Apostle? For holy Scripture setteth a rule to
our teaching, that we dare not ‘be wise more than it behoveth to be wise;’
but be wise, as himself saith, ‘unto soberness, according as unto each God
hath allotted the measure of faith.’ Be it not therefore for me to teach you
any other thing, save to expound to you the words of the Teacher, and to
treat of them as the Lord shall have given to me. NPNFI, Vol. III, On the Good of
Widowhood (De Bono Viduitatis) 2.
Cum igitur in omni quaestione quae ad vitam moresque pertinet, non sola
doctrina, verum etiam exhortatio sit necessaria; ut doctrina quid agendum sit
noverimus, exhortatione autem excitemur, ne pigeat agere quod agendum esse
jam novimus: quid ego amplius te doceam, quam id quod apud Apostolum
legimus? Sancta enim Scriptura nostrae doctrinae regulam figit, ne audeamus
sapere plus quam oportet sapere; sed sapiamus, ut ipse ait, ad temperantiam,
sicut unicuique Deus partitus est mensuram fidei. Non sit ergo mihi aliud
te docere, nisi verba tibi doctoris exponere, et de iis quod Dominus dederit
disputare. De Bono Viduitatis, Caput 1.2, PL 40:431.

You did not hear the voice of the Father from heaven. You did not see the
works by which Christ bore witness to Himself. The books which tell of these
things you profess to receive, that you may maintain a delusive appearance of
Christianity; but when anything is quoted against you, you say that the books
have been tampered with. You quote the passage where Christ says, ‘If ye
believe not me, believe the works;’ and again, ‘I am one that bear witness
of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me;’ but you will
not let us quote in reply such passages as these: ‘Search the Scriptures; for
in them ye think that ye have eternal life, and they are they that testify of
me;’ ‘If ye believed Moses, ye would believe me, for he wrote of me;’ “They
have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them;’ ‘If they hear not Moses
and the prophets, neither will they believe though one rose from the dead.’
What have you to say for yourselves? Where is your authority? If you reject
these passages of Scripture, in spite of the weighty authority in their favor,
what miracles can you show? However, if you did work miracles, we should
be on our guard against receiving their evidence in your case; for the Lord has
forewarned us: ‘Many false Christs and false prophets shall arise, and shall do
 The Material Sufficiency of Scripture 101
many signs and wonders, that they may deceive, if it were possible, the very
elect: behold, I have told you before.’ This shows that the established author-
ity of Scripture must outweigh every other; for it derives new confirmation
from the progress of events which happen, as Scripture proves, in fulfillment
of the predictions made so long before their occurrence. NPNFI, Vol. IV, Reply
to Faustus the Manichaean, Book XIII.5.

We believe that Mary, as well as Joseph, was of the family of David, because
we believe the Scriptures, which assert both that Christ was of the seed of
David after the flesh, and that His mother was the Virgin Mary, He having
no human father. Therefore, whoever denies the relationship of Mary to
David, evidently opposes the pre-eminent authority of these passages of
Scripture; and to maintain this opposition he must bring evidence in support
of his statement from writings acknowledged by the Church as canonical and
catholic, not from any writings he pleases. In the matters of which we are
now treating, only the canonical writings have any weight with us; for they
only are received and acknowledged by the Church spread over all the world,
which is itselfafulfillment of the prophecies regarding it contained in these
writings. Accordingly, I am not bound to admit the uncanonical account of
Mary’s birth which Faustus adopts, that her father was a priest of the tribe
of Levi, of the name of Joachim...It is enough for us that the enemies of
these Scriptures, which record these truths and which we believe, cannot
prove against them any charge of falsehood. NPNF1, Vol. IV, Reply to Faustus the
Manichaean, Book XXIII.9.

Faustus most plausibly refers to what Jesus said of Himself. But how is this to
be known except from the narratives of His disciples? And if we do not believe
them when they tell us that Christ was born of a virgin, how shall we believe
what they record as said by Christ of Himself? For, as regards any writing
professing to come immediately from Christ Himself, if it were really His,
how is it not read and acknowledged and regarded as of supreme authority
in the Church, which, beginning with Christ Himself, and continued by His
apostles, who were succeeded by the bishops, has been maintained and ex-
tended to our own day, and in which is found the fulfillment of many former
predictions, while those concerning the last days are sure to be accomplished
in the future? NPNFI, Vol. IV, Reply to Faustus the Manichaean, Book XXVIII.4—5.

Your design clearly is to deprive Scripture of all authority, and to make

every man’s mind the judge what passage of Scripture he is to approve of,
and what to disapprove of. This is not to be subject to Scripture in matters
of faith, but to make Scripture subject to you. Instead of making the high
authority of Scripture the reason of approval, every man makes his approval
102 HOLY SCRIPTURE

the reason for thinking a passage correct. NPNF1, Vol. IV, Reply to Faustus the Man-
ichaean, Book XXXII.19.

Now that all Faustus’ calumnies have been refuted, those at least on the sub-
jects here treated of at large and explained fully as the Lord has enabled me,
I close with a word of counsel to you who are implicated in those shocking
and damnable errors, that, if you acknowledge the supreme authority of
Scripture, you should recognise that authority which from the time of Christ
Himself, through the ministry of His apostles, and through a regular succes-
sion of bishops in the seats of the apostles, has been preserved to our own day
throughout the whole world, with a reputation known to all. NPNFI, Vol. IV,
Reply to Faustus the Manichaean, Book XXXIII.9.

Let us not bring in deceitful balances, to which we may hang what weights
we will and how we will, saying to suit ourselves, “This is heavy and this is
light;’ but let us bring forward the sacred balance out of holy Scripture, as
out of the Lord’s treasure—house, and let us weigh them by it, to see which
is the heavier; or rather, let us not weigh them for ourselves, but read the
weights as declared by the Lord. NPNFI, Vol. IV, On Baptism, Against the Donatists,
Book II, Chapter 6.

Now let the proud and swelling necks of the heretics raise themselves, if they
dare, against the holy humility of this address. Ye mad Donatists, whom we
desire earnestly to return to the peace and unity of the holy Church, that ye
may receive health therein, what have ye to say in answer to this? You are
wont, indeed, to bring up against us the letters of Cyprian, his opinion, his
Council; why do ye claim the authority of Cyprian for your schism, and reject
his example when it makes for the peace of the Church? But who can fail to
be aware that the sacred canon of Scripture, both of the Old and New Testa-
ment, is confined within its own limits, and that it stands so absolutely in a
superior position to all later letters of the bishops, that about it we can hold
no manner of doubt or disputation whether what is confessedly contained
in it is right and true; but that all the letters of bishops which have been
written, or are being written, since the closing of the canon, are liable to be
refuted if there be anything contained in them which strays from the truth,
either by the discourse of some one who happens to be wiser in the matter
than themselves, or by the weightier authority and more learned experience
of other bishops, by the authority of Councils; and further, that the Coun-
cils themselves, which are held in the several districts and provinces, must
yield, beyond all possibility of doubt, to the authority of plenary Councils
which are formed for the whole Christian world; and that even of the ple-
 The Material Sufficiency of Scripture 103

nary (ecumenical) Councils, the earlier are often corrected by those which
follow them, when, by some actual experiment, things are brought to light
which were before concealed, and that is known which previously lay hid,
and this without any whirlwind of sacrilegious pride, without any puffing
of the neck through arrogance, without any strife of envious hatred, simply
with holy humility, catholic peace, and Christian charity? NPNFI, Vol. IV, On
Baptism, Against the Donatists, Book II, Chapter 3.

Especially as in writings of such authors I feel myself free to use my own judg-
ment (owing unhesitating assent to nothing but the canonical Scriptures),
whilst in fact there is not a passage which he has quoted from the works of this
anonymous author that disturbs me. NPNFI, Vol. V, On Nature and Grace, Chapter 71,
Maxime quoniam me, in hujusmodi quorumlibet hominum scriptis liberum
(quia solis canonicis debeo sine ulla recusatione consensum), nihil movet quod
de illius scriptis, cujus nomen non ibi inveni, ille posuit: De Natura et Gratia,
Caput 71. PL 44:282.

What, moreover, shall I say of those commentators on the divine Scriptures

who have flourished in the catholic Church? They have never tried to pervert
these testimonies to an alien sense, because they were firmly established in
our most ancient and solid faith, and were never moved aside by the novelty
of error. Were I to wish to collect these together, and to make use of their
testimony, the task would both be too long, and I should probably seem to
have bestowed less preference than I ought on canonical authorities, from
which one must never deviate. NPNFI, Vol. V, On Marriage and Concupiscence, Book
II, Chapter 51.

But since they say ‘that their enemies have taken up our words for hatred of
the truth,’ and complained that ‘throughout nearly the whole of the West a
dogma not less foolish than impious is taken up, and from simple bishops sit-
ting in their places without a Synodal congregation a subscription is extorted
to confirm this dogma,’ —although the Church of Christ, both Western and
Eastern shuddered at the profane novelties of their words—I think it belongs
to my care not only to avail myself of the sacred canonical Scriptures as wit-
nesses against them, which I have already sufficiently done, but, moreover,
to bring forward some proofs from the writings of the holy men who before
us have treated upon those Scriptures with the most widespread reputation
and great glory. Not that I would put the authority of any controversialist
on a level with the canonical books, as if there were nothing which is better
or more truly thought by one catholic than by another who likewise is a
104 HOLY SCRIPTURE

catholic; but that those may be admonished who think that these men say
anything as it used to be said, before their empty talk on these subjects, by
catholic teachers following the divine oracles, and may know that the true
and anciently established catholic faith is by us defended against the reced-
ing presumption and mischief of the Pelagian heretics. NPNF1, Vol. V, A Treatise
Against Two Letters of the Pelagians, Book IV, Chapter 20.

For what is so much an adversary to those who wish to sin as the command-
ment of God, i.e. His law and divine Scripture, which has been given us for
this life, that it may be with us in the way, which we must not contradict, lest
it deliver us to the judge, but which we ought to submit to quickly? For no
one knows when he may depart out of this life. Now, who is it that submits
to divine Scripture, save he who reads or hears it piously, deferring to it as of
supreme authority. ..NPNFI, Vol. V1, Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, Book I, Chapter XI.

In the entire number of those divine records which are contained in the sa-
cred writings, the gospel deservedly stands pre-eminent....Certain of them
also—namely, Matthew and John—gave to the world, in their respective
books, a written account of all those matters which it seemed needful to
commit to writing concerning Him. NPNFI, Vol. VI, The Harmony ofthe Gospels,
Book I, Chapter I, On the Authority of the Gospels 1.

Therefore, when those disciples have written matters which He declared and
spake to them, it ought not by any means to be said that He has written
nothing Himself; since the truth is, that His members have accomplished
only what they became acquainted with by the repeated statements of the
Head. For all that He was minded to give for our perusal on the subject of
His own doings and sayings, He commanded to be written by those disciples,
whom He thus used as if they were His own hands. NPNFI, Vol. VI, The Harmony
of the Gospels, Book I, Chapter XXXV.54.

What sort of a man this Nathanael was, we prove by the words which follow.
Hear what sort of a man he was; the Lord Himself bears testimony. Great
is the Lord, known by the testimony of John; blessed Nathanael, known by
the testimony of the truth. Because the Lord, although He had not been
commended by the testimony of John, Himself to Himself bore testimony,
because the truth is sufficient for its own testimony. NPNFI, Vol. VIL, Tractates
on John, Tractate VII.16, John 1:34—-51.

For though the Lord Jesus did many such acts, yet all of them are not recorded;
just as this same St. John the evangelist himself testifies, that Christ the Lord
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 105

both said and did many things that are not recorded; but such were chosen
for record as seemed to suffice for the salvation of believers. NPNF1, Vol. VII,
Tractates on John, Tractate 49, John 11:1—54.

Well, then, let us grant that it is so, that many can now bear those things when
the Holy Spirit has been sent, which could not then, prior to His coming, be
born by the disciples: do we on that account know what it is that He would not
say, as we should know it were we reading or hearing it as uttered by Himself?
For it is one thing to know whether we or you could bear it; but quite another
to know what it is, whether able to be born or not. But when He Himself was
silent about such things, which of us could say, It is this or that? Or if he
venture to say it, how will he prove it? For who could manifest such vanity
or recklessness as when saying what he pleased to whom he pleased, even
though true, to affirm without any divine authority that it was the very thing
which the Lord on that occasion refused to utter? Which of us could do such
a thing without incurring the severest charge of rashness—a thing which gets
no countenance from prophetic or apostolic authority? For surely if we had
read any such thing in the books confirmed by canonical authority, which
were written after our Lord’s ascension, it would not have been enough to
have read such a statement, had we not also read in the same place that this
was actually one of those things which the Lord was then unwilling to tell
His disciples, because they were unable to bear them. As if, for example, I
were to say that the words which we read at the opening of this Gospel, ‘In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God; the same was in the beginning with God:’ and those which fol-
low, because they were written afterwards, and yet without any mention of
their being uttered by the Lord Jesus when He was here in the flesh, but
were written by one of His apostles, to whom they were revealed by His
Spirit, were some of those which the Lord would not then utter, because the
disciples were unable to bear them; who would listen to me in making so
rash a statement? But if in the same passage where we read the one we were
also to read the other, who would not give due credence to such an apostle?
NPNF1, Vol. VII, Tractates on John, Tractate 96, John 16:12, 13.

All things that are read from the Holy Scriptures in order to our instruction
and salvation, it behooves us to hear with earnest heed...And yet even in
regard of them, (a thing which ye ought especially to observe, and to commit
to your memory, because that which shall make us strong against insidious
errors, God has been pleased to put in the Scriptures, against which no man
dares to speak, who in any sort wishes to seem a Christian), when He had
given Himself to be handled by them, that did not suffice Him, but He would
106 HOLY SCRIPTURE

also confirm by means of the Scriptures the heart of them that believe: for
He looked forward to us who should be afterwards; seeing that in Him we
have nothing that we can handle, but have that which we may read.. . Whence
we also must pray for this, that He would open our understanding. NPNFi,
Vol. VII, Ten Homilies on the First Epistle ofJohn, Homily 2.1, 1 John 2:12-17.
Every sickness of the soul hath in Scripture its proper remedy. NPNF1, Vol.
VIII, St. Augustin on the Psalms, Psalm 37.2.

Each disease of the soul has its own remedy in the Scriptures. ACW, Vol. 30,
Psalm 36.3, p. 253.

And if any comparisons shall have been made for thee, if thou hast found
them in the Scriptures, believe: if thou shalt not have found them spoken of
except by report, do not very much believe them. The thing itself perchance
is so, perchance is not so. Do thou profit by it, let that comparison avail for
thy salvation. NPNFI, Vol. VII, St. Augustin on the Psalms, Psalm 67.10.

What is this word, which is thus called a light and a lantern at the same time,
save we understand the word which was sent unto the Prophets, or which
was preached through the Apostles; not Christ the Word, but the word of
Christ, of which it is written, ‘Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the
word of God’? For the Apostle Peter also, comparing the prophetical word
to a lantern, saith, ‘whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lantern,
that shineth in a dark place.’ What, therefore, he here saith, “Thy word’ is
the word which is contained in all the holy Scriptures. NPNF1, Vol. VIII, St.
Augustin on the Psalms, Psalm 119:105.
Quid est hoc verbum, quod ita lumen dicitur, ut lucerna sit (ait enim,
Lucerna pedibus meis verbum tuum, et lumen semitis meis), nisi verbum
intelligamus quod factum est ad Prophetas, vel quod praedicatum est per Apos-
tolos? Non verbum Christum, sed verbum Christi, de quo scriptum est, Fides
ex auditu, auditus autem per verbum Christi. Nam et verbum propheticum
lucernae comparans apostolus Petrus: Habemus, inquit, certiorem propheticum
sermonem, cui benefacitis intendentes, velut lucernae lucenti in obscuro loco.
Quod itaque hic ait, Lucerna pedibus meis verbum tuum, et lumen semitis
meis, verbum est quod in Scripturis sanctis omnibus continetur. Jn Psalmum
CXVIII Enarratio, Sermo XXII, PL 37:57.

Our Lord and God takes care of and heals every ailment of the soul, and so
he produced many medicines from the holy scriptures (which you could call
the shelves of his pharmacy or drugstore) when the divine readings were be-
ing read. It is my ministry to apply these medicines to our wounds. For while
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 107

I indeed own to being the doctor’s assistant, whom he is happy to employ in

the treatment of others, it is not as though I myself had no need of his care.
If we pay attention to him, if we present ourselves to him unreservingly for
treatment, we shall all be cured. WSA, Part 3, Vol. 2, Sermons, Sermon Sally job, UGH

Commenting on the ‘mountains’ in Ez. 34:13: He established the mountains

of Israel, the authors of the divine scriptures. Feed there, in order to feed
without a qualm. Whatever you hear from that source, let that taste good to
you; anything from outside, spit it out. In order not to go astray in the fog,
listen to the voice of the shepherd. Gather yourselves to the mountains ofholy
scripture. There you will find your heart’s desire, there is nothing poisonous
there, nothing unsuitable; they are the richest pastures. All you have to do is
come to them in good health, in good health feed on the mountains of Israel.
WSA, Part 3, Vol. 2, Sermons, Sermon 46.24, p. 279.

‘But they betrayed the sacred books, and they offered incense to idols, so—
and-so and so—and-so.’ What do I care about so—and—so and so—and-—so?
If they did that, they are not shepherds. What you've got to do is utter the
voice of the shepherd, because not even about them, and so—and-so and
so—and-so, are you proclaiming the voice of the shepherd. It’s you who are
accusing them, not the gospel, not the prophet, not the apostle. I will believe
it about someone whom that voice speaks to me of; I won't believe others.
But you have court records to produce; I have court records to produce. Let
us believe yours; you too must believe mine. I don’t believe yours; don’t you
believe mine. Take away human documents, let divine words be heard. WSA,
Part 3, Vol. 2, Sermons, Sermon 46.33, p. 285.

So they have something from the dew of heaven and from the fertility of
the earth: from the dew of heaven all the scriptures, the whole word of God;
from the fertility of the earth all the visible sacraments. WSA, Part 3, Vol. 2,
Sermons, Sermon 4.31, p. 201.

Why do you even dare to mention blessed Cyprian, the great defender of catho-
lic unity and peace, as if he were the author of your division? First be in the
church that all agree Cyprian embraced and preached and then dare to name
Cyprian as the author of your opinion; first imitate the holiness and humility
of Cyprian and then bring up the council of Cyprian. We cause no injury to
Cyprian when we distinguish his letters from the canonical authority of the
divine scriptures. Nor without cause has the ecclesiastical canon been set
with such sound vigilance, to which belong the indisputable books of the
prophets and apostles, which we may dare not judge at all, and according to
108 HOLY SCRIP PURE

which we may freely judge the remaining books of believers or unbelievers.

Hence, when the apostle, whose letters are in the canonical authority, says,
Therefore let us, as many as are perfect, think this; and if you think otherwise
about something God will also reveal it to you (Phil 3:15). As long as Cyprian
thought otherwise, if it is certain that the writings are his which you judge
should be brought forth for us; then as long as he thought otherwise about this
matter which the truth, considered more accurately, has made clear, until God
would also reveal it to him, with unspeakable praise of love he did not leave
the catholic unity and peace even with his colleagues from whom he differed
in thought. Contra Cresconium Grammaticum Partis Donati, Libri quator, Liber Secundus,
Caput XXXI. Translation by Dr. Michael Woodward.
Quid, quod etiam beati Cypriani mentionem facere audetis, velut ille auctor
sit vestrae divisionis, tantus defensor catholicae unitatis et pacis? Primo esto in
Ecclesia, quam constat tenuisse ac praedicasse Cyprianum; et tunc aude velut
auctorem sententiae tuae nominare Cyprianum: primo imitare pietatem hu-
militatemque Cypriani, et tunc profer concilium Cypriani. Nos enim nullam
Cypriano facimus injuriam, cum ejus quaslibet litteras, a canonica divinarum
Scripturarum auctoritate distinguimus. Neque enim sine causa tam salubri
vigilantia canon ecclesiasticus constitutus est, ad quem certi Prophetarum et
Apostolorum libri pertineant, quos [Col. 0490] omnino judicare non audea-
mus, et secundum quos de caeteris litteris vel fidelium vel infidelium libere
judicemus. Proinde, cum dicat Apostolus, cujus Epistolae in auctoritate ca-
nonica vigent, Quotquot ergo perfecti, hoc sapiamus; et si quid aliter sapitis,
id quoque vobis Deus revelabit: quamdiu aliter sapuit Cyprianus, si scripta
ejus esse constat quae pro vobis proferenda arbitramini; quamdiu ergo de hac
re aliter sapuit quam veritas diligentius considerata patefecit, donec ei Deus
id quoque revelaret, ineffabili laude charitatis unitatem pacemque catholicam
etiam cum collegis suis, a quibus aliter sapuit, non reliquit. Contra Cresconium
Grammaticum Partis Donati, Libri quator, Liber Secundus, Caput XXXI, PL 43:489-490.

His words from the letter to Jubaianus you have inserted into your letters, by
which you might show that it was acceptable to them [Editors emend as ‘to
him’, but the manuscripts have ‘to them,’ namely to the colleagues of Cyprian]
to baptize those in the catholic church, who were baptized in a heretical or
schismatic church. I am not bound by the authority of this letter, since I
do not hold Cyprian’s letters as canonical, but consider them to come from
canonical writings. And whatever in them agrees with the authority of the
divine scriptures I accept with praise to him; but what does not agree I re-
ject with peace to him. Hence, concerning those things you have mentioned,
written by him to Jubaianus, if you should recite from some canonical book of
the apostles or prophets, I would have nothing at all to contradict. But now,
since you recite what is not canonical, in that freedom to which the Lord has
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 109

called us, the view of this man (whose praise I am unable to reach, to whose
letters Ido not compare my own writings, whose mind I love, in whose speech
I delight, at whose love I marvel, whose (martyrdom I venerate) about which
he thought otherwise, I do not accept. Contra Cresconium Grammaticum Partis Donati,
Libri quator, Liber Secundus, Caput XXXII. Translation by Dr. Michael Woodward.
Verba ejus ex epistola ad Jubaianum inseruisti litteris tuis, quibus eis
placuisse monstrares, baptizandos eos esse in Ecclesia catholica, qui fuerint
in haeresi vel schismate baptizati. Ego hujus epistolae auctoritate non teneor;
quia litteras Cypriani non ut canonicas habeo, sed eas ex canonicis considero,
et quod in eis divinarum Scripturarum auctoritati congruit, cum laude ejus
accipio; quod autem non congruit, cum pace ejus respuo. Ac per hoc, si ea quae
commemorasti ab illo ad Jubaianum scripta, de aliquo libro Apostolorum vel
Prophetarum canonico recitares, quid omnino contradicerem non haberem.
Nunc vero quoniam canonicum non est quod recitas, ea libertate ad quam
nos vocavit Dominus, ejus viri cujus laudem assequi non valeo, cujus multis
litteris mea scripta non comparo, cujus ingenium diligo, cujus ore delector,
cujus charitatem miror, cujus martyrium veneror, hoc quod aliter sapuit, non
accipio. Contra Cresconium Grammaticum Partis Donati, Libri quator, Liber Secundus, Caput
XXXII, PL 43:490.

Let us not hear, You say this, I say that; but let us hear Thus saith the Lord.
There are the Dominical books, whose authority we both acknowledge, we
both yield to, we both obey; there let us seek the Church, there let us dis-
cuss the question between us. De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput III.5. Translation by William
Goode, Vol. 3, p. 164.
Sed, ut dicere coeperam, non audiamus, Haec dicis, haec dico; sed audiamus,
Haec dicit Dominus. Sunt certe Libri dominici, quorum auctoritati utrique
consentimus, utrique cedimus utrique servimus: ibi quaeramus Ecclesiam, ibi
discutiamus causam nostram. De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput III.5, PL 43:394.

Therefore let those testimonies which we mutually bring against each other,
from any other quarter than the divine canonical books, be put out of sight.
De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput 11.5. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 164.
Auferantur ergo illa de medio, quae adversus nos invicem, non ex divinis
canonicis Libris, sed aliunde recitamus. De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput III.5, PL 43:395.

I would not have the holy Church demonstrated by human testimonies, but
by divine oracles. De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput III.6. Translation by William Goode, Vol.
3 164165,
Quia nolo humanis documentis, sed divinis oraculis sanctam Ecclesiam
demonstrari. De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput III.6, PL 43:395.
110 HOLY SCRIPTURE

Whoever dissents from the sacred Scriptures, even if they are found in all
places in which the church is designated, are not the church. De Unitate Ecclesiae,
Caput IV.7. Translation by Francis Turretin, Vol. 3, pp. 109-1 10.
Quicumque de ipso capite, ab Scripturis sanctis dissentiunt, etiamsi in om-
nibus locis inveniantur in quibus Ecclesia designata est, non sunt in Ecclesia.
De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput IV.7, PL 43:395-396.

Let no one say to me, What hath Donatus said, what hath Parmenian said,
or Pontius, or any of them. For we must not allow even Catholic bishops,
if at any time, perchance, they are in error, to hold any opinion contrary to
the Canonical Scriptures of God. De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput X1.28. Translation by
William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 165.
Nemo mihi dicat: O quid dixit Donatus, o quid dixit Parmenianus, aut
Pontius, aut quilibet illorum! Quia nec catholicis episcopis consentiendum
est, sicubi forte falluntur, ut contra canonicas Dei Scripturas aliquid sentiant.
De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput X1.28, PL 43:410-411.

All such matters, therefore, being put out of sight, let them show their Church,
if they can; not in the discourses and reports of Africans, not in the councils
of their own bishops, not in the writings of any controversialists, not in falla-
cious signs and miracles, for even against these we are rendered by the word
of the Lord prepared and cautious, but in the ordinances of the Law, in the
predictions of the Prophets, in the songs of the Psalms, in the words of the very
Shepherd himself, in the preachings and labours of the Evangelists, that is, in
all the canonical authorities of sacred books. Nor so as to collect together and
rehearse those things that are spoken obscurely, or ambiguously, or figuratively,
such as each can interpret as he likes, according to his own views. For such
testimonies cannot be rightly understood and expounded, unless those things
that are most clearly spoken are first held by a firm faith. De Unitate Ecclesiae,
Caput XVIII.47. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 165.
Remotis ergo omnibus talibus Ecclesiam suam demonstrent, si possunt, non
in sermonibus et rumoribus Afrorum, non in conciliis episcoporum suorum,
non in litteris quorumlibet disputatorum, non in signis et prodigiis fallacibus,
quia etiam contra ista verbo Domini praeparati et cauti redditi sumus: sed in
praescripto Legis, in Prophetarum praedictis, in Psalmorum cantibus, in ipsius
unius Pastoris vocibus, in Evangelistarum praedicationibus et laboribus, hoc
est, in omnibus canonicis sanctorum Librorum auctoritatibus. Nec ita, ut ea
colligant et commemorent, quae obscure vel ambigue vel figurate dicta sunt,
quae quisque sicut voluerit, interpretetur secundum sensum suum. Talia enim
recte intelligi exponique non possunt, nisi prius ea, quae apertissime dicta sunt,
firma fide teneantur. De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput XVIII.47, PL 43:427-428,
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture OTT

We ought to find the Church, as the Head of the Church, in the Holy Ca-
nonical Scriptures, not to inquire for it in the various reports, and opinions,
and deeds, and words, and visions of men. De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput XIX.49.
Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 165.
Ecclesia, quam sicut ipsum caput in Scripturis sanctis canonicis debemus
agnoscere, non in variis hominum rumoribus, et opinionibus, et factis, et dictis,
et visis inquirere. De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput XIX.49, PL 43:427-428.

Whether they [i.e. the Donatists] hold the Church, they must show by the
Canonical books of the Divine Scriptures alone; for we do not say, that we
must be believed because we are in the Church of Christ, because Optatus of
Milevi, or Ambrose of Milan, or innumerable other bishops of our commu-
nion, commended that Church to which we belong, or because it is extolled
by the Councils of our colleagues, or because through the whole world in the
holy places which those of our communion frequent such wonderful answers
to prayers or cures happen. De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput X1X.50. Translation by William
Goode, Vol. 2, pp. 341-342 and Vol. 3, p. 165.
Sed utrum ipsi Ecclesiam teneant, non nisi de divinarum Scripturarum
canonicis libris ostendant: quia nec nos propterea dicimus nobis credi oportere
quod in Ecclesia Christi sumus, quia ipsam quam tenemus, commendavit
Milevitanus Optatus, vel Mediolanensis Ambrosius, vel alii innumerabiles
nostrae communionis episcopi; aut quia nostrorum collegarum conciliis ipsa
praedicata est; aut quia per totum orbem in locis sanctis, quae frequentat nostra
communio, tanta mirabilia vel exauditionum, vel sanitatum ftunt...De Unitate
Ecclesiae, Caput X1X.50, PL 43:429-430.

Whatever things of this kind take place in the Catholic Church, are therefore
to be approved of because they take place in the Catholic Church; but it is
not proved to be the Catholic Church, because these things happen in it. The
Lord Jesus himself when he had risen from the dead. ..judged that his disciples
were to be convinced by the testimonies of the Law and the Prophets and the
Psalms... These are the proofs, these the foundations, these the supports for our
cause. We read in the Acts of the Apostles of some who believed, that they
searched the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so. What Scriptures
but the Canonical Scriptures of the Law and the Prophets? To these have
been added the Gospels, the Apostolical Epistles, the Acts of the Apostles,
the Apocalypse of John. De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput XIX.50-51. Translation by William
Goode, Vol. 2, pp. 341-342 and Vol. 3, pp. 165-166.
Quaecumque talia in Catholica fiunt, ideo sunt approbanda, quia in Cath-
olica fiunt; non ideo ipsa manifestatur Catholica, quia haec in ea fiunt. eos
[i.e., discipulos] testimoniis Legis et Prophetarum et Psalmorum confirmandos
12 HOLY SCRIPTURE
esse judicavit,...Haec sunt causae nostrae documenta, haec fundamenta, haec
firmamenta. 51. Legimus in Actibus Apostolorum dictum de quibusdam
credentibus, quod quotidie scrutarentur Scripturas, an haec ita se haberent:
quas utique Scripturas, nisi canonicas Legis et Prophetarum? Huc accesserunt
Evangelia, apostolicae Epistolae, Actus Apostolorum, Apocalypsis Joannis. De
Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput X1X.50-51, PL 43:430.74.

Open the register, read; instruments are drawn up, he didn’t make a pur-
chase without having it in writing, he foresaw the pettifogging objections
that would be raised in the future; what can be read is to be trusted. Well
now, it’s being read; notice whom it’s written by, notice who's speaking, who's
taking it down. He was the one speaking, it was the apostles taking it down.
They left it to us all written down. So let us read the instrument of pur-
chase, brothers; why should we quarrel? What if the register of our Lord, our
purchaser, should relieve us of all grounds for quarrelling? WSA, Part 3, Vol. 9,
Sermons, Sermon 340A.11, pp. 304-305.

Some great good thing therefore it is, to sleep in the midst of the lots, which
some would have to be the Two Testaments, so that to ‘sleep in the midst of
the lots’ is to rest on the authority of those Testaments, that is, to acquiesce
in the testimony of either Testament: so that whenever anything out of them
is produced and proved, all strife is ended in peaceful acquiescence... NPNF1,
Vol. VIII, St. Augustin on the Psalms, Psalm 68.14.

The enemy of grace presses on and urges in all ways to make us believe that
grace is given according to our deservings, and thus grace is no more grace;
and are we unwilling to say what we can say by the testimony of Scripture?
NPNFI, Vol. V, The Gift of Perseverance, Chapter 40.

Now, do you not perceive the tendency and direction of this controversy?
Even to render of none effect the Scripture where it is said ‘Thou shalt call
His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.’ For how is He to
save where there is no malady? For the sins, from which this gospel says Christ’s
people have to be saved, are not substances, and according to this writer are
incapable of corrupting. O brother, how good a thing it is to remember that
you are a Christian! To believe, might perhaps be enough; but still, since you
persist in discussion, there is no harm, nay there is even benefit, ifa firm faith
precede it; let us not suppose, then, that human nature cannot be corrupted
by sin, but rather, believing, from the inspired Scriptures, that it is corrupted
by sin, let our inquiry be how this could possibly have come about. NPNFI,
Vol. V, On Nature and Grace, Chapter 22.
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture Les
I have not quoted these words as if we might rely upon the opinions of every
disputant as on canonical authority; but I have done it, that it may be seen
how, from the beginning down to the present age, which has given birth to this
novel opinion, the doctrine of original sin has been guarded with the utmost
constancy as a part of the Church’s faith, so that it is usually adduced as most
certain ground whereon to refute other opinions when false, instead of being
itself exposed to refutation by any one as false. Moreover, in the sacred books of
the canon, the authority of this doctrine is vigorously asserted in the clearest
and fullest way. The apostle exclaims: ‘By one man sin entered into the world,
and death by sin; and so it passed upon all men, in which all have sinned; Now
from these words it cannot certainly be said, that Adam's sin has injured even
those who commit no sin, for the Scripture says, In which all have sinned.’
Nor, indeed, are those sins of infancy so said to be another's, as if they did not
belong to the infants at all, inasmuch as all then sinned in Adam, when in his
nature, by virtue of that Innate power whereby he was able to produce them,
they were all as yet the one Adam; but they are called another’s, because as
yet they were not living their own lives, but the life of the one man contained
whatsoever was in his future posterity. NPNFI, Vol. V, On the Merits and Forgiveness
of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants, Book III, Chapter 14.

Taking into account all the inspired statements which I have quoted, —
whether I regard the value of each passage one by one, or combine their
united testimony in an accumulated witness or even include similar pas-
sages which I have not adduced, — there can be nothing discovered, but
that which the catholic Church holds, in her dutiful vigilance against all
profane novelties: that every man is separated from God, except those who
are reconciled to God through Christ the Mediator; and that no one can be
separated from God, except by sins, which alone cause separation; that there
is, therefore, no reconciliation except by the remission of sins, through the
one grace of the most merciful Savior, — through the one sacrifice of the
most veritable Priest; and that none who are born of the woman, that trusted
the serpent and so was corrupted through desire, are delivered from the body
of this death, except by the Son of the virgin who believed the angel and so
conceived without desire. NPNFI, Vol. V, On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on
the Baptism of Infants, Book I, Chapter 56.

Let us therefore give in and yield our assent to the authority of Holy Scrip-
ture, which knows not how either to be deceived or to deceive; and as we
do not believe that men as yet unborn have done any good or evil for raising
a difference in their moral deserts, so let us by no means doubt that all men
are under sin, which came into the world by one man and has passed through
114 HOLY SCRIPTURE

unto all men; and from which nothing frees us but the grace of God through
our Lord Jesus Christ. NPNF1, Vol. V; On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the
Baptism of Infants, Book I, Chapter 33.

These things are not my conjectures, but are affirmed constantly by the
apostle, with an emphasis sufficient to rouse the careless and to silence the
gainsayers. ‘God,’ he says, ‘sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, that by
sin He might condemn sin in the flesh.’ Christ’s flesh was not sinful, because
it was not born of Mary by ordinary generation; but because death is the effect
of sin, this flesh, in being mortal, had the likeness of sinful flesh. This is called
sin in the following words, ‘that by sin He might condemn sin in the flesh.’
Again he says: ‘He hath made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we
might be made the righteousness of God in Him.’ Why should not Moses call
accursed what Paul calls sin? In this prediction the prophet claims a share with
the apostle in the reproach of the heretics. For whoever finds fault with the
word cursed in the prophet, must find fault with the word sin in the apostle; for
curse and sin go together. NPNFI, Vol. IV, Reply to Faustus the Manichaean, Book XIV.5.

You quote the passage where Christ says, ‘If ye believe not me, believe the
works;’ and again, ‘I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that
sent me beareth witness of me;’ but you will not let us quote in reply such
passages as these: ‘Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think that ye have
eternal life, and they are they that testify of me;’ ‘If ye believed Moses, ye
would believe me, for he wrote of me;’ “They have Moses and the prophets, let
them hear them;’ ‘If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they
believe though one rose from the dead.’ What have you to say for yourselves?
Where is your authority? If you reject these passages of Scripture, in spite of
the weighty authority in their favor, what miracles can you show? However,
if you did work miracles, we should be on our guard against receiving their
evidence in your case; for the Lord has forewarned us: ‘Many false Christs
and false prophets shall arise, and shall do many signs and wonders, that they
may deceive, ifitwere possible, the very elect: behold, I have told you before.’
This shows that the established authority of Scripture must outweigh every
other; for it derives new confirmation from the progress of events which
happen, as Scripture proves, in fulfillment of the predictions made so long
before their occurrence. NPNFI, Vol. IV, Reply to Faustus the Manichaean, Book XIIL.5.

As to Enoch and Elias and Moses, our belief is determined not by Faustus’
suppositions, but by the declarations of Scripture, resting as they do on
foundations of the strongest and surest evidence. NPNFI, Vol. IV, Reply to Faustus
the Manichaean, Book XXV1.3.
 The Material Sufficiency of Scripture 15
The reason of our believing Him to have been born of the Virgin Mary, is not
that He could not otherwise have appeared among men in a true body, but
because it is so written in the Scripture, which we must believe in order to
be Christians, or to be saved. We believe, then, that Christ was born of the
Virgin Mary, because it is so written in the Gospel; we believe that He died
on the cross, because it is so written in the Gospel; we believe that both His
birth and death were real, because the Gospel is no fiction. Why He chose
to suffer all these things in a body taken from a woman is a matter known
only to Himself. Perhaps He took this way of giving importance and honor
to both the sexes which He had created, taking the form of aman, and being
born of awoman; or there may have been some other reason, we cannot tell.
But this may be confidently affirmed, that what took place was exactly as we
are told in the Gospel narrative, and that what the wisdom of God determined
upon was exactly what ought to have happened. We place the authority of the
Gospel above all heretical discussions; and we admire the counsel of divine
wisdom more than any counsel of any creature. NPNFI, Vol. IV, Reply to Faustus
the Manichaean, Book XXV1.7.

For whenever a question arises on an unusually obscure subject, on which

no assistance can be rendered by clear and certain proofs of the Holy Scrip-
tures, the presumption of man ought to restrain itself; nor should it attempt
anything definite by leaning to either side. But if I must indeed be ignorant
concerning any points of this sort, as to how they can be explained and
proved, this much I should still believe, that from this very circumstance
the Holy Scriptures would possess a most clear authority, whenever a point
arose which no man could be ignorant of, without imperilling the salvation
which has been promised him. NPNF1, Vol. V, On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins,
and on the Baptism of Infants, Book I, Chapter 59.

John Cassian (360—430s?)

For, as you know, a Creed (Symbolum) gets its name from being a ‘collection.’
For what is called in Greek o(Bodos is termed in Latin ‘Collatio.’ But it is
therefore a collection (collatio) because when the faith of the whole Catholic
law was collected together by the apostles of the Lord, all those matters which
are spread over the whole body of the sacred writings with immense fullness
of detail, were collected together in sum in the matchless brevity of the Creed,
according to the Apostle’s words: ‘Completing His word, and cutting it short
in righteousness: because a short word shall the Lord make upon the earth.’
116 HOLY SCRIPTURE
This then is the ‘short word’ which the Lord made, collecting together in
few words the faith of both of His Testaments, and including in a few brief

clauses the drift of all the Scriptures, building up His own out of His own,
and giving the force of the whole law in a most compendious and brief
formula. Providing in this, like a most tender father, for the carelessness and
ignorance of some of his children, that no mind however simple and ignorant
might have any trouble over what could so easily be retained in the memory.
NPNE2, Vol. 11, On the Incarnation of Christ Against Nestorius, Book 6, Chapter 3.

If then we can show that all that which you refer to the Spirit, is His own,
what remains but that we prove that He whom you therefore would have
taken to be a man, because as you say everything which He has is another's,
is therefore God, because everything which He has is His own? And indeed
we will prove this not only by discussion and argument, but by the voice of
Divinity Itself: for nothing testifies of God better than things divine. And
because nothing knows itself better than the very glory of God, we believe
nothing on the subject of God with greater right than those writings in
which God Himself is His own witness. NPNF2, Vol. X1, On the Incarnation of the
Lord, Against Nestorius, Book 7, Chapter 17.
Si ergo omne id quod tu ad Spiritum refers, esse ipsius demonstrabimus,
quid reliquum est, nisi ut quem tu ideo hominem vis intelligi, quia, ut ais,
totum habuerit alienum, nos ideo probemus Deum, quia habuerit totum
suum? Et quidem hoc non disputationibus tantum, aut argumentis, sed voce
ipsius Divinitatis probavimus, quia nulla de Deo rectius quam divina testantur.
Et quia nulla se melius quam ipsa Majestas Dei novit, nullis de Deo dignius
creditur quam his in quibus Deus ipse est testis suus. De Incarnatione Christi Contra
Nestorium Haereticum, Libri Septem, Liber Septimus, Caput XVII, PL 50:236.

Nemesius of Emesa (@ 400)

But for us the sufficient demonstration of the soul’s immortality is the

teaching of Holy Scripture, which is self—authenticating because inspired
of God. William Telfer, ed., The Library ofChristian Classics (Philadelphia: The Westminster
Press, 1955), Vol. IV, Cyril ofJerusalem and Nemesius ofEmesa: On the Nature ofMan, Chapter
2, Of the Soul, p. 292.

Theodoret of Cyrrhus (393-466)

Orth.—Do not, I beg you, bring in human reason. I shall yield to scripture
alone.
 The Material Sufficiency of Scripture 117
£ran.—You shall receive no argument unconfirmed by Holy Scripture, and
if you bring me any solution of the question deduced from Holy Scripture I
will receive it, and will in no wise gainsay it. NPNF2, Vol. III, Theodorer, Dialogue
I.—The Immutable. Orthodoxos and Eranistes.
OPTH. My por Aoytopodvs Kal cvdAdroytopod dvOput(vous
Tpooeveykys. Eyad yap povn te(Oopat TH Pela Tpadf}.
EPAN. Mndéva 5€Eq AOyov, FkLoTa PeBatotpevov TpadiKh pap-
Tupta. Edv Lot Tis apdtBodlas TH Avot ek Tis elas TpocEveyKNS
Tpadis. 5€€opat kal ovk avTibbéyEonat.
Dialogus I. — Immutabilis, PG 83:45, 48.
(Te(Oopat — pres., pas., ind., first pers. Sing. of Te{8w, meaning ‘to per-
suade, have confidence’). (Te(8op1at — pres., pas., ind., first pers. Sing. of
me{8w, meaning ‘to persuade, have confidence’).

You ought to have been persuaded by the apostolic and prophetic proofs; but
since you require further the interpretations of the holy Fathers I will also
furnish you, God helping me, this medicine. NPNF2, Vol. III, Theodoret, Dialogue
I.—The Immutable. Orthodoxos and Eranistes.

Eran.—In these points you seem to say sooth, but after its assumption into
heaven I do not think that you will deny that it was changed into the nature
of Godhead.
Orth.—I would not so say persuaded only by human arguments, for I am
not so rash as to say anything concerning which divine Scripture is silent.
NPNF2, Vol. Il, Theodoret, Dialogue 1.—The Unconfounded. Orthodoxos and Eranistes.

Orth.—This agrees with what we have said, for we have learnt the rule of
dogmas from the divine Scripture.
Eran.—How then can you deny that God the Word suffered in the flesh?
Orth.—Because we have not found this expression in the divine Scripture.
Eran.—But I have just quoted you the utterance of the great Peter.
Orth.—You seem to ignore the distinction of the terms.
Eran.—What terms? Do you not regard the Lord Christ as God the Word?
Orth.—The term Christ in the case of our Lord and Saviour signifies the in-
carnate Word the Immanuel, God with us, both God and man, but the term
‘God the Word’ so said signifies the simple nature before the world, superior
to time, and incorporeal. Wherefore the Holy Ghost that spake through the
holy Apostles nowhere attributes passion or death to this name. NPNF2, Vol.
Ill, Theodoret, Dialogue I1.—The Impassible. Orthodoxos and Eranistes.

For our nature is frail, and all life is full of such calamities, and the universal
Governor and Ruler of the World, — the Lord who wisely orders our con-
118 HOLY SCRIPTURE

cerns, — gives us by means of His divine oracles consolation of various kinds,

of which the writings of the holy Evangelists and the divine utterances of the
blessed prophets are full. But I am sure it is needless to cull these passages;
and suggest them to your piety, nurtured as you have been from the begin-
ning in the inspired word, ruling your life in accordance with them, and
needing no other teaching. NPNE2, Vol. III, Letters of the Blessed Theodoret, Bishop of
Cyrus, Letter 17, To the Deaconess Castana.

Similar passages might easily be collected from poets, orators, and philosophers,
but for us the divine writings are sufficient. NPNF2, Vol. III, Letters of the Blessed
Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrus, Letter 21, To the Learned Eusebius.

I have enumerated them not for ambition’s sake, but to challenge my accusers
and my judges to put any of my writings they may choose to the test. They
will find that by God’s grace I hold no other opinion than just that which
I have received from holy Scripture. NPNF2, Vol. III, Letters of the Blessed Theodoret,
Bishop of Cyrus, Letter 82, To the Eusebius, Bishop ofAncyra.

The divine Scripture is my teacher in what I say. Compendium hareticarum fabu-

larum. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 190.
Tov elpnwevov 5€ StSdo0KaXdos y Beta Dpadn. Compendium hereticarum
fabularum, LiberV, PG 83:441.

The authors of slanders against me allege that I divide the one Lord Jesus
Christ into two sons. But so far am I from holding this opinion that I charge
with impiety all who dare to say so. For I have been taught by the divine
Scripture to worship one Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of
God, God the Word incarnate. NPNF2, Vol. III, Letters ofthe Blessed Theodoret, Bishop
of Cyrus, Letter CLI, Letter or address of Theodoret to the Monks of the Euphratensian, Osrhoene,
Syria, Phoenicia, and Cilicia.

Commenting on Rom. 1:17: The Old Testament is full of predictions of

Christ’s coming. Paul did not call them /oly by accident but, first of all, in order
to teach that he recognized that the Old Testament was divinely inspired, and
secondly, in order to exclude all other writings. For only the divinely inspired
Scriptures are of any use. Indeed, Paul says that they are the image of the
promise which was to come. Interpretatio Epistola Ad Romanos. Translation by Gerald
Bray, ed., Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament VI: Romans (Downers
Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1998), p. 7.
IIAnpns yap } Madara Ava@jkn TOv Tepl Tod Kuptovu mpoppyceuv.
TO dé aylats OVX aTAGS TEéBeLKEV. "AAA TPGOV [LEV SLSdoKwV ds
kal THv TMadatav detav oid Ppadrv : cita taoav amoKp(vev TaV
addoTptav. Mévn yap 1 GedtrvevaTos Ppadr TO dbEAtprov Exe. Aéyeu
d€ kal Tis ETayyedlas TO ELS0S. Interpretatio EpistolaAdRomanos, PG 82:49.
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 119
I do not say these things definitively. For I consider it presumptuous to speak
definitively of things concerning which the divine Scripture does not speak
distinctly. But I have said what I conceived was suitable to the views of piety.
Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, py lor
"Ey 8€ Tatra obk dtodatvépevos A€yw * TOALNPOY yap dTrodav-
TLKOS Olpat AEyELVY, TEpl OV f Bela SLapprySnv od Aéyer Tpady, - GAG
OTTEp TOLs EvoEPEat hoyLOpLOs Appdttetv UTédaBov, El pnKaA. Quaestiones
in Genesim 4, PG 80:84.

It does not become us to search after those things which are passed over in
silence; but it behoves us to love those things which are written. Translation
by William Goode, Vol. 3, pp. 191-192.
Ov bet Cntetv Ta ceotynpéva * oTépyetv S€ TPOGT|KEL TA Yeypap-
LLEVA. Quaestiones in Genesim 45, PG 80:145.

It is superfluous and unprofitable to inquire after those things which are

passed over in silence. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 192.
Tleptttov kat dvovyntov TO Ta GEotynpéva CyTEtV. Quaestiones in
Exodum 26, PG 80:256.
But we are instructed by these not to extinguish the Spirit, but to rekindle the
grace which we have received; and to introduce nothing foreign to the divine
Scripture, but to be satisfied with the teaching of the Spirit; and to hate the
heresies of those, of whom some have added fables to the divine oracles, and
others have exalted their own impious imaginations above the doctrine of
Scripture. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 192.
“Hpeis S€ tarSevdpeda Sta TovTwv, 11 oBevvivat TO TvEtpa, GAA
’ dvaCwtupeiv hv éhdBopev xdpiv * Kal pnS€v AdAOTPLOV ETIELOdyeLv
Tf StSackaNla Tov Mvetpatos , kal puodttedbat Tds aipégets, wv ot
[Lev LUVBOUS Tots Delors oylots TpoTEeDEGaV « ol SE TOUS SudcEPeEts
avTav AoyLapovs Ths Fpadikfs TpoeTtpNnoav Sidolas. Quaestiones in
Leviticum 9, PG 80:313.

Commentary on 2 Timothy 3:16-17: For, the things of which we are ig-

norant we learn from the inspired Scripture. Translation by William Goode, Vol.
3) pa 2o/e
"A yao ayvootpev, éxetGev [i.e. Ex OeoTVEVoTOU ypadf] LavOa-
‘VO|LEV. Interpretatio Epist. II Ad Tim. Cap. IIL, PG 82:849.

Commenting on Psalm 16: It is superfluous for us to interpret this, since the

divinely inspired Peter received a revelation from the Father, from the Son,
and from the Holy Spirit, and in former times gave an interpretation of it.
120 HOLY SCRIPTURE
[Theodoret then quotes Acts 2:29-232]...These things ought to be brought
to the attention of those presuming to give a full interpretation, including the
Jews, of course; they contain a patent refutation of their stupidity, after all...
This psalm refutes the folly of Arius, of Eunomius, a body without a soul,
whereas Apollinaris called the body that was assumed ensouled though de-
nying it a rational soul; I do not know where he found his doctrine of these
two souls—the divine Scripture nowhere teaches it. Yet the all—holy Spirit
through blessed David made undisguised mention of a soul, thus giving clear
refutation of each heresy. FC, Vol. 101, Theodoret of Cyrus: Commentary on the Psalms
1—72, Psalm 16.7—8, pp. 117-118.

The impiety of Sabellius, Photinus, Marcellus, and Paulus, we refute by prov-

ing by the evidence of divine Scripture that the Lord Christ was not only
man but also eternal God, of one substance with the Father. NPNF2, Vol. III,
Letters of the Blessed Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrus, Letter 151, Letter or address of Theodoret to the
Monks of the Euphratensian, Osrhoene, Syria, Phoenicia, and Cilicia.

There is yet another gang of heretics who hold differently. Photinus, Marcel-
lus, and Paul of Samosata, assert that our Lord and God was only man. When
arguing with these we are tinder the necessity of advancing proofs of the God-
head, and of shewing that the Master Christ is everlasting God. When, on the
other band, we are contending with the former faction, which calls our Lord
Jesus Christ God only, we are obliged to marshal against them the forces of
the divine Scripture, and collect from it evidence of the assumption of the
manhood. For a physician must use remedies appropriate to the disease, and
suit the medicine to the case. NPNF2, Vol. III, Letters ofthe Blessed Theodoret, Bishop of
Cyrus, Letter 99, To Flavianus, Bishop of Constantinople.

Furthermore it is in obedience to the divine Scriptures that we acknowledge

the Christ to be God and man. NPNF2, Vol. Ill, Letters of the Blessed Theodoret, Bishop
of Cyrus, Letter 151, Letter or address of Theodoret to the Monks of the Euphratensian, Osrhoene,
Syria, Phoenicia, and Cilicia.

Cyril of Alexandria (Patriarch 412-444)

That which the divine Scripture has not spoken, how shall we receive it,
and reckon it among verities? Glaphyrorum In Genesim, Lib. II. Translation by William
Goode, Vol. 3, p. 181.
"0 yap ovk elpnkev 1 Sela Tpady, tiva 84 tpdtrov TapadeEGpE8a,
Kal EV TOLS GANBGS EXOVOL KATAAOYLOVPEDa; Glaphyrorum In Genesim, Lib.
II, PG 69:53.
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture {21

The law given through the learned Moses was involved as it were in darkness
and shadows, such, I mean, as arose from the letter. But in the declarations
of the gospel, the beauty of truth shines forth unclouded and clear, and
enlightens the mind, being poured like light into the understandings of the
Pious. Commentarium in lsaiam prophetam, Lib, II, Tomus I. Translation by William Goode,
Vol. 3, p. 181.
"AxAut pev ydp olovel ts Kal KATAOKLAGLGOL TOLS ad yé dnt
TOU YpapLpLaTos, 0 Sta TOD Tavaddou Mucéws KateTAaXtVETO VOLOS.
'E 6€ ye Tols evayyedtkols KnpVypaot yuLVoV Kal Stadaves TO THs
adnoetas Exdbaivetat KdddOS, Kal KaTadbatSpivet TOV Vvobv Tais TOV
EvoeBotvtuv Stavolats buds S{knv ELaXEILEVOV. Commentarium in Isaiam
prophetam, Lib. II, Tomus I, PG 70:576.

Commenting on 1 Cor. 1:21: By the foolishness of preaching he means the

plainness of the phraseology of the inspired Scripture. Therefore, leaving off
toiling in vain and reaping no fruit, and enduring to spend your labors upon
things that are unprofitable, hear me rather, and eat that which is good namely,
through the Evangelical proclamations, in which, saith he, your soul would
abundantly delight, and be nourished. There is the true knowledge of God
as he is, and instruction as to all virtue and propriety of conduct, becom-
ing saints; and wisdom, such as with wonderful exactness rightly discerns
everything that ought to be done, and perfectly fits the mind for activity in
good works. Commentarium in Isaiam prophetam, Lib. V, Torus II. Translation by William
Goode, Vol. 3, p. 181-182.
Mupiav S€ Tod Knptypatos Thy KoLvdTnTa Ths héEEws Ths Evov-
‘ons TH Seotvettw Tpadh, dnotv.’ Adévtes ovv 76 €ikf Tovety, Kal
dkaptlav ovAhéyetv, kal Satavav avéxeabat TOvous ET dvudeh€ot
Tpdypaot, LGAXov aKovoaTé jou, Kal dadyeobe ayaa Ta Sta TOV
EVAYYEALKOV SNAOVTL, OLS B17 Kal TEPLTTOS, HNOlY, EVvTPUdTELEV
H Wuxt) VWGV. ’Ekel yvdots adnOys Tov kata dvotv Oeod, kal
apetis amdons Kal ayLoTpetots eEvKoopias paOnpa Kal ovvEOLs,
Saupaotds Exacta TOV TpaKTEwy Opbds StakpivovTa, kal TeXVviTHV
els ayaSoupytav ATOTEAOVOG TOV VOUV" Commentarium in laiam prophetam,
Lib. V, Tomus I, PG 70:1221.

Sufficient, sufficient for this [i.e. for obtaining a knowledge of the faith] are
the Scriptures of the holy Fathers, which if any one would diligently study
and vigilantly attend to, he would immediately have his mind filled with
divine light. For, they did not speak of themselves, but ‘all Scripture is given
by inspiration of God, and is profitable.’ De SS. Trinitate Dialogus \. Translation by
William Goode, Vol. 2, p. 281-282. .
"Adis yap, ddts a TOV dyiwv Matépwv eis TOUTO OVyypadal, ats
122 HOLY SCRIPTURE

cimep Tis EdotTO VoUvEXGS Sptreiv Kal EypnyopdTus TpoadepedGat,

bwtds dv Tod Beiou TOV oiketov EvO’s AvapLeaTWoELs VotV. ‘Hoav
yap ovk avtol dahottes Ev avTots’ Haoase Tpady SeotvevoTt0s Kal
(WbENLLOS. De SS. Trinitate, Dialogus I, PG 75:665.

To whom that is wise, is it not evident, that you, O my friend, will adduce vain
words to us, and heap up a cold and useless mass of notions, unless you should
prove to us, that the volumes of the sacred writers agree with what you have
spoken? For we shall not follow those who desire and are accustomed to speak
from their own imaginations alone, but those who speak from the mouth
of the Lord, according to that which is written.’ To which the other man in
dialogue replies, “You speak rightly.’ Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 182.
A. Kal tiv tav ev dpovowwtuv doupdbaves, Ws eikatous NptY,
© diddTns, ETAVTAHGELS AdyouS, WUXpaV 5€ Kal axpnoTov Evvoltdav
ETLOWPEVOELS TANGY, Ei [LT] GUVNXOUGAS Ols EdNs, TAS TwV ayiwV
Hiv éemide(Ears ouyypadds; “Evdpe8a yap ovxl tots E8éAovot Te
Kal eiw0dot Ta ATO LOENS Tis oddv av’Tdv Epevyeo#at Stavotas,
GAAA TOtS AaAodoLV ATO OTOpaTOS Kupiou , KaTA TO YEYPaLLWEVOV.
B. Ev éyets. De SS. Trinitate, Dialogus III, PG 75:813.

It is best not to love to be moved by the bold assertions of others, since

they carry us away to incorrect views, but to make the words of the inspired
writers the correct and exact rule of faith. For, it is but right, that we should
assent to them rather than to others, and say, ‘It is not ye that speak, but the
Spirit of your Father that speaks in you;’ to which the other man in dialogue
replies, You have spoken most correctly. De SS. Trinitate, Dialogus IV. Translation by
William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 183.
A. “Aptotov ovv, ® ‘Eppeta, TO pr} Tats ETépwv adupooToptats
dvamToeiobat ptretv, Ete(ToL TPdS VOdV HLas TOV ASdKLWLOV aTTOdeE-
‘povot, tiatews S€ Kavéva Tov elOuTEVi Te Kal dSitdaTpodoV Tots
Tov Benyopwv TOLEtaVat KOyous. Tpétrot yap av, ovx ETEPOLS [LAAAOV
NLds, f Exetvors aUTOts ETLKpOTeEtv Te Kal héyetv * Obx pets EoTeE
ol hahoyrTeEs, AAAG TO TIvedpa Tod Matpds bwdv Td Aadodv ev byiv.
B. OpOdtata Edns. De SS. Trinitate, Dialogus IV, PG 75:860.

And first of all we may say to these visionaries, Ye do err, not knowing the
Scriptures, nor the great mystery of godliness, that is, Christ, who was mani-
fested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached among
the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. But I think
that our opponents ought either to pass condemnation upon those of old,
and accuse the teachers of the world, to whom Christ himself said, “Go and
teach all nations,’ of bearing false witness; or if they shrink from doing this,
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 123

to embrace the orthodox doctrine respecting Christ, and having bid farewell
to their ignorant conceits, to hold firmly to the sacred Scriptures, and fol-
lowing the right path of the sacred writers, go straight to the truth itself, De
Recta Fide, Ad Theodosium Imperatorem. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 183-184.
depe AEywpev, kal TPd ye TGV dAkwv Tots AoKNTats * Mavaobe,
LL) elSdtes Tas Ppadds, prite why Td péya Tis eboeBelas LvoTHpLov,
TOUTEOTL XptoTov, ds Epavepuen ev capxt, ESikardOn év tvevwat,
HON ayyédors, ExnpvxXOn Ev EOveotr, ETLaTEVON Ev Kdopo, Avedhp-
b0n Ev SdE. Atv 5€é oipat Tos BU evavtias 7 bfdov érdyewv THv
aloxtw Tois TdaAaL, Kal pevsnydpous dtoKadeEtv TOs This OlKOUPLEVNS
LLuoTaywyovs, ois altos Edn Xptotos * Mopevoévtes pabntevoate
TaVTa Ta EBvy * 7 EiTEp TODTO KaTaTEdplKact Spav, Opa ev EhéoGat
dpovetv Ta ETL XproTtw, dpdoavtas S€ TO EppGo8at Setv tats obdv
avTaV apabiats, amplE pev ExeoOat Tv tepOv Tpappdtwv, tH Se
athavi TOV aylwv Sidyovtas TplBov, Em adtHy iévat TH ddnOetav.
De Recta Fide, Ad Theodosium Imperatorem, PG 76:1144.

But if, to persons in such a state of mind, it is necessary to apply the rein,
would it not be most absurd to be silent, and not to instill into your pious ears
the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, as a sweet and life-giving fountain,
which God long ago promised us; saying, by the voice of Isaiah, “Ye shall draw
water with joy out of the wells of salvation.’ But ‘the wells of salvation,’ we
interpret as meaning the holy prophets, evangelists, and apostles, who pour
upon the world the supernal, and heavenly, and salutary word; the Holy Spirit
supplying it to them; and thus fill with joy the whole world. Come, therefore,
let us apply our mind to those things that lie in the depths of that spiritual
teaching, and thence draw the discovery of truth. Ad Reginas De Recta Fide Oratio
Altera. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 184.
Ei 8€ Kal Tots ottTws ExovaL bpevds TPOGRaAXELV AvayKatov, TAS
ouK dv yévoliTto TOV dyav obarepwTdTuv TO EA€oBaL OLyTY, Kal LH
Tats evoeRéotv bpav dkoals Eviévat ThELOTAaKIS, KABATEP TL VaLa
yruKY Kal CwoTroLdv, TOV LepGv Tpappdtov tH yvGouv, dep ply
kal TdAat Qcds UmLoxveEiTO, \éywv Sta bwvfis “Hoatov Kai avthn-
‘cate tSup pet’ Evbpootyns Ek TGV THYGV Tod LwoTnplov. Ewtnptov
Se myds Elvat dapev Tors aylous Tpodritas, evayyedtaTds Te Kal
dtroatéXous, ot TOV dvwbev Kal EE OUpavod al GwTpLoV TA KOOLO Bpv-
‘ovat AMyov, XopnyodvTos abtots Tod aylou Mvetpatos, dtacav Te
ottw Katevdpatvovat Ti UT obpavdv. Bépe Toivun, Els TA BAON TOV
map’ avtod évvordv Kabtévtes TOV Vvodv, Ths GAnBelas THY Evpeoty
EKELOEV AVTANOWLEV. Ad Reginas De Recta Fide Oratio Altera, PG 76:1337.
124 HOLY SCRIPTURE

Since it is necessary that we should follow the sacred Scriptures, in nothing

going beyond what they sanction, let us proceed to mention, how God the
Father is said to crown the Son with glory. Ad Reginas De Recta Fide Oratio Altera.
Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 184.
’Erre84 S€ Tots tepois ETeoOat Tpdppaoiv avayKatov npas, Ov-
"Sapod TapeKTpEXoVTAS TO avtots SoKxotv, dépe €ywpev, Tiva 67
tpdtrov 6 Beds Kal Ilatip 86En éyeTat oTEbavodv YLOV. Ad Reginas De
Recta Fide Oratio Altera, PG 76:1400-1401.

B. And which of these originates faith?

A. The sacred Scripture, God—breathed Scripture clearly. De SS. Trinitare, Dialogus
VII. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 184.
B. Kat tis dv yévoito TovTwv 1 tioTts;
A. To Tpappa TO tepov, SedtvevoTtos Tpadi oadd; kai HKptBu-
evans Evovod H€@ TO Iveta avTod. De SS. Trinitate, Dialogus VI, PG 75:1092.

Speaking of the divinity of Christ: For it is open to those who desire it,
easily to avoid the error, and to escape from the pernicious and destructive
doctrine of those of the opposite party, by piously giving the due superiority
to the declarations of the sacred writers. De SS. Trinitate, Dialogus IV. Translation
by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 182.
B. ‘Qs Setvov ye, © TaV, TO Xpfiua, kal SvdSidduKTos dAnPds F
Tis SuvodeRelas ypadn!
A. Ev8tddbuktos pév ovv: édeitat yap 54 Tots E6€AovoLW EVKOAWS
atobo.Tav, kal TOV ddeTHpPa Kal bOdpov TAv StevavTias Stwbetoat
hOyov, TO Xpfva ViKav aTrove Lovo EVaEBOS Tais TOs aylus dwvats.
De SS. Trinitate, Dialogus IV, PG 75:861.

All things, therefore, that have been delivered to us by the Law, and Prophets,
and Apostles, we receive, and acknowledge, and confess; and beyond these,
we seek not to know anything. For it is impossible for us to say, or at all
think anything concerning God, beyond what has been divinely declared by
the divine oracles of the Old and New Testament. De Sacrosancta Trinitate, Cap 1.
Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 185.
Idavta to(vuv Ta TmapadeSopeva tNutv Std Te vopou kal TpodnTav
kal atooTtéhuv Sexope8a Kat YLvookopev Kat OWoAoyodpev ovdev
TE PaLTE pw ToUTwY ETLCHTOvVTES. ’ ASiVaToV yap Tapa Ta YeLwoas
UTO TOV Belwv oylwv THs Te Ilakards kat Katvijs AvadyKns jpiv
eipnpeva eitetv TL tept Ocod, 7 dAws EVVOT|OAL. De Sacrosancta Trinitate,
Cap 1, PG 77:1120-1121.
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 125

Paul requires us to prove every thing, and says, Be wise money—changers. But
an exact and scrupulous knowledge of each particular matter we can obtain
from no other source than from divinely—inspired Scripture. Saint Cyril of Al-
exandria, Commentary on the Gospel of Saint Luke, Homily 55, trans. R. Payne Smith (Studion
Publishers, Inc., 1983), p. 240.

The mind of the holy scriptures does not admit anything like this. It is
rather an invention of a weak and feeble spirit that loves novelty and has no
perception of the depth of the mystery. Where do the divine scriptures speak
of anything like this? On the contrary, the divine Paul clearly and brillantly
describes the mystery of the incarnation of the Only Begotten when he says:
“Since the children share the same flesh and blood, he too equally shared in
these things so that by his death he might bring to nothing him who had
the power of death, that is the devil’ (Heb. 2:14)...
We follow the mind of
the divinely inspired writers, and for this reason we say that the one who
participated in flesh and blood is not one who had flesh and blood as his
proper nature, and could not be otherwise, but rather one who did not have
this kind of existence but was of a different nature to us. John Anthony McGuckin,
trans., St. Cyril ofAlexandria On the Unity of Christ (Crestwood: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press,
1995), pp. 88-89.

Come, let us investigate the divine and sacred scripture and let us seek the
solution there. John Anthony McGuckin, trans., St. Cyril of Alexandria On the Unity of
Christ (Crestwood: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1995), p. 72.

Nonetheless, God-inspired scripture will cry out against both forms of mad-
ness. It acts as the ambassador of truth and shows up the feeble and shameful
system of these people. It establishes in the paths of the Godhead all those
who are accustomed to fix the eyes of their mind with care and subtlety upon
this mystery. John Anthony McGuckin, trans., St. Cyril ofAlexandria On the Unity of Christ
(Crestwood: St Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1995), p. 51.

Such subtle and out-of-the-way problems do not require a doctrinal deci-

sion so much as a questioning and speculative investigation accompanied
by a refusal to let the mind fall into improper views or be carried away from
reasonableness. For it is written seeking do thou seek and dwell with me.’ How
can one clearly explain what holy writ has not stated clearly? For example
it is written in the book of Genesis that in the beginning God made heaven
and earth. Holy writ declared that he has made it and we accept this truth
in faith. But meddlesome inquiry into the means, origin or method whereby
heaven, earth and the rest of creation were brought into being has its harmful
side, for there is no need to involve the mind in profundities. What divine
126 HOLY SCRIPTURE
Scripture does not state very clearly must remain unknown and be passed
over in silence. Lionel R. Wickham, trans., Cyril of Alexandria: Select Letters, Doctrinal
Questions and Answers #2 (Oxford: Clarendon, 1983), pp. 187-189.

While commenting on the incarnation, wrote: Yet, when the Only Begot-
ten Word of God became man he did not cast aside his being as God, for he
remained what he was in the assumption of flesh. The nature of the Word
is unchangeable and unalterable and cannot undergo even ‘the shadow of a
variation’ (Jas. 1.17). This is what the blessed evangelist taught us to think,
and truly he is a great and radiant star; a star of salvation, not for those who
cross the seas of this world, but for the merchants of righteousness, for those
who long for truth, and for those who want to have a correct and faultless
faith. And if anyone desires to navigate in this way let him fix the words of
the God-speaking theologian in his mind like a star. This is how he shall
make his passage through the bitter waves of heresies and this is how he
shall arrive at a tranquil port and come to the truth itself, that is Christ, to
whom be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, to the ages of
ages. Amen. John A. McGuckin, St Cyril ofAlexandria: The Christological Controversy, Its His-
tory, Theology, and Texts (Leiden: Brill, 1994), p. 281, Homily given at Ephesus on St. John’s Day.

Isidore of Pelusium (fl. a. 412)

To ascertain these things are so, let us inspect the rule (or, canon) of truth;
I mean, the Holy Scriptures. What then is declared? Epistolarium, Lib. IV, Epist.
114. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 187.
"Ott 5€ TatTa obTs Exel, TOV Kavéva Tis dAnBelas, Tas belas
dnl Ppaddas, katoTTevowpev. Ti ovv dnotv...Fpistolarium, Lib. IV, Epist
114, PG 78:1185.

Julianus Pomerius (At the End of the 5th Century)

For the treatment of vital questions, though possibly not giving information
to the mind of him who fails to find what he is seeking, at least exercises the
talent of the investigator so that he learns by seeking and not finding that he
does not know what perhaps he presumed he knew; and, as a result of being
made aware of his ignorance, he searches for what he has perceived is lack-
ing, preserves what he has found, and perseveringly makes use of what he has
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 127
preserved; or if he has been able to treat profitably and explain adequately, for
example a passage proposed to him from Sacred Scripture, he does not pride
himself on his discovery of truth but glories in the Lord, who has enlightened

him inwardly to understand the things on which he was to shed light. For, as
learning without the gift of God, which is charity, makes one conceited, so it
edifies if charity is mingled with it. ACW Vol. 4, Mary Josephine Suelzer, trans., (New
York: Newman Press, 1947), Julianus Pomerius: The Contemplative Life, p. 14.

Prosper of Aquitaine (d. 463) wrote around 450

Who will tell the reasons and motives of these differences within one and
the same grace when Sacred Scripture is silent about them? ACW, Vol. 14, P. De
Letter, S.J., PH.D., S.T.D., trans. (New York: Newman Press, 1952), St. Prosper ofAquitaine:
The Call of AllNations, Book 2, Chapter 9 p. 103.

Caesarius, bishop of Arles (470-543)

Sacred Scripture speaks about the godhead and divinity of the Holy Spirit,
but does not say whether He should be called begotten or unbegotten. See
what confusion a lack of faith creates. You do not want to know what God
did not want to be unknown, and you want to know what He did not decree
should be asked... You ask whether He [i.e. the Holy Spirit] was begotten or
not. Sacred Scripture has said nothing about this, and it is wrong to violate
the divine silence. Since God did not think that this should be indicated
in His writings, He did not want you to question or to know through idle
curiosity. FC, Vol. 66, Sermons 187-238, Sermon 213.1-2, pp. 106, 107.

Salvian the Presbyter (Sth century)

Because I am addressing Christians, the Holy Scriptures alone should suffice

as a refutation of this charge. But, because many have some pagan disbelief
in them, perhaps they can also be enticed by proofs taken from chosen and
learned pagans. I am about to prove that these pagans did not even think in
such a matter about God’s carelessness and indifference. They were ignorant
of the true religion and could never have known God, because they did not
128 HOLY SCRIPTURE

know the Law through which God is known. FC, Vol. 3, The Writings of Salvian,
The Presbyter, The Governance of God, Book 1.1, p. 27.
Sufficere quidem ad refellenda haec, quia cum Christianis agimus, solus
deberet sermo divinus. Sed quia multi incredulitatis paganicae aliquid in se
habent, etiam paganorum forsitan electorum atque sapientum testimoniis
delectentur. Probamus igitur ne illos quidem de incuriositate ac negligentia ista
sensisse qui verae religionis expertes nequaquam utique Deum nosse potuerunt,

quia legem per quam Deus agnoscitur nescierunt. Sancti Salviani Massiliensis Presbyteri
De Gubernatione Dei, Liber Primus.1, PL 53:29.

This being so, the question is asked why, if everything in this world is con-
trolled by the care, governance and judgment of God, the external aspects of
life among the barbarians are very much better than ours; why even among
us the lot of good men is more difficult than that of the bad? Why should
upright men be cast down while reprobates grow strong? Why does the whole
world come under the sway of authorities, for the greater part unjust? I could
answer with reason and sufficient constancy: ‘I do not know,’ because I do
not know the secret councils of God. The oracle of the heavenly Word is
sufficient proof for me in this case. God says, as I have proved in the previous
books, that He regards all things, rules all things and judges all things. If you
wish to know what you must believe, you have Holy Scripture. The perfect
explanation is to hold with what you read. FC, Vol. 3, The Writings of Salvian, The
Presbyter, The Governance of God, Book 3.1, pp. 67-68.

I need not prove by arguments what God Himself proves by His own words.
When we read that God says He perpetually sees the entire earth, we prove
thereby that He does see it because He Himself says He sees it. When we read
that He rules all things He has created, we prove thereby that He rules, since
He testifies that He rules. When we read that He ordains all things by His
immediate judgment, it becomes evident by this very fact, since He confirms
that He passes judgment. All other statements, said by men, require proofs
and witnesses. God’s word is His own witness, because whatever uncorrupted
Truth says must be the undefiled testimony to truth. FC, Vol. 3, The Writings of
Salvian, The Presbyter, The Governance of God, Book 3.1, pp. 68-69.
Neque enim necesse est ut argumentis a me probetur quod hoc ipso quia
a Deo dicitur comprobatur. Itaque cum legimus dictum a Deo quia aspiciat
jugiter omnem terram, hoc ipso probamus quod aspicit quia aspicere se dicit;
cum legimus quod regat cuncta quae fecit, hoc ipso approbamus quod regit,
 The Material Sufficiency of Scripture 129
quia se regere testatur; cum legimus quod praesenti judicio universa dispenset,
hoc ipso est evidens quod judicat quia se judicare confirmat. Alia enim omnia,
id est, humana dicta, argumentis ac testibus egent. Dei autem sermo ipse sibi
testis est, quia necesse est quidquid incorrupta veritas loquitur, incorruptum
sit testimonium veritatis. Sancti Salviani Massiliensis Presbyteri De Gubernatione Dei, Liber
Tertius.1, PL 53:1567.

I shall not be silent on whatever God willed to be known and preached by

His followers, since our God wished us to know certain things through the
Scriptures, which are, as it were, from the recesses of His mind and spirit
because, in a way, the very words of Holy Scripture are the mind of God.
FC, Vol. 3, The Writings of Salvian, The Presbyter, The Governance of God, Book 3.1, pp. 69.
Condemn me if I lie. Condemn me if I shall not bring proofs. Condemn
me if I shall not demonstrate that the Sacred Scriptures have also said what
I have asserted. FC, Vol. 3, The Writings of Salvian, The Presbyter, The Governance of God,
Book 4.13, pp. 113.

But I am afraid that we do not observe them well, do not read them with
attention either, because there is less guilt in not reading the Holy Scriptures
than in violating them after having read them. To be sure, the other nations
either do not have the Law of God, or they have it in a weakened and maimed
way, and, therefore, as I have said, they have it in such a manner that they do
not have it at all. For, if there are any barbarian nations who in their books
seem to have the Holy Scriptures less interpolated or torn into shreds than
others, nevertheless they have them as they were corrupted by the tradition
of their old teachers. Therefore, they have tradition rather than Scripture.
They do not keep what the truth of the Law teaches, but what the wicked-
ness of a bad tradition has inserted. FC, Vol. 3, The Writings ofSalvian, The Presbyter,
The Governance of God, Book 5.2 , pp. 129-130.
Sed vereor quod qui non bene observamus, nec bene lectitemus: quia minor
reatus est sancta non legere, quam lecta violare. Caeterae quippe nationes aut
non habent legem Dei, aut debilem et convulneratam habent; ac per hoc, ut
diximus, non habent quae sic habent. Nam etsi qui gentium barbararum sunt
qui in libris suis minus videantur Scripturam sacram interpolatam habere vel
laceram, habent tamen veterum magistrorum traditione corruptam, ac per
hoc traditionem potius quam Scripturam habent, quia hoc non retinent quod
veritas legis suadet, sed quod pravitas malae traditionis inseruit. Sancti Salviani
Massiliensis Presbyteri, De Gubernatione Dei, Liber Quintus.2, PL 53:95.
130 HOLY SCRIPTURE

Indeed the babarians, being deficient especially of Roman more than educa-
tional tradition, know nothing unless they hear it from their teachers. Thus,
they follow what they hear, and they who are ignorant of all literature and
knowledge and know the mystery of the divine Law by teaching rather than
by reading must necessarily retain the teaching rather than the Law. Thus,
to them, the tradition of their teachers and their long-standing teaching
are, so to say, law for them because they know only what they are taught.
Therefore, they are heretics, but not heretics knowingly. Indeed, with us
they are heretics, but in their own opinion they are not. So much do they
judge themselves Catholics that they defame us with the title of heresy. What
they are to us, therefore, we are to them. We are certain that they do injury
to the divine begetting because they say the Son is less than the Father. They
think we injure the Father because we believe the Father and Son are equal.
We possess the truth, but they think they have it. We honor the Godhead,
but they think their belief is the honor of His divinity. FC, Vol. 3, The Writings of
Salvian, The Presbyter, The Governance of God, Book 5.2, pp. 129-130.

Perhaps some have judged that up to this point my manner of speaking has
been harsh. And it would be truly harsh if it brought to mind forcibly some-
thing which is not based on the authority of Sacred Scriptures. FC, Vol. 3, The
Writings ofSalvian, The Presbyter, The Four Books of Timothy to the Church, Book 1.8, p. 283.

My speech and authority are small for putting forth an opinion about a
question of this nature. Therefore, let us see what the language of the Holy
Books and the words of the heavenly precepts pronounce about these ques-
tions. Then, most rightly, will I direct the rule of my opinion according to
the norm given by God. FC, Vol. 3, The Writings of Salvian, The Presbyter, The Four Books
of Timothy to the Church, Book 2.4, p. 298.
Parva est ad promulgandam de hujuscemodi quaestione sententiam sermo
atque auctoritas mea. Videamus ergo quid de his omnibus sacrorum volu-
minum linguae ac praeceptorum coelestium voces sonent; et tunc rectissime
secundum datam a Deo normam opinionis nostrae regulam dirigemus. Sancti
Salviani Massiliensis Presbyteri, Adversus Avaritiam, Liber Secundus, IV, PL 53:192.

If God gave such and so perfect a rule of life to men living among the people
and to women who are more weak by their very sex, how much more does
He order those by whom all are taught to seek perfection, in order that their
pupils may be perfect? God wished them to be of so great an example to all
that He bound them to a singular rule of life, not only by the severity of
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture heal
the New, but also by that of the Old Law. FC, Vol. 3, The Writings of Salvian, The
Presbyter, The Four Books of Timothy to the Church, Book 2.9, p. 306.
Si enim viris in plebe positis et mulierculis ipsa faece infirmioribus talem
ac tam perfectam Deus vivendi regulam dedit, quanto utique esse illos per-
fectiores jubet a quibus omnes docendi sunt ut possint esse perfecti, et quos
tam magni esse exempli in omnibus Deus voluit, ut eos ad singularem vivendi
normam non novae tantum, sed etiam antiquae legis severitate constringeret?
Sancti Salviani Massiliensis Presbyteri, Adversus Avaritiam, Liber Secundus.IX, PL 53:197-198.

Fulgentius, bishop of Ruspe (c. 467—532)

The words of Truth itself show that the three persons are the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Hence, our Savior says, ‘...l am not alone but it is I
and the Father who sent me.’ Concerning the Holy Spirit, he also says, ‘And I
will ask the Father and he will give you another advocate...the Spirit of Truth.
He also commanded that the nations be baptized ‘in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’ With these and other testimonies of
this sort, it is shown that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are three
persons but that they are not three natures. FC, Vol. 95, Fulgentius: Selected Works,
Letter 8, To Donatus, II1.4, p. 368.

The authority of Gospel truth also points out that the Lord himself is our
God when the confession of the blessed Thomas the Apostle assuredly con-
tradicts heretical depravity as he exclaims and says, ‘My Lord and my God.’
FC, Vol. 95, Fulgentius: Selected Works, Letter 8, To Donatus, 11.6, p. 370.

Holy Scripture which truthfully and salutarily points out to us that there
is one Lord God, just as it makes known to all the faithful that the Father
is true God, so also it makes known that the Son is true God. FC, Vol. 95,
Fulgentius: Selected Works, Letter 8, To Donatus, V.11, p. 372.

Therefore, since by the witness of words from heaven, we know both that
God the Father is true God and God the Son is true God; either let them
assert with the Catholics that the Father and the Son are by nature the one
true God; or let them not be afraid to profess that they are worshipers of a
creature, so that they may know by the very clarity of things that they have
changed the truth of God into a lie. FC, Vol. 95, Fulgentius: Selected Works, Letter 8,
To Donatus, V.12, p. 373.
132 HOLY SCRIPTURE

Justus, Bishop of Urgel (6th Century)

Convince heretics, and restrain their subtleties and crafts, with the testi-
monies of the Holy Scriptures. In Cantica Canticorum Salomonis, Cap. Il, Num. 51.
Translation by Jeremy Taylor, The Works of Jeremy Taylor, Vol. 3 (London: Henry G. Bohn,
1853), p. 334.
Convincite haereticos, eorumque versutias sanctarum Scripturarum con-
cludite testimoniis. Quos vulpes parvulas dicit, quia nihil magni secundum
rectam fidem intelligendo continent; omne enim quod sapiunt, exhibent; qui
pusilli sunt demoliuntur vineas, subvertunt plebes, pravis eas traditionibus
corrumpentes. Vinea nostra floruit. Ecclesia catholica indeclinabili augmento
proficit. In Cantica Canticorum Salomonis, Cap. Il, Num. 51, PL 67:973.

Gregory the Great (Gregory I c. 540-604)

In this volume, whatsoever can instruct us, whatsoever can edify us, is con-
tained. In Ezechielem, Homilia 9.34. Translation by Jeremy Taylor, The Works ofJeremy Taylor,
Vol. 3 (London: Henry G. Bohn, 1853), p. 336.
In hoc itaque volumine cuncta quae aedificant, omnia quae erudiunt, scripta
continentur. In Ezechielem, Homilia 9.34, PL 76:886.

As servants that serve well are ever intent upon their masters’ countenances, that
the things they may bid they may hear readily, and strive to fulfil; so the minds
of the righteous in their bent are upon Almighty God, and in His Scripture
they as it were fix their eyes on His face, that whereas God delivers therein
all that He wills, they may not be at variance with His will, in proportion as
they learn that will in revelation. Whence it happens, that His words do not
pass superfluously through their ears, but that these words they fix in their
hearts. Morals on the Book ofJob by S. Gregory the Great, A Library ofFathers ofthe Holy Catholic
Church (Oxford: John Henry Parker, 1844), Vol. 2, Parts 3 & 4, Book XVI, Chapter 35, p. 252.

And because heretics are filled with pride for the brillancy of their speaking,
that they are not based firmly by any authority of the sacred books, (which
books are for speaking like a kind of veins of silver to us, because from those
identical books we derive the spring and source of our speaking,) he recalls
them to the pages of sacred authority, that if they have a desire to speak ina
true way, they may from that source draw forth what to say. As if he said in
plain words; ‘He that is fitting himself for the words of true preaching, the
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 133
originals of the cases he must of necessity derive from the sacred page, so as
to bring round every thing that he speaks to a foundation of divine authority,
and in that set firm the edifice of his own speaking.’ For, as we before said,
oftentimes heretics, whilst they are eager to prop what what is bad of their
own, broach things which assuredly are not maintained in the page of the
sacred books. And hence the great Preacher admonishes his disciple, saying,
O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane novelties
ofspeaking, for whereas heretics long to be extolled as if for excellency of wit,
they as it were bring out new things which are not maintained in the books
of the ancient Fathers, and thus it follows, that whilst they desire to appear
wise, they scatter seeds of foolishness to their wretched hearers. Morals on the
Book ofJob by S. Gregory the Great, A Library of Fathers of the Holy Catholic Church (Oxford:
John Henry Parker, 1845), Vol. 2, Parts 3 & 4, Book XVIII, pp. 343-344.

In silver the power of speaking, in gold brightness of life or of wisdom is used

to be denoted. And because heretics are so filled with pride for the brillancy of
their speaking, that they are not based firmly by any authority of the sacred
books, (which books are for speaking like a kind of veins of silver to us,
because from those identical books we derive the spring and source of our
speaking,) he recalls them to the pages of sacred authority, that if they have
a desire to speak in a true way, they may from that source draw forth what
to say. And he saith, The silver hath the beginning of its veins, and to the gold
there is a place, where they fine it.
As if he said in plain words, ‘He that is fitting himself for the words of
true preaching, the originals of the cases he must of necessity derive from
the sacred page, so as to bring round every thing that he speaks to a fountain
of divine authority, and in that set firm the edifice of his own speaking. For,
as we before said, oftentimes heretics, whilst they are eager to prop up what
is bad of their own, broach things which assuredly not maintained in the
page of the sacred books. Morals on the Book ofJob by S. Gregory the Great, A Library of
Fathers of the Holy Catholic Church (Oxford: John Henry Parker, 1844), Vol. 2, Parts 3 & 4,
Book XVIII, Chapter 25, pp. 343-344.

Commenting on Job 33:13-14: But Eliu, foreseeing that the Lord was com-
posing holy Scripture, for the purposes of replying therein to the open or
secret enquiries of all men, says, Tou contendest against Him, because He hath
not replied to all thy words. God will speak once, and will not repeat the same thing
a second time. As if he were to say, God does not reply in private speaking to
the hearts of men one by one; but fashions His word in such a manner, as
to satisfy the enquiries of all men. For if we look for our own cases one by
134 HOLY SCRIPTURE

one, we ate sure to find them in the teaching of His Scriptures; nor is there
need to seek for a special answer from the voice of God, in our own special
sufferings. For there a general reply is given to all of us in our own special
sufferings: there the conduct of those who go before is a model for such as
come after. To take one instance out of many. We are labouring under some
suffering or annoyance of the flesh. We wish perhaps to know the secret reasons
of this suffering or annoyance, in order that we may be comforted in our trial
from the very knowledge. But because no special reply is given to us one by
one, concerning our own special trials, we betake ourselves to holy Scripture.
And there is it that we find what Paul heard when tried by the infirmity of the
flesh. My grace is sufficient for thee; for strength is made perfect in weakness. And
this was spoken to him in his own peculiar suffering, that it might not be
spoken to us one by one. We have heard therefore in holy Scripture the voice
of God to Paul in his affliction, in order that we may not seek to hear it one by
one, for our own private consolation, if perchance we are afflicted. God does
not then reply to all our words, because He will speak once, and will not repeat
the same thing again; that is, He has provided for our instruction, by what He
stated to our fathers in holy Scripture. Let the teachers then of Holy Church,
let even these men of arrogance, announce, (on beholding some within her
sinking from faintheartedness,) that God does not reply to all our words, that
God will speak once, and will not repeat the same thing twice. In other words,
He does not now satisfy the doubts and perplexities ofindividual men by the
voice of the Prophets on every side, or by the ministry of Angels. Because He
includes in holy Scripture whatever can possibly befall each one of us, and
has provided therein for regulating the conduct of those who come after, by
the examples of those who have gone before. Morals on the Book ofJob by S. Gregory
the Great, A Library of Fathers of the Holy Catholic Church (Oxford: John Henry Parker, 1847),
Vol. 3, Part 5, Book XXIII, pp. 29-30.

Cosmas of Indicopleustes (6th century)

The perfect Christian ought not therefore to depend upon books that are
doubtful, seeing that those which have been admitted into the Canon, and
which are commonly acknowledged suffice to declare everything concern-
ing both the heavens and the earth and the elements and the whole scheme
of Christian doctrine. J. W. McCrindle, trans., The Christian Topography of Cosmas, An
Egyptian Monk (New York: Burt Franklin, publisher, reprinted), p. 292.

See also: It behoveth not a perfect Christian to attempt to confirm any-

 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 133

thing from those [writings] that are doubted of, the canonical and commonly
received Scriptures explaining all things sufficienctly, both concerning the
heavens and the earth and the elements, and every doctrine received by
Christians. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 208.
Ov xp ov Tov TédeLov Kptotiavov ék TOV apd iBarr\opeévav
ETLOTHp(CeaGat, TOV EvStabéTwv Kal KOLVdS OLOAOyHLEVaV Ppaddv
ikavds TavtTa pnvudvTav, Tepl Te TGV obpavav Kal TGV oTOLYElov,
kal TavTdos TOU SdypaTos TOV XPLOTLAVAV. Topographiae Christianae, Liber
VIL, PG 88:373.

John of Damascus (652-750)

God, however, did not leave us in absolute ignorance. For the knowledge of
God’s existence has been implanted by Him in all by nature. This creation,
too, and its maintenance, and its government, proclaim the majesty of the
Divine nature. Moreover, by the Law and the Prophets in former times and
afterwards by His Only—begotten Son, our Lord and God and Savior Jesus
Christ, He disclosed to us the knowledge of Himself as that was possible for
us. All things, therefore, that have been delivered to us by Law and Prophets
and Apostles and Evangelists we receive, and know, and honor, seeking for
nothing beyond these. For God, being good, is the cause of all good, subject
neither to envy nor to any passion. For envy is far removed from the Divine
nature, which is both passionless and only good. As knowing all things, there-
fore, and providing for what is profitable for each, He revealed that which it
was to our profit to know; but what we were unable to bear He kept secret.
With these things let us be satisfied, and let us abide by them, not removing
everlasting boundaries, nor overpassing the divine tradition. NPNF2, Vol. IX,
An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Book 1, Chapter I.

It is one and the same God Whom both the Old and the New Testament
proclaim, Who is praised and glorified in the Trinity: J am come, saith the
Lord, not to destroy life law but to fulfil it. For He Himself worked out our
salvation for which all Scripture and all mystery exists. And again, Search the
Scriptures for they are they that testify of Me. And the Apostle says, God, Who
at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son. Through the Holy
Spirit, therefore, both the law and the prophets, the evangelists and apostles
and pastors and teachers, spake.
136 HOLY SCRIPTURE

All Scripture, then, is given by inspiration of God and is also assuredly

profitable. Wherefore to search the Scriptures is a work most fair and most
profitable for souls. For just as the tree planted by the channels of waters, so
also the soul watered by the divine Scripture is enriched and gives fruit in its
season, viz. orthodox belief, and is adorned with evergreen leafage, | mean,
actions pleasing to God. For through the Holy Scriptures we are trained to
action that is pleasing to God, and untroubled contemplation. For in these
we find both exhortation to every virtue and dissuasion from every vice. If,
therefore, we are lovers of learning, we shall also be learned in many things. For
by care and toil and the grace of God the Giver, all things are accomplished.
For every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to hint that
knocketh it shall be opened. Wherefore let us knock at that very fair garden of
the Scriptures, so fragrant and sweet and blooming, with its varied sounds of
spiritual and divinely—inspired birds ringing all round our ears, laying hold of
our hearts, comforting the mourner, pacifying the angry and filling him with
joy everlasting: which sets our mind on the gold—gleaming, brilliant back of
the divine dove, whose bright pinions bear up to the only—begotten Son and
Heir of theHusbandman of that spiritual Vineyard and bring us through Him
to the Father of Lights. But let us not knock carelessly but rather zealously and
constantly: lest knocking we grow weary. For thus it will be opened to us. If
we read once or twice and do not understand what we read, let us not grow
weary, but let us persist, let us talk much, let us enquire. For ask thy Father, he
saith, and He will shew thee: thy elders and they will tell thee. For there is not in
every man that knowledge. Let us draw of the fountain of the garden perennial
and purest waters springing into life eternal. Here let us luxuriate, let us revel
insatiate: for the Scriptures possess inexhaustible grace. But if we are able to
pluck anything profitable from outside sources, there is nothing to forbid
that. Let us become tried money—dealers, heaping up the true and pure gold
and discarding the spurious. Let us keep the fairest sayings but let us throw to
the dogs absurd gods and strange myths: for we might prevail most mightily
against them through themselves.
Observe, further, that there are two and twenty books of the Old Testament,
one for each letter of the Hebrew tongue. For there are twenty-two letters of

which five are double, and so they come to be twenty-seven. For the letters
Caph, Mere, Nun, Pe, Sade are double. And thus the number of the books in
this way is twenty—two, but is found to be twenty-seven because of the double
character of five. For Ruth is joined on to Judges, and the Hebrews count them
one book: the first and second books of Kings are counted one: and so are the
 The Material Sufficiency ofScripture 137

third and fourth books of Kings: and also the first and second of Paraleipomena:
and the first and second of Esdra. In this way, then, the books are collected
together in four Pentateuchs and two others remain over, to form thus the
canonical books. Five of them are of the Law, viz. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, Deuteronomy. This which is the code of the Law, constitutes the
first Pentateuch. Then comes another Pentateuch, the so—called Grapheia, or
as they are called by some, the Hagiographa, which are the following: Jesus
the Son of Nave , Judges along with Ruth, first and second Kings, which are
one book, third and fourth Kings, which are one book, and the two books of
the Paraleipomena which are one book. This is the second Pentateuch. The
third Pentateuch is the books in verse, viz. Job, Psalms, Proverbs of Solomon,
Ecclesiastes of Solomon and the Song of Songs of Solomon. The fourth
Pentateuch is the Prophetical books, viz the twelve prophets constituting one
book, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel. Then come the two books of Esdra
made into one, and Esther . There are also the Panaretus, that is the Wisdom
of Solomon, and the Wisdom of Jesus, which was published in Hebrew by the
father of Sirach, and afterwards translated into Greek by his grandson, Jesus,
the Son of Sirach. These are virtuous and noble, but are not counted nor were
they placed in the ark.
The New Testament contains four gospels, that according to Matthew, that
according to Mark, that according to Luke, that according to John: the Acts of
the Holy Apostles by Luke the Evangelist: seven catholic epistles, viz. one of
James, two of Peter, three of John, one of Jude: fourteen letters of the Apostle
Paul: the Revelation of John the Evangelist: the Canons of the holy apostles, by
Clement. NPNF2, Vol. IX, An Exact Exposition ofthe Orthodox Faith, Book IV, Chapter 17.
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 Chapter 2

The Ultimate Authority of Scripture

Cyril of Jerusalem (318-386)

Have thou ever in thy mind this seal, which for the present has been lightly
touched in my discourse, by way of summary, but shall be stated, should the
Lord permit, to the best of my power with the proof from the Scriptures. For
concerning the divine and holy mysteries of the Faith, not even a casual state-
ment must be delivered without the Holy Scriptures; nor must we be drawn
aside by mere plausibility and artifices of speech. Even to me, who tell thee
these things, give not absolute credence, unless thou receive the proof of the
things which I announce from the Divine Scriptures. For this salvation which
we believe depends not on ingenious reasoning, but on demonstration of the
Holy Scriptures. NPNF2: Vol. VII, Cyril ofJerusalem's Catechetical Lectures, Lecture 1V:17.

And first let us inquire for what cause Jesus came down. Now mind not my
argumentations, for perhaps thou mayest be misled but unless thou receive
testimony of the Prophets on each matter, believe not what I say: unless
thou learn from the Holy Scriptures concerning the Virgin, and the place,
the time, and the manner, receive not testimony from man. For one who at
present thus teaches may possibly be suspected: but what man of sense will
suspect one that prophesied a thousand and more years beforehand? If then
thou seekest the cause of Christ's coming, go back to the first book of the
Scriptures. NPNF2: Vol. VII, Catechetical Lectures, Lecture X1I.5.

Basil of Caesarea (329-379)

That every word and deed should be ratified by the testimony of the Holy
Scripture to confirm the good and cause shame to the wicked. FC, Vol. 9, Asceti-
cal Works, The Morals, Rule 26, p. 106.
140 HOLY SCRIPTURE

Concerning the Hearers: that those hearers who are instructed in the Scriptures
should examine what is said by the teachers, receiving what is in conformity
with the Scriptures and rejecting what is opposed to them; and that those
who persist in teaching such doctrines should be strictly avoided. FC, Vol. 9,
Ascetical Works, The Morals, Rule 72, p. 185-186.

Chrysostom (349-407)

Let us not therefore carry about the notions of the many, but examine into
the facts. For how is it not absurd that in respect to money, indeed, we do not
trust to others, but refer this to figures and calculation; but in calculating upon
facts we are lightly drawn aside by the notions of others; and that too, though
we possess an exact balance, and square and rules for all things, the declara-
tion of the divine laws? Wherefore I exhort and entreat you all, disregard
what this man and that man thinks about these things, and inquire from
the Scriptures all these things; and having learnt what are the true riches, let
us pursue after them that we may obtain also the eternal good things; which
may we all obtain, through the grace and love towards men of our Lord Jesus
Christ, with Whom, to the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory, might, and
honor, now and ever, and world without end. Amen. NPNFI: Vol. XII, Homilies
on Second Corinthians, Homily 13.

Jerome (347-420)

What is the function of commentators? They expound the statements of

someone else; they express in simple language views that have been expressed
in an obscure manner; they quote the opinions of many individuals and they
say: ‘Some interpret this passage in this sense, others, in another sense’; they
attempt to support their own understanding and interpretation with these tes-
timonies in this fashion, so that the prudent reader, after reading the different
interpretations and studying which of these many views are to be accepted and
which rejected, will judge for himself which is the more correct; and, like the
expert banker, will reject the falsely minted coin. FC, Vol. 53, St. Jerome—Dogmatic
and Polemical Works, The Apology Against the Books of Rufinus, Book 1.16, p. 79.

Optatus, bishop of Milevis (wrote 366/367)

You say, ‘it is granted;’ we say, ‘it is not granted.’ Between your ‘it is granted’
and our ‘it is not granted’ the souls of the people tack and veer. Let no-one
believe you, no-one believe us; all of us are people at loggerheads. Judges must
 The Ultimate Authority ofScripture 141

be sought; if Christians, neither side can give them, because truth is hindered
by zeal. A judge must be sought from those without; if a pagan, he cannot
know the secrets of Christians, if a Jew, he is an enemy of Christian baptism;
therefore in the world no judgment on this matter can be found; a judge
must be sought from heaven.
' But why do we batter heaven, when we have here a testament in the
Gospel? For in this place earthly things can rightly be compared to heavenly
ones. The case is the same as with any person who has a lot of children: so
long as the father is present the father himself commands them individually;
no testament is necessary yet. And so too Christ, so long as he was present
in the world, while he was not yet wanting, gave whatever commands were
necessary for the time to his disciples. But when an earthly father feels
himself to be on the brink of death, fearing lest after his death the brothers
should break the peace and be at odds, he brings witnesses and transfers his
will from his dying breast to tablets which will last a long time; and if any
dispute arises among the brothers, they do not go to the burial-place, but
seek the testament, and the one who rests in the burial-place speaks silently
from the tablets; just so, the one whose testament [the Gospel] is alive in
heaven, and therefore let his will be sought in the Gospel, as in a testament.
Mark Edwards, trans. and ed., Optatus: Against the Donatists, Book 5, section 3 (Liverpool:
Liverpool University Press, 1997), p. 100.

Augustine (354-430)

I am not bound by the authority of this letter, since I do not hold Cyprian’s
letters as canonical, but consider them to come from canonical writings.
And whatever in them agrees with the authority of the divine scriptures |
accept with praise to him; but what does not agree I reject with peace to
him. Hence, concerning those things you have mentioned, written by him
to Jubaianus, if you should recite from some canonical book of the apostles
or prophets, I would have nothing at all to contradict. But now, since you
recite what is not canonical, in that freedom to which the Lord has called
us, the view of this man (whose praise I am unable to reach, to whose letters
I do not compare my own writings, whose mind I love, in whose speech I
delight, at whose love I marvel, whose (martyrdom I venerate) about which
he thought otherwise, I do not accept. I do not accept, I say, what Cyprian
thought concerning the baptizing of heretics and schismatics, because the
church, for which blessed Cyprian shed his blood, does not accept it. But since
you say that he established legal documentson behalf of this opinion — although
he was unable to establish legal documents, but rather he established in them
142 HOLY SCRIPTURE
whatever he correctly thought — then relinquish Cyprian’ s writings, and those
very legal documents in which you say he made mention of this. If I will not
have demonstrated that these things do not help your cause at all, then you
have won. Wherefore I do not accept this view of Cyprian, although I am in-
comparably inferior to Cyprian; just as I do not accept or hold that view of the
Apostle Peter when he was trying to judaize the gentiles (Gal 2:14) although
I am incomparably inferior to Peter. Moreover you who bring up against us
Cyprian’s writings as though they were foundations of canonical authority, it
is necessary that you grant whatever of Cyprian we have been able to bring
forth against you, and it is proper that you, having been defeated, keep silent
and that you finally turn from the error of amost pernicious dissension unto
catholic unity. Contra Cresconium Grammaticum, Liber Secundus, Caput XXXII. Translation
by Dr. Michael Woodward.
Ego hujus epistolae auctoritate non teneor; quia litteras Cypriani non ut
canonicas habeo, sed eas ex canonicis considero, et quod in eis divinarum
Scripturarum auctoritati congruit, cum laude ejus accipio; quod autem non
congruit, cum pace ejus respuo. Ac per hoc, si ea quae commemorasti ab illo
ad Jubaianum scripta, de aliquo libro Apostolorum vel Prophetarum canonico
recitares, quid omnino contradicerem non haberem. Nunc vero quoniam
canonicum non est quod recitas, ea libertate ad quam nos vocavit Dominus,
ejus viri cujus laudem assequi non valeo, cujus multis litteris mea scripta non
comparo, cujus ingenium diligo, cujus ore delector, cujus charitatem miror,
cujus martyrium veneror, hoc quod aliter sapuit, non accipio. Non accipio,
inquam, quod de baptizandis haereticis et schismaticis beatus Cyprianus sensit;
quia hoc Ecclesia non accipit, pro qua beatus Cyprianus sanguinem fudit. Sed
quia dicitis eum pro hac sententia legalia documenta firmasse: quanquam non
ille documenta legalia firmare potuit, sed eis potius quaecumque recte sensit ipse
firmavit: relinque ergo scripta Cypriani, et ea ipsa legalia documenta quibus eum
dicis usum esse commemora. Si non ea demonstravero vestram causam nihil
adjuvare, vicisti. Quapropter ita hoc Cypriani non accipio, quamvis inferior
incomparabiliter Cypriano; sicut illud apostoli Petri quod Gentes Judaizare
cogebat, nec accipio, nec facio, quamvis inferior incomparabiliter Petro. Vos
autem qui scripta Cypriani nobis tanquam firmamenta canonicae auctoritatis
opponitis, quidquid de Cypriano contra vos proferre potuerimus, necesse est
cedatis, et justum est ut victi taceatis, ac vos aliquando ab errore perniciosissimae
dissensionis ad unitatem catholicam convertatis. Contra Cresconium Grammaticum,
Liber Secundus, Caput XXXII, PL 43:490.

Wherefore, my brother, refrain from gathering together against divine

testimonies so many, so perspicuous, and so unchallenged, the calumnies
which may be found in the writings of bishops either of our communion,
 The Ultimate Authority ofScripture 143

as Hilary, or of the undivided Church itself in the age preceding the schism
of Donatus, as Cyprian or Agrippinus; because, in the first place, this class
of writings must be, so far as authority is concerned, distinguished from the
canon of Scripture. For they are not read by us as if a testimony brought
forward from them was such that it would be unlawful to hold any different
opinion, for it may be that the opinions which they held were different from
those to which truth demands our assent. For we are amongst those who do
not reject what has been taught us even by an apostle: ‘If in anything ye be
otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you; nevertheless, whereto
we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule,’ — in that way, namely,
which Christ is; of which way the Psalmist thus speaks: ‘God be merciful unto
us, and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us: that Thy way may be
known upon earth, Thy saving health among all nations.’ NPNF1: Vol. I, Letters
of St. Augustine, Letter 93, Chapter 10.35.

But if it is supported by the evident authority of the divine Scriptures, namely,

of those which in the Church are called canonical, it must be believed without
any reservation. In regard to other witnesses of evidence which are offered as
guarantees of belief, you may believe or not, according as you estimate that
they either have or have not the weight necessary to produce belief. FC, Vol.
20, Saint Augustine Letters, 147, Chapter 4, p. 173.

I have thought it my duty to quote all these passages from the writings of both
Latin and Greek authors who, being in the Catholic Church before our time,
have written commentaries on the divine oracles, in order that our brother,
if he hold any different opinion from theirs, may know that it becomes him,
laying aside all bitterness of controversy, and preserving or reviving fully the
gentleness of brotherly love, to investigate with diligent and calm consideration
either what he must learn from others, or what others must learn from him.
For the reasonings of any men whatsoever, even though they be Catholics,
and of high reputation, are not to be treated by us in the same way as the
canonical Scriptures are treated. We are at liberty, without doing any violence
to the respect which these men deserve, to condemn and reject anything in
their writings, if perchance we shall find that they have entertained opinions
differing from that which others or we ourselves have, by the divine help,
discovered to be the truth. I deal thus with the writings of others, and I
wish my intelligent readers to deal thus with mine. NPNFI: Vol. 1, Letters of St.
Augustine, Letter 148.15.

As regards our writings, which are not a rule of faith or practice, but only a
help to edification, we may suppose that they contain some things falling short
144 HOLY SCRIPTURE
of the truth in obscure and recondite matters, and that these mistakes may
or may not be corrected in subsequent treatises. For we are of those of whom
the apostle says: ‘And if ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this
unto you.’ Such writings are read with the right of judgment, and without
any obligation to believe. In order to leave room for such profitable discus-
sions of difficult questions, there is a distinct boundary line separating all
productions subsequent to apostolic times from the authoritative canonical
books of the Old and New Testaments. The authority of these books has
come down to us from the apostles through the successions of bishops and
the extension of the Church, and, from a position of lofty supremacy, claims
the submission of every faithful and pious mind. If we are perplexed by an
apparent contradiction in Scripture, it is not allowable to say, The author of
this book is mistaken; but either the manuscript is faulty, or the translation is
wrong, or you have not understood. In the innumerable books that have been
written latterly we may sometimes find the same truth as in Scripture, but
there is not the same authority. Scripture has a sacredness peculiar to itself.
In other books the reader may form his own opinion, and perhaps, from not
understanding the writer, may differ from him, and may pronounce in favor
of what pleases him, or against what he dislikes. In such cases, a man is at
liberty to withhold his belief, unless there is some clear demonstration or
some canonical authority to show that the doctrine or statement either must
or may be true. But in consequence of the distinctive peculiarity of the sacred
writings, we are bound to receive as true whatever the canon shows to have
been said by even one prophet, or apostle, or evangelist. Otherwise, not a
single page will be left for the guidance of human fallibility, if contempt for
the wholesome authority of the canonical books either puts an end to that
authority altogether, or involves it in hopeless confusion. NPNFI: Vol. IV, Reply
to Faustus the Manichaean, Book X1.5.

But give heed to the fact that even the hirelings are needful. For many indeed
in the Church are following after earthly profit, and yet preach Christ, and
through them is heard the voice of Christ; and the sheep follow, not the hire-
ling, but the Shepherd’s voice speaking through the hireling. Hearken to the
hirelings as pointed out by the Lord Himself: ‘The scribes,’ He saith, ‘and the
Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: do what they say; but do not what they do.’ What
else said He but, Listen to the Shepherd's voice speaking through the hirelings?
For sitting in Moses’ seat, they teach the law of God; therefore God teacheth
by them. But if they wish to teach their own things, hear them not, do them
not. NPNFI; Vol. VII, Tractates on John, Tractate XLV1.6, John 10:11-13.

What does “homoousios” mean, I ask, but The Father and L are one (jn. 10:30)?
I should not, however, introduce the Council of Nicea to prejudice the case
in my favor, nor should you introduce the Council of Ariminum that way.
 The Ultimate Authority ofScripture 145

1 am not bound by the authority of Ariminum, and you are not bound by
that of Nicea. By the authority of the scriptures that are not the property of
anyone, but the common witness for both of us, let position do battle with
position, case with case, reason with reason. WSA, Arianism and Other Heresies,
Answer to Maximinus the Arian, Book II:XIV.3, Part 1, Vol. 18, John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., ed.,
(Hyde Park: New City Press, 1995), p. 282.
Quid est enim Homousion, nisi unius ejusdemque substantiae? Quid est,
inquam, Homousion, nisi, Ego et Pater unum sumus (Joan. X, 30)? Sed nunc
nec ego Nicaenum, nec tu debes Ariminense tanquam praejudicaturus proferre
concilium. Nec ego hujus auctoritate, nec tu illius detineris: Scripturarum
auctoritatibus, non quorumque propriis, sed utrisque communibus testibus,
res cum re, causa cum causa, ratio cum ratione concertet. Contra Maximinum,
Liber Secundus,Caput XIV.3, PL 42:772.

Some great good thing therefore it is, to sleep in the midst of the lots, which
some would have to be the Two Testaments, so that to “sleep in the midst of
the lots” is to rest on the authority of those Testaments, that is, to acquiesce
in the testimony of either Testament: so that whenever anything out of them
is produced and proved, all strife is ended in peaceful acquiescence...NPNF1:
Vol. VIII, Sz. Augustin on the Psalms, Psalm 68, Section 14.

Open the register [the scriptures], read; instruments are drawn up, he didn’t
make a purchase without having it in writing, he foresaw the pettifogging
objections that would be raised in the future; what can be read is to be trusted.
Well now, it’s being read; notice whom it’s written by, notice who's speaking,
who’s taking it down. He was the one speaking, it was the apostles taking it
down. They left it to us all written down. So let us read the instrument of
purchase, brothers; why should we quarrel? What if the register of our Lord,
our purchaser, should relieve us of all grounds for quarrelling? WSA, Part 3, Vol.
9, John Rotelle, edi, Sermons, 340A. 11, pp. 304-305.

Better far that I should read with certainty and persuasion of its truth
the Holy Scripture, placed on the highest (even the heavenly) pinnacle of
authority, and should, without questioning the trustworthiness of its state-
ments, learn from it that men have been either commended, or corrected, or
condemned, than that, through fear of believing that by men, who, though
of most praiseworthy excellence, were no more than men, actions deserving
rebuke might sometimes be done, I should admit suspicions affecting the
trustworthiness of the whole “oracles of God.” NPNF1: Vol I, Letters ofSt. Augustine,
Letter 82, Chapter 2, Section 5.

I do not want you to depend on my authority, so as to think that you must

146 HOLY SCRIPTURE

believe something because it is said by me; you should rest your belief either
on the canonical Scriptures, if you do not see how true something is, or on
the truth made manifest to you interiorly, so that you may see clearly. FC,
Vol. 20, Saint Augustine Letters, Letter 147, Chapter 2 p. 171.

This Mediator, having spoken what He judged sufficient first by the prophets,
then by His own lips, and afterwards by the apostles, has besides produced
the Scripture which is called canonical, which has paramount authority, and
to which we yield assent in all matters of which we ought not to be ignorant,
and yet cannot know of ourselves. For if we attain the knowledge of present
objects by the testimony of our own senses, whether internal or external, then,
regarding objects remote from our own senses, we need others to bring their
testimony, since we cannot know them by our own, and we credit the persons
to whom the objects have been or are sensibly present. Accordingly, as in the
case of visible objects which we have not seen, we trust those who have, (and
likewise with all sensible objects,) so in the case of things which are perceived
by the mind and spirit, i.e., which are remote from our own interior sense, it
behooves us to trust those who have seen them set in that incorporeal light, or
abidingly contemplate them. NPNFI: Vol. II, The City of God, Book XI, Chapter 3.

Do not be willing to yield to my writings as to the canonical Scriptures;

but in these, when thou hast discovered even what thou didst not previously
believe, believe it unhesitatingly; while in those, unless thou hast understood
with certainty what thou didst not before hold as certain, be unwilling to hold
it fast: so I say to the latter, Do not be willing to amend my writings by thine
own opinion or disputation, but from the divine text, or by unanswerable
reason. If thou apprehendest anything of truth in them, its being there does
not make it mine, but by understanding and loving it, let it be both thine and
mine; but if thou convictest anything of falsehood, though it have once been
mine, in that I was guilty of the error, yet now by avoiding it let it be neither
thine nor mine. NPNFI: Vol. III, On the Trinity, Book Ul, Preface, Section 2.

Whereas, therefore, in every question, which relates to life and conduct, not
only teaching, but exhortation also is necessary; in order that by teaching we
may know what is to be done, and by exhortation may be incited not to think
it irksome to do what we already know is to be done; what more can I teach
you, than what we read in the Apostle? For holy Scripture setteth a rule to
our teaching, that we dare not “be wise more than it behoveth to be wise;”
but be wise, as himself saith, “unto soberness, according as unto each God
hath allotted the measure of faith.” Be it not therefore for me to teach you
any other thing, save to expound to you the words of the Teacher, and to
 The Ultimate Authority ofScripture 147

treat of them as the Lord shall have given to me. NPNFI: Vol. III, On the Good of
Widowhood [De Bono Viduitatis.], Section 2.

For, as regards any writing professing to come immediately from Christ

Himself, if it were really His, how is it not read and acknowledged and
regarded as of supreme authority in the Church, which, beginning with
Christ Himself, and continued by His apostles, who were succeeded by the
bishops, has been maintained and extended to our own day, and in which is
found the fulfillment of many former predictions, while those concerning
the last days are sure to be accomplished in the future? NPNFI: Vol. IV, Reply to
Faustus the Manichaean, Book XXVIII, section 4

Now that all Faustus’ calumnies have been refuted, those at least on the sub-
jects here treated of at large and explained fully as the Lord has enabled me,
I close with a word of counsel to you who are implicated in those shocking
and damnable errors, that, if you acknowledge the supreme authority of
Scripture, you should recognise that authority which from the time of Christ
Himself, through the ministry of His apostles, and through a regular succes-
sion of bishops in the seats of the apostles, has been preserved to our own day
throughout the whole world, with a reputation known to all. NPNFI: Vol. IV,
Reply to Faustus the Manichaean, Book XXXIII, section 9.

You are wont, indeed, to bring up against us the letters of Cyprian, his opin-
ion, his Council; why do ye claim the authority of Cyprian for your schism,
and reject his example when it makes for the peace of the Church? But who
can fail to be aware that the sacred canon of Scripture, both of the Old and
New Testament, is confined within its own limits, and that it stands so ab-
solutely in a superior position to all later letters of the bishops, that about it
we can hold no manner of doubt or disputation whether what is confessedly
contained in it is right and true; but that all the letters of bishops which
have been written, or are being written, since the closing of the canon, are
liable to be refuted if there be anything contained in them which strays from
the truth, either by the discourse of some one who happens to be wiser in
the matter than themselves, or by the weightier authority and more learned
experience of other bishops, by the authority of Councils; and further, that
the Councils themselves, which are held in the several districts and prov-
inces, must yield, beyond all possibility of doubt, to the authority of plenary
Councils which are formed for the whole Christian world; and that even of
the plenary (ecumenical) Councils, the earlier are often corrected by those
which follow them, when, by some actual experiment, things are brought
to light which were before concealed, and that is known which previously
lay hid, and this without any whirlwind of sacrilegious pride, without any
148 HOLY SCRIPTURE

puffing of the neck through arrogance, without any strife of envious hatred,
simply with holy humility, catholic peace, and Christian charity? NPNFI: Vol.
IV, On Baptism, Against the Donatists, Book II, Chapter 3.

I think it belongs to my care not only to avail myself of the sacred canonical
Scriptures as witnesses against them, which I have already sufficiently done,
but, moreover, to bring forward some proofs from the writings of the holy
men who before us have treated upon those Scriptures with the most wide-
spread reputation and great glory. Not that I would put the authority of any
controversialist on a level with the canonical books, as if there were nothing
which is better or more truly thought by one catholic than by another who
likewise is a catholic; but that those may be admonished who think that
these men say anything as it used to be said, before their empty talk on these
subjects, by catholic teachers following the divine oracles, and may know that
the true and anciently established catholic faith is by us defended against
the receding presumption and mischief of the Pelagian heretics. NPNF1: Vol.
V, A Treatise Against Two Letters of the Pelagians, Book IV, Chapter 20.

Now, who is it that submits to divine Scripture, save he who reads or hears it
piously, deferring to it as of supreme authority; so that what he understands
he does not hate on this account, that he feels it to be opposed to his sins, but
rather loves being reproved by it, and rejoices that his maladies are not spared
until they are healed; and so that even in respect to what seems to him obscure
or absurd, he does not therefore raise contentious contradictions, but prays
that he may understand, yet remembering that goodwill and reverence are to
be manifested towards so great an authority? But who does this, unless just
the man who has come, not harshly threatening, but in the meekness of piety,
for the purpose of opening and ascertaining the contents of his father’s will?
“Blessed,” therefore, “are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” Let us see
what follows. NPNFI: Vol. VI, Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, Book I, Chapter XI.

This statement gives us to understand that, previous to this, he had written

one of those four books of the gospel which are held in the loftiest author-
ity in the Church. NPNFI: Vol. VI, The Harmony of
the Gospels, Book IV, Chapter VII,
section 9,

Let us not hear, You say this, I say that; but let us hear Thus saith the Lord.
There are the Dominical books, whose authority we both acknowledge, we
both yield to, we both obey; there let us seek the Church, thereslet us discuss
the question between us. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 164.
Sed, ut dicere coeperam, non audiamus, Haec dicis, haec dico; sed audiamus,
 The Ultimate Authority ofScripture 149
Haec dicit Dominus. Sunt certe Libri dominici, quorum auctoritati utrique
consentimus, utrique cedimus utrique servimus: ibi quaeramus Ecclesiam, ibi
discutiamus causam nostram. De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput I, §5, PL 43:394,

Therefore let those testimonies which we mutually bring against each other,
from any other quarter than the divine canonical books, be put out of sight.
Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 164.
Auferantur ergo illa de medio, quae adversus nos invicem, non ex divinis can-
onicis Libris, sed aliunde recitamus. De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput III, §5, PL 43:395.

I would not have the holy Church demonstrated by human testimonies, but
by divine oracles. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, pp. 164-165.
Quia nolo humanis documentis, sed divinis oraculis sanctam Ecclesiam
demonstrari. De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput III, §6, PL 43:395.

Whoever dissents from the sacred Scriptures, even if they are found in all
places in which the church is designated, are not the church. See Francis Tur-
retin, Vol. 3, pp. 109-110.
Quicumque de ipso capite, ab Scripturis sanctis dissentiunt, etiamsi in om-
nibus locis inveniantur in quibus Ecclesia designata est, non sunt in Ecclesia.
De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput IV, §7, PL 43:395-396.

We adhere to this Church; against those divine declarations we admit no

human cavils.
Nos hanc Ecclesiam tenemus, contra istas divinas voces nullas humanas
criminationes admittimus. De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput XI, §28, PL 43:410.

Let no one say to me, What hath Donatus said, what hath Parmenian said,
or Pontius, or any of them. For we must not allow even Catholic bishops,
if at any time, perchance, they are in error, to hold any opinion contrary
to the Canonical Scriptures of God. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 165.
Nemo mihi dicat: O quid dixit Donatus, o quid dixit Parmenianus, aut
Pontius, aut quilibet illorum! Quia nec catholicis episcopis consentiendum
est, sicubi forte falluntur, ut contra canonicas Dei Scripturas aliquid sentiant.
De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput XI, §28, PL 43:410-411.

All such matters, therefore, being put out of sight, let them show their Church,
if they can; not in the discourses and reports of Africans, not in the councils
of their own bishops, not in the writings of any controversialists, not in falla-
cious signs and miracles, for even against these we are rendered by the word
of the Lord prepared and cautious, but in the ordinances of the Law, in the
predictions of the Prophets, in the songs of the Psalms, in the words of the very
150 HOLY SCRIPTURE
Shepherd himself, in the preachings and labours of the Evangelists, that is,
inall the canonical authorities of sacred books. Nor so as to collect together
and rehearse those things that are spoken obscurely, or ambiguously, or figu-
ratively, such as each can interpret as he likes, according to his own views. For
such testimonies cannot be rightly understood and expounded, unless those
things that are most clearly spoken are first held by a firm faith. Translation
by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 165.
Remotis ergo omnibus talibus Ecclesiam suam demonstrent, si possunt, non
in sermonibus et rumoribus Afrorum, non in conciliis episcoporum suorum,
non in litteris quorumlibet disputatorum, non in signis et prodigiis fallacibus,
quia etiam contra ista verbo Domini praeparati et cauti redditi sumus: sed in
praescripto Legis, in Prophetarum praedictis, in Psalmorum cantibus, in ipsius
unius Pastoris vocibus, in Evangelistarum praedicationibus et laboribus, hoc
est, in omnibus canonicis sanctorum Librorum auctoritatibus. Nec ita, ut ea
colligant et commemorent, quae obscure vel ambigue vel figurate dicta sunt,
quae quisque sicut voluerit, interpretetur secundum sensum suum. Talia enim
recte intelligi exponique non possunt, nisi prius ea, quae apertissime dicta sunt,
firma fide teneantur. De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput XVIII, §47, PL 43:427-428.

We ought to find the Church, as the Head of the Church, in the Holy Canoni-
cal Scriptures, not to inquire for it in the various reports, and opinions, and
deeds, and words, and visions of men. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 165.
Ecclesia, quam sicut ipsum caput in Scripturis sanctis canonicis debemus
agnoscere, non in variis hominum rumoribus, et opinionibus, et factis, et dictis,
et visis inquirere. De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput XIX, $49, PL 43:427-428.

Whether they [i.e. the Donatists] hold the Church, they must show by the
Canonical books of the Divine Scriptures alone; for we do not say, that we
must be believed because we are in the Church of Christ, because Optatus of
Milevi, or Ambrose of Milan, or innumerable other bishops of our commu-
nion, commended that Church to which we belong, or because it is extolled
by the Councils of our colleagues, or because through the whole world in the
holy places which those of our communion frequent such wonderful answers
to prayers or cures happen. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 2, pp. 341-342 and Vol.
3, ps 165:
Sed utrum ipsi Ecclesiam teneant, non nisi de divinarum Scripturarum
canonicis libris ostendant: quia nec nos propterea dicimus nobis credi oportere
quod in Ecclesia Christi sumus, quia ipsam quam tenemus, commendavit
Milevitanus Optatus, vel Mediolanensis Ambrosius, vel alii innumerabiles
nostrae communionis episcopi; aut quia nostrorum collegarum conciliis ipsa
praedicata est; aut quia per totum orbem in locis sanctis, quae frequentat nostra
communio, tanta mirabilia vel exauditionum, vel sanitatum fiunt...De Unitate
Ecclesiae, Caput XIX, §50, PL 43:429-430,
 The Ultimate Authority ofScripture ileal
Whatever things of this kind take place in the Catholic Church, are therefore
to be approved of because they take place in the Catholic Church; but it is
not proved to be the Catholic Church, because these things happen in it. The
Lord Jesus himself when he had risen from the dead...judged that his disciples
were to be convinced by the testimonies of the Law and the Prophets and the
Psalms... These are the proofs, these the foundations, these the supports for our
cause. We read in the Acts of the Apostles of some who believed, that they
searched the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so. What Scriptures
but the Canonical Scriptures of the Law and the Prophets? To these have
been added the Gospels, the Apostolical Epistles, the Acts of the Apostles,
the Apocalypse of John. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 2, pp. 341-342 and Vol.
3, pp. 165-166.
Quaecumque talia in Catholica fiunt, ideo sunt approbanda, quia in Cath-
olica fiunt; non ideo ipsa manifestatur Catholica, quia haec in ea fiunt. Ipse
Dominus Jesus cum resurrexisset a mortuis...eos [i.e., discipulos] testimoniis
Legis et Prophetarum et Psalmorum confirmandos esse judicavit...Haec sunt
causae nostrae documenta, haec fundamenta, haec firmamenta. 51. Legimus
in Actibus Apostolorum dictum de quibusdam credentibus, quod quotidie
scrutarentur Scripturas, an haec ita se haberent: quas utique Scripturas, nisi
canonicas Legis et Prophetarum? Huc accesserunt Evangelia, apostolicae
Epistolae, Actus Apostolorum, Apocalypsis Joannis. De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput
XIX, §50-51, PL 43:430.

But if they do not choose to understand, it is sufficient for us that we adhere

to that Church which is demonstrated by such extremely clear testimonies
of the Holy and Canonical Scriptures. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 166.
Quod si nolunt intelligere, sufficit nobis quod eam tenemus Ecclesiam,
quae manifestissimis sanctarum et canonicarum Scripturarum testimoniis
demonstratur. De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput XIX, §50-51, PL 43:437.

Cyril of Alexandria (Patriarch 412-444)

Come, let us investigate the divine and sacred scripture and let us seek the
solution there. John Anthony McGuckin, trans., St. Cyril ofAlexandria On the Unity of
Christ (Crestwood: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1995), p. 72.

Gregory the Great (GregoryI c. 540-604)

In silver the power of speaking, in gold brightness of life or of wisdom is used

to be denoted. And because heretics are so filled with pride for the brillancy of
132 HOLY SCRIPTURE

their speaking, that they are not based firmly by any authority of the sacred
books, (which books are for speaking like a kind of veins of silver to us,
because from those identical books we derive the spring and source of our
speaking,) he recalls them to the pages of sacred authority, that if they have
a desire to speak in a true way, they may from that source draw forth what
to say. And he saith, The silver hath the beginning of its veins, and to the gold
there is a place, where they fine it.
As if he said in plain words, “He that is fitting himself for the words of
true preaching, the originals of the cases he must of necessity derive from
the sacred page, so as to bring round every thing that he speaks to a fountain
of divine authority, and in that set firm the edifice of his own speaking. For,
as we before said, oftentimes heretics, whilst they are eager to prop up what
is bad of their own, broach things which assuredly not maintained in the
page of the sacred books. Morals on the Book ofJob by S. Gregory the Great: A Library of
Fathers of the Holy Catholic Church, Vol. 2, Parts 3 & 4 (Oxford: John Henry Parker, 1844),
Book XVIII, Chapter 25, pp. 343-344.
 Part II

The Fathers

The Formal Sufficiency of Scripture

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 Chapter Three

The Perspicuity of Scripture

Justin Martyr (wrote after 151)

Moreover, I would wish that all, making a resolution similar to my own, do

not keep themselves away from the words of the Savior. For they possess a
terrible power in themselves, and are sufficient to inspire those who turn
aside from the path of rectitude with awe; while the sweetest rest is afforded
those who make a diligent practice of them. ANF: Vol. I, Dialogue ofJustin, Chapter 8.

And I replied, ‘I would not bring forward these proofs, Trypho, by which I
am aware those who worship these [idols] and such like are condemned, but
such [proofs] as no one could find any objection to. They will appear strange
to you, although you read them every day; so that even from this fact we
understand that, because of your wickedness, God has withheld from you the
ability to discern the wisdom of His Scriptures; yet [there are] some excep-
tions, to whom, according to the grace of His long-suffering, as Isaiah said,
He has left a seed of salvation, lest your race be utterly destroyed, like Sodom
and Gomorrah. Pay attention, therefore, to what I shall record out of the
holy Scriptures, which do not need to be expounded, but only listened to.’
ANF: Vol. 1, Dialogue ofJustin, Chapter 55.

And that the prophet whose name was changed, Jesus [Joshua], was strong
and great, is manifest to all. If then, we know that God revealed Himself in
so many forms to Abraham, and to Jacob, and to Moses, how are we at aloss,
and do not believe that, according to the will of the Father of all things, it
156 HOLY SCRIPTURE

was possible for Him to be born man of the Virgin, especially after we have
such Scriptures, from which it can be plainly perceived that He became so
according to the will of the Father? ANF: Vol. I, Dialogue ofJustin, Chapter 79.
Irenaeus (130 —c. 200)

A sound mind, and one which does not expose its possessor to danger, and is
devoted to piety and the love of truth, will eagerly meditate upon those things
which God has placed within the power of mankind, and has subjected to
our knowledge, and will make advancement in [acquaintance with] them,
rendering the knowledge of them easy to him by means of daily study.
These things are such as fall [plainly] under our observation, and are clearly
and unambiguously in express terms set forth in the Sacred Scriptures. And
therefore the parables ought not to be adapted to ambiguous expressions.
For, if this be not done, both he who explains them will do so without dan-
ger, and the parables will receive a like interpretation from all, and the body
of truth remains entire, with a harmonious adaptation of its members, and
without any collision [of its several parts]. But to apply expressions which
are not clear or evident to interpretations of the parables, such as every one
discovers for himself as inclination leads him, [is absurd.] For in this way
no one will possess the rule of truth; but in accordance with the number
of persons who explain the parables will be found the various systems of
truth, in mutual opposition to each other, and setting forth antagonistic
doctrines, like the questions current among the Gentile philosophers. ANF:
Vol. I, Against Heresies, 2.27.1.

According to this course of procedure, therefore, man would always be inquiring

but never finding, because he has rejected the very method of discovery. And
when the Bridegroom comes, he who has his lamp untrimmed, and not burning
with the brightness ofa steady light, is classed among those who obscure the
interpretations of the parables, forsaking Him who by His plain announce-
ments freely imparts gifts to all who come to Him, and is excluded from His
marriage—chamber. Since, therefore, the entire Scriptures, the prophets, and
the Gospels, can be clearly, unambiguously, and harmoniously understood
by all, although all do not believe them; and since they proclaim that one only
God, to the exclusion of all others, formed all things by His word, whether
visible or invisible, heavenly or earthly, in the water or under the earth, as I
have shown from the very words of Scripture; and since the very system of
creation to which we belong testifies, by what falls under our notice, that one
Being made and governs it,—those persons will seem truly foolish who blind
their eyes to such a clear demonstration, and will not behold the light of the
announcement [made to them]; but they put fetters upon themselves, and
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 157

every one of them imagines, by means of their obscure interpretations of the

parables, that he has found out a God of his own. For that there is nothing
whatever openly, expressly, and without controversy said in any part of Scrip-
ture respecting the Father conceived of by those who hold a contrary opinion,
they themselves testify, when they maintain that the Saviour privately taught
these same things not to all, but to certain only of His disciples who could
comprehend them, and who understood what was intended by Him through
means of arguments, enigmas, and parables. They come, [in fine, } to this,
that they maintain there is one Being who is proclaimed as God, and another
as Father, He who is set forth as such through means of parables and enigmas.
3. But since parables admit of many interpretations, what lover of truth will
not acknowledge, that for them to assert God is to be searched out from
these, while they desert what is certain, indubitable, and true, is the part
of men who eagerly throw themselves into danger, and act as if destitute of
reason? And is not such a course of conduct not to build one’s house upon
a rock which is firm, strong, and placed in an open position, but upon the
shifting sand? Hence the overthrow of such a building is a matter of ease. ANF:
Vol. 1, Against Heresies 2.27.2-3.

That eternal fire, [for instance,] is prepared for sinners, both the Lord has
plainly declared, and the rest of the Scriptures demonstrate. And that God
fore—knew that this would happen, the Scriptures do in like manner demon-
strate, since He prepared eternal fire from the beginning for those who were
[afterwards] to transgress [His commandments]; but the cause itself of the
nature of such transgressors neither has any Scripture informed us, nor has an
apostle told us, nor has the Lord taught us. It becomes us, therefore, to leave
the knowledge of this matter to God, even as the Lord does of the day and hour
[of judgment], and not to rush to such an extreme of danger, that we will leave
nothing in the hands of God, even though we have received only a measure of
grace [from Him in this world]. ANF: Vol. I, Against Heresies 2.28.7.

But that I may not be thought to avoid that series of proofs which may be de-
rived from the Scriptures of the Lord (since, indeed, these Scriptures do much
more evidently and clearly proclaim this very point), |shall, for the benefit of
those at least who do not bring a depraved mind to bear upon them, devote a
special book to the Scriptures referred to, which shall fairly follow them out
[and explain them], and I shall plainly set forth from these divine Scriptures
proofs to [satisfy] all the lovers of truth. ANF: Vol. 1, Against Heresies 2.35.4.

When, however, they are confuted from the Scriptures, they turn round and
158 HOLY SCRIPTURE

accuse these same Scriptures, as if they were not correct, nor of authority,
and [assert] that they are ambiguous, and that the truth cannot be extracted
from them by those who are ignorant of tradition. For [they allege] that
the truth was not delivered by means of written documents, but viva voce:
wherefore also Paul declared, ‘But we speak wisdom among those that are
perfect, but not the wisdom ofthis world.’ And this wisdom each one of them
alleges to be the fiction of his own inventing, forsooth; so that, according to
their idea, the truth properly resides at one time in Valentinus, at another in
Marcion, at another in Cerinthus, then afterwards in Basilides, or has even
been indifferently in any other opponent, who could speak nothing pertain-
ing to salvation. For every one of these men, being altogether of a perverse
disposition, depraving the system of truth, is not ashamed to preach himself.
ANF: Vol. 1, Against Heresies 3.2.1.

This is also made clear from the words of the Lord, who did truly reveal the
Son of God to those of the circumcision — Him who had been foretold as
Christ by the prophets; that is, He set Himself forth, who had restored liberty
to men, and bestowed on them the inheritance of incorruption. And again,
the apostles taught the Gentiles that they should leave vain stocks and stones,
which they imagined to be gods, and worship the true God, who had created
and made all the human family, and, by means of His creation, did nourish,
increase, strengthen, and preserve them in being; and that they might look for
His Son Jesus Christ, who redeemed us from apostasy with His own blood,
so that we should also be a sanctified people, — who shall also descend from
heaven in His Father's power, and pass judgment upon all, and who shall freely
give the good things of God to those who shall have kept His commandments.
He, appearing in these last times, the chief cornerstone, has gathered into
one, and united those that were far off and those that were near; that is, the
circumcision and the uncircumcision, enlarging Japhet, and placing him in
the dwelling of Shem. ANF: Vol. 1, Against Heresies 3.5.3.

But those who are from Valentinus, being, on the other hand, altogether
reckless, while they put forth their own compositions, boast that they possess
more Gospels than there really are. Indeed, they have arrived at such a pitch of
audacity, as to entitle their comparatively recent writing ‘the Gospel of Truth,’
though it agrees in nothing with the Gospels of the Apostles, so that they
have really no Gospel which is not full of blasphemy. For if what they have
published is the Gospel of truth, and yet is totally unlike those which have
been handed down to us from the apostles, any who please may learn, as
is shown from the Scriptures themselves, that that which has been handed
down from the apostles can no longer be reckoned the Gospel of truth. But
 The Self-Interpreting Nature of Scripture 159

that these Gospels alone are true and reliable, and admit neither an increase
nor diminution of the aforesaid number, I have proved by so many and such
[arguments] . ANF: Vol. I, Against Heresies 3.11.9
But let us revert to the same line of argument [hitherto pursued]. For when
it has been manifestly declared, that they who were the preachers of the truth
and the apostles of liberty termed no one else God, or named him Lord, except
the only true God the Father, and His Word, who has the pre-eminence in all
things; it shall then be clearly proved, that they (the apostles) confessed as the
Lord God Him who was the Creator of heaven and earth, who also spoke with
Moses, gave to him the dispensation of the law, and who called the fathers;
and that they knew no other. The opinion of the apostles, therefore, and of
those (Mark and Luke) who learned from their words, concerning God, has
been made manifest. A/F: Vol. I, Against Heresies 3.15.3.

The Lord Himself, too, makes it evident who it was that suffered; for when
He asked the disciples, “Who do men say that I, the Son of man, am?’ and
when Peter had replied, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God;’ and
when he had been commended by Him [in these words], “That flesh and blood
had not revealed it to him, but the Father who is in heaven,’ He made it clear
that He, the Son of man, is Christ the Son of the living God. ‘For from that
time forth,’ it is said, ‘He began to show to His disciples, how that He must
go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the priests, and be rejected, and
crucified, and rise again the third day.’ He who was acknowledged by Peter
as Christ, who pronounced him blessed because the Father had revealed the
Son of the living God to him, said that He must Himself suffer many things,
and be crucified; and then He rebuked Peter, who imagined that He was the
Christ as the generality of men supposed [that the Christ should be], and was
averse to the idea of His suffering, [and] said to the disciples, ‘If any man will
come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it; and whosoever will lose it for My
sake shall save it.’ For these things Christ spoke openly, He being Himself the
Savior of those who should be delivered over to death for their confession of
Him, and lose their lives. ANF: Vol. 1, Against Heresies 3.18.4.

Again, that it should not be a mere man who should save us, nor [one] without
flesh — for the angels are without flesh — [the same prophet] announced, say-
ing: ‘Neither an elder, nor angel, but the Lord Himself will save them because
He loves them, and will spare them: He will Himself set them free.’ And that
He should Himself become very man, visible, when He should be the Word
giving salvation, Isaiah again says: “Behold, city of Zion: thine eyes shall see
our salvation.’ And that it was not a mere man who died for us, Isaiah says:
‘And the holy Lord remembered His dead Israel, who had slept in the land of
sepulture; and He came down to preach His salvation to them, that He might
160 HOLY SCRIPTURE
save them.’ And Amos (Micah) the prophet declares the same: “He will turn
again, and will have compassion upon us: He will destroy our iniquities, and
will cast our sins into the depths of the sea.’ And again, specifying the place
of His advent, he says: ‘The Lord hath spoken from Zion, and He has uttered
His voice from Jerusalem.’ And that it is from that region which is towards
the south of the inheritance of Judah that the Son of God shall come, who
is God, and who was from Bethlehem, where the Lord was born [and] will
send out His praise through all the earth, thus says the prophet Habakkuk:
‘God shall come from the south, and the Holy One from Mount, Effrem. His
power covered the heavens over, and the earth is full of His praise. Before His
face shall go forth the Word, and His feet shall advance in the plains.’ Thus
he indicates in clear terms that He is God, and that His advent was [to take
place] in Bethlehem, and from Mount Effrem, which is towards the south of
the inheritance, and that [He is] man. For he says, ‘His feet shall advance in the
plains:’ and this is an indication proper to man. ANF: Vol. I, Against Heresies 3.20.4.

For our Lord and Master, in the answer which He gave to the Sadducees, who
say that there is no resurrection, and who do therefore dishonor God, and lower
the credit of the law, did both indicate a resurrection, and reveal God, saying
to them, “Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.’ ‘For,
touching the resurrection of the dead,’ He says, ‘have ye not read that which
was spoken by God, saying, | am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and
the God ofJacob? And He added, ‘He is not the God of the dead, but of the
living; for all live to Him.’ By these arguments He unquestionably made it
clear, that He who spake to Moses out of the bush, and declared Himself to
be the God of the fathers, He is the God of the living. For who is the God
of the living unless He who is God, and above whom there is no other God?
ANF: Vol. I, Against Heresies 4.5.2.

And in every Epistle the apostle [i.c. Paul] plainly testifies, that through the
flesh of our Lord, and through His blood, we have been saved. ANF: Vol. I,
Against Heresies, Book 5.14.3.

Isaias, then goes on as follows: By His wounds we are healed. All we like sheep
have gone astray, man hath gone astray in his way; and the Lord hath delivered
Fim unto our sins; so it is clear that it came about by the will of the Father
that these things happened to Him, for the sake of our salvation. ACW Vol. 16,
St. Irenaeus: Proof of the Apostolic Preaching 69. The Passion, p. 92.

Theophilus of Antioch (A.p. 115-168-181):

But do you also, if you please, give reverential attention to the prophetic
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 161
Scriptures, and they will make your way plainer for escaping the eternal
punishments, and obtaining the eternal prizes of God. ANF: Vol. Il, 7)heophilus
to Autolycus, Book I, Chapter 14.

Likewise spoke the other prophets of the truth. And why should I recount
the multitude of prophets, who are numerous, and said ten thousand things
consistently and harmoniously? For those who desire it, can, by reading what
they uttered, accurately understand the truth, and no longer be carried
away by opinion and profitless labour. These, then, whom we have already
mentioned, were prophets among the Hebrews,— illiterate, and shepherds,
and uneducated. ANF: Vol. II, Theophilus to Autolycus, Book 2, Chapter 35.

Clement of Alexandria (150 — c. 215):

It is now time, as we have dispatched in order the other points, to go to the

prophetic Scriptures; for the oracles present us with the appliances necessary
for the attainment of piety, and so establish the truth. The divine Scriptures
and institutions of wisdom form the short road to salvation. Devoid of em-
bellishment, of outward beauty of diction, of wordiness and seductiveness,
they raise up humanity strangled by wickedness, teaching men to despise
the casualties of life; and with one and the same voice remedying many
evils, they at once dissuade us from pernicious deceit, and clearly exhort us
to the attainment of the salvation set before us. ANF: Vol. II, Exhortation to the
Heathen, Chapter 8.

But godliness, that makes man as far as can be like God, designates God as our
suitable teacher, who alone can worthily assimilate man to God. This teaching
the apostle knows as truly divine. ‘Thou, O Timothy,’ he says, ‘from a child
hast known the holy letters, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation,
through faith that is in Christ Jesus.’ For truly holy are those letters that
sanctify and deify; and the writings or volumes that consist of those holy
letters and syllables, the same apostle consequently calls ‘inspired of God,
being profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished to
every good work.’ No one will be so impressed by the exhortations of any of
the saints, as he is by the words of the Lord Himself, the lover of man. For
this, and nothing but this, is His only work — the salvation of man. Therefore
162 HOLY SCRIPTURE
He Himself, urging them on to salvation, cries, “The kingdom of heaven is at
hand.’ Those men that draw near through fear, He converts. Thus also the
apostle of the Lord, beseeching the Macedonians, becomes the interpreter
of the divine voice, when he says, ‘The Lord is at hand; take care that ye be
not apprehended empty.’ But are ye so devoid of fear, or rather of faith, as
not to believe the Lord Himself, or Paul, who in Christ’s stead thus entreats:
‘Taste and see that Christ is God?’ Faith will lead you in; experience will
teach you; Scripture will train you, for it says, ‘Come hither, O children;
listen to me, and I will teach you the fear of the LORD.’ Then, as to those
who already believe, it briefly adds, “What man is he that desireth life, that
loveth to see good days?’ It is we, we shall say — we who are the devotees of
good, we who eagerly desire good things. Hear, then, ye who are far off, hear
ye who are near: the word has not been hidden from any; light is common,
it shines ‘on all men.’ ANF: Vol. II, Exhortation to the Heathen, Chapter 9.

And now we must look also at this, that if ever those who know not how
to do well, live well; for they have lighted on well—doing. Some, too, have
aimed well at the word of truth through understanding. “But Abraham was
not justified by works, but by faith.’ It is therefore of no advantage to them
after the end of life, even if they do good works now, if they have not faith.
Wherefore also the Scriptures were translated into the language of the Greeks,
in order that they might never be able to allege the excuse of ignorance, inas-
much as they are able to hear also what we have in our hands, if they only wish.
One speaks in one way of the truth, in another way the truth interprets itself.
The guessing at truth is one thing, and truth itself is another. Resemblance is
one thing, the thing itself is another. And the one results from learning and
practice, the other from power and faith. For the teaching of piety is a gift,
but faith is grace. “For by doing the will of God we know the will of God.’
‘Open, then,’ says the Scripture, ‘the gates of righteousness; and I will enter
in, and confess to the LORD.’ ANF: Vol. II, The Stromata, Book I, Chapter 7.—The
Eclectic Philosophy Paves the Way for Divine Virtue.

But it is the highest and most perfect good, when one is able to lead back
any one from the practice of evil to virtue and well—doing, which is the very
function of the law. So that, when one fails into any incurable evil, — when
taken possession of, for example, by wrong or covetousness, — it will be for his
good if he is put to death. For the law is beneficent, being able to make some
righteous from unrighteous, if they will only give ear to it, and by releasing
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 163

others from present evils; for those who have chosen to live temperately and
justly, it conducts to immortality. To know the law is characteristic of a good
disposition. And again: ‘Wicked men do not understand the law; but they
who seek the LORD shall have understanding in all that is good.’ ANF: Vol.
Il, The Stromata, Book I, Chapter 27.

But if from any creature they received in any way whatever the seeds of the
Truth, they did not nourish them; but committing them to a barren and rain-
less soil, they choked them with weeds, as the Pharisees revolted from the Law,
by introducing human teachings, — the cause of these being not the Teacher,
but those who choose to disobey. But those of them who believed the Lord’s
advent and the plain teaching of the Scriptures, attain to the knowledge of
the law; as also those addicted to philosophy, by the teaching of the Lord,
are introduced into the knowledge of the true philosophy: ‘For the oracles
of the Lord are pure oracles, melted in the fire, tried in the earth, purified
seven times.’ Just as silver often purified, so is the just man brought to the
test, becoming the Lord’s coin and receiving the royal image. ANF: Vol. Il, The
Stromata, Book VI, Chapter 7.

And this signified that the Scripture is clear to all, when taken according
to the bare reading; and that this is the faith which occupies the place of the
rudiments. Wherefore also the figurative expression is employed, ‘reading
according to the letter; while we understand that the gnostic unfolding of
the Scriptures, when faith has already reached an advanced state, is likened to
reading according to the syllables.
Further, Esaias the prophet is ordered to take ‘a new book, and write in
it’ certain things: the Spirit prophesying that through the exposition of the
Scriptures there would come afterwards the sacred knowledge, which at that
period was still unwritten, because not yet known. For it was spoken from the
beginning to those only who understand. Now that the Saviour has taught the
apostles, the unwritten rendering of the written [Scripture] has been handed
down also to us, inscribed by the power of God on hearts new, according to
the renovation of the book. ANF: Vol. II, The Stromata, Book VI, Chapter 15.

Therefore, in the divine education, it is necessary that duties be imposed upon

us, as things commanded by God and provided for our salvation. But, since
of things that are necessary, some are for this life alone, while others cause
the soul to aspire after a good life in the next world, it is but right that some
obligations be imposed merely for living, and others for living well. What-
ever is imposed for material life is binding upon the multitude, but what
is adapted to living well, that is, the things by which eternal life is gained,
164 HOLY SCRIPTURE

should be able to be gathered from the Scriptures by those who read them,
gathered at least in their general outline. FC, Vol. 23, Clement ofAlexandria: Christ
the Educator, Chapter 13.103, p. 91.

Tertullian

These are a few testimonies out of many; for we do not pretend to bring up
all the passages of Scripture, because we have a tolerably large accumulation
of them in the various heads of our subject, as we in our several chapters call
them in as our witnesses in the fullness of their dignity and authority. Still, in
these few quotations the distinction of Persons in the Trinity is clearly set
forth. ANF: Vol. III, Against Praxeas, Chapter 11.

Now the Scripture is not in danger of requiring the aid of any one’s argu-
ment, lest it should seem to be self—contradictory. It has a method of its own,
both when it sets forth one only God, and also when it shows that there
are Two, Father and Son; and is consistent with itself (i.e. sufficient itself,
suficit sibi, PL 2:177). It is clear that the Son is mentioned by it. ANF: Vol.
Ill, Against Praxeas, Chapter 18.

He, therefore, will not be a Christian who shall deny this doctrine which is
confessed by Christians; denying it, moreover, on grounds which are adopted
by a man who is not a Christian. Take away, indeed, from the heretics the
wisdom which they share with the heathen, and let them support their inqui-
ries from the Scriptures alone: they will then be unable to keep their ground.
For that which commends men’s common sense is its very simplicity, and its
participation in the same feelings, and its community of opinions; and it is
deemed to be all the more trustworthy, inasmuch as its definitive statements
are naked and open, and known to all. Divine reason, on the contrary, lies
in the very pith and marrow of things, not on the surface, and very often is
at variance with appearances. ANF: Vol. III, On the Resurrection of the Flesh, Chapter 3.

Origen (c. 185-c. 254):

We have to say, moreover, that the Gospel has a demonstration of its own,
more divine than any established by Grecian dialectics. And this diviner method
is called by the apostle the ‘manifestation of the Spirit and of power’of ‘the
Spirit,’ on account of the prophecies, which are sufficient to produce faith in
any one who reads them, especially in those things which relate to Christ;
and of ‘power,’ because of the signs and wonders which we must believe to
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 165
have been performed, both on many other grounds, and on this, that traces of
them are still preserved among those who regulate their lives by the precepts
of the Gospel. ANF: Vol. IV, Origen against Celsus, Book I, Chapter 1.)

The more one reads the Scriptures daily and the greater one’s understanding
is, the more renewed always and every day. I doubt whether a mind which
is lazy toward the holy Scriptures and the exercise of spiritual knowledge
can be renewed at all. Gerald Bray, ed., Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New
Testament VI: Romans (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1998), p. 308.

Firmilian of Caesaria (c. 200-268)

But to what they allege and say on behalf of the heretics, that the apostle said,
‘Whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached,’ it is idle for us to reply;
when it is manifest that the apostle, in his epistle wherein he said this, made
mention neither of heretics nor of baptism of heretics, but spoke of brethren
only, whether as perfidiously speaking in agreement with himself, or as per-
severing in sincere faith; nor is it needful to discuss this in a long argument,
but it is sufficient to read the epistle itself, and to gather from the apostle
himself what the apostle said. ANF, Vol. V, The Epistles of Cyprian, Epistle 74 — To
Cyprian, Against the Letter ofStephan 20.

Theonas of Alexandria (bishop 282-300)

Let no day pass by without reading some portion of the Sacred Scriptures,
at such convenient hour as offers, and giving some space to meditation. And
never cast off the habit of reading in the Holy Scriptures; for nothing feeds
the soul and enriches the mind so well as those sacred studies do. ANF, Vol.
VI, The Epistle of Theonas, Bishop of Alexandria, To Lucianus 9.

Arnobius

But they were written by unlearned and ignorant ripen, and should not
therefore be readily believed. See that this be not rather a stronger reason
for believing that they have not been adulterated by any false statements,
but were put forth by men of simple mind, who knew not how to trick out
their tales with meretricious ornaments. But the language is mean and vulgar.
For truth never seeks deceitful polish, nor in that which is well ascertained
and certain does it allow itself to be led away into excessive prolixity. ANF,
Vol. VI, The Seven Books ofArnobius Against the Heathen, Book 1.58.
166 HOLY SCRIPTURE

Alexander of Alexandria (d. 328)

They are not ashamed to oppose the godly clearness of the ancient scriptures.
of
NPNF2: Vol. Il, Theodoret’s Ecclesiastical History, Book 1, Chapter 3, or the translation
of
this phrase as the letter is preserved in A/VF: Vol. VI, Epistle to Alexander, Bishop of the City
Constantinople 10: ‘The religious perspicuity of the ancient Scriptures caused
them no shame...’
Od KatHSecev adtovs H TGV dpxatwv Ppaddv oAd8eo0s Gadnveta...
Theodoreti Ecclesiasticae Historiae, Liber I, Caput III, PG 82:904.

Lactantius (260-330)

For this is especially the cause why, with the wise and the learned, and the
princes of this world, the sacred Scriptures are without credit, because the
prophets spoke in common and simple language, as though they spoke to
the people. And therefore they are despised by those who are willing to hear or
read nothing except that which is polished and eloquent; nor is anything able
to remain fixed in their minds, except that which charms their ears by a more
soothing sound. But those things which appear humble are considered anile,
foolish, and common. So entirely do they regard nothing as true, except that
which is pleasant to the ear; nothing as credible, except that which can excite
pleasure: no one estimates a subject by its truth, but by its embellishment.
Therefore they do not believe the sacred writings, because they are without
any pretence; but they do not even believe those who explain them, because
they also are either altogether ignorant, or at any rate possessed of little learn-
ing. ANF, Vol. VII, The Divine Institutes, Book V, Chapter I.

Hence, when learned men have applied themselves to the religion of God,
unless they have been instructed by some skillful teacher, they do not believe.
For, being accustomed to sweet and polished speeches or poems, they despise
the simple and common language of the sacred writings as mean. For they
seek that which may soothe the senses. But whatever is O pleasant to the ear
effects persuasion, and while it delights fixes itself deeply within the breast. Is
God, therefore, the contriver both of the mind, and of the voice, and of the
tongue, unable to speak eloquently? Yea, rather, with the greatest foresight,
He wished those things which are divine to be without adornment, that all
might understand the things which He Himself spoke to all. ANF: Vol. VIL,
The Divine Institutes, Book V1 Of True Worship, Chapter 21 Of the Pleasures of the Ears, And of
Sacred Literature.
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 167
But in what manner the consummation will take place, and what end awaits
the affairs of men, if any one shall examine the divine writings he will ascertain.
ANF: Vol. VII, The Divine Institutes, Book VII Ofa Happy Life, Chapter 14, Of the First and
Last Times of the World.

Constantine (325, Nicea)

‘For the gospels’ (continued he), ‘the apostolical writings, and the oracles of
the ancient prophets, clearly teach us what we ought to believe concerning
the divine nature. Let, then, all contentious disputation be discarded; and
let us seek in the divinely—inspired word the solution of the questions at
issue.’ These and similar exhortations he, like an affectionate son, addressed
to the bishops as to fathers, labouring to bring about their unanimity in the
apostolical doctrines. According to Theodoret, cf. NPNF2: Vol. III, Ecclesiastical History,
Book 1, Chapter 6.

Athanasius (297-373)

The knowledge of our religion and of the truth of things is independently

manifest rather than in need of human teachers, for almost day by day it as-
serts itself by facts, and manifests itself brighter than the sun by the doctrine
of Christ. Still, as you nevertheless desire to hear about it, Macarius, come let
us as we may be able set forth a few points of the faith of Christ: able though
you are to find it out from the divine oracles, but yet generously desiring to
hear from others as well. For although the sacred and inspired Scriptures are
sufficient to declare the truth,—while there are other works of our blessed
teachers compiled for this purpose, if he meet with which a man will gain some
knowledge of the interpretation of the Scriptures, and be able to learn what he
wishes to know,—still, as we have not at present in our hands the compositions
of our teachers, we must communicate in writing to you what we learned from
them,——the faith, namely, of Christ the Saviour; lest any should hold cheap
the doctrine taught among us, or think faith in Christ unreasonable. NPNF2:
Vol. IV, Against the Heathen, Part 1.1. See also Robert W. Thomson, trans., Athanasius: Contra
Gentes and De Incarnatione (Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1971), p. 3.

For just as by looking up to the heaven and seeing its order and the light of the
stars, it is possible to infer the Word Who ordered these things, so by beholding
the Word of God, one needs must behold also God His Father, proceeding
from Whom He is rightly called His Father's Interpreter and Messenger. And
this one may see from our own experience; for if when a word proceeds from
men we infer that the mind is its source, and, by thinking about the word,
see with our reason the mind which it reveals, by far greater evidence and in-
168 HOLY SCRIPTURE
comparably more, seeing the power of the Word, we receive a knowledge also
of His good Father, as the Saviour Himself says, “He that hath seen Me hath
seen the Father.’ But this all inspired Scripture also teaches more plainly and
with more authority, so that we in our turn write boldy to you as we do, and
you, if you refer to them, will be able to verify what we say. 3. For an argu-
ment when confirmed by higher authority is irresistibly proved. NPNF2: Vol.
IV, Against the Heathen, Part II1.45. See also Robert W. Thomson, trans., Athanasius: Contra
Gentes and De Incarnatione (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1971), pp. 123-125.

But our argument shall not delay to grapple with both especially as the proofs
at our command against them are clear as day. For Jews in their incredulity
may be refuted from the Scriptures, which even themselves read; for this text
and that, and, in a word, the whole inspired Scripture, cries aloud concern-
ing these things, as even its express words abundantly shew. NPNF2: Vol. IV,
On the Incarnation ofthe Word 33.

Nor is even His death passed over in silence: on the contrary, it is referred
to in the divine Scriptures, even exceeding clearly. For to the end that none
should err for want of instruction:in the actual events, they feared not to
mention even the cause of His death, — that He suffers it not for His own
sake, but for the immortality and salvation of all, and the counsels of the Jews
against Him and the indignities offered Him at their hands. NPNF2: Vol. IV, On
the Incarnation of the Word 34.

Let this, then, Christ—loving man, be our offering to you, just for a rudimen-
tary sketch and outline, in a short compass, of the faith of Christ and of His
Divine appearing to usward. But you, taking occasion by this, if you light
upon the text of the Scriptures, by genuinely applying your mind to them,
will learn from them more completely and clearly the exact detail of what
we have said. For they were spoken and written by God, through men who
spoke of God. NPNF2: Vol. IV, On the Incarnation of the Word 56.

For the Son of God, as may be learnt from the divine oracles themselves, is
Himself the Word of God, and the Wisdom, and the Image, and the Hand,
and the Power; for God’s offspring is one, and of the generation from the Father
these titles are tokens. For if you say the Son, you have declared what is from
the Father by nature; and if you think of the Word, you are thinking again of
what is from Him, and what is inseparable; and, speaking of Wisdom, again
you mean just as much, what is not from without, but from Him and in Him;
and if you name the. Power and the Hand, again you speak of what is proper
to essence; and, speaking of the Image, you signify the Son; for what else is
like God but the offspring from Him? Doubtless the things, which came to
be through the Word, these are founded in Wisdom’ and what are ‘founded
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 169
in Wisdom,’ these are all made by the Hand, and dame to be through the
Son. And we have proof of this, not from external sources, but from the
Scriptures... NVPNF2: Vol. IV, De Decretis or Defense of the Nicene Definition, Chapter IV.17.

For, behold, we take divine Scripture, and thence discourse with freedom
of the religious Faith, and set it up as a light upon its candlestick... NPNF2:
Vol. IV, Four Discourses Against the Arians, Discourse I, Chapter III.9.

It is plain then from the above that the Scriptures declare the Son’s eternity;
it is equally plain from what follows that the Arian phrases ‘He was not,’
and ‘before’ and ‘when,’ are in the same Scriptures predicated of creatures.
NPNF2: Vol. IV, Four Discourses Against the Arians, Discourse I, Chapter IV.13.

But with God this cannot be; for He is not composed of parts, but being im-
passible and simple, He is impassibly and indivisibly Father of the Son. This
again is strongly evidenced and proved by divine Scripture. For the Word
of God is His Son, and the Son is the Father’s Word and Wisdom; and Word
and Wisdom is neither creature nor part of Him whose Word He is, nor an
offspring passibly begotten. Uniting then the two titles, Scripture speaks of
‘Son,’ in order to herald the natural and true offspring of His essence; and, on
the other hand, that none may think of the Offspring humanly, while signify-
ing His essence, it also calls Him Word, Wisdom, and Radiance; to teach us
that the generation was impassible, and eternal, and worthy of God. NPNF2:
Vol. IV, Four Discourses Against the Arians, Discourse 1, Chapter VIII.28.

For such illustrations and such images has Scripture proposed, that, consid-
ering the inability of human nature to comprehend God, we might be able
to form ideas even from these however poorly and dimly, and as far as is
attainable. And as the creation contains abundant matter for the knowledge
of the being of a God and a Providence (‘for by the greatness and beauty of the
creatures proportionably the Maker of them is seen’), and we learn from them
without asking for voices, but hearing the Scriptures we believe, and survey-
ing the very order and the harmony of all things, we acknowledge that He is
Maker and Lord and God of all, and apprehend His marvelous Providence and
governance over all things; so in like manner about the Son’s Godhead, what
has been above said is sufficient, and it becomes superflu-ous, or rather it is
very mad to dispute about it, or to ask in an heretical way, How can the Son
be from eternity? or how can He be from the Father’s Essence, yet not a part?
since what is said to be of another, is a part of him; and what ‘is divided, is not
whole. NPNF2: Vol. IV, Four Discourses Against the Arians, Discourse II, Chapter XVIII.32.

For did they know, they would not dishonor and ridicule the Lord of glory, nor
interpreting things immaterial after a material manner, pervert good words. It
170 HOLY SCRIPTURE

were sufficient indeed, on hearing only words which are the Lord’s, at once
to believe, since the faith of simplicity is better than an elaborate process
of persuasion; but since they have endeavored to profane even this passage
to their own heresy, it becomes necessary to expose their perverseness and to
shew the mind of the truth, at least for the security of the faithful. NPNF2:
Vol. IV, Four Discourses Against the Arians, Discourse III, Chapter XXIII, Texts Explained;
Seventhly, John 14:10.

For divine Scripture wishing us thus to understand the matter, has given
such illustrations, as we have said above, from which we are able both to press
the traitorous Jews, and to refute the allegation of Gentiles who maintain and
think, on account of the Trinity, that we profess many gods. NPNF2: Vol. IV,
Four Discourses Against the Arians, Discourse III Chapter XXV.15.

And this is usual with Scriptures, to express itself in inartificial and simple
phrases. NPNF2: Vol. IV, Four Discourses Against the Arians, Discourse III, Excursus C, Intro-
ductory to the Fourth Discourse Against the Arians 33.

These are fountains of salvation, that they who thirst may be satisfied with
the living words they contain. In these alone is proclaimed the doctrine of
godliness. Let no man add to these, neither let him take ought from these.
For concerning these the Lord put to shame the Sadducees, and said, “Ye do
err, not knowing the Scriptures.’ And He reproved the Jews, saying, “Search
the Scriptures, for these are they that testify of Me.’ NPNF2: Vol. IV, Letters of
Athanasius, I. Festal Letters, Letter 29.

For the true and pious faith in the Lord has become manifest to all, being
both ‘known and read’ from the Divine Scriptures. For in it both the saints
were made perfect and suffered martyrdom, and now are departed in the Lord;
and the faith would have abode inviolate always had not the wickedness of
certain heretics presumed to tamper with it. NPNF2: Vol. IV, Letters of Athanasius,
II. Personal Letters, Letter 56 — To Jovian Concerning the Faith.

Since, therefore, such an attempt is futile madness, nay, more than madness},
let no one ask such questions any more, or else let him learn only that which
is in the Scriptures. For the illustrations they contain which bear upon this
subject are sufficient and suitable. C. R. B. Shapland, trans., The Letters ofAthanasius
ConcerningtheHoly Spirit, Ad Serapion 1.19 (New York: The Philosophical Library, 1951), p. 108.
: Tle pit Tis ToLyapoov kal TA€ov pravias ovtons Ths ToLtat’Tns
ETLXELPIOEWS, LNKETL TOLADTA TLS EpwTdtu, T Udvov Ta év Tais
Tpadais pav0aveto. AUTapKn yap kal ikavd Td év TavTats Ketpeva
Tepl TOUTOU Tapadelypata. Ad Serapionem 1.19, PG 26:573.
For tradition, as we have said, does not declare the Godhead to us by demon-
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture ih A

stration in words, but by faith and by a pious and reverent use of reason...
For divine Scripture, by way of relieving the impossibility of explaining
and apprehending these matters in words, has given us illustrations of this
kind; that it may be lawful, because of the unbelief of presumptuous men, to
speak more plainly, and to speak without danger, and to think legitimately,
and to believe that there is one sanctification, which is derived from the Fa-
ther, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. C. R. B. Shapland, trans., The Letters of
Athanasius Concerning the Holy Spirit, AdSerapion 1.20 (New York: The Philosophical Library,
1951), pp. 114-116

‘But,’ says the Arian, ‘is it not written?’ Yes, it is written! And it is necessary
that it should be said. But what is well written is ill understood by heretics. If
they had understood and grasped the terms in which Christianity is expressed,
they would not have called the Lord of glory a creature nor stumbled over
what is well written. C. R. B. Shapland, trans., The Letters of Athanasius Concerning the
Holy Spirit, Ad Serapion 2.7 (New York: The Philosophical Library, 1951), pp. 163-164. See
also MPG 26:620.15.

Commenting on Psalm 104:29—30: As it is thus written, it is clear that the

Spirit is not a creature, but takes part in the act of creation. C. R. B. Shapland,
trans., The Letters ofAthanasius Concerning the Holy Spirit, Ad Serapion 3.5 (New York: The
Philosophical Library, 1951), p. 174.

Hilary of Poitiers (c 315-367)

I do not know the word Opototvocov, or understand it, unless it confesses

a similarity of essence. I call the God of heaven and earth to witness, that
when I had heard neither word, my belief was always such that I should
have interpreted OLOLOVOLOV by OLOOVOLOV. That is, I believed that noth-
ing could be similar according to nature unless it was of the same nature.
Though long ago regenerate in baptism, and for some time a bishop, I never
heard of the Nicene creed until I was going into exile, but the Gospels and
Epistles suggested to me the meaning of oJmoouvsion and oJmoiouvsion.
NPNF2: Vol. [X, On the Councils or the Faith of the Easterns 91.

My soul has been burning to answer these insane attacks. | call to mind that
the very center of a saving faith is the belief not merely in God, but in God
as a Father; not merely in Christ, but in Christ as the Son of God; in Him,
not as a creature, but as God the Creator, born of God. My prime object is
by the clear assertions of prophets and evangelists to refute the insanity and
ignorance of men who use the unity of God (in itself a pious and profitable
confession) as a cloak for their denial either that in Christ God was born,
172 HOLY SCRIPTURE
or else that He is very God. Their purpose is to isolate a solitary God at the
heart of the faith by making Christ, though mighty, only a creature; because,
so they allege, a birth of God widens the believer's faith into a trust in more
gods than one. But we, divinely taught to confess neither two Gods nor yet
a solitary God, will adduce the evidence of the Gospels and the prophets for
our confession of God the Father and God the Son, united, not confounded,
in our faith. We will not admit Their identity nor allow, as a compromise, that
Christ is God in some imperfect sense; for God, born of God, cannot be the
same as His Father, since He is His Son, nor yet can He be different in nature.
NPNF2: Vol. CX, On the Trinity, Book 1.17.

For he is the best student who does not read his thoughts into the book, but
lets it reveal its own; who draws from it its sense, and does not import his
own into it, nor force upon its words a meaning which he had determined
was the right one before he opened its pages. Since then we are to discourse
of the things of God, let us assume that God has full knowledge of Himself,
and bow with humble reverence to His words. For He Whom we can only
know through His own utterances is the fitting witness concerning Himself.
NPNF2: Vol. IX, On the Trinity, Book 1.18.
Optimus enim lector est, qui dictorum intelligentiam exspectet ex dictis
potius quam imponat, et retulerit magis quam attulerit, neque cogat id videri
dictis contineri, quod ante lectionem praesumpserit intelligendum. Cum itaque
de rebus Dei erit sermo, concedamus cognitionem sui Deo, dictisque ejus pia
veneratione famulemur. Idoneus enim sibi testis est, qui nisi per se cognitus
non est. De Trinitate, Liber Primus 18, PL 10:38.

For there have risen many who have given to the plain words of Holy Writ
some arbitrary interpretation of their own, instead of its true and only sense,
and this in defiance of the clear meaning of words. Heresy lies in the sense
assigned, not in the word written; the guilt is that of the expositor, not of the
text. Is not truth indestructible? When we hear the name Father, is not sonship
involved in that Name? The Holy Ghost is mentioned by name; must He not
exist? We can no more separate fatherhood from the Father or sonship from
the Son than we can deny the existence in the Holy Ghost of that gift which
we receive. Yet men of distorted mind plunge the whole matter in doubt and
difficulty, fatuously reversing the clear meaning of words, and depriving the
Father of His fatherhood because they wish to strip the Son of His sonship.
NPNF2: Vol. IX, On the Trinity, Book IL.3.

Their treason involves us in the difficult and dangerous position of having to

make a definite pronouncement, beyond the statements of Scripture, upon
this grave and abstruse matter. The Lord said that the nations were to be
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture iby
baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
The words of the faith are clear; the heretics do their utmost to involve the
meaning in doubt. We may not on this account add to the appointed form
(i.e. the language of Scripture), yet we must set a limit to their license of
interpretation. NPNF2: Vol. IX, On the Trinity, Book IL.5.

This Life is the Light of men, the Light which lightens the darkness. To com-
fort us for that powerlessness to describe His generation of which the prophet
speaks, the Fisherman adds, And the darkness comprehended Him not. The
language of unaided reason was baffled and silenced; the Fisherman who lay
on the bosom of the Lord was taught to express the mystery. His language is
not the world’s language, for He deals with things that are not of the world.
Let us know what it is, if there be any teaching that you can extract from his
words, more than their plain sense conveys; if you can translate into other
terms the truth we have elicited, publish them abroad. If there be none —
indeed, because there are none — let us accept with reverence this teaching
of the fisherman, and recognize in his words the oracles of God. Let us cling
in adoration to the true confession of Father and Son, Unbegotten and Only—
begotten ineffably, Whose majesty defies all expression and all perception. Let
us, like John, lie on the bosom of the Lord Jesus, that we too may understand
and proclaim the mystery. NPNF2: Vol. IX, On the Trinity, Book 11.21.

This being the case, I ask how a distinction can be made in the words, Let Us
make man after Our own image and likeness between a true God and a false.
The words express a meaning, the meaning is the outcome of thought; the
thought is set in motion by truth. Let us follow the words back to their mean-
ing, and learn from the meaning the thought, and from the thought attain
to the underlying truth. Thy enquiry is, whether He to Whom the words Let
Us make man after Our own image and likeness were spoken, was not thought
of as true by Him Who spoke; for they undoubtedly express the feeling and
thought of the Speaker. In saying Let Us make, He clearly indicates One in
no discord with Himself, no alien or powerless Being, but One endowed
with power to do the thing of which He speaks. His own words assure us
that this is the sense in which we must understand that they were spoken.
NPNF2: Vol. 1X, On the Trinity, Book V.7.

And furthermore, let His own Divine words bear witness to Himself. He says,
They that are ofMy sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man
pluck them ofMy hand. That which My Father hath given Me 1s greater than all,
and no man shall be able to pluck them out of My Father's hand. I and the Father
174 HOLY SCRIPTURE

are one. What lethargy can blunt so utterly, the edge of our understanding as
to render so precise a statement for one moment obscure to us? What proud
sophistry can play such pranks with human docility as to persuade those,
who have learnt from these words the knowledge of what God is that they
must not recognise God in Him Whose Godhead was here revealed to them?
Heresy ought either to bring forward other Gospels in support of its doctrine;
or else, if our existing Gospels are the only documents which teach of God,
why do they not believe the lessons taught? If they are the only source of
knowledge, why not draw faith, as well as knowledge, from them? Yet now
we find that their faith is held in defiance of their knowledge; and hence it
is a faith rooted not in knowledge, but in sin; a faith of bold irreverence,
instead of reverent humility, towards the truth confessedly known. God the
Only—begotten, as we have seen, fully assured of His own nature, reveals with
the utmost precision of language the mystery of His birth. He reveals it,
ineffable though it is, in such wise that we can believe and confess it; that
we can understand that He was born and believe that He has the nature of
God and is One with the Father, and One with Him in such a sense that God
is not alone nor Son another name for Father, but that in very truth He is the
Son. For, firstly, He assures us of the powers of His Divine nature, saying of
His sheep, and no man shall pluck them out ofMy hand. \t is the utterance of
conscious power, this confession of free and irresistible energy, that will allow
no man to pluck His sheep from His hand. But more than this; not only has
He the nature of God, but He would have us know that nature is His by
birth from God, and hence He adds, That which the Father has given Me is
greater than all. NPNF2: Vol. 1X, On the Trinity, Book VII.22.

The Lord has not left in doubt or obscurity the teaching conveyed in this
great mystery; He has not abandoned us to lose our way in dim uncertainty.
Listen to Him as He reveals the full knowledge of this faith to His Apostles;
— 1am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father
but through Me. If ye know Me, ye know My Father also; and from henceforth
ye shall know Him, and have seen Him. Philip saith unto Him, Lord, shew
us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long
time with you, and ye have not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me
hath seen the Father also. How sayest thou, Shew us the Rather? Dost than
not believe Me, that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words
that I speak unto you I speak not of Myself, but the Father that dwelleth in
Me, He doeth His works. Believe Me, that I am in the Father, and the Father
in Me; or else believe for the very works’ sake. He Who is the Way leads us
not into by—paths or trackless wastes: He Who is the Truth mocks us not with
lies; He Who is the Life betrays us not into delusions which are death. He
 The Self-Interpreting Nature of Scripture 175

Himself has chosen these winning names to indicate the methods which He
has appointed for our salvation. As the Way, He will guide us to the Truth;
the Truth will establish us in the Life. And therefore it is all-important for
us to know what is the mysterious mode, which He reveals, of attaining this
life. No man cometh to the Father but through Me. The way to the Father is
through the Son. And now we must enquire whether this is to be by a course
of obedience to His teaching, or by faith in His Godhead. For it is conceivable
that our way to the Father may be through adherence to the Son’s teaching,
rather than through believing that the Godhead of the Father dwells in the
Son. And therefore let us, in the next place, seek out the true meaning of the
instruction given us here. For it is not by cleaving to a preconceived opinion,
but by studying the force of the words, that we shall enter into possession
of this faith. NPNF2: Vol. IX, On the Trinity, Book VIL.33.

Such is the meaning ofthis passage, Have I been so long time with you, and ye
have not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father also.
How sayest thou, Shew us the Father? Dost thou not believe Me, that I am in
the Father, and the Father is in Me? It is only the Word of God, of Whom we
men are enabled, in our discourse concerning Divine things, to reason. All
else that belongs to the Godhead is dark and difficult, dangerous and obscure.
If any man propose to express what is known in other words than those sup-
plied by God, he must inevitably either display his own ignorance, or else
leave his readers’ minds in utter perplexity. The Lord, when He was asked
to shew the Father, said, He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father also. He
that would alter this is an antichrist, he that would deny it is a Jew, he that is
ignorant a Pagan. If we find ourselves in difficulty, let us lay the fault to our
own reason; if God’s declaration seem involved in obscurity, let us assume
that our want of faith is the cause. These words state with precision that
God is not solitary, and yet that there are no differences within the Divine
nature. NPNF2: Vol. 1X, On the Trinity, Book VII.38.

Now we ought to recognize first of all that God has spoken not for Himself
but for us, and that He has so far tempered the language of His utterance
as to enable the weakness of our nature to grasp and understand it. NPNF2:
Vol. IX, On the Trinity, Book VIII.43.

Thus God out of regard for human weakness has not set forth the faith in
bare and uncertain statements. For although the authority of our Lord’s mere
words of itself compelled their acceptance, He nevertheless has informed our
reason by a revelation which explains their meaning, that we might learn to
know His words, I and the Father are one, by means of that which was itself
the cause of the unity in question. For in saying that the Father speaks in His
176 HOLY SCRIPTURE

words, and works through His working, and judges through His judgment,
and is seen in His manifestation, and reconciles through His reconciliation,
and abides in Him, while He in turn abides in the Father, — what more fitting
words, I ask, could He have employed in His teaching to suit the faculties
of our reason, that we might believe in Their unity, than those by which,
through the truth of the birth and the unity of the nature, it is declared that
whatever the Son did and said, the Father said and did in the Son? NPNF2:
Vol. [X, On the Trinity, Book VIII.52.

The Lord enunciated the faith of the Gospel in the simplest words that could
be found, and fitted His discourses to our understanding, so far as the weak-
ness of our nature allowed Him, without saying anything unworthy of the
majesty of His own nature. NPNF2: Vol. IX, On the Trinity, Book IX.40.

Commenting on John 10:30: But this passage concerning the unity, of which
we are speaking, does not allow us to look for the meaning outside the plain
sound of the words. NPNF2: Vol. IX, On the Trinity, Book IX.70.

In our reply we have followed Him to the moment of His glorious death,
and taking one by one the statements of their unhallowed doctrine, we have
refuted them from the teaching of the Gospels and the Apostle. But even
after His glorious resurrection there are certain things which they have made
bold to construe as proofs of the weakness of a lower nature, and to these we
must now reply. Let us adopt once more our usual method of drawing out
from the words themselves their true signification, that so we may discover
the truth precisely where they think to overthrow it. For the Lord spoke in
simple words for our instruction in the faith, and His words cannot need
support or comment from foreign and irrelevant sayings. NPNF2: Vol. IX, On
the Trinity Book X1.7.

The Apostle here speaks in carefully guarded words, which by their definite-
ness can give no occasion to the ungodly. We have seen that the Evangelist
makes the Lord use the word ‘Brethren’ in the preface to the message, thus
signifying that the whole message, being addressed to His brethren, refers
to His fellowship in that nature which makes Him their brother. Thus he
makes manifest that the mystery of godliness, which is here proclaimed, is no
degradation of His divinity. The community with Him, by which God is our
Father and His, our God and His, exists in regard to the Dispensation of the
flesh: we are counted His brethren, because He was born into the body. No
one disputes that God the Father is also the God ofour Lord Jesus Christ, but
this reverent confession offers no occasion for irreverence. God is His God
but not as possessing a different order of divinity from His. He was begotten
God ofthe Father, and born a servant by the Dispensation: and so God is His
Father because He is God of God, and God is His God, because He is flesh of
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 177
the Virgin. All this the Apostle confirms in one short and decisive sentence,
Making mention of you in my prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory, may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation. NPNF2:
Vol. IX, On the Trinity, Book X1.17.

Salvation is far from the wicked, because they have not sought the statutes of
God; since for no other purpose were they consigned to writing, than that
they should come within the knowledge and conceptions of all without
exception. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 246.
Ob id enim longe a peccatoribus salus est, quia non exquisierunt justifi-
cationes Dei: cum non utique ob aliud consignatae litteris maneant, quam
ut ad universorum scientiam notionemque defluerent. Psalmi CXVIII, Littera XX,
D), JEL S688).

But the word of God has consulted the benefit of all who shall ever live, being
itself the best adapted to promote the instruction of all without exception.
Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 246.
Sed universis qui in vitam venirent Dei sermo consuluit, universae aetati
ipse aptissimus ad profectum. Psalmi CXVIIL, Quindecim Graduum., Gradus 15, PL 9:643.

But, as we are now about to cover the whole ground once more, employing
this time the language of the Gospels as our weapon against this most godless
heresy, it has seemed best to repeat here, in the sixth book, the whole hereti-
cal document, though we have already given a full copy of it in the fourth, in
order that our opponents may read it again, and compare it, point by point,
with our reply, and so be forced, however reluctant and argumentative, by
the clear teaching of the Evangelists and Apostles, to recognize the truth.
NPNF2: Vol. IX, On The Trinity, Book V1.4.

Ambrosiaster (fl. c. 366-384)

The fact is that Scripture speaks in our own manner so that we may under-
stand. Mark J. Edwards, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament VIII:
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1999), p. 57.
Sed Scriptura more nostro loquitur, ut intelligere possumus. Jn Epistolam Beati
Pauli Galatas, v. 4:7, PL 17:360.

Epiphanius of Salamis (310/320—403)

And lest it be thought that <there is> some error in the Gospels—for the
mystery is awesome and beyond human telling, and only to the Holy Spirit’s
178 HOLY SCRIPTURE
children is the statement of it plain and clear. The Panarion ofEpiphanius ofSalamis:
Book II and III (Sects 47-80, De Fide) 51. Against the sect which does not accept the Gospel ac-
cording to John, and his Revelation, 11,2, p. 36.

And thus it is fully demonstrated that there is no obscurity or contradiction

in the holy Gospels or between the evangelists, but that everything is plain.
The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis: Book II and III (Sects 47-80, De Fide) 51. Against the
sect which does not accept the Gospel according to John, and his Revelation, 15,14, p. 41.

And thus the entire sequence of events [in the Gospels] is harmonized and
contains no contradictions; the whole Gospel account is completely clear
and has been truthfully given. The Panarion of Epiphanius ofSalamis: Book II and III
(Sects 47-80, De Fide) 51. Against the sect which does not accept the Gospel according to John,
and his Revelation,\7,9, p. 43.

For whatever was obscure and puzzling in The Law and the Prophets, the Lord
in his providence revealed by the Holy Spirit ‘to his servant John’ for our
salvation. What was obscure there he proclaims spiritually and clear here
for he gave physical commandments in the Law, but reveals the same ones
spiritually to us. The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis: Book II and III (Sects 47-80, De
Fide) 51. Revelation, 32,4, p. 64. Against the sect which does not accept the Gospel according to
John, and his Revelation, 32,4, p. 64.

Thus the sacred scriptures have everywhere plainly declared that God is
one—that is, a co—essential Trinity, forever of the same Godhead, the same
dominion. The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis: Book II and III (Sects 47-80, De Fide)
Section IV, 57. Against Noetians, 4,11, p. 93.

And so, since every scripture has plainly laid down our way with regard to
the truth, let us halt here. The Panarion ofEpiphanius ofSalamis: Book II and III (Sects
47-80, De Fide) Section IV, 57. Against Noetians, 10,8, Bees

And you see that every part of the truth is plain, and there is no contradic-
tion in the scripture. The Panarion ofEpiphanius ofSalamis: Book II and III (Sects 47-80,
De Fide) Section V, 66. Against Manichaeans, 41,5, p. 260.

All right, let’s investigate this one’s tares too. Which of sacred scripture’s ideas
shall we get hold of, to scotch this poisonous snake that strikes fore and aft
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 179
like a scorpion? For he heaped up harmful material from two Testaments,
not as the sacred words stand, but as his false thinking formed obscure no-
tions of clear things. The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis: Book I and III (Sects 47-80,
De Fide) Section V, 67. Against Hieracites, 4,1, p. 311.

And once again the argument from the sacred scripture which they [i.e. the
Arians] use as their excuse has proved a failure, for scripture is life-giving;
nothing in it offers an obstacle to the faithful or makes for the downfall of
blasphemy against the word. The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis: Book I and III
(Sects 47-80, De Fide) 69. Against the Arian Nuts, 39,5, js SW.

And thus everything is crystal clear, and nothing in the sacred scripture is
contradictory or has any taint of death, as the Arians pretend in concocting
their wicked arguments. The Panarion ofEpiphanius of Salamis: Book I and III (Sects
47-80, De Fide) 69. Against the Arian Nuts, 55,7, p. 373.

For every divine word stands in the midst of the sons of darkness, confound-
ing the darkness but enlightening the sons of the truth. The Panarion ofEpiphanius
of Salamis: Book I and III (Sects 47-80, De Fide) 69. Against the Arian Nuts, 61,4, p. 380.

And you see, servants of Christ and sons of God’s holy church and ortho-
dox faith, that there is nothing obscure or knotty in the sacred scripture;
everything has been written marvelously and applied marvelously for our
salvation. However, in their hostility to God’s only—begotten Son and the
Holy Spirit, Arians think up all sorts of plans and subtleties like enemies.
The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis: Book UI and III (Sects 47-80, De Fide) 69. Against the
Arian Nuts, 62,8, p. 381.

Everything in the sacred scripture is clear, to those who will approach God’s
word with pious reason, and not harbor the devil’s work within them and
turn their steps to the pits of death—as this unfortunate man and his converts
have attacked the truth more vigorously than any who have become blasphem-
ers of God and his faith before them. The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis: Book II
and III (Sects 47-80, De Fide) 75. Against Aerius, 7,7, p. 504.

And everything in the sacred scripture and the holy faith is crystal clear to
us, and nothing is tortuous, contradictory or knotty. The Panarion ofEpiphanius of
Salamis: Book IU and III (Sects 47-80, De Fide) Section VI, 76. Against Anomoeans —45,7, p. 552.

For the Only—begotten and the Holy Spirit are not of another nature but are
God of God and light of light, the Only—begotten too eill be called, ‘Almighty,’
together with the Almighty Father, as the sacred scripture plainly says. The
Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis: Book II and III (Sects 47-80, De Fide) Section VI, 76.
Against Anomoeans — 47,2, p. 553.
180 HOLY SCRIPTURE

And most of all, the sacred scriptures everywhere plainly declare that God
is invisible, incomprehensible and beyond our understanding, but that it
is known only by faith ‘that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them that
love him.’ The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis: Book II and III (Sects 47-80, De Fide)
Section VI, 76. Against Anomoeans — 54,22, p. 564

Commenting on the commentary of Origen: This way of acting is common

to the Manichaeans, the Gnostics, the Ebionites, the Marcionites, and the
votaries of the other eighty heresies, all of whom draw their proofs from the
pure well of the Scriptures, not, however, interpreting it in the sense in
which it is written, but trying to make the simple language of the Church's
writers accord with their own wishes. NPNF2: Vol. VI, The Letters of St. Jerome, Letter
51 — From Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis, In Cyprus, to John, Bishop ofJerusalem 4.

But the sacred scripture plainly confounds him [i.e. Aetius]. It says that
the Father is ‘the true God,’ [Jn 17:3] and likewise says ‘God’ of the Son [Jn
1:1]—and it says, ‘God is light,’ [1 Jn 1:5] of the Father, and “He was the true
light’ [1 Jn 1:9] of the Son. And of the Holy Spirit it says, ‘the Spirit of truth’
[Jn 16:3]. Thus the Trinity is truly proclaimed to us in ‘wisdom and the depth
if its riches’ [Rom 11:33]. The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis: Book I and III (Sects
47-80, De Fide) Section VI, 76. Against Anomoeans — 54,6, p. 562.

The scripture always guards against men’s falls into extremes, and recalls their
minds from all places to the middle way of the truth. The Panarion ofEpiphanius
of Salamis: Book IL and III (Sects 47-80, De Fide) Section IV, 57. Against Noetians, 10,1, p. 98.

In the first place their ideas are at variance, and each professes to demolish the
other's. Secondly, there is no proof of their mythological constructions. No
scripture said these things—not the Law of Moses or any prophet after Moses,
not the Savior or his evangelists, certainly not the apostles. If these things were
true, the Lord who came to enlighten the world and the prophets before
him, would have told us something of the kind in plain language. And then
the apostles too. They confuted idolatry and all sorts of wrongdoing, and
were not afraid to write against unlawful teaching, and opposition. Espe-
cially when the Savior himself says, ‘Unto them that are without, in parables;
but to you must the parables’ interpretation be told, for knowledge of the
kingdom of heaven.’ It is plain that he explained any parables he told in the
Gospels immediately. He surely says who the mustard seed is, who the leaven
is, the woman who put the leaven in the three measures, the vineyard, the
fig tree, the sower, the best soil. The Panarion ofEpiphanius ofSalamis: Book |(Sects
1-46), Section II, 34,1-4., pp. 189-190.
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 181
We believe what the truth everywhere discloses and sound reasoning sug-
gests in agreement with the standard of piety, with the Law and prophets,
and the ancient patriarchs in succession, and with the teaching of the Savior
himself. For the Lord and his apostles plainly teach us to confess one God
and Father, the almighty sovereign of all, and our Lord Jesus Christ and his
Holy Spirit, one Trinity uncreate—while all other things were created out of
nothing, subsequent to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (4) Now since these
things are confessed plainly believed, by these holy prophets, evangelists,
and apostles, so shifty invention can withstand the truth’s bright beam, as
I have said in detail often enough in opposition to every sect. The Panarion of
Epiphanius of Salamis: BookI (Sects 1-46), Section III, 21.2-4., pp. 231-232.

Basil of Caesarea (AD. 329-379)

To a widow. | hope to find a suitable day for the conference, after those which |
intend to fix for the hill-country. I see no opportunity for our meeting (unless
the Lord so order it beyond my expectation), other than at a public confer-
ence. You may imagine my position from your own experience. If in the care
of a single household you are beset with such a crowd of anxieties, how many
distractions, think you, each day brings to me? Your dream, | think, reveals
more perfectly the necessity of making provision for spiritual contemplation,
and cultivating that mental vision by which God is wont to be seen. Enjoying
as you do the consolation of the Holy Scriptures, you stand in need neither
of my assistance nor of that of anybody else to help you to comprehend your
duty. You have the all-sufficient counsel and guidance of the Holy Spirit to
lead you to what is right. NPNF2: Vol. VIII, Letters, Letter 283.
"Exovoad S€ TH ek TOV belwv Ppaddv tapdkAnovy, ote Nav ovTE
dddov TLVOSs SeNnOfon TPds TO TA S€ovTA GUVOPGY, a’TapKN THY Ek
Tov aytou Hvetatos €xovoa oupPovdtav Kal dSnylav mpds TO
OULbE POV. Letter 283, PG 32:1020.

Shall I then prefer foolish wisdom to the oracles of the Holy Spirit? Shall I
not rather exalt Him who, not wishing to fill our minds with these vanities,
has regulated all the economy of Scripture in view of the edification and the
making perfect of our souls? It is this which those seem to me not to have
understood, who, giving themselves up to the distorted meaning of allegory,
have undertaken to give a majesty of their own invention to Scripture. It is to
182 HOLY SCRIPTURE

believe themselves wiser than the Holy Spirit, and to bring forth their own
ideas under a pretext of exegesis. Let us hear Scripture as it has been written.
NPNF2: Vol. VIII, Hexaemeron, Homily 9, The Creation of Terrestrial Animals 1.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful, composed by the Spirit for this
reason, namely, that we men, each and all of us, as if in a general hospital
for souls, may select the remedy for his own condition. FC, Vol. 46, Saint Basil:
Exegetical Homilies, Homily 10 on Psalm 1, p. 151.

Those outside the word of truth, despising the simplicity of expression in

the Scriptures, call the preaching of the Gospel folly; but we, who glory in
the cross of Christ, ‘to whom the gifts bestowed on us by God were manifested
through the Spirit, not in words taught by human wisdom,’ know that the grace
poured out by God in the teachings concerning Christ is rich. Therefore, in a
short time the teaching passed through almost the whole world, since grace,
rich and plentiful, was poured out on the preachers of the Gospel, whom
Scripture called even the lips of Christ. Moreover, the message of the Gospel
in its insignificant little words possesses great guidance and attraction toward
salvation. FC, Vol. 46, Saint Basil: Exegetical Homilies, Homily 17 on Psalm 44, p. 283.

Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335-395)

That no created thing is deserving of man’s worship, the divine word so

clearly declares as a law, that such a truth may be learned from almost the
whole of the inspired Scripture. Moses, the Tables, the Law, the Prophets
that follow, the Gospels, the decrees of the Apostles, all alike forbid the act
of reverencing the creation. It would be a lengthy task to set out in order the
particular passages which refer to this matter; but though we set out only a
few from among the many instances ofthe inspired testimony, our argument
is surely equally convincing, since each of the divine words, albeit the least,
has equal force for declaration of the truth. NPNF2: Vol. V, Gregory ofNyssa Against
Eunomius, Book V.1.

But should it be the Jew who gainsays these arguments, our discussion with
him will no longer present equal difficulty, since the truth will be made mani-
fest out of those doctrines on which he has been brought up. For that there
is a Word of God, and a Spirit of God, powers essentially subsisting, both
 The Self-Interpreting Nature of Scripture 183
creative of whatever has come into being, and comprehensive of things that
exist, is shown in the clearest light out of the Divinely—inspired Scriptures.
NPNF2: Vol. V, The Great Catechism, Translation, Chapter 4.

Hence there is a clear testimony in Scripture that the Holy Spirit is higher
than the creation. NPNF2: Vol. V, Against Eunomius, Letter 1, Gregory to his brother Peter,
bishop of Sebasteia.

And that this is the reference of the enigmatical sayings is clearly revealed by
the passage that follows, which says, ‘Now therefore hearken unto me, my
son: and blessed is he that keepeth my ways,’ meaning of course by ‘ways’ the
approaches to virtue, the beginning of which is the possession of Wisdom.
Who, then, who looks to the divine Scripture, will not agree that the en-
emies of the truth are at once impious and slanderous? NPNF2: Vol. V, Against
Eunomius, Book 3.2.

Niceta of Remesiana (335-415)

However, it is possible that these benign and beneficent qualities do not rouse
our mind to an understanding of the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us turn,
then, to aspects more terrifying. It is written in the Acts of the Apostles that the
disciple Ananias sold his possessions and by fraud kept back part of the price,
and, bringing the rest in place of the whole, laid it at the feet of the Apostles.
He offended the Holy Spirit whom he had thought to deceive. Now, what did
St. Peter without hesitation say to him? ‘Ananias, why has Satan tempted thy
heart, that thou shouldest lie to the Holy Spirit?’ Then he added: “Thou hast
not lied to men, but to God.’ And being struck by the power of Him whom
he had hoped to deceive, he expired. What does St. Peter here mean by the
Holy Spirit? He clearly gives the answer when he says: “Thou hast not lied
to men, but to God.’ It is clear that one who lies to the Holy Spirit lies to
God; therefore, one who believes in the Holy Spirit believes in God. The
wife of Ananias, who connived at the lie, also joined him in his death. FC Vol.
7, Writings ofNiceta ofRemesiana, The Power ofthe Holy Spirit 17, p. 37. Migne attributed this
work mistakenly to Niceta the Bishop of Aquileia. See FC, Vol. 7, Introduction, p. 6.

The Trinity, then, creates. We must next show that the Trinity gives life. First,
in regard to the person of the Father—the Apostle says: ‘I charge thee in the
sight of God, who gives life to all things.’ Christ, too, gives life, for He says:
‘My sheep hear my voice ...And I give them everlasting life.’ Finally we are
given life by the Spirit, as we may see from our Lord’s words, ‘It is the Spirit
that gives life.’ So, too, Paul to the Romans: ‘He who raised Christ from the
184 HOLY SCRIPTURE
dead will also bring to life your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who dwells
in you.’ You can see here the clear demonstration that one and the same giv-
ing of life belongs to the Father and Son and Holy Spirit. FC, Vol. 7, Writings
of Niceta of Remesiana, The Power of the Holy Spirit, §9, pp. 31-32.

Ambrose (c. 339-397)

It therefore belongs to a virtuous life to show mercy and to fast in secret; that
thou mayest seem to be seeking a reward from thy God alone, and not from
men. For he who seeks it from man has his reward, but he who seeks it from
God has eternal life, which none can give but the Lord of Eternity, as it is said:
‘Verily, I say unto thee, to-day shalt thou be with Me in Paradise.’ Wherefore
the Scripture plainly has called that life which is blessed, eternal life. It has
not been left to be appraised according to man’s ideas on the subject, but
has been entrusted to the divine judgment. NPNF2: Vol. X, On the Duties of the
Clergy, Book I, Chapter 1.3.

As, then, knowledge, so far as it stands alone, is put aside either as worthless,
according to the superfluous discussions of the philosophers, or as but an
imperfect idea, let us now note how clearly the divine Scriptures explain
a thing about which we see the philosophers held so many involved and
perplexing ideas. For the Scriptures state that nothing is good but what is
virtuous, and declare that virtue is blessed in every circumstance, and that
it is never enhanced by either corporal or other external good fortune, nor
is it weakened by adversity. No state is so blessed as that wherein one is free
from sin, is filled with innocence, and is fully supplied with the grace of God.
For it is written: “Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the counsel ofthe
ungodly, and hath not stood in the way ofsinners, and hath not sat in the seat
ofpestilence, but in the law of the Lord was his delight.’ And again: “Blessed
are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.’ NPNF2: Vol. X,
On the Duties of the Clergy, Book II, Chapter 3.8.

God, then, is One, without violation of the majesty of the eternal Trinity, as
is declared in the instance set before us. And not in that place alone do we
see the Trinity expressed in the Name of the Godhead; but both in many
places, as we have said also above, and especially in the epistles which the
Apostle wrote to the Thessalonians, he most clearly set forth the Godhead
and sovereignty of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. For you read
as follows: “The Lord make you to increase and abound In love one toward
 The Self-Interpreting Nature of Scripture 185
another, and toward all men, as we also do toward you, to the stablishing
of your hearts without blame in holiness before God and our Father at the
coming of the Lord Jesus.’ NPNEF2: Vol. X, On the Holy Spirit, Book UI, Chapter 14.94.

Wouldst thou know what is the nature of the Word — hear the Scriptures.
‘For the Word of God is living and mighty, yea, working effectually, sharp
and keener than any the sharpest sword, piercing even to the sundering of
soul and spirit, of limbs and marrow.’ NPNF2: Vol. X, Of the Christian Faith, Book
IV, Chapter 7.74.

Trust to no one, to guide you, but where the light of that lamp goes before.
For where you think it shines, there is a whirlpool; it seems to shine, but
it defiles; and where you think it is firm or dry, there it is slippery. And,
moreover, if you have a lamp, the way is long. Therefore let faith be the
guide of your journey; let the divine Scripture be your path. Excellent is the
guidance of the heavenly word. From this lamp light your lamp; that the
eye of your mind, which is the lamp of your body, may give light. Translation
by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 148.
Nulli credas tuum, nisi praeeunte lucernae istius luce, processum. Nam ubi
putas quod luceat, gurges est; videtur lucere sed polluit; et ubi putas solidum
esse vel siccum, ibi lubricum est. Sed et si lucerna tibi, iter longius sit. Sit ergo
fides tibi itineris tui praevia, sit tibi iter Scriptura divina. Bonus est coelestis
ductus eloquii. Ex hac lucerna accende et tu lucernam; ut luceat interior
oculus tuus, qui lucerna est tui corporis. In Psalmum David CXVIII, Expositio, Sermo
14.11, PL 15:1394.

Let the Sabellian speak in his turn. ‘I consider Thee, by Thyself, to be at once
Father and Son and Holy Spirit.’ To whom the Lord: “Thou hearest neither
the Father nor the Son. Is there any doubt on this matter? The Scripture
itself teaches thee that it is the Father Who giveth over the judgment, and
the Son Who judges. Thou hast not given ear to My words: ‘I am not alone,
but I and the Father, Who sent Me.’ NPNF2: Vol. X, Exposition ofthe Christian Faith,
Book 2, Chapter 13.118.

Rufinus (344/345-410)

Nor let this promise seem to you contrary to the natural structure of the body.
For if we believe, according to what is written, that God took clay of the
earth and made man, and that the origin of our body was this, that, by the
will of God, earth was changed into flesh, why does it seem absurd to you
or contrary to reason if, on the same principles on which earth is said to be
186 HOLY SCRIPTURE
advanced to all animal body, an animal body in turn should be believed to be
advanced to a spiritual body? These things and many like these you will find
in the divine Scriptures concerning the resurrection of the righteous. There
will be given to sinners also, as we said above, a condition of incorruption and
immortality at the resurrection, that, as God assigns this state to the righteous
for perpetuity of glory, so He may assign the same to sinners for prolongation
of confusion and punishment. For this also the Prophet’s words, which we
referred to above, state clearly: ‘Many shall rise froth the dust of the earth,
some to life eternal, and others to confusion and eternal shame.’ NPNF2: Vol.
III, A Commentary on the Apostles’ Creed 47.

Chrysostom (349-407)

The prophets’ mouths are the mouth of God; such a mouth would say noth-
ing idle. Accordingly, let there be nothing idle in our attention. After all, men
digging in the quarries let no fragment no matter how small go unnoticed,
but on striking a vein of gold they examine every one closely. How much
more should we act like this with the Scriptures? Yet, as a matter of fact, in
the case of quarries discovery of the metals you(r) want is hard to come by;
this is because the quarries are earth, and the gold is really only earth,and this
substantial identity with the object of the search tricks the eye. Stull, despite this
the men by no means give up, but show all diligence, and they come to know
by looking at them what is really gold, and what is earth and nothing more.
With the Scriptures, however, it is not like this. The gold does not lie
before us mixed up with earth; instead it is gold and only gold. That is what
we read in the words: “The sayings of the Lord are without defilement, silver
purified in the furnace, proven in the soil.’ For the Scriptures are not quarries
requiring the labour of research; instead, they provide treasure ready at hand
for those who look for the wealth to be found in them. It is sufficient merely
to glance within for one to spy the brillance of the jewels. See the translation
of Chrysostom’s Oziam 2.2 (PG 56:100) by Robert Hill, in his article, ‘St John Chrysostom’s
‘Teaching on Inspiration in “Six Homilies on Isaiah,” Vigiliae Christiana 22 (1968), pp. 28-29.
See also NPNFI: Vol. XI, Commentary on the Acts ofthe Apostles, Homily 19.5.

When, therefore, both before working miracles, and after, St. Paul appears to
have made much use of argument, how can any one dare to pronounce him
unskillful whose sermons and disputations were so exceedingly admired by
all who heard them? Why did the Lycaonians imagine that he was Hermes?
The opinion that he and Barnabas were gods indeed, arose out of the sight of
their miracles; but the notion that he was Hermes did not arise from this, but
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 187

was a consequence of his speech. In what else did this blessed saint excel the
rest of the apostles? and how comes it that up and down the world he is so
much on every one’s tongue? How comes it that not merely among ourselves,
but also among Jews and Greeks, he is the wonder of wonders? Is it not from
the power of his epistles? whereby not only to the faithful of today, but from
his time to this, yea and up to the end, even the appearing of Christ, he has
been and will be profitable, and will continue to be so as long as the human
race shall last. For as a wall built of adamant, so his writings fortify all the
Churches of the known world, and he as a most noble champion stands in
the midst, bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ,
casting down imaginations, and every high thing which exalts itself against
the knowledge of God, and all this he does by those epistles which he has
left to us full of wonders and of Divine wisdom. For his writings are not only
useful to us, for the overthrow of false doctrine and the confirmation of the
true, but they help not a little towards living a good life. For by the use of
these, the bishops of the present day fit and fashion the chaste virgin, which
St. Paul himself espoused to Christ, and conduct her to the state of spiritual
beauty; with these, too, they drive away from her the noisome pestilences
which beset her, and preserve the good health thus obtained. Such are the
medicines and such their efficacy left us by this so—called unskillful man,
and they know them and their power best who constantly use them. From
all this it is evident that St. Paul had given himself to the study of which we
have been speaking with great diligence and zeal.
Hear also what he says in his charge to his disciple: “Give heed to reading,
to exhortation, to teaching,’ and he goes on to show the usefulness of this
by adding, ‘For in doing this thou shalt save both thyself and them that hear
thee.’ And again he says, “The Lord’s servant must not strive, but be gentle
towards all, apt to teach, forbearing;’ and he proceeds to say, ‘But abide thou
in the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of, knowing
of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a babe thou hast known
the sacred writings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation,’ and
again, ‘Every Scripture is inspired of God, and also profitable for teaching,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness, that the
man of God may be complete.’ Hear what he adds further in his directions
to Titus about the appointment of bishops. ‘The bishop,’ he says, ‘must be
holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching, that he may
be able to convict the gain-sayers.’ But how shall any one who is unskillful as
these men pretend, be able to convict the gainsayers and stop their mouths?
or what need is there to give attention to reading and to the Holy Scriptures,
if such a state of unskillfulness is to be welcome among us? Such arguments
are mere makeshifts and pretexts, the marks of idleness and sloth. But some
one will say, ‘it is to the priests that these charges are given’: — certainly,
188 HOLY SCRIPTURE

for they are the subjects of our discourse. But that the apostle gives the same
charge to the laity, hear what he says in another epistle to other than the
priesthood: ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,’ and
again, ‘Let your speech be always with grace seasoned with salt, that ye may
know how ye ought to answer each one,’ and there is a general charge to all
that they ‘be ready to’ render an account of their faith, and to the Thessa-
lonians, he gives the following command: ‘Build each other up, even as also
ye do.’ But when he speaks of priests he says, ‘Let the elders that rule well
be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word,
and in teaching.’ NPNFI: Vol. IX, The Christian Priesthood, Book 4.7-8.

But since this subject is too lofty for our simplicity, permit me now to lead
you to the sweet fountain of the Scriptures, that we may refresh your ears.
For we will not discourse to you of the heaven and the earth separately, but
will exhibit the Apostle declaring this very thing to us concerning the whole
creation, in these plain terms, that the whole creation is now in bondage to
corruption; and why it is thus in bondage, and at what time it shall be delivered
from it, and unto what condition it shall be translated. NPNFI: Vol. IX, Homilies
concerning the Statues 10.10.

Lo! this is the second year that I am discoursing to your Charity; and I have
not yet been able to explain a hundred lines of the Scriptures, And the rea-
son is, that ye need to learn of us what ye might reduce to practice at home,
and of yourselves; and thus the greater part of our exhortation is consumed
on ethical discourse. But this ought not to have been so; the regulation of
manners you ought to have learnt at home, and of yourselves; but the sense
of the Scriptures, and the speculations upon them, you might commit to
us. If, however, it were necessary that you should hear such things of us,
there was no need of more than one day: for what there is to be said is of
no diversified or difficult character, or such as requires any elaboration. For
when God declares His sentence, subtle arguments are unseasonable. NPNFI:
Vol. IX, Homilies concerning the Statues, Homily 16.5.

But our lessons are not such; rather Christ hath taught us what is just, and
what is seemly, and what is expedient, and all virtue in general, comprising
it in few and plain words: at one time saying that, ‘on two commandments
hang the Law and the Prophets; that is to say, on the love of God and on
the love of our neighbor: at another time, ‘Whatsoever ye would that men
should do to you, do ye also to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets.’
And these things even to a laborer, and to a servant, and to a widow
woman, and to a very child, and to him that appeareth to be exceedingly
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 189
slow of understanding, are all plain to comprehend and easy to learn. For the
lessons of the truth are like this; and the actual result bears witness thereto.
All at least have learned what things they are to do, and not learned only, but
been emulous also of them; and not in the cities alone nor in the midst of
the market places, but also in the summits of the mountains. NPNFI: Vol. X,
Homilies on Matthew, Homily 1.12.

But what is the answer to these charges? ‘I am not,’ you will say, ‘one of the
monks, but I have both a wife and children, and the care of a household.’
Why; this is what hath ruined all, your supposing that the reading of the
divine Scriptures appertains to those only, when ye need it much more than
they. For they that dwell in the world, and each day receive wounds, these have
most need of medicines. So that it is far worse than not reading, to account
the thing even ‘superfluous:’ for these are the words of diabolical invention.
Hear ye not Paul saying, ‘that all these things are written for our admoni-
tion’? NPNF1: Vol. X, Homilies on Matthew, Homily 2.10.

On the reading of Scripture: And what is yet more grievous is this, that being
in such evil case, we have no idea whatever of the deformity of our own soul,
nor discern the hideousness thereof. And yet when thou art sitting at a hair-
dresser’s, and having thine hair cut, thou takest the mirror, and dost examine
with care the arrangement of thy locks, and askest them that stand by, and the
haircutter himself, if he hath well disposed what is on the forehead; and being
old, for so it often happens, art not ashamed of going wild with the fancies
of youth: while of our own soul, not only deformed, but transformed into a
wild beast, and made a sort of Scylla or Chimaera, according to the heathen
fable, we have not even a slight perception. And yet in this case too there is a
mirror, spiritual, and far more excellent, and more serviceable than that other
one; for it not only shows our own deformity, but transforms it too, if we be
willing, into surpassing beauty. This mirror is the memory of good men, and
the history of their blessed lives; the reading of the Scriptures; the laws given
by God. If thou be willing once only to look upon the portraitures of those
holy men, thou will both see the foulness of thine own mind, and having
seen this, wilt need nothing else to be set free from that deformity. Because
the mirror is useful for this purpose also, and makes the change easy. NPNFI:
Vol. X, Homilies on Matthew, Homily 4.16.

Yet surely, if thou art willing to believe what is evident, the things invisible
ought to be believed by thee, rather than those which are seen. Even though
what I say be a paradox, nevertheless it is true, and among men of understand-
ing is fully acknowledged. For whereas the eyes are often deceived, not in the
things unseen only (for of those they do not so much as take cognizance), but
190 HOLY SCRIPTURE

even in those which men think they actually see, distance and atmosphere, and
absence of mind, and anger, and care, and ten thousand other things impeding
their accuracy; the reasoning power of the soul on the other hand, if it receive
the light of the divine Scriptures, will prove a more accurate, an unerring
standard of realities. NPNF1: Vol. X, Homilies on Matthew, Homily 13.8.

Seest thou how from every quarter he repels the wisdom which is without,
and shews that the spiritual man knoweth more things and greater? For see-
ing that those reasons, “That no flesh should glory;’ and, “For this cause hath
He chosen the foolish things, that He might confound the wise men;’ and,
‘Lest the Cross of Christ should be made void:’ seemed not to the unbelievers
greatly worthy of credit, nor yet attractive, or necessary, or useful, he finishes by
laying down the principal reason; because in this way we most easily see from
Whom we may have the means of learning even high things, and things secret,
and things which are above us. For reason was absolutely made of none effect
by our inability to apprehend through Gentile wisdom the things above us.
You may observe, too, that it was more advantageous to learn in this way
from the Spirit. For that is the easiest and clearest of all teaching. ‘But we
have the mind of Christ.’ That is, spiritual, divine, that which hath nothing
human. For it is not of Plato, nor of Pythagoras, but it is Christ Himself,
putting His own things into our mind. NPNFI: Vol. XII, Homilies on First Corin-
thians, Homily 7.12.

But what do the multitude say? ‘I do not hear what is read,’ saith one, ‘nor do
I know what the words are which are spoken.’ Because thou makest a tumult
and confusion, because thou comest not with a reverent soul. What sayest
thou? ‘I know not what things are said.’ Well then, for this very reason oughtest
thou to give heed. But if not even the obscurity stir up thy soul, much more
if things were clear wouldest thou hurry them by. Yea, this is the reason why
neither all things are clear, lest thou shouldest indulge indolence; nor obscure,
lest thou shouldest be in despair.
And whereas that eunuch and barbarian (Acts 8:20.) said none of these
things, but surrounded as he was with a crowd of so important affairs and
on his journey, had a book in his hands and was reading: dost thou, both
abounding in teachers, and having others to read to thee privately, allege to
me thine excuses and pretexts? Knowest thou not what is said? Why then
pray that thou mayest learn: but sure it is impossible to be ignorant of all
things. For many things are of themselves evident and clear. And further,
even if thou be ignorant of all, even so oughtest thou to be quiet, not to
put out them that are attentive; that God, accepting thy quietness and thy
reverence, may make the obscure things also plain. NPNVF1: Vol. XII, Homilies on
First Corinthians, Homily 36.9.
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 191

Tarry not, I entreat, for another to teach thee; thou hast the oracles of God. No
man teacheth thee as they; for he indeed oft grudgeth much for vainglory’s
sake and envy. Hearken, I entreat you, all ye that are careful for this life, and
procure books that will be medicines for the soul. If ye will not any other, yet
get you at least the New Testament, the Apostolic Epistles, the Acts, the
Gospels, for your constant teachers. If grief befall thee, dive into them as into
a chest of medicines; take thence comfort of thy trouble, be it loss, or death, or
bereavement of relations; or rather dive not into them merely, but take them
wholly to thee; keep them in thy mind.
This is the cause of all evils, the not knowing the Scriptures. We go into
battle without arms, and how ought we to come off safe? Well contented
should we be if we can be safe with them, let alone without them. NPNFI: Vol.
XIN, Homilies on the Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians, Homily 9.

But let us sail upwards, not floating, for we shall soon be weary, and sink; but
using the divine Scriptures, as some vessel, let us unfurl the sails of faith. If
we sail in them, then the Word of God will be present with us as our Pilot.
But if we float upon human reasonings, it will not be so. For to whom of
those who float, is a Pilot present? So that the danger is twofold, in that
there is no vessel, and that the Pilot is absent. For if even the boat without
a pilot is unsafe, when both are wanting, what hope is there of safety? Let
us not then throw ourselves into manifest danger, but let us go upon a safe
vessel, having fastened ourselves by the sacred anchor. For thus we shall sail
into the tranquil haven, with much merchandise, and at the same time with
great safety, and we shall obtain the blessings laid up for them that love Him,
in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom, to the Father, together with the Holy
Spirit, be glory, power, honor, now and always and world without end. Amen.
NPNF1: Vol. XIII, Homilies on the First Epistle ofPaul to the Thessalonians, Homily 7, Comments
on 1 Thessalonians 4:13.

Then if any one comes from a king, you all attend; and does a Prophet come
from God, and speak from heaven, and no one attend? Or do you not believe
that these things are messages from God? These are letters sent from God;
therefore let us enter with becoming reverence into the Churches, and let us
hearken with fear to the things here said. What do I come in for, you say, if
I do not hear some one discoursing? This is the ruin and destruction of all.
For what need of a person to discourse? This necessity arises from our sloth.
Wherefore any necessity for a homily? All things are dear and open that are
in the divine Scriptures; the necessary things are all plain (TavTa oadh
kal cv0éa Ta Tapa Tais elas Tpadat, mavta Ta avayKaia dha
[PG 62:485]).
192 HOLY SCRIPTURE
But because ye are hearers for pleasure’s sake, for that reason also you seek
these things. For tell me, with what pomp of words did Paul speak? and yet
he converted the world. Or with what the unlettered Peter? But I know not,
you sub the things that are contained in the Scriptures. Why? For are they
spoken in Hebrew? Are they in Latin, or in foreign tongues? Are they not in
Greek? But they are expressed obscurely, you say: What is it that is obscure?
Tell me. Are there not histories? For (of course) you know the plain parts,
in that you enquire about the obscure. There are numberless histories in
the Scriptures. Tell me one of these. But you cannot. These things are an
excuse, and mere words. NPNF1: Vol. XIII, Homilies on the Second Epistle of Paul to the
Thessalonians, Homily 3, Comments on 2 Thessalonians 1:9, 10.

For this reason too, he did not hide his teaching in mist and darkness, as
they did who threw obscurity of speech, like a kind ofveil, around the mis-
chiefs laid up within. But this man’s doctrines are clearer than the sunbeams,
wherefore they have been unfolded to all men throughout the world. For he
did not teach as Pythagoras did, commanding those who came to him to be
silent for five years, or to sit like senseless stones; neither did he invent fables
defining the universe to consist of numbers; but casting away all this devilish
trash and mischief, he diffused such simplicity through his words, that all
he said was plain, not only to wise men, but also to women and youths. For
he was persuaded that the words were true and profitable to all that should
hearken to them. And all time after him is his witness; since he has drawn
to him all the world, and has freed our life when we have listened to these
words from all monstrous display of wisdom; wherefore we who hear them
would prefer rather to give up our lives, than the doctrines by him delivered
to. NPNFI: Vol. XIV, Homilies on the Gospel according to St. John, Homily 2.5.

Besides, even if any should be so poor, it is in their power, by means of

the continual reading of the holy Scriptures which takes place here, to be
ignorant of nothing contained in them. NPNFI: Vol. XIV, Homilies on the Gospel
according to St. John, Homily 11.1.

Great is the profit of the divine Scriptures, and all-sufficient is the aid which
comes from them. And Paul declared this when he said, ‘Whatsoever things
were written aforetime, were written aforetime for our admonition upon whom
the ends of the world are come, that we through patience and comfort of the
Scriptures might have hope.’ (Romans 15:4, and 1 Corinthians 10:1 1) For
the divine oracles are a treasury of all manner of medicines, so that whether
it be needful to quench pride, to lull desire to sleep, to tread under foot the
love of money, to despise pain, to inspire confidence, to gain patience, from
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 193
them one may find abundant resource. For what man of those who struggle
with long poverty or who are nailed to a grievous disease, will not, when he
reads the passage before us, receive much comfort? NPNF1: Vol. XIV, Homilies on
the Gospel according to St. John, Homily 37.1.

Chapter 10:1. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door
into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and
a robber.’
Observe the marks ofa robber; first, that he doth not enter openly; sec-
ondly, not according to the Scriptures, for this is the, ‘not by the door.’ Here
also He referreth to those who had been before, and to those who should be
after Him, Antichrist and the false Christs, Judas and Theudas, and whatever
others there have been of the same kind. And with good cause He calleth the
Scriptures ‘a door,’ for they bring us to God, and open to us the knowledge
of God, they make the sheep, they guard them, and suffer not the wolves to
come in after them. For Scripture, like some sure door, barreth the passage
against the heretics, placing us in a state of safety as to all that we desire,
and not allowing us to wander; and if we undo it not, we shall not easily
be conquered by our foes. By it we can know all, both those who are, and
those who are not, shepherds. But what is “into the fold’? It refers to the sheep,
and the care of them. For he that useth not the Scriptures, but ‘climbeth up
some other way,’ that is, who cutteth out for himself another and an unusual
way, ‘the same is a thief.’ Seest thou from this too that Christ agreeth with
the Father, in that He bringeth forward the Scriptures? On which account
also He said to the Jews, ‘Search the Scriptures’ (c. 5:39)... NPNFI: Vol. XIV,
Homilies on the Gospel according to St. John, Homily 59.

Let us then learn this lesson. Do not, when thou hearest that a man is not a
Heathen nor a Jew, straightway believe him to be a Christian; but examine
also into all the other points; for even Manichaeans, and all the heresies, have
put on this mask, in order thus to deceive the more simple. But if we ‘have
the senses’ of the soul ‘exercised to discern both good and evil,’ we are able
to discern such [teachers]. But how do our ‘senses’ become ‘exercised’? By
continual hearing; by experience of the Scriptures. For when we set forth the
error of those [Heretics], and thou hearest today and tomorrow; and provest
that it is not right, thou hast learnt the whole, thou hast known the whole:
and even if thou shouldest not comprehend today, thou wilt comprehend
to—morrow. NPNFI: Vol. XIV, Homilies on the Epistle to the Hebrews, Homily 8.8.

Taken from sections 2 & 3 of Chrysostom’s 3rd Sermon on Lazarus:

Many other such things there are that beset our soul; and we have need of the
194 HOLY SCRIPTURE
divine remedies that we may heal wounds inflicted, and ward off those which,
though not inflicted, would else be received in ume to come—thus quenching
afar off the darts of Satan, and shielding ourselves by the constant reading of
the Divine Scriptures. It is not possible—I say, it is not possible, for any one
to be secure without constant supplies of this spiritual instruction (transla-
tor’s note, ‘Or without constantly making use of spiritual reading’). Indeed,
we may congratulate ourselves (i.e. one ought to be content), if, constantly
using this remedy, we ever are able to attain salvation. But when, though each
day receiving wounds, we make use of no remedies, what hope can there be
of salvation?
Do you not notice that workmen in brass, or goldsmiths, or silversmiths, or
those who engage in any art whatsoever, preserve carefully all the instruments
oftheir art; and if hunger come, or poverty afflict them, they prefer to endure
anything rather than sell for their maintenance any of the tools which they
use. It is frequently the case that many thus choose rather to borrow money to
maintain their house and family, than part with the least of the instruments of
their art. This they do for the best reasons; for they know that when those are
sold, all their skill is rendered of no avail, and the entire groundwork of their
gain is gone. If those are left, they may be able, by persevering in the exercise
oftheir skill, in time to pay off their debts; but if they, in the meantime, allow
the tools to go to others, there is, for the future, no means by which they can
contrive any alleviation of their poverty and hunger. We also ought to judge
in the same way. As the instruments of their art are the hammer and anvil
and pincers, so the instruments of our work are the apostolic and prophetic
books, and all the inspired and profitable Scriptures. And as they, by their
instruments, shape all the articles they take in hand, so also do we, by our
instruments, arm our mind, and strengthen it when relaxed, and renew it
when out of condition. Again, artists display their skill in beautiful forms,
being unable to change the material of their productions, or to transmute
silver into gold, but only to make their figures symmetrical. But it is not so
with thee, for thou hast a power beyond theirs—receiving a vessel of wood,
thou canst make it gold. And to this St. Paul testifies, speaking thus: ‘In a
great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood
and earth. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel
unto honour, sanctified and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto
every good work,’ (2 Tim. ii. 20, 21). Let us then not neglect the posses-
sion of the sacred books. For gold, whenever it becomes abundant, causes
trouble to its possessors; but these books, when carefully preserved, afford
great benefit to those who possess them. As also where royal arms are stored,
though no one should use them, they afford great security to those who dwell
there; since neither thieves nor burglars, nor any other evil—doers, dare attack
 The Self-In terpreting Nature ofScripture 195

that place. In the same way, where the inspired books are, from thence all
satanical influence is banished, and the great consolation of right principles
comes to those who live there; yea, even the very sight of these books by itself
makes us slower to commit iniquity, Even if we attempt any forbidden thing,
and make ourselves unclean, when we return home and see these books, our
conscience accuses us more keenly, and we become less likely to fall again into
the same sins. Again, if we have been stedfast in our integrity, we gain more
benefit, (if we are acquainted with the word;) for as soon as one comes to the
gospel, he by a mere look both rectifies his understanding and ceases from all
worldly cares. And if careful reading also follows, the soul, as if initiated in
sacred mysteries, is thus purified and made better, while holding converse with
God through the Scriptures.
‘But what,’ say they, ‘if we do not understand the things we read?’ Even
if you do not understand the contents, your sanctification in a high degree
results from it. However, it is impossible that all these things should alike
be misunderstood; for it was for this reason that the grace of the Holy Spirit
ordained that tax—gatherers, and fishermen, and tent—-makers, and shepherds,
and goatherds, and uninstructed and illiterate men, should compose these
books, that no untaught man should be able to make this pretext; in order
that the things delivered should be easily comprehended by all—in order
that the handicraftsman, the domestic, the widow, yea, the most unlearned
of all men, should profit and be benefited by the reading. For it is not for
vain—glory, as men of the world, but for the salvation of the hearers, that
they composed these writings, who, from the beginning, were endued with
the gift of the Holy Ghost.
For those without—philosophers, rhetoricians, and annalists, not striving
for the common good, but having in view their own renown—if they said
anything useful, even this they involved in their usual obscurity, as in a cloud.
But the apostles and prophets always did the very opposite; they, as the
common instructors of the world, made all that they delivered plain to all
men, in order that every one, even unaided, might be able to learn by the
mere reading. Thus also the prophet spake before, when he said, ‘All shall
be taught of God,’ (Isa. liv.13). ‘And they shall no more say, every one to his
neighbor, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me from the least to the
greatest,’ (Jer. xxxi. 34). St. Paul also says, ‘And I, brethren, when I came to
you, came not with excellency of speech, or of wisdom, declaring unto you
the mystery of God,’ (1 Cor. ii. 1). And again, ‘My speech and my preaching
was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the
Spirit and of power,’ (1 Cor. ii. 4). And again, “We speak wisdom, it is said,
‘but not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world that come
to nought,’ (1 Cor. ii. 6). For to whom is not the gospel plain? Who is it that
196 HOLY SCRIPTURE
hears, ‘Blessed are the meek; blessed are the merciful; blessed are the pure in
heart,’ and such things as these, and needs a teacher in order to understand
any of the things spoken?
But (it is asked) are the parts containing the signs and wonders and his-
tories also clear and plain to every one? 7)his is a pretence, and an excuse,
and a mere cloak of idleness. You do not understand the contents of the
book? But how can you ever understand, while you are not even willing to
look carefully? Take the book in your hand. Read the whole history; and,
retaining in your mind the easy parts, peruse frequently the doubtful and
obscure parts; and if you are unable, by frequent reading, to understand what
is said, go to some one wiser; betake yourself to a teacher; confer with him
about the things said. Show great eagerness to learn; then, when God sees
that you are using such diligence, He will not disregard your perseverance
and carefulness; but if no human being can teach you that which you seek
to know, He himself will reveal the whole.
Remember the eunuch of the queen of Ethiopia. Being a man of a bar-
barous nation, occupied with numerous cares, and surrounded on all sides
by manifold business, he was unable to understand that which he read. Still,
however, as he was seated in the chariot, he was reading. If he showed such
diligence on a journey, think how diligent he must have been at home; if
while on the road he did not let an opportunity pass without reading, much
more must this have been the case when seated in his house; if when he did
not fully understand the things he read, he did not cease from reading, much
more would he not cease when able to understand. To show that he did not
understand the things which he read, hear that which Philip said to him:
“Understandest thou what thou readest?” (Acts viii. 30). Hearing this question
he did not show provocation or shame: but confessed his ignorance, and said:
‘How can I, except some man should guide me?’ (ver. 31). Since therefore.
while he had no man to guide him, he was thus reading; for this reason he
quickly received an instructor. God knew his willingness, He acknowledged
his zeal, and forthwith sent him a teacher.
But, you say, Philip is not present with us now. Still, the Spirit that moved
Philip is present with us. Let us not, beloved, neglect our salvation! ‘All these
things are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are
come,’ (1 Cor. x. 11). The reading of the Scriptures is a great safeguard against
sin; ignorance of the Scriptures is a great precipice and a deep gulf; to know
nothing of the Scriptures, is a great betrayal of our salvation. This ignorance
is the cause of heresies; this it is that leads to dissolute living; this it is that
makes all things confused. It is impossible—I say, it is impossible, that any
one should remain unbenefited who engages in persevering and intelligent
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 197
reading. For see how much one parable has profited us! how much spiritual
good it has done to us! For many I know have departed, bearing away abiding
profit from the hearing; and if there be some who have not reaped so much
benefit, still for that day on which they heard these things, they were rendered
in every way better. And it is not a small thing to spend one day in sorrow on
account of sin, and in consideration of the higher wisdom, and in affording
the soul a little breathing time from worldly cares. If we can effect this at each
assembly without intermission, the continued hearing would work for us a
great and lasting benefit (FE Allen, trans., Four Discourses of Chrysostom, Chiefly on the
Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, 3rd Sermon 2-3 (London: Longmans, Green, Reader and
Dyer, 1869), pp. 62-68. See Concionis VII, de Lazaro 3.2-3, PG 48:993-996).

Commenting the Scriptural account of Creation: Did you see the precision
of the teaching? Did you see the considerateness of the Lord, and how he
demonstrates it in regard to our human race? I mean, how would we have
been able to know these things precisely had not he in his really unspeakable
love deemed it proper to teach humanity through the tongue of the biblical
author, so that we might know the order of created things and the power
of the Creator, and how his word took effect, and his utterance endowed
creatures with life and the way to existence?
Yet there are some stupid people who, despite this kind of teaching, are rash
enough to withhold belief, and do not admit that these visible things have a
creator. Some of them hold they came into existence by themselves, others that
they were formed from some underlying matter. See the extent of the devil’s
wiles, how he exploits the facile thinking of people in the thrall of error. For
that reason the blessed Moses, inspired by the divine Spirit, teaches us with
great precision, lest we fall victim to the same things as they, instead of being
able to know clearly both the sequence of created things and how each thing
was created. You see, if God in his care for our salvation had not directed
the tongue of the biblical author in this way, it would have been sufficient
to say that God made heaven and earth, the sea and living things, and not
add the order of days, nor what was created first and what later. But, lest he
leave any grounds for excuse to those bent on folly, he explains in this way
both the order of created things and the number of the days, and he teaches
us everything with great considerateness so that we may learn the whole
truth and not turn our minds to the error of those uttering all these ideas
from their own reasoning. But we are able to know the ineffable power of
our Creator. FC, Vol. 74, Homilies on Genesis I-17, Homily 7.9-10, p. 96.

What is the meaning of that verse, ‘On the seventh day he rested from all the
works he had done’? Notice how Sacred Scripture narrates everything in hu-
198 HOLY SCRIPTURE
man fashion even out of considerateness to us. I mean, it would not have
been possible for us in any other way to understand anything of what was
said had not such considerateness been thought fitting. FC, Vol. 74, Homilies on
Genesis 1-17, Homily 10.16, p. 138.

To learn this precisely, we must again read the words of Sacred Scripture.
FC, Vol. 82, Homilies on Genesis 18-45, Homily 18.9, p. 8.

In the case of the soul, on the other hand, none of these things is necessary,
unless, just as you daily spend money to give nourishment to the body, you
are likewise determined not to neglect the soul and let it die of hunger but to
provide it with proper nourishment from the reading of Scripture and the
support of spiritual advice: ‘Not on bread alone does man live,’ Scripture
says, remember, ‘but on every word coming from the mouth of God.’ FC,
Vol. 82, Homilies on Genesis 18-45, Homily 21.22, p. 66.

...let us teach you the truth of the material by reading again the words of
Sacred Scripture. FC, Vol. 82, Homilies on Genesis 18-45, Homily 22.8, pp. 73-74.

After all, give ear to the patience of God’s goodness: “Now, the Lord God saw,’
the text goes on, ‘that the vices of human beings were multiplied on earth.’
What is meant by the expression, ‘Now, he saw?’ Had the Lord been unaware?
Not at all; rather, Sacred Scripture explains everything with our limitations in
mind, and so as to teach us that even despite his extraordinary longsuffering
they persisted in the same ways or even involved themselves in worse evils,
it says, ‘Now, he saw that the vices of human beings were multiplied.’ FC, Vol.
82, Homilies on Genesis 18-45, Homily 22.13, p. 78.

“The Lord God reconsidered,’ the text goes on, ‘what he had done in creating
the human being on earth.’ Notice again the considerateness of the expres-
sion, ‘He reconsidered,’ the text says, instead of, ‘He regretted.’ Not that God
regrets—perish the thought; rather, Sacred Scripture recounts it to us in hu-
man fashion so as to teach us that the excess of their sins aroused the loving
God to anger. FC, Vol. 82, Homilies on Genesis 18-45, Homily 22.15, pp. 79-80.

See the extent of the considerateness Sacred Scripture employs here too,
describing everything in a human manner: it is not that there are sluice gates
in heaven, but rather that it describes everything in terms customary with
us, as if to say that the Lord simply gave a direction and immediately the
waters obeyed their Creator's command, fell out of the heavens on all sides
and inundated the whole world. FC, Vol. 82, Homilies on Genesis 18-45, Homily 25.10,
pp. 131-132.
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 199
-.-since sacred Scripture had previously made clear to us...FC, Vol. 82, Homilies
on Genesis 18-45, Homily 26.9, pp. 150.

Let us read the verse with precision, and we will know the reason. FC, Vol. 82,
Homilies on Genesis 18-45, Homily 26.13, pp. 153.

This, after all, is the object of all our vigilance and enthusiasm, that you would
all become perfect and complete, and that nothing of the contents of the
Holy Scriptures would escape you. Acquaintance with them, remember, will
also make the greatest contribution to your progress towards an excellent life,
provided you are prepared to be sober and alert, and will make you readier
for the difficulties virtue involves. FC, Vol. 82, Homilies on Genesis 18-45, Homily
28.2, pp. 183-184.

Now consider the patriarch’s rightmindedness in the way Scripture makes it

clear to us: ‘Abram set out as the Lord God had told him, and Lot traveled
with him.’ It did not simply say, ‘Abram set out,’ but ‘as the Lord God had
told him.’ He did everything, it says, in accordance with the command. FC,
Vol. 82, Homilies on Genesis 18-45, Homily 31.15, p. 247.

We shall see this as we gradually proceed, Sacred Scripture making everything

clear. FC, Vol. 82, Homilies on Genesis 18-45, Homily 33.14, p. 286.

You see, for proof that it was not on account of his virtuous lifestyle that his
father gave this name to his child, heed the clear statement of Scripture that
Noe alone was found upright, faultless by comparison with his contemporaries.
FC, Vol. 82, Homilies on Genesis 18-45, Homily 39.9, p. 380.

Consider, I ask you, dearly beloved, the precision of Sacred Scripture in nar-
rating everything clearly to us, instructing us in the customs of the ancients
and the extent of the ardor that marked their hospitality. FC, Vol. 87, Homilies on
Genesis 46-67, Homily 55.5, p. 109.

Having acquitted himself of all this, the good man “departed from Shekim,’
the text says, and made haste towards Baithel. Now, observe once again, I ask
you, God’s care for him and the way Scripture teaches us everything clearly.
FC, Vol. 87, Homilies on Genesis 46-67, Homily 59.18, p. 175.

See the marvellous considerateness of the expressions of Sacred Scripture:

‘God went up away from him.’ It says, not for us to think that divinity is limited
200 HOLY SCRIPTURE

by place, but for us to learn from this as well his ineffable love, in that the grace
of the Spirit recounts everything in this manner, by showing considerateness
for our human limitations. You see, the notion of going up and going down
is not appropriate to God, but, since it is a particular mark of his ineffable
love to apply the concreteness of such words for the sake of our instruction,
accordingly Scripture employs human expressions for the reason that in no
other fashion could human hearing accommodate itself to the sublimity of
the message had it spoken to us in a manner befitting the Lord’s dignity. FC,
Vol. 87, Homilies on Genesis 46-67, Homily 60.6, p. 179.

Consequently, let us not pass idly by the contents of the Holy Scriptures
nor pay superficial attention to what they say...It is worthwhile hearing the
text itself, so as to be in a position to learn everything precisely. FC, Vol. 87,
Homilies on Genesis 46-67, Homily 62.11-12, p. 203.

For our point to become clearer, however, let us listen to the very text that
was read. FC, Vol. 87, Homilies on Genesis 46-67, Homily 65.2, p. 244.

Finally, if the ceremonies of the Jews move you to admiration, what do you
have in common with us? If the Jewish ceremonies are venerable and great,
ours are lies. But if ours are true, as they are true, theirs are filled with deceit.
I am not speaking of the Scriptures. Heaven forbid! It was the Scriptures
which took me by the hand and led me to Christ. FC, Vol. 68, Discourses Against
Judaizing Christians, Disc. 1.6.5, pp. 23-24.

Commenting on Psalm 5: So let us apply ourselves, open the register, examine

what is written there, and see for what reason this bequest has been left us, and
what the nature of the bequest is. God did not leave us this bequest idly, but
on a certain condition. On what condition, in fact? “Whoever loves me,’ the
text reads, ‘will keep my commandments;’ and again, ‘Whoever does not carry
his cross and follow me,’ and several other, which are written in the will. In the
meantime, however, he has made his will, and left it in writing, and has told
us what we are to do to gain the inheritance so as not to be struck out of the
will and disinherited. Robert Charles Hill, trans., St John Chrysostom: Commentary on the
Psalms, Vol.1, Psalm 5 (Brookline: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1998), pp. 78-79.

Commenting on Psalm 45:6: Hence he says, A scepter of equity the scepter

ofyour kingdom. What is just there, you see, is clear, what is right there is
 The Self-l nterpreting Nature ofScripture 201

clear, nothing is obscure there. Let those listen who are insane, those who
are unbalanced, or rather those who are worse. Robert Charles Hill, trans., S¢ John
Chrysostom: Commentary on the Psalms, Vol.1, Psalm 45 (Brookline: Holy Cross Orthodox
Press, 1998), pp. 274-275.

Commenting on Psalm 50:22: Understand this properly, you who are forgetful
of God (v. 22). Understand what? What has been said, he is saying. What
is the meaning of understand? Think about it. I mean, what is obscure in
what was said? What demands deep investigation? The thing this very form
of teaching implies most of all is a change in our way of life. Robert Charles Hill,
trans., St John Chrysostom: Commentary on the Psalms, Vol.1, Psalm 50 (Brookline: Holy Cross
Orthodox Press, 1998), p. 371.

Commenting on Psalm 110:1: The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand
(v. 1). The Jews we counter first, and direct out forces against them, taking the
inspired author as ally from these words of his. Our assertion, you see, that
the verse clearly refers to Christ they do not accept, fabricating some other
meaning by contrast. Robert Charles Hill, trans., St John Chrysostom: Commentary on the
Psalms, Vol. 2, Psalm 110 (Brookline: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1998), p. 12.

Made in truth and equity. What is the meaning of truth and equity? There is
nothing crooked in them, he is saying, nothing twisted, nothing obscure, not
motivated by fear or favor but only by benefit and utility, unlike human laws,
that are quite impermanent, quite obscure, quite human. Many such laws,
in fact, are in many cases passed as a result of human passions: out of a desire
to wreak vengeance on an enemy or confer a favor on a friend they are put in
writing. God’s laws are not like this, however: they remain brighter than the
sun, directed to the benefit of those for whom they are made, conducting
them towards virtue and towards the true state of things, not towards those
false things—I mean, wealth and influence (these things are false, after all,
whereas God’s things are truth)—teaching them not how to become more
affluent, nor how to succeed in business, but how to arrive at enjoyment of
future things. Those laws have everything to say about things true and right,
containing nothing distorted. Robert Charles Hill, trans., St John Chrysostom: Com-
mentary on the Psalms, Vol. 2, Psalm 111 (Brookline: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1998), p. 48,

The Lord sent redemption to his people (v. 9). Ina historical sense, he is referring
to the liberation of the Jews, whereas in a spiritual sense the liberation of the
world, as is clear from what follows, He has commanded his covenant forever.
Robert Charles Hill, trans., St John Chrysostom: Commentary on the Psalms, Vol. 2, Psalm 111
(Brookline: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1998), p. 48-49.
202 HOLY SCRIPTURE

The Lord is elevated above all nations (v. 4). Do you see once again the nations
adopting his worship, and not simply one or two or three, but everyone in
the whole world? What could be clearer than this inspired composition?
Robert Charles Hill, trans., St John Chrysostom: Commentary on the Psalms, Vol. 2, Psalm 113
(Brookline: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1998), p. 71.

The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner (v. 22).
That this refers to Christ is clear to everyone: in the Gospels he himself ad-
duces this inspired statement in the words, “Have you never read, “The stone
which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner?’ Robert Charles
Hill, trans., St John Chrysostom: Commentary on the Psalms, Vol. 2, Psalm 118 (Brookline: Holy
Cross Orthodox Press, 1998), p. 113.

Commenting on Isaiah 6:2—3: What does he (Isaiah) want to tell us, and
what do these wings signify? After all, supernatural powers have no wings.
Once again, Isaiah portrays an ineffable message for us with precise imagery.
He made the condescension first of all for the sake of the weakness of those
who heard him back then, but in the same way, through the condescension,
he accurately explains to us concepts that surpass all understanding. ..As I
have already said, he condescended to the weakness of the audience, and by
using things they could grasp lifted their understanding to a higher plane.
Duane A. Garrett, An Analysis of the Hermeneutics ofJohn Chrysostoms Commentary on Isaiah
1-8 with an English Translation, Isaiah Chapter 6 (Lewiston/Queenston/Lampeter: Edwin
Mellen Press, 1992), p. 127.

Therefore let us not seek to hear from dead people what the Scriptures
teach us much more clearly every day. For if God knew that dead people
by rising couid help the living, He who has worked everything out for our
good would not have omitted or neglected such a great benefit. Catharine P.
Roth, trans., St. John Chrysostom On Wealth and Poverty, 4th Sermon on Lazarus and the Rich
Man (Crestwood: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1984), pp. 85-86. See also E. Allen, trans.,
Four Discourses of Chrysostom, Chiefly on the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, 4th Sermon
3 (London: Longmans, Green, Reader and Dyer, 1869), pp. 97-98.

Commenting on the Lord’s words, ‘Enter by the narrow gate’: This is not
written, is it, so that we may read it and do nothing more? For this reason the
grace of the Spirit has caused the Lord’s sermons to be entrusted to writing,
so that by receiving medicines from them as remedies for our Passions we
may be able to escape the punishment which hangs over us. Catharine P. Roth,
trans., St. John Chrysostom On Wealth and Poverty, Seventh Sermon on Lazarus and the Rich Man
(Crestwood: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1984), p.130.

Speaking of the impossibility of the dead to speak to the living: But God,
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 203

forseeing all these things, has prevented such an attempt, and out of regard
for us, has not permitted any one at any time to come from thence to relate
to living men the things that take place there. He has taught us to regard the
Holy Scriptures as more worthy of trust than everything else. For He has
made certain things more clear to us than they would have been made by
the resurrection of the dead; He has instructed the whole world; He has
driven away error, and brought in the truth; He has, by the instrumentality
of fishermen and men of no reputation, procured all these benefits, and af-
forded to us on all sides sufficient proofs of His own providence. § Allen, trans.,
Four Discourses of Chrysostom, Chiefly on the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, 4th Sermon
3 (London: Longmans, Green, Reader and Dyer, 1869), p. 99. Cf. Catharine P. Roth, trans.,
St. John Chrysostom On Wealth and Poverty, 4th Sermon (Crestwood: St. Vladimir's Seminary
Press, 1984), pp. 86-87.

Jerome (347-420)

Whence the Scriptures are to be read by us with all earnestness; and we

should meditate in the law of the Lord day and night, that, as experienced
moneychangers, we may know which is good money, and which bad. Com-
mentariorum In Epistolam Ephesios. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 153.

Unde omni studio legendae nobis Scripturae sunt, et in lege Domini medi-
tandum die ac nocte: ut probati trapezitae, sciamus quis nummus probus sit,
quis adulter. Commentariorum In Epistolam Ephesios v. 4:31, PL 26:517.

‘In his record of the peoples the Lord shall tell’: in the sacred writings, in His
Scripture that is read to all peoples in order that all may know. Thus the
apostles have written; thus the Lord Himself has spoken, not merely for a few,
but that all might know and understand. Plato wrote books, but he did not
write for all people but only for a few, for there are not many more than two
or three men who know him. But the princes of the Church and the princes
of Christ did not write only for the few, but for everyone without exception.
‘And princes’: the apostles and evangelists. ‘Of those who have been born
in her.’ Note ‘who have been’ and not ‘who are.’ That is to make sure that,
with the exception of the apostles, whatever else is said afterwards should
be removed and not, later on, hold the force of authority. No matter how
holy anyone may be after the time of the apostles, no matter how eloquent,
he does not have authority, for ‘in his record of the peoples and princes the
Lord shall tell of those who have been born in her.’ FC, Vol. 48, The Homilies of
St. Jerome: Vol. 1, On the Psalms, Homily 18, pp. 142-143.
204 HOLY SCRIPTURE

through
What other life can there be without the knowledge of the Scriptures,
which we become acquainted with Christ himself, who is the life of those
who believe? Epistola XXX. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 264.
Quae enim alia potest esse vita sine scientia Scripturarum, per quas etiam
ipse Christus agnoscitur, qui est vita credentium? Epistola XXX.7, PL 22:443.

It is sufficient for me that I should speak so as to be understood, that, disput-

ing concerning the Scriptures, I should imitate the plainness of the Scriptures.
Epistola XXXVI. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 264.
Mihi sufficit sic loqui, ut intelligar, ut de Scripturis disputans, Scripturarum
imiter simplicitatem. Epistola XXXVI.14, PL 22:459.

Here we are taught, that the lay—people ought to have the word of God, not
only sufficiently, but also with abundance, and to teach and counsel others.
In Epistolam Ad Colossenses. John Jewel, Works, The Second Portion, the Reply to Hardings Answer
(Cambridge: The Parker Society, 1848), p. 685.
Hic ostenditur verbum Christi non sufficienter, sed abundanter etiam laicos
habere debere: et docere se invicem, vel monere. Jn Epistolam Ad Colossenses, Caput
Il, PL 30:859.

But he, careless, fearless, and armed from head to foot with the apostle’s armor,
now listens to God by reading the Scriptures, now speaks to God as he prays
to the Lord. NPNF2: Vol. VI, The Letters of St. Jerome, Letter 3— To Rufinus the monk 4,

From all these passages it is clear that the apostles and evangelists in trans-
lating the old testament scriptures have sought to give the meaning rather
than the words, and that they have not greatly cared to preserve forms or
constructions, so long as they could make clear the subject to the understand-
ing. NPNF2: Vol. VI, The Letters ofSt. Jerome, Letter 57 — To Pammachius 9.

Why am I making such a point of this? Because there are some who insist on
saying, I have no need for Sacred Scripture; the fear of God is enough for me.
That is, therefore, precisely why we affirm that just as there are foods for the
body, so there are, likewise, foods for the soul, namely, the Sacred Scripture.
FC, Vol. 48, The Homilies of St. Jerome: Vol. 1, On the Psalms, Homily 42, pp. 319-320.

Let her treasures be not silks or gems but manuscripts of the holy scriptures;
and in these let her think less of gilding, and Babylonian parchment, and ara-
besque patterns, than of correctness and accurate punctuation. Let her begin
by learning the psalter, and then let her gather rules of life out of the proverbs
of Solomon. From the Preacher let her gain the habit of despising the world
and its vanities. Let her follow the example set in Job of virtue and of patience.
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 205

Then let her pass on to the gospels never to be laid aside when once they
have been taken in hand. Let her also drink in with a willing heart the Acts
of the Apostles and the Epistles. As soon as she has enriched the storehouse
of her mind with these treasures, let her commit to memory the prophets, the
heptateuch, the books of Kings and of Chronicles, the rolls also of Ezra and
Esther. When she has done all these she may safely read the Song of Songs but
not before: for, were she to read it at the beginning, she would fail to perceive
that, though it is written in fleshly words, it is a marriage song ofa spiritual
bridal. And not understanding this she would suffer hurt from it. Let her avoid
all apocryphal writings, and if she is led to read such not by the truth of the
doctrines which they contain but out of respect for the miracles contained in
them; let her understand that they are not really written by those to whom
they are ascribed, that many faulty elements have been introduced into them,
and that it requires infinite discretion to look for gold in the midst of dirt.
NPNF2: Vol. VI, The Letters of St. Jerome, Letter 107 — To Laeta 12.

‘His foundations are in the holy mountains.’ (Psalm 87:1) Whom can we call
the foundations? The apostles. The foundations were on them; there the
faith of the Church was first placed, and there the foundations were placed.
And everyone building on this foundation, either gold, or silver, or precious
stones, loves the gates of Zion more than all the tabernacles of Jacob. Breviarium
in Psalmos, Psalmus LXXXVI. See John Harrison, Whose Are the Fathers? (London: Longmans,
Green and Co., 1867), p.481.
Fundamenta ejus in montibus sanctis. Quos nos possumus dicere fundamenta?
Apostolos. In illis erant fundamenta: ibi primum posita est fides Ecclesiae, et
ibi fundamenta sunt posita. Et quia unusquisque superaedificat fundamento:
alius aurum, alius argentum, alius lapides pretiosos: diligit Dominus portas
Sion super omnia tabernacula Jacob. Istas portas diligit, quas videmus corruisse.
Istas portas diligit, et istam Sion diligit, quae arata est sicut ager. Et videte quid
dicat: Diligit Dominus portas Sion, super omnia tabernacula Jacob. Breviarium in
Psalmos, Psalmus LXXXVI, PL 26:1080.

‘The Lord shall tell in the writings of peoples and of the princes, of them that
have been in her.’ (verse 6) He did not say those who are in her, but those who
have been in her. ‘The Lord shall tell;’ and how shall he tell? Not in word, but
in writing. In whose writing? That of the peoples? That of the peoples is not
sufficient. But he also says in that of the princes; and of what princes? They
who are in her? he did not say this, but who have been in her. See, therefore,
how full the Holy Scriptures are of sacraments (sacramentis, symbols). We read
of the Apostle Paul, we read of Peter, and we read of him [Paul] saying, ‘Do
you seek a proof of Christ that speaketh in me?’ (2 Cor. 13:3) And what Paul
speaks, Christ speaks; for ‘He who receiveth you receiveth me.’ (Matt. 10:40)
206 HOLY SCRIPTURE
Therefore our Lord and Savior telleth us, and speaketh in the writings of His
princes. The Lord will tell in the writings of the peoples, in the Holy Writ-
ings. Which writing is read by all the people, that is, that all may understand.
He saith what this is. As the apostles have written so also the Lord Himself;
that is, He hath spoken by His evangelists, and that not a few, but that all
may understand. Plato wrote writings, but he wrote not for the peoples, but
for the few. For scarcely three men understand him. These indeed, that is, the
princes of the Church and princes of Christ, have not written for a few, but for
the whole people. And of the princes, that is, of the apostles, and evangelists of
those who Aave been in her. See ye what he says. Who have been, not who are;
that, the apostles excepted, whatever else is said afterwards is cut off, hath no
authority afterwards. Although, therefore, anyone after the apostles, although
he may be eloquent, he hath no authority, because “The Lord shall tell in the
writing of peoples, and of these princes that have been in her.’ See John Harrison,
Whose Are the Fathers? (London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1867), pp.481—482. See also FC,
Vol. 48, The Homilies of St. Jerome: Vol. 1, On the Psalms, Homily 18, pp. 142-143.
Dominus narrabit in scriptura populorum, et principum horum qui fuerunt in
ea. Non dixit, qui sunt in ea, sed gui fuerunt in ea. Dominus narrabit: et quo
modo narrabit? Non verbo, sed scriptura. In cujus scriptura? In populorum.
Non sufficit in populorum, sed etiam principum dicit. Et quorum principum?
Qui sunt in ea. Non dixit hoc, sed qui fuerunt in ea. Videte ergo quomodo
Scriptura sancta sacramentis plena est. Legimus apostolum Paulum: legimus
Petrum, et legimus illum dicentem: An experimentum ejus quaeritis, qui in
me loquitur Christus? Et quod Paulus loquitur, loquitur Christus. Qui enim
vos recipit, me recipit. Dominus ergo noster atque Salvator, narrat nobis et
loquitur, in scripturis principum suorum. Dominus narrabit in Scripturis popu-
lorum: in Scripturis sanctis. Quae Scriptura populis omnibus legitur, hoc est,
ut omnes intelligant. Quod dicit, hoc est: Sicut scripserunt apostoli, sic et ipse
Dominus, hoc est, per Evangelia sua locutus est, non ut pauci intelligerent, sed
ut omnes. Plato scripsit in scriptura, sed non scripsit populis, sed paucis. Vix
enim intelligunt tres homines. Isti vero, hoc est, principes Ecclesiae et principes
Christi, non scripserunt paucis, sed universo populo. Et principum, hoc est,
apostolorum, et evangelistarum, horum qui fuerunt in ea. Videte quid dicat:
Qui fuerunt, non qui sunt: ut, exceptis apostolis, quodcumque aliud postea
dicetur, abscindatur, non habeat postea auctoritatem. Quamvis ergo sanctus sit
aliquis post apostolos: quamvis disertus sit, non habet auctoritatem. Quoniam
Dominus narrat in scriptura populorum, et principum horum qui fuerunt in
€a. Breviarium in Psalmos, Psalmus LXXXVI, PL 26:1083-1084.

Scripture speaks in terms of our human frailty that we may the more easily
understand. See also FC, Vol. 57, The Homilies of St. Jerome: Vol. 2, Homily 65, p. 57.
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 207

‘In his record of the peoples and princes the Lord shall tell of these who have
been born in her.’ Now the psalm did not say, those who are born in her,
but who have been born in her. ‘The Lord shall tell.” How shall he tell? Not
by word of mouth, but in His writings. In His writings of whom? Of the
peoples. That is not enough, for it also speaks of the princes. And which
princes? Those who are born in her? No, it did not say that; but, those who
have been born in her. Just see how full of mystical meaning Sacred Scripture
is! We have read the Apostle Paul; we have read Peter; and we have read Paul’s
words: “Do you seek a proof of theChrist who speaks in me?’ What Paul speaks,
Christ speaks, for: ‘He who receives you, receives me.’ Our Lord and Savior,
therefore, speaks to us in the writings of His Princes.
‘In his record of the peoples the Lord shall tell’: in the sacred writings, in
His Scripture that is read to all peoples in order that all may know. Thus the
apostles have written; thus the Lord Himself has spoken, not merely for a few,
but that all might know and understand. Plato wrote books, but he did not
write for all people but only for a few, for there are not many more than two
or three men who know him. But the princes of the Church and the princes
of Christ did not write only for the few, but for everyone without exception.
‘And princes’: the apostles and evangelists. “Of those who have been born
in her.’ Note ‘who have been’ and not ‘who are.’ That is to make sure that,
with the exception of the apostles, whatever else is said afterwards should
be removed and not, later on, hold the force of authority. No matter how
holy anyone may be after the time of the apostles, no matter how eloquent,
he does not have authority, for ‘in his record of the peoples and princes the
Lord shall tell of those who have been born in her.’ FC, Vol. 48, The Homilies of St.
Jerome: Vol. 1, On the Psalms, Homily 18 (Washington D.C.: Catholic University of America,
1964), pp. 142-143.

Augustine (354—430)

For those holy men, the record of whose sufferings and confessions I have
quoted from the Holy Scriptures, being held in captivity by enemies who
had carried them away, uttered those words, which, preserved in writing, we
can read for ourselves, in order to make us understand that servants of God,
even when they are in captivity, are not forsaken by their Lord. WPNF1: Vol.
I, Letters ofSt. Augustine, Letter 111.7.

I begin, therefore, by requesting you to lay aside the opinion which you have
too easily formed concerning me, and dismiss those sentiments, though they
are gratifying evidences of your goodwill, and believe my testimony rather
208 HOLY SCRIPTURE
than any other’s regarding myself, if you reciprocate my affection. For such
is the depth of the Christian Scriptures, that even if I were attempting to
study them and nothing else from early boyhood to decrepit old age, with
the utmost leisure, the most unwearied zeal, and talents greater than I have,
I would be still daily making progress in discovering their treasures; not
that there is so great difficulty in coming through them to know the things
necessary to salvation, but when any one has accepted these truths with the
faith that is indispensable as the foundation of a life of piety and uprightness,
so many things which are veiled under manifold shadows of mystery remain
to be inquired into by those who are advancing in the study, and so great is the
depth of wisdom not only in the words in which these have been expressed,
but also in the things themselves, that the experience of the oldest, the ablest,
and the most zealous students of Scripture illustrates what Scripture itself has
said: ‘When a man hath done, then he beginneth.’ NPNFI: Vol. I, Letters of St.
Augustine, Letter 137, Chapter 1.3.

Consider, moreover, the style in which Sacred Scripture is composed,—how

accessible it is to all men, though its deeper mysteries are penetrable to very
few. The plain truths which it contains it declares in the artless language of
familiar friendship to the hearts both of the unlearned and of the learned;
but even the truths which it veils in symbols it does not set forth in stiff and
stately sentences, which a mind somewhat sluggish and uneducated might
shrink from approaching, as a poor man shrinks from the presence of the
rich; but, by the condescension of its style, it invites all not only to be fed
with the truth which is plain, but also to be exercised by the truth which is
concealed, having both in its simple and in its obscure portions the same
truth, Lest what is easily understood should beget satiety in the reader, the
same truth being in another place more obscurely expressed becomes again
desired, and, being desired, is somehow invested with a new attractiveness, and
thus is received with pleasure into the heart. By these means wayward minds
are corrected, weak minds are nourished, and strong minds are filled with
pleasure, in such a way as is profitable to all. This doctrine has no enemy but
the man who, being in error, is ignorant of its incomparable usefulness, or,
being spiritually diseased, is averse to its healing power. NPNFI: Vol. I, Letters
of St. Augustine, Letter 137, Chapter 5.18. See also FC, Vol. 20, Saint Augustine Letters, 137.
Addressed to Volusian, p. 34.

Commenting on the phrase ‘Slay them not, lest at any time they forget my law
in Psalm 58 and says: it seems to me appropriate to consider it a prophecy:
thus, that same race, even when defeated and overcome, would not yield to
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 209
the superstitions of the victorious people, but would remain firm in the Old
Law, thus preserving over the whole earth the testimony of the Scriptures
whence the Church was called into being. There is no clearer testimony to
prove to the nations this salutary fact that the Name of Christ attained its
pre-eminent authority as the hope of eternal salvation by no sudden and
unexpected contrivance of the spirit of human presumption, but was foretold
and written down long before. (414 AD) FC, Vol. 20, Saint Augustine — Letters, Letter
149 — To Paulinus, pp. 245-246.

The words of Scripture which are under consideration seem to me of them-

selves to make this sufficiently plain to those who carefully attend to them.
NPNFI: Vol. I, Letters of St. Augustine, Letter 164, Chapter 6.18.

If, however, we pass over and make no account of those sufferings which are
of brief continuance, and which, when endured, are not to be repeated, we
certainly cannot, in like manner, make no account of the fact that ‘by one
man death came, and by one man came also the resurrection of the dead; for
as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.’ For, according to
this apostolical, divine, and perspicuous declaration, it is sufficiently plain
that no one goes to death otherwise than through Adam, and that no one
goes to life eternal otherwise than through Christ. For this is the force of
all in the two parts of the sentence; as all men, by their first, that is, their
natural birth, belong to Adam, even so all men, whoever they be, who come
to Christ come to the second, that is, the spiritual birth. For this reason,
therefore, the word all is used in both clauses, because as all who die do not
die otherwise than in Adam, so all who shall be made alive shall not be made
alive otherwise than in Christ. Wherefore whosoever tells us that any man
can be made alive in the resurrection of the dead otherwise than in Christ,
he is to be detested as a pestilent enemy to the common faith. NPNF1: Vol. I,
Letters ofSt. Augustine, Letter 166, Chapter 7.21.

They who desire to understand the fitness of this interpretation may read
Jerome’s book on Daniel, which is written with a sufficiency of care and erudi-
tion. But he who reads this passage, even half asleep, cannot fail to see that
the kingdom of Antichrist shall fiercely, though for a short time, assail the
Church before the last judgment of God shall introduce the eternal reign
of the saints. For it is patent from the context that the time, times, and half
a time, means a year, and two years, and half a year, that is to say, three years
and a half. NPNFI: Vol. Il, The City ofGod, Book XX, Chapter 23.
210 HOLY SCRIPTURE

This I have said test any should blame us as over—bold in handling these matters,
or despair of himself that he should be able to understand, by God’s gift, what
the Son of God has deigned to speak to him Therefore what He has deigned
to speak to us, we ought to believe that He meant us to understand. But if
we do not understand He, being asked, gives understanding, who gave His
Word unasked. NPNF1: Vol. VII, Tiactates on John, Tractate XXI11.1.

John XI. 55-57; XII. Yesterday’s lesson in the holy Gospel, on which we spake
as the Lord enabled us, is followed by to—day’s, on which we purpose to speak
in the same spirit of dependence. Some passages in the Scriptures are so clear
as to require a hearer rather than an expounder: over such we need not tarry,
that we may have sufficient time for those which necessarily demand a fuller
consideration. NPNFI:; Vol. VII, Tractates on John, Tractate L.

‘And ye have no need that any man teach you, because His unction teacheth
you concerning all things.’ Then to what purpose is it that ‘we,’ my brethren,
teach you? If ‘His unction teacheth you concerning all things,’ it seems we
labor without a cause. And what mean we, to cry out as we do? Let us leave
you to His unction, and let His unction teach you. But this is putting the ques-
tion only to myself: I put it also to that same apostle: let him deign to hear a
babe that asks of him: to John himself I say, Had those the unction to whom
thou wast speaking? Thou hast said, ‘His unction teacheth you concerning all
things.’ To what purpose hast thou written an Epistle like this? what teach-
ing didst thou give them? what instruction? what edification? See here now,
brethren, see a mighty mystery. The sound of our words strikes the ears, the
Master is within. Do not suppose that any man learns ought from man. We
can admonish by the sound of our voice; if there be not One within that shall
teach, vain is the noise we make. Aye, brethren, have yea mind to know it?
Have ye not all heard this present discourse? and yet how many will go from
this place untaught! I, for my part, have spoken to all; but they to whom that
Unction within speaketh not, they whom the Holy Ghost within teacheth not,
those go back untaught. The teachings of the master from without are a sort of
aids and admonitions. He that teacheth the hearts, hath His chair in heaven.
Therefore saith He also Himself in the Gospel: ‘Call no man your master
upon earth; One is your Master, even Christ.’ Let Him therefore Himself
speak to you within, when not one of mankind is there: for though there be
some one at thy side, there is none in thine heart. Yet let there not be none
in thine heart: let Christ be in thine heart: let His unction be in the heart,
lest it be a heart thirsting in the wilderness, and having no fountains to be
watered withal. There is then, I say, a Master within that teacheth: Christ
teacheth; His inspiration teacheth. Where His inspiration and His unc-
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 2N1
tion is not, in vain do words make a noise from without. So are the words,
brethren, which we speak from without, as is the husbandman to the tree:
from without he worketh, applieth water and diligence of culture; let him
from without apply what he will, does he form the apples? does he clothe the
nakedness of the wood with a shady covering of leaves? does he do any thing
like this from within? But whose doing is this? Hear the husbandman, the
apostle: both see what we are, and hear the Master within: ‘I have planted,
Apollos haft watered; but God gave the increase: neither he that planteth is
any thing, neither he that watereth, but He that giveth the increase, even
God.’ This then we say to you: whether we plant, or whether we water, by
speaking we are not any thing; but He that giveth the increase, even God:
that is, “His unction which teacheth you concerning ail things.’ NPNF1: Vol.
VII, Ten Homilies on the First Epistle ofJohn, Homily 3, | John 2:18-27.13.

The anger of God is not a disturbing emotion of His mind, but a judgment
by which punishment is inflicted upon sin. His thought and reconsideration
also are the unchangeable reason which changes things; for He does not, like
man, repent of anything He has done, because in all matters His decision is
as inflexible as His prescience is certain. But if Scripture were not to use such
expressions as the above, it would not familiarly insinuate itself into the
minds of all classes of men, whom it seeks access to for their good, that it
may alarm the proud, arouse the careless, exercise the inquisitive, and sat-
isfy the intelligent; and this it could not do, did it not first stoop, and in a
manner descend, to them where they lie. But its denouncing death on all the
animals of earth and air is a declaration of the vastness of the disaster that was
approaching: not that it threatens destruction to the irrational animals as if
they too had incurred it by sin. NPNFI: Vol. II, The City ofGod, Book XV, Chapter 25.

The fact is, after all, that in the passages that are put plainly in scripture is
to be found everything that touches upon faith, and good morals, that is to
say hope, charity, which we dealt with in the previous book. WSA, Part 1, Vol.
11, De Doctrina Christiana, Book II, Chapter 9.14, p. 135.

And while every man may find there all that he has learnt of useful elsewhere,
he will find there in much greater abundance things that are to be found
nowhere else, but can be learnt only in the wonderful sublimit and wonderful
simplicity of the Scriptures. NPNFI: Vol. Ul, On Christian Doctrine, Book I, Chapter 42.

Nor is that any reason why they should be crowed over by that holy and
perfect man Antony, the Egyptian monk, who is said to have known the
212 HOLY SCRIPTURE

divine Scriptures by heart simply through hearing them, though he himself

didn’t know how to read, and to have understood their meaning through
intelligent reflection on them; or for that matter by that barbarian slave, a
Christian, about whom we have recently been informed by the most serious
and trustworthy men. WSA, Part 1, Vol. 11, De Doctrina Christiana, Prologue.4, p. 102.

In short, he knew among the perfect what he knew not among babes; for he
there says: ‘We speak wisdom among them that are perfect.’ For a man is said
not to know what he hides, after that kind of speech, after which a ditch is
called blind which is hidden. For the Scriptures do not use any other kind of
speech than may be found in use among men, because they speak to men.
NPNF1: Vol. I, On the Trinity, Book I, Chapter 12.

And he comes back again, and in all ways, over and over again, enforceth
what he hath the right to do, yet doeth not. ‘Do ye not know, saith he, ‘that
they which work in the temple, eat of the things which are in the temple?
they which serve the altar, have their share with the altar? So hath the Lord
ordained for them which preach the Gospel, to live of the Gospel. But I have
used none of these things. What more open than this? what more dear? I fear
lest haply, while I discourse wishing to expound this, that become obscure
which in itself is bright and clear. For they who understand not these words,
or feign not to understand, do much less understand mine, or profess to
understand: unless perchance they do therefore quickly understand ours,
because it is allowed them to deride them being understood; but concerning
the Apostle’s words this same is not allowed. For this reason, where they
cannot interpret them otherwise according to their own sentence, be it ever
so clear and manifest, they answer that it is obscure and uncertain because
wrong and perverse they dare not call it. NPNF1: Vol. III, Of che Works ofMonks 10.

As I said a little ago, when these men are beset by clear testimonies of Scrip-
ture, and cannot escape from their grasp, they declare that the Passage is
spurious. The declaration only shows their aversion to the truth, and their
obstinacy in error. NPNFI: Vol. IV, Reply to Faustus the Manichaean, Book X1.2.

What can our deluded adversaries say to such plain examples, which leave
no room for perverse denial, or even for skeptical uncertainty? I call on the
Manichaeans to begin to inquire into these subjects, and to admit the force
of these evidences, on which I have no time to dwell; nor do I wish to make
a selection, in case the ignorant reader should think there are no others, while
the Christian student might blame me for the omission of many points more
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 23
striking than those which occur to me at the moment. You will find many
passages which require no such explanation as has been given here of Jacob’s
prophecy. For instance, every reader can understand the words, ‘He was led
as a lamb to the slaughter,’ and the whole of that plain prophecy, ‘With His
stripes we are healed’ — ‘He bore our sins.’ We have a poetical gospel in
the words: “They pierced my hands and feet. They have told all my bones.
They look and stare upon me. They divided my garments among them, and
cast lots on my vesture.’ The blind even may now see the fulfillment of the
words: ‘All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto the Lord,
and all kingdoms of the nations shall worship before Him.’ NPNFI: Vol. IV,
Reply to Faustus the Manichaean, Book XII.43.

And if eternal life had not been clearly made known in the Old Testament,
the Lord would not have said, as He did even to the unbelieving Jews: ‘Search
the Scriptures, for in them ye think that ye have eternal life, and they are
they that testify of me.’... These and many similar declarations of eternal
life, in more or less explicit terms, are found in these writings. NPNF1: Vol.
IV, Reply to Faustus the Manichaean, Book XIX.31.

From these statements of the inspired word, and from similar passages which
it would take too long to quote in full, it is, I think, sufficiently clear that
God works in the hearts of men to incline their wills whithersoever He wills,
whether to good deeds according to His mercy, or to evil after their own
deserts; His own judgment being sometimes manifest, sometimes secret,
but always righteous. NPNF1: Vol. V, Augustin’s Anti—Pelagian Works, A Treatise on Grace
and Free Will, Chapter 43.

The lesson of the Gospel hath set before me a subject whereof to speak to you,
beloved, as though by the Lord’s command, and by His command in very deed.
For my heart hath waited for an order as it were from Him to speak, that I
might understand thereby that it is His wish that I should speak on that which
He hath also willed should be read to you. Let your zeal and devotion then
give ear, and before the Lord our God Himself aid ye my labor. For we behold
and see as it were in a divine spectacle exhibited to us, the notice of our God
in Trinity, Conveyed to us at the river Jordan. For when Jesus came and was
baptized by John, the Lord by His servant (and this He did for an example of
humility; for He showeth that in this same humility is righteousness fulfilled,
when as John said to Him, ‘I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest
Thou to me?’ He answered, ‘Suffer it to be so now, that all righteousness may
be fulfilled’), when He was baptized then, the heavens were opened, and the
Holy Spirit came down upon Him in the form of a Dove: and then a Voice
214 HOLY SCRIPTURE

from on high followed, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’

Here then we have the Trinity in a certain sort distinguished. The Father
in the Voice, the Son in the Man, the Holy Spirit in the Dove. It was only
needful just to mention this, for most obvious is it to see. For the notice of
the Trinity is here conveyed to us plainly and without leaving room for doubt
or hesitation. NPNFI: Vol. VI, Sermons on Selected Lessons ofthe New Testament, Sermon 2.1.

For in the full abundance of the Holy Scriptures we feed upon the plain
parts, we are exercised by the obscure: by the one, hunger is driven away,
and daintiness by the other. NPNFI: Vol. VI, Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New
Testament, Sermon 21.11.

When these words of the Gospel are understood, and they are certainly clear,
all the mysteries which are latent in this miracle of the Lord will be laid open.
NPNF1: Vol. VI, Tractates on John, Tractate 1X.5.

We are here in perplexity, and being perplexed let us exert ourselves, that by
exertion we may be purified. Let us endeavor as best we may, by His own gift,
to penetrate the deep secrets of these words. It may be that we are acting rashly,
in that we wish to discuss and to scrutinize the words of God. Yet why were
they spoken, but to be known? Why did they sound forth, but to be heard?
Why were they heard, but to be understood? Let Him greatly strengthen us,
then, and bestow somewhat on us so far as He may deem worthy; and if we
do not yet penetrate to the fountain, let us drink of the brook. Behold, John
himself has flowed forth to us like a brook, conveyed to us the word from on
high. He brought it low, and in a manner leveled it, that we may not dread
the lofty One, but may draw nigh to Him that is low. NPNFI: Vol. VII, Tractates
on John, Tractate \X.5.

All things that are read from the Holy Scriptures in order to our instruction
and salvation, it behooves us to hear with earnest heed... That which shall
make us strong against insidious errors, God has been pleased to put in the
Scriptures, against which no man dares to speak, who in any sort wishes to
seem a Christian), when He had given Himself to be handled by them, that
did not suffice Him, but He would also confirm by means of the Scriptures
the heart of them that believe: for He looked forward to us who should be
afterwards; seeing that in Him we have nothing that we can handle, but
have that which we may read. For if those believed only because they held
and handled, what shall we do? Now, Christ is ascended into heaven; He is not
to come save at the end, to judge the quick and the dead. Whereby shall we
believe, but by that whereby it was His will that even those who handled Him
 The Self-Interpreting Nature of Scripture 215
should be confirmed? For He opened to them the Scriptures and showed them
that it behooved Christ to suffer, and that all things should be fulfilled which
were written of Him in the Law of Moses, and the Prophets, and the Psalms.
He embraced in His discourse the whole ancient text of the Scriptures. All that
there is of those former Scriptures tells of Christ; but only if it find ears. He
also ‘opened their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures.’
Whence we also must pray for this, that He would open our understand-
ing. NPNF1:; Vol. VII, Ten Homilies on the First Epistle ofJohn, Homily 2, 1 John 2:12-17.1.

Therefore hath God lowered the Scriptures even to the capacity of babes
and sucklings, as it is sung in another Psalm, ‘And He lowered the heaven,
and came down: and this did He because of the enemies, who through pride
of talkativeness, being enemies of the cross of Christ, even when they do
speak some truth, still cannot profit babes and sucklings. So is the enemy and
defender destroyed, who, whether he seem to defend wisdom, or even the
name of Christ, still, from the step of this faith, assaults that truth, which he
so readily makes promise of. Whereby too he is convicted of not possessing
it; since by assaulting the step thereof, namely faith, he knows not how one
should mount up thereto. Hence then is the rash and blind promiser oftruth,
who is the enemy and defender, destroyed, when the heavens, the works of
God’s fingers, are seen, that is, when the Scriptures, brought down even to the
slowness of babes, are understood; and by means of the lowness of the faith
of the history, which was transacted in time, they raise them, well nurtured
and strengthened, unto the grand height of the understanding of things
eternal, up to those things which they establish. For these heavens, that is,
these books, are the works of God’s fingers; for by the operation of the Holy
Ghost in the Saints they were completed. For they that have regarded their
own glory rather than man’s salvation, have spoken without the Holy Ghost,
in whom are the bowel: of the mercy of God. NPNF1: Vol. VIII, St. Augustin on the
Psalms, Psalm 8:2.8.

So ‘He gave them unto compassions, in the sight of all that had taken them
captive’ (ver. 46). That they might not be vessels of wrath, but vessels of mercy.
The compassions unto which He gave them are named in the plural for this
reason, I imagine, because each one hath a gift of his own from God, one in
one way, another in another. Come then, whosoever readest this, and dost
recognize the grace of God, by which we are redeemed unto eternal life
through our Lord Jesus Christ, by reading in the apostolical writings, and
by searching in the Prophets, and seest the Old Testament revealed in the
New, the New veiled in the Old; remember the words of our Lord Jesus Christ,
216 HOLY SCRIPTURE
where, when He driveth him out of the hearts of the faithful, He saith, ‘Now
is the prince of this world cast out:’ and again of the Apostle, when he saith,
‘Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us
into the kingdom of His dear Son.’ Meditate on these and such like things,
examine also the Old Testament, and see what is sung in that Psalm, the title
of which is, When the temple was being built after the captivity: for there it
is said, ‘Sing unto the Lord a new song.’ And, that thou mayest not think it
doth refer to the Jewish people only, he saith, ‘Sing unto the Lord, all the whole
earth: sing unto the Lord, and praise His Name: declare,’ or rather, ‘give the
good news of,’ or, to transfer the very word used in the Greek, ‘evangelize day
from day, His salvation.’ Here the Gospel (Evangelium) is mentioned, in which
is announced the Day that came from Day, our Lord Christ, the Light from
Light, the Son from the Father. This also is the meaning of His salvation: for
Christ is the Salvation of God, as we have shown above.... NPNFI: Vol. VIII, St.
Augustin on the Psalms, Psalm 106.32.

From whom have you heard this? Where have you learned it? Where did you
read it? Would you not do better to turn your mind to the Books of God? WS4,
Arianism and Other Heresies, Answer to Maximinus the Arian, Book I:IH, Part 1, Vol. 18, p. 248.

When the apostle said, Do you not know that your body is the temple in your
midst of the Holy Spirit whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For
you have been purchased atagreat price, he immediately goes on to say, Glorify
God, then, in your body (1 Cor 6:19-20). There he showed with utter clarity
that the Holy Spirit is God and that he should be glorified in our body as
if in his temple. The apostle Peter said to Ananias, Have you dared to lie to
the Holy Spirit? And to show that the Holy Spirit is God, he said, You have
not lied to men, but to God (Acts 5:3—4). WSA, Arianism and Other Heresies, Answer to
Maximinus the Arian, Book II:XX1.1, Part 1, Vol. 18, p. 304.

The Lord refers to these in a parable, though his meaning is perfectly clear,
when he says, (Then Augustine quotes Mt 21:33-43 & Ps 118:22—23 and asks)
What could be plainer, clearer, more evident than this? WSA, Arianism and Other
Heresies, Answer to an Enemy of the Law and the Prophets, Book 11.16, Part 1, Vol. 18, p. 421.

For after I said that human beings contract original sin at birth, I immedi-
ately added the words of the apostle, Through one man sin entered the world,
and through sin death, and in that way it was passed on to all human beings, in
whom all have sinned (Rom 5:12). Having omitted, as I said, that testimony,
he linked together the rest of the passage cited above. He knew, after all, how
the hearts of Catholic believers usually interpret these words of the apostle
which he omitted. By their dark and twisted interpretations the new heretics
 The Self-Interpreting Nature of Scripture 217
undertake to obscure and distort the meaning of these words which are so
straightforward and so full of light. WSA, Answer to the Pelagians, I, Book 11:3, Part
1, Vol. 24, p. 55.

You exaggerate ‘how difficult the knowledge of the sacred scriptures is,’
claiming that ‘it is suited for only the learned few...’ WSA, Answer to the Pelagians,
Il, Answer to Julian, Book V:2, Part 1, Vol. 24, p. 432.

But where the matter is obvious, we ought not to add our interpretation
to the meaning of the divine Scripture, for this is not done out of human
ignorance, but out of perverse pride. WSA, Answer to the Pelagians, Il, Answer to Julian,
Book V:7, Part 1, Vol. 24, p. 436.

Quotes Rom 1:26—27 and asks: What could be clearer than this? What could
be more obvious? What could be more explicit? He says that they received
just recompense; they were condemned with the result that they committed
such serious evils, and yet this condemnation is also guilt by which they are
more seriously ensnared. And so they are both sins and the penalties of pre-
vious sins. It is even more surprising that he says that it was necessary that
they receive this just recompense. Such are the previous words of the apostle:
They exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of the image of
a corruptible human being and birds and animals and reptiles. For this reason
God handed them over to the desires of their heart, to impurity (Rom 1:23—24)
and the rest that follows. Here too you see without any ambiguity the reason
pointed out why they were handed over. He clearly stated the evil they com-
mitted and added, For this reason God handed them over to the desires of their
heart (Rom 1:24). Hence, this is the punishment of the previous sin, and it
is, nonetheless, itself sin, as he explains in the words that follow. WSA, Answer
to the Pelagians, Ul, Answer to Julian, Book V:10, Part 1, Vol. 24, p. 439.

My powers, brothers, are pretty puny, but infinitely great are those of God’s
words. Give it free reign in your hearts. Then what I say rather feebly you
can hear strongly, if you carry it out. The Lord has thundered at us through
the prophet Isaiah as from his storm cloud. If you have any sense you were
terrified. He spoke plainly enough after all, and the passage doesn't require
explanation, but action. What use to me, the multitude ofyour sacrifices? For
who ever required these things from your hands? (Is 1:11—12). WSA, Sermons, Part
3, Vol. 2, Sermon 42.1, p. 234.

Julian: Nothing, then, can be accomplished by the law of God against God,
the author of the law. By that single shortcut there is, of course, excluded
whatever those in error were accustomed to raise as objections. But to teach
218 HOLY SCRIPTURE
how rich is the truth which we believe, we are accustomed to bring the light of
explanation also to those passages of scripture which veil the understanding of
their sense by the complexity of their expressions. In that way, once unlocked,
they possess the dignity of their origin and are not separated from the sacred
family tree as illegitimate or degenerate.
Augustine: You in fact try to obscure the lights of the holy scriptures which
shine with certain truth by the complexity of your evil arguments. After all,
what is clearer than what I just said: Human beings have become like vanity;
their days pass like a shadow (Ps 144:4)? That surely would not have happened,
if they had remained in the likeness of God in which they were created. What
is clearer than the statement: As in Adam all die, so too in Christ all will be
brought to life (1 Cor 15:22)? What is clearer than the words: Who, after all, is
clean from filth? Not even an infant whose life has lasted a single day on earth (Jb
14:4—5 LXX)? And there are many other passages which you try to wrap in
darkness and twist to your perverse meaning by your empty chatter. WSA,
Answer to the Pelagians 1, Unfinished Work in Answer to Julian, Book 1:5, Part 1, Vol. 25, p. 58.

Julian: Did not Adimantus and Faustus—the Faustus whom you call your
teacher in the books of your Confession—do the same thing in the tradition
of the founder of their heresy? They picked up and gnawed on any somewhat
obscure ideas either from the gospel or from the letters of the apostles in order
to defend their irreligious teaching by the authority of those names. Yet why
do I speak only about the Manichees? All heresies use words and statements
from the scriptures to defend their innovations by which they have wandered
off from piety and the faith.
Augustine: They turn obscure ideas into their teaching; you try to obscure
clear ones with your teaching. What, after all, is clearer than the statement
of the apostle that sin entered this world through one man, and through sin
death, and in that way it was passed on to all human beings? WSA, Answer to
the Pelagians III, Unfinished Work in Answer to Julian, Book 1:25, Part 1, Vol. 25, p. 66.

Why are you trying to wrap yourself in your obscure statements in opposi-
tion to the clear statements of the apostle? In speaking of God, he says, He
rescued us from the power ofdarkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his
beloved Son (Col 1:13), and you say that he said this, but excluded the little
ones. WSA, Answer to the Pelagians III, Unfinished Work in Answer to Julian, Book 1:64, Part
1, Vol. 25, p. 90.

On this account he cries out, Wretched man that |am, who will set me free from
the body of this death? (Rom 7:24). And you close your eyes to the perfectly
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 219

clear truth and you explain his groan, not as it is evident to all, but as it
pleases you, when you say that Who will set me free from the body ofthis death?
(Rom 7:24) means: ‘Who will set me free from the guilt of my own sins which
I committed?’ He said, I do the evil that I do not will (Rom 7:19), and you
Say: ‘the sins which I committed.’ WSA, Answer to the Pelagians Ill, Unfinished Work in
Answer to Julian, Book 1:65, Part 1, Vol. 25, p. 95.

Julian: He showed the servitude about which he was speaking. He said, Ev-
eryone who commits sin is the slave of sin (Jn 8:34). But see how strong a point
this is against your error, for he says that only one who committed sin is the
slave of sin, and sin cannot attach itself by action or by the will alone... This
whole kind of exhortation would have been inappropriately spoken, if it did
not address human beings with free choice.
Augustine: (1) It clearly addresses those who commit sin because they are
slaves of sin so that, when they have received the freedom which he promises,
they may cease to commit sin. For sin reigned in their mortal body so that
they obeyed its desires and offered their members to sin as weapons of iniquity.
Against this evil because of which they were committing sin, they were in need
of the freedom which he promised. He said, Everyone, not who committed sin,
but who commits sin is the slave ofsin (Jn 8:34). Why do you try to obscure
these clear words with cloudy arguments? For they simply leap forth and
overwhelm your darkness by their brightness despite your opposition. He
says, Everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin (Jn 8:34). You hear: who com-
mits sin, and you do not want to explain it, but introduce in its place: who
committed sin. Let those hear, then, to whom he opens up the meaning so
that they understand the scriptures; let them hear: Everyone who commits sin
is the slave of sin (Jn 8:34). (2) And let them see to receive the freedom so that
they do not sin, crying out to him to whom is said, Guide my journeys accord-
ing to your word, and let no iniquity lord it over me (Ps 119:133). WSA, Answer
to the Pelagians U1, Unfinished Work in Answer to Julian, Book 1:88, Part 1, Vol. 25, p. 113.

The points which you try to obscure are clear. Remove the smoke; pay
attention to the light of the scriptures. Grace certainly comes to a human
being first so that one loves God and by that love does good works. John the
apostle showed this most clearly where he said, Let us love because he loved
us first (1 Jn 4:19). It is not, then, that we should be loved because we have
loved; rather, we love because we have been loved. WSA, Answer to the Pelagians III,
Unfinished Work in Answer to Julian, Book 1:131, Part 1, Vola2>ypaloo:

Then he says with perfect clarity that they will do good actions, but because
he causes them to do them. For among other things he says, And I will make
220 HOLY SCRIPTURE

you walk in my ordinances and observe and carry out my decrees (Ez 36:27). WSA,
25, p. 141.
Answer to the Pelagians II, Unfinished Work in Answer to Julian, Book 1:133, Part 1, Vol.

Commenting on Romans 9:20-21: Remove your clouds from the clarity of

these words. These words signify God’s hidden judgment, but the words
themselves are so clear that they do not permit your haze to cloud them over
or obscure them. WSA, Answer to the Pelagians Ill, Unfinished Work in Answer to Julian,
Book I:135, Part 1, Vol. 25, pp. 143-144.

Against this apostle, therefore, whose words are divine thunder, your reason
is not full of lightning, but of smoke. WSA, Answer to the Pelagians III, Unfinished
Work in Answer to Julian, Book 1:137, Part 1, Vol. 25, p. 144.

So that those who read intelligently may know how you tried to obscure the
clear words of the apostle and twist his straightforward words, I must reply
to this argument of yours on the basis of the same argument of the apostle.
Blessed Paul wanted to show that God is also able to do what he promised,
and in this we are especially shown the grace of which you are enemies. For it
is not in the power of human beings that God fulfills what he promised, but
in the power of God who made the promise. (Augustine then quotes Rom
9:6—-9). WSA, Answer to the Pelagians III, Unfinished Work in Answer to Julian, Book 1:141,
Part 1, Vol. 25, p. 148.

In vain do you try to twist straightforward words and make clear ones obscure.
All sinned in him in whom all died. That is Adam. And if the little ones do
not die in him, they will certainly not be brought to life in Christ. But because
just as in Adam all die, so all will also be brought to life in Christ (1 Cor 15:22).
Those, then, who want to twist these words will themselves be destroyed,
while the words endure. WSA, Answer to the Pelagians U1, Unfinished Work in Answer to
Julian, Book II:68, Part 1, Vol. 25, p. 193.

Commenting on Rom 5:19: You say this as if you were going to spend less time
on other points, though you seek with great wordiness how you may cover over
with clouds of nonsense the perfectly clear words of the apostle. WSA, Answer
to the Pelagians \I1, Unfinished Work in Answer to Julian, Book 11:143, Part 1, Vol. 25, pa225:

You are abandoned by truth, and you are not able to find anything to say
against the clear words of the apostle. WS4, Answer to the Pelagians III, Unfinished
Work in Answer to Julian, Book 11:150, Part 1, Vol. 25, p. 230.
‘For Adam existed, and all existed in him; Adam sinned, and all sinned in him,’
and on this account all die in him. Listen to the apostle speaking with perfect
clarity, not to yourself gossiping in a most convoluted manner. WSA, Answer
to the Pelagians IN, Unfinished Work in Answer to Julian, Book I:176, Part 1, Vol. 25, p. 243.
 The Self-Interpreting Nature of Scripture 221
By a perfectly clear statement which you try to obscure, he said, Through
one man sin entered the world, and through sin death, and in that way it passed
on to all human beings, in whom all have sinned (Rom 5:12). WSA, Answer to the
Pelagians Il, Unfinished Work in Answer to Julian, Book I1:177, Part 1, Vol. 25, p. 244.

It is rather you who strive to obscure the obvious. You not only do not un-
derstand what the apostle said, but you change it and bring in what he did
not say. WSA, Answer to the Pelagians Ill, Unfinished Work in Answer to Julian, Book II:208,
Part.15,Vol..25, p!23/,

The teacher of the nations clearly crys out against you: As in Adam all die,
so in Christ all will be brought to life (1 Cor 15:22)... WSA, Answer to the Pelagians
III, Unfinished Work in Answer to Julian, Book 11:209, Part 1, Vol. 25, p. 258.

The apostle, after all, stated this most clearly. For he does not say as you do:
‘Not as through one sin,’ as if he wanted us to understand the individual sin
of each person. Rather, he said, Not as through one sinner (Rom 5:16). Open
your eyes, and read, and do not try to substitute one word for another, as if
we were blind. WSA, Answer to the Pelagians Ul, Unfinished Work in Answer to Julian, Book
11;212,-Part 1, Vol. 25,.p. 259:
And yet, though God did this, you mix your verbosity with the clarity of
his words, because you know that you do not have a good case. WSA, Answer
to the Pelagians 1, Unfinished Work in Answer to Julian, Book UI:47, Part 1, Vol. 25, p. 309.

We, rather, admonish you to read the apostle and to see that these few words
of his with which we are concerned are so clearly against you that you have
tried in vain, not with a small book, but clearly with a very lengthy and
long—winded book, not to turn them, but twist them into your herectical
view, not to explain them, but to make them obscure. WSA, Answer to the Pelagians
IL, Unfinished Work in Answer to Julian, Book III:58, Part 1, Vol. 25, p. 316.

We produce certain, not ambiguous testimonies of God against you, just

as we have already produced many. But because they refute your darkness,
they do not seem bright to you, and you close your heart against whatever
troubles you by the brightness of its light so that the night of your error
is not dispelled from it. WSA, Answer to the Pelagians Ill, Unfinished Work in Answer to
Julian, Book III:60, Part 1, Vol. 25, p. 316.

What have you shown to those who read with understanding, but that you
tried to distort the words of the apostle with all your talk, but could not?
1,
WSA, Answer to the Pelagians Ill, Unfinished Work in Answer to Julian, Book UI:99, Part
Vol. 25, p. 331.
222 HOLY SCRIPTURE
Who, after all, except one who lacks such ears, fails to hear the scripture
speaking without any obscurity or ambiguity to the first human being: You
are earth, and you will return to the earth (Gen 3:19)? There it is clearly shown
that he would not also have died in the flesh; that is, he would not by the
death of his flesh returned to the earth from which his flesh had been taken,
if he had not merited to hear and suffer this on account of his sin. For this
reason the apostle said afterwards, The body is indeed dead on account of sin
(Rom 8:10). WSA, Answer to the Pelagians Ill, Unfinished Work in Answer to Julian, Book
VI:23, Part 1, Vol. 25, p. 663.

Faith, then, as well in its beginning as in its completion, is God’s gift; and let
no one have any doubt whatever, unless he desires to resist the plainest sacred
writings, that this gift is given to some, while to some it is not given. NPNFI:
Vol. V, The Predestination of the Saints, Chapter 16.

Now even Pelagius should frankly confess that this grace is plainly set forth
in the inspired Scriptures; nor should he with shameless effrontery hide the
fact that he has too long opposed it, but admit it with salutary regret; so that
the holy Church may cease to be harassed by his stubborn persistence, and
rather rejoice in his sincere conversion. NPNF1: Vol. V, On the Grace of Christ, Book
I, Chapter 27.

You may now see (what bears very closely on our subject) how he endeavors to
exhibit human nature, as if it were wholly without fault, and how he struggles
against the plainest of God’s Scriptures with that ‘wisdom of word’ which
renders the cross of Christ of none effect. That cross, however, shall certainly
never be made of none effect; rather shall such wisdom be subverted. Now, after
we shall have demonstrated this, it may be that God’s mercy may visit him, so
that he may be sorry that he ever said these things: ‘We have,’ he says, ‘first of
all to discuss the position which is maintained, that our nature has been weak-
ened and changed by sin. I think,’ continues he, ‘that before all other things
we have to inquire what sin is, — some substance, or wholly a name without
substance, whereby is expressed not a thing, not an existence, not some sort
ofabody, but the doing of a wrongful deed.’ He then adds: ‘I suppose that
this is the case; and if so,’ he asks, ‘how could that which lacks all substance
have possibly weakened or changed human nature?’ Observe, I beg of you,
how in his ignorance he struggles to overthrow the most salutary words of
the remedial Scriptures: ‘I said, O Lord, be merciful unto me; heal my soul,
for I have sinned against Thee.’ NPNFI: Vol. V, On Nature and Grace, Chapter 21.

I have not quoted these words as if we might rely upon the opinions of
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 223

every disputant as on canonical authority; but I have done it, that it may be
seen how, from the beginning down to the present age, which has given birth
to this novel opinion, the doctrine of original sin has been guarded with the
utmost constancy as a part of the Church’s faith, so that it is usually adduced
as most certain ground whereon to refute other opinions when false, instead
of being itself exposed to refutation by any one as false. Moreover, in the
sacred books of the canon, the authority of this doctrine is vigorously as-
serted in the clearest and fullest way. The apostle exclaims: ‘By one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin; and so it passed upon all men, in
which all have sinned; Now from these words it cannot certainly be said, that
Adams sin has injured even those who commit no sin, for the Scripture says,
‘In which all have sinned.’ Nor, indeed, are those sins of infancy so said to be
another's, as if they did not belong to the infants at all, inasmuch as all then
sinned in Adam, when in his nature, by virtue of that Innate power whereby
he was able to produce them, they were all as yet the one Adam; but they are
called another's, because as yet they were not living their own lives, but the life
of the one man contained whatsoever was in his future posterity. NPNFI: Vol.
V, On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants, Book II, Chapter 14.

Under so great a weight of testimony, who would not be oppressed that

should dare lift up his voice against the truth of God? And many other
testimonies might be found, were it not for my anxiety to bring this tract to
an end, — an anxiety which I must not slight. I have deemed it superfluous
to quote from the books of the Old Testament, likewise, many attestations
to our doctrine in inspired words, since what is concealed in them under
the veil of earthly promises is clearly revealed in the preaching of the New
Testament. Our Lord Himself briefly demonstrated and defined the use of
the Old Testament writings, when He said that it was necessary that what had
been written concerning Himself in the Law, and the Prophets, and the Psalms,
should be fulfilled, and that this was that Christ must suffer, and rise from
the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be
preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. In agreement
with this is that statement of Peter which I have already quoted, how that all
the prophets bear witness to Christ, that at His hands every one that believes
in Him receives remission of his sins. NPNFI: Vol. V, On the Merits and Forgiveness of
Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants, Book 1, Chapter 53.

It is entirely on this account, and for no other reason, that the apostle says:
‘By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so passed upon
all men; in which all have sinned.’ Now if I were to say this, they [i.e. the
Pelagians] would raise an objection, and loudly insist that I was incorrect
both in expression and sense; for they would perceive no sense in these words
224 HOLY SCRIPTURE

when spoken by an ordinary man, except that sense which they refuse to see
in the apostle. Since, however, these are the words of him to whose authority
and doctrine they submit, they charge us with slowness of understanding,
while they endeavor to wrest to some unintelligible sense words which were
written in a clear and obvious purport. ‘By one man,’ says he, ‘sin entered
into the world, and death by sin.’ This indicates propagation, not imitation;
for if imitation were meant, he would have said, ‘By the devil.’ But as no one
doubts, he refers to that first man who is called Adam: ‘And so,’ says he, ‘it
passed upon all men.’ NPNFI: Vol. V, On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the
Infants, Book I, Chapter 10.
Baptism of

It is not by some human conjecture that we come to suspect that this is true;
rather, we discover it is true by the perfectly clear authority of the divine
scriptures. WSA, Answer to the Two Letters of the Pelagians in Four Books, II, Book 1:38, Part
1, Vol. 24, p. 136.

But if they do not choose to understand, it is sufficient for us that we adhere

to that Church which is demonstrated by such extremely clear testimonies
of the Holy and Canonical Scriptures. De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput XIX .Translation
by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 166.
Quod si nolunt intelligere, sufficit nobis quod eam tenemus Ecclesiam,
quae manifestissimis sanctarum et canonicarum Scripturarum testimoniis
demonstratur. De Unitate Ecclesiae, Caput XIX.50-51, PL 43:437.

Hold fast to the open texts and accept them wholeheartedly, and you will
deserve to have the obscure ones unfolded to you. How can you penetrate
obscure passages if you shrug aside the plain ones? WSA, Part 3, Vol. 2, Sermons,
Sermon 46.35, p. 286.

John Cassian (360—430s?)

‘The authority of Holy Scripture has said some things so lucidly and clearly
for our instruction, even to those of limited intelligence, that not only are
they not veiled in the obscurity of a hidden meaning but they do not even
need to be explained, and they offer intelligibility and meaning at first
glance.’ ACW, Vol. 57, John Cassian: The Conferences, Eighth Conference, Chapter 3.1, on Ee

Theodoret of Cyrrhus (393-466)

Although you have not yet met me, I think that your excellency is aware of
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 225

the open calumnies that have been published against me, for you have often
heard me preaching in church, when I have proclaimed the Lord Jesus, and
have pointed out the properties alike of the Godhead and of the manhood;
for we do not divide one Son into two, but, worshipping the Only—begotten,
point out the distinction between flesh and Godhead. This, indeed, is I think
confessed even by the Arians, who do not call the flesh Godhead, nor address
the Godhead as flesh. Holy Scripture clearly teaches us both natures. Never-
theless, though I have ever thus spoken, certain men are uttering lying words
against me. But I rely on my conscience and have as witness to my teaching
Him who looks into the hearts. So, as the prophet says, I regard the contriv-
ances of calumny as ‘a spider's web.’ I await the great judgment which needs
no words, but makes manifest what in the meanwhile is unknown. NPNF2: Vol.
III, Letters ofthe Blessed Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrus, Letter 99 — To Claudianus the Antigrapharius.

But it is perhaps superfluous to demonstrate these points by reasoning,

when the divine Scripture clearly proclaims them. This doctrine is distinctly
taught by the holy David and the very divine Peter, the one foretelling from
distant ages, and the other interpreting his prediction. The words of the first
of the apostles are ‘David therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God
had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the
flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; he seeing this before spake
of the resurrection of Christ that His soul was not left in hell neither His flesh
did see corruption.’ NPNF2: Vol. III, Letters ofthe Blessed Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrus, Letter
145 — To the Monks of Constantinople.

The divine Scripture is accustomed to accommodate its lessons to those who

are to be instructed; and to the perfect, to offer that which is perfect; and to
the ignorant, elementary points and things suited to their ability. Quastiones
in Genesim, Interrogatio 1. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 285.
Metpeiv eiw0e Tots tarSevopéevors fh Geta Tpady ta padjpata
- Kal TOS ev TEAELOLS TPOGHEpELY TA TEAELA. TOTS ATEEOL SE TA
OTOLXELUSH, Kal TH ObGV SuVdpEL GUPPALVOVTA. See Quastiones in Genesim,
Interrogatio 1, PG 80:77.

The divine Scripture accommodates its language to men; and orders its
words so that they may be able to understand. Quastiones in Genesim, Interrogatio
52. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 285. . 7

Tpooddpus tots dvépators 7 Sela Tpadr dtadeyeTat” Kal ws

dxovetv StvavTat petacEnpatiCer TOUS AOYOUS. See Quastiones in Genesim,
Interrogatio 52, PG 80:156.

Some persons having become affected with this disease of mind, have un-
226 HOLY SCRIPTURE
dertaken to accuse the divine Scripture, and especially the prophecies, as if
they were obscure. To whom the divine Paul would say, ‘But if our gospel be
hid, it is hid to them that are lost;’ for ‘we speak wisdom among them that
are perfect.’ And agreeable to these are the words spoken by our Master and
Saviour to the holy Apostles, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the
kingdom, but to them it is not given.’ And teaching them the cause ofthis, he
directly adds, ‘For, seeing they see not, and hearing they do not understand;’
for they, saith he, willingly draw upon themselves the cloud of ignorance; for
if they had turned to the Lord, as the divine Apostle says, the veil would be
removed. Therefore the divine oracles are not obscure to all, but only to those
who are willingly blind...Let no one therefore, and especially among the
pupils of piety, be so bold against the divine Spirit as to charge his words
with obscurity; but earnestly seeking to understand the sacred words, let him
exclaim with the divine David, ‘Open thou mine eyes, and I shall behold
wondrous things out of thy law.’ For he who seeks this knowledge for his
profit shall assuredly obtain his request. Jn Ezechielem — Prefatio. Translation by
William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 286.
Tattfh teptteadvtes TY VOow TLVES THs Betas Tpadts KaTny-
oped ETEXE(pnoav, Stabepdvtws S€ TOV TPOdNTLKGV BEOTLOLATUV,
ws doadela kekaduppéewv. pds ots av eikdtus 6 BeaTéatos eitrot
Tlatios: Ei 8€ kal E€ott Kekaduppéevov TO EvayyéAtov nav, €v Tots
aTod\AupEVvoLS EoTL KEKaAULWEVOV * Godiav yap AaAodpev ev TOS
TEAELOLS. LuLdwvel SE TOUTOLS Kal TA UTO TOD AeoTr6TOU Kal LwTiTos
NG Tpds ToUs aylous ATOOTéXOUS ELPNHLEVva’ Lptv S€SoTat yvavat
Td LUOTHpLa THs Baotretas , Exetvors S€ ov S€50Tat: kal Thy aitiav
bLddoKov EVOUS ETaAYyEL, OTL BAETIOVTES OV PrETIOVOL, Kal AkovoVTES
ov ouvLovotv. AUTol yap, dnoly, ExdvTes ETLOTOVTAaL THs ayvolas
TO vedos " €dv yap ETLOTPEPwoL TPdS KUpLov, H dbnow 6 BELos
AT169TOhos, TEPLALPEtTat TO KaAULLLA. OV Totvuv Taolv oT doady
Ta Vela, AAA Tots EBEOVOLWS TudAWTTOVOLW’...Mndels Tolvurv, kal
hddtoTa TOV Tis EvoeBetas Tpod(jLwv, KATA TOY BElou Ivetpatos
Spaovveobu, Tols ToUTOU hOYOLS AGdhELAV ETLLELddSpLEVOS: GAA
vorioat Tods Lepovs EdlEjLEVOS AOYOUS PETA TOD bEaTEGioU BodTw
AaBt6: AtoKddubov Tots ob8adpovs ov, Kal KaTavorjow Ta Pav-
pdova ek Tod vopou dov. TevEeTat yap TavTws Tis aitiaews, én’
wperela THY YYMOLW ETAYYELAAS. See In Ezechielem — Prafatio, PG 81:808-809.

For, as great as is the difference between God and the devil, so great is the
difference between the teaching of God and that of the devil. And the beauty
of the divine oracles sending forth the beams of a light suited to the facul-
ties of man, when compared with those fables, will more clearly show this.
Compendium hereticarum fabularum, Liber V. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3,
p. 287.
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 2

“Ooov yap cod kal SiaBdAou 75 jLéoov, tooabty Ths TOD Ocod
Kal StaBddou SS8acKkadlas Stabopd. Kal todto Se(Eet oabeéotepov
TOiS [VO0LS Eke(VvoLs TapaTLOepLevov TGV Feiwv Aoylwv TO KdAROS,
TAS TOD VoeTOD mwTds ExTepTOV LapLAapUyds. Compendium hereticarum
fabularum, Liber V, PG 83:441.

Commenting on Psalm 36: Now, here he clearly reveals to us the mystery

of the Holy Trinity: he called the Only—begotten Word of God a fountain of
life. This is the name, too, remember, God personally gave himself through
the prophet Jeremiah: “They have forsaken me, a fountain of living water,
taken their leave and dug for themselves cracked cisterns incapable of holding
water.’ So he says this fountain is in the presence of the Father, according to
the following Gospel teaching: ‘I in the Father and the Father in me.’ Jn your
light we shall see light: illumined by the all-holy Spirit we shall perceive the
rays of your Only—begotten; Scripture says, “No one can say Jesus is Lord ex-
cept by the Holy Spirit,’ and “God revealed to us through his Spirit.’ We have
consequently come to a precise knowledge of the three persons in the one
divinity through the inspired words. FC, Vol. 101, Theodoret of Cyrus: Commentary
on the Psalms 1-72, Psalm 36.6, pp. 220-221.

Commenting on Psalm 119:18: Not everyone reading the divine sayings

ponders the marvels in them, but those enjoying radiance from above. Blessed
Paul also said just that: “When one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now,
the Spirit is the Lord.’ He himself illuminated by the divine light, was right to
cry aloud, ‘All of us with unveiled face behold the glory of the Lord as though
reflected in a mirror and are being changed into the same image from glory
to glory, as though from the Lord, the Spirit.’ We, however, should beg the
Lord to remove the veil from the eyes of our mind and show the power of
the divine sayings. FC, Vol. 102, Theodoret of Cyrus: Commentary on the Psalms 73-150,
Psalm 119.11, p. 249.

Commenting on Psalm 119:130: “The explanation of your words sheds light

and imparts understanding to infants.’ Illuminated by your light, he is saying,
I received this knowledge; your law imparts understanding to all held in the
grip of ignorance, resembling babies. FC, Vol. 102, Theodoret of Cyrus: Commentary
on the Psalms 73-150, Psalm 119.63, p. 270.

Cyril of Alexandria (patriarch 412-444)

The law given through the learned Moses was involved as it were in darkness
and shadows, such, I mean, as arose from the letter. But in the declarations
228 HOLY SCRIPTURE
of the gospel, the beauty of truth shines forth unclouded and clear, and
enlightens the mind, being poured like light into the understandings of the
pious. Commentarium tm Isaiam prophetam, Lib. III, Tomus I. Translation by William Goode,
Wall, (3h; )2h “sill
’ Aydut pev yap olovet Tus kal KaTaoKkidopact Tols amd ye ONL
Tod ypdppatos, 6 Sta Tod Tavaddou Mugéws KaTETAXUVETO VOLOS.
"EB 5ێ ye Tols evayyedtkols KNpUypact yupVvov Kal Stadaves TO THs
dAngelas Exbaivetat Kdddos, Kal katadatdptvet TOV votv Tats TOV
evoeBotvvTuv Stavolats dwTOs Siknv ELOXEOLEVOV. Commentarium in Isaiam
prophetam, Lib. III, Tomus I, PG 70:576.

Commenting on 1 Cor. 1:21: By the foolishness of preaching he means the

plainness of the phraseology of the inspired Scripture. Therefore, leaving off
toiling in vain and reaping no fruit, and enduring to spend your labors upon
things that are unprofitable, hear me rather, and eat that which is good namely,
through the Evangelical proclamations, in which, saith he, your soul would
abundantly delight, and be nourished. There is the true knowledge of God
as he is, and instruction as to all virtue and propriety of conduct, becom-
ing saints; and wisdom, such as with wonderful exactness rightly discerns
everything that ought to be done, and perfectly fits the mind for activity in
good works. Commentarium in Isaiam prophetam, Lib. V, Tomus II. Translation by William
Goode, Vol. 3, pp.181—182.
Mupiav 5€ Tov KnpVyLAaTOS THY KOLVOTHTAa Tis AEEEWS THs Evov-
‘ons Tf Seotvettw Tpadf, dnotv.’ Adévtes ovv TO €ikt) Toveir, kal
aKkaptTtav ovddreyetv, kal Satavav avéxeoGat Tévous ET dvudeE€ot
Tpadypaot, WAaAAOV akovoaTE LOU, Kal dayeobe ayabda Ta Sia TOV
evayyeNkGv Snrov6Tt, ois 8} Kal TeptTTGs, dnolv, Evtpudroetev
T Wuxt vpdv. >Exet yvdors ddAnOyjs Tod kata dtow cod, Kal
apeTis atdons kal aytotpetots evKoopias pdOnja Kal otveats,
Qaupaotas ekaoTa TOV TPAKTEW Op8ds Stakp(vovTa, Kal TexviTHV
els aya8oupylav atoTehOvVOa TOV VOOV * Commentarium in Isaiam prophetam,
Lib. V, Tomus II, PG 70:1221.

Sufficient, sufficient for this are the Scriptures of the holy Fathers, which if
any one would diligently study and vigilantly attend to, he would immediately
have his mind filled with divine light. For, they did not speak of themselves,
but ‘all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable.’ De Ss.
Trinitate Dialogus I. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, pp. 281-282.
' "Adts yap, ddts a TGV aylwv Matépwv eis TodtTo ovyypadai, ats
ELTEP TLS EAOLTO VOUVEXAS Opthetv kal Eypnyopdtws TpPODdhe pecar,
uTOs av Tod Oetou TOV oiKetov EOS dvapeoTicEts VvodV. >Hoav
yap ovK avTol AadodTes Ev abtois: Mdoa 8 Tpadt GedtvEvaT0OS
Kal WEA POS. De SS. Trinitate Dialogus I, PG 75:665.
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 720
Speaking of the divinity of Christ: For it is open to those who desire it, easily
to avoid the error, and to escape from the pernicious and destructive doctrine
of those of the opposite party, by piously giving the due superiority to the
declarations of the sacred writers. De SS. Trinitate Dialogus lV. Translation by William
Goode, Vol. 3, p. 282.
B, ‘Oi Seve ye, & TAY, TO Xp, Kal SvdSidduKTOS dANBds F
THs dvcdeBetas ypadT!
A. Evdtdaduktos pév ovv « €deitat ydp 84 Tots €6€éAovotv EdKOAWS
aTopoTav, Kal TOV dreTHpa kal bOdpov TGV StevavTias SiwHEeicPat
hOyov, TO xpfiva ViKav aTOVELOvOLY EVaEBGS Tails TOs aylws dwrais.
De SS. Trinitate Dialogus 1V, PG 75:862.

Speaking of the incarnation: What, therefore, supposing this to have been

the case, would have been the use of his advent, or what the mode of his in-
carnation? But if any one perchance shall ask, on what account this was done,
[namely, that he became incarnate,] he shall receive from us the reply, the
divine Scripture will teach you. Go, then, illustrious sir, inquire of the sacred
Scriptures, and having well applied the eye of your mind to the declarations
of the holy Apostles, you shall then clearly see what you seek. De Recta Fide Ad
Theodosium Imperatorem. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 282.
Tis ovv dv yévotTo doiTOV Tis éTLSNELLas 6 ASyos, 7 Tis 6 TpO-
‘TOS Ths EvavOpwtnoews, TéTPaKTat S€ SToU xdpLy, et TLS EpoLto
TUXOV, dVTaKovVoETaL Tap TLV: ‘H Vela ShdEer Ppady. "161 Sh ovv
@ yevvale, TUGOd TOV LepGv Tpappdtuv, Kal Tats TOV aytwv atooTé-
huv dwvats evepeiaas ev pdda This Stavolas Tov dBadpov, dOpet
51) KaAGS TO CHTOUPEVOV. De Recta Fide Ad Theodosium Imperatorem, PG 76:1161.

Therefore the inspired Scripture is abundantly—sufficient, even so that those

who have been nourished by it ought to come forth wise and very prudent, and
possessed of an understanding abundantly instructed in all things... What that
is profitable to us is not spoken by it? For, first, (what is also more excellent
than all other things,) any one may see in it the glorious doctrine of the true
knowledge of God...Moreover, in addition to this, it teaches us how to order
aright our life and conversation, and by its divine and sacred laws directs us
in the way of righteousness, and makes the path of all equity clear to us. Contra
Julian, Lib. VII. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, pp. 282-283.
"Aréxpv pév ov 1 GedmvevoTtos Tpadn, kal tpds ye TO detv
dtoddvat aodovs Kal Sokipwtdtous, Kal SlapkeoTdTHV EXovTas
otveow Tois évTebpappévous adTi’...Tl yap TOV dvnorddTav odK
elpntat tap adtiis; Mparov pev yap, 6 kal TOV G\Awv atavtwv €oTt
TLLAAPEDTEPOV, KATLSOL TLS Ev auth TOUS TAs adnBots Beomttas
é€vaotpdamtovtas Adyous...EiTa TPOS TOUTOLS Kal TOUS THs EvCwtas
230 HOLY SCRIPTURE

Hiv elonyfitat Tpdtous, vdpots be Getors Kal Lepots aTrEevOUVEL

mpds SiKaLoovvnv, Kal aTdonS Hiv émetke(as Evapyt KadloTNoL
Tp{BOV. Contra Julian, Lib. VII, PG 76:852-853.

Isidore of Pelusium (d. 435)

‘The sacred volumes of the divine Scriptures, are steps whereby we ascend to
God.’ Epistolarium Lib. I, Epist.369. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 283.
Al Sé tepal rural TGV papTupovpéevav belwv Dpaddv, Ths Tpos
Qedv elotv dvaBdoews KA LaKES. Epistolarium Lib. 1, Epist.369, PG 78:392.

If God had had respect only to his own dignity, and not the profit of the
reader, he would have used heavenly and divine words and examples. But
since he was legislating for men that are weak and in need of human words
(for thus they were able easily to understand things above them), he ex-
pressed his divine doctrines in common words, to the intent that even a
woman and a child, and the most ignorant of all men, might obtain some
profit even from the very hearing. For, the word having a consideration for
the salvation of the multitude, and even rustics, is expressed with so much
clearness through the philanthropy of the legislator, as to deprive no one of
the benefit proportioned to his powers; nor hath it neglected the wiser of
mankind; for in this so great clearness (perspicuity), such unutterable words
dwell like treasures, that even the wisest and most learned of men are lost in
the profundity of the thoughts, and often confess themselves overcome by
the incomprehensibility of the wisdom. Epistolarium Lib. II, Epist. 5. Translation by
William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 284.
Ei yap pds Thy altod a€iav pdvov TpodéoxeV 6 OE€ds, Kal [Ly
TOS THY WhedELav TOV EvTEvEOLEVV, OUpaviots av Kal BEtots AdyoLS
Te Kal Tapadelypactv Expyoato.’ AX EtreS1) avOpdtrors EvopodeTe:
AOBEVEDL TvyXdvous, Kal avOwTivov Seopevors MOywv (otTw ydp pas-
(ws TA UTEP AUTOUS VoToat HdvvavTo), iStwTiKkais kéEEouv EKEPadE
Ta Seta pabjpata, iva kal yuri) kal Tats Kal dtdvTwv dvOpuTwv
dpabeotatos kepSdvy Tt kal EE adTiis THs aKkpodcews. Tis yap Tv
TOMY Kal AyehaLoTepwov Hpovticas owtnplas 6 Méyos, cadnveta
TOOAUTH Sta HrrtavOpwTtav TOV voLobETOU Kpabels, OVSEVA THs Kara
Sbvayiv odperetas atootepet. OTE SE TOV DOduTEpwY HeANeEV.
Ev TOTAbTH yap oadnveta ovTws aTOppnToL ASyou KabdTE PnGavPOl
TLVES EVOLKOVOLY, WS Kal TODS DOhwWTATOUS Kal EAAOYLLWTATOUS TOV
avOpuTuv TpPds TO Bd0s TOV VonLdTwY LyyLav, Kal Tapaxwpetv
TOAAKLS TO AKATAANTT THs Godlas. Epistolarium Lib. Il, Epist. 5, PG 78:461,

If the truth be joined to eloquent language, it is able to profit the educated,

but to all others it will be of no use or advantage. Wherefore the Scripture
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 231

hath declared the truth in simple language, that both the unlearned and
the wise, and even children and women, might learn it. For by this the wise
are in no respect injured; but by the other [i.e. Scripture being indited in
superior language] the greater part of the world would have been injured; and
if it behoved it to consider the few, it more especially behoved it to consider
the many; and since it has considered all, it is clearly shown to be divine and
heavenly. Epistolarium Lib. IV, Epist. 67. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 284.
Ei 8’ 1 GAnOeta TH KahAteTe(a ouvadbein, Sivatat pev Tods
TeTALSEULEVOUS WdEhHGal, Tots 8’ Kal GAdoLs dtacLv axpnoTtos
EoTat kal dvudedrs. Av’ 6 kai 7 Tpadby thy adiPerav tECG dOy
Nppnvevoev, iva kal t&:GTat, kal aodol, kal taiSes, Kal yuvaikes
wdBotev.’ Ek rev yap TovTov ol ovSev TapabrAdTTOVTaL: Ek § Exe(vou
TO TAEOV THs OLKOUPEVNS [LEpOS TapEBAGBN. "AV TLVwY ovV expFV
dpovtioar, padtoTL PEV TOV THELOVuV. ’EtetSav 6€ Kal TavTwv éE-
bpdovttoe, Se{kvuTat AapTpds Bela ovoa Kal OUPAVLOS. Epistolarium Lib.
IV, Epist. 67, PG 78:1125.

If all things were plain, where should we make use of our understanding, there
not being any investigation to make? But if all things were obscure, thus also
we should fall, there being no discovery of the truth. But now, through those
parts that are plain, those that are obscure are in a manner understood. £pis-
tolarium Lib. IV, Epist. 82. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 285.
Ei peéev yap tavta nv SfjAda, Tov cuvécer Expnodpeda, pt ovens
(nthoews; El S€ tavta dSnda, Kal oUTWS avaTETITUKELHEV AV, LH
ovons evpéoews. Ndv S€ 6a TOV ShAwv Kal TA GSnrAa TpPOTIOV TLVA
KATGAAPLBAVETAL . Epistolarium Lib. IV, Epist. 82, PG 78:1144-1145.

The sacred and heavenly oracles, since they were spoken and written for the
benefit of all mankind, were expressed in plain language...All those who
are engaged in husbandry, and the arts, and other occupations of life, derive
profit from its clearness; learning both what is proper and what is just and
what is useful in a moment of time. Epistolarium Lib. IV, Epist. 91. Translation by
William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 285.
Oi Sé tepol Kal odpdviot xpnopol, ETELST] TPIS WhEeheLav TdoN]S
THs avOpwrdtyTos €ppéonoav Kal Eypddnoav, TH oadnveta
Expddnod...tavtes 8’ ol yewpylats kal TEXvats Kal Tats addats
doxorlastod Biov cxokdCovTeEs, HbEAODVTAL Ek THIS cadnveta ‘Kal
+O TpéTOV, Kal TO SikaLov, Kal TO GUPEPOV EV akapLata KaLpov poTy
WAaVOGVOVTES. Epistolarium Lib. IV, Epist. 91, PG 78:1152.

To ascertain these things are so, let us inspect the rule (or, canon) of truth;
I mean, the Holy Scriptures. Epistolarium Lib. IV, Epist. 114. Translation by William
Goode, Vol. 3, p. 187. ia; , . ;
"Ort S€ Tadta OUTWS EXEL, TOV KaVOVa TIS adnfelas, Tas Petas
Zo2 HOLY SCRIPTURE

dnl Ppabas, katoTtevoupev. Tt ouv nolv. Epistolarium Lib. IV, Epist.

114, PG 78:1185.

Fulgentius, bishop of Ruspe (c. 467-532)

In which commandments, as in most rich viands, the spiritual abundance

of heavenly dainties is so exuberant, that there is in the word of God plenty
for the perfect to eat, and plenty also for the babe to suck. For there is both
the milk of the suckling, whereby the tender infancy of the faithful may be
nourished, and the solid food whereby the robust youth of the perfect may
gain spiritual increase of holy vigour. There provision is made universally
for the salvation of all whom the Lord designs to save. There we hear the
precepts which we should perform: there we know the rewards we are to
hope for. There is the command which teaches by the letter, and instructs
us unto knowledge: there the promise which draws us by grace, and leads
us to glory. Sermo Primus. Translated by William Whitaker, p. 400.
In quibus denuo mandatis, tanquam ditissimis ferculis, sic coelestium
deliciarum copia spiritalis exuberat, ut in verbo Dei abundet quod perfectus
comedat, abundet etiam quod parvulus sugat. Ibi est enim simul et lacteus
potus, quo tenera fidelium nutriatur infantia, et solidus cibus, quo robusta
perfectorum juventus spiritalia sanctae virtutis accipiat incrementa. [bi prorsus
ad salutem consulitur universis quos Dominus salvare dignatur; ibi est quod
omni aetati congruat, ibi quod omni professioni conveniat; ibi audimus prae-
cepta quae faciamus, ibi cognoscimus praemia quae speremus; ibi est jussio
quae nos per litteram doceat et instruat ad scientiam; ibi promissio quae per
gratiam trahat et perducat ad gloriam. Sermo Primus, PL 65:721.

The words of Truth itself show that the three persons are the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Hence, our Savior says, ‘... am not alone but it is I
and the Father who sent me.’ Concerning the Holy Spirit, he also says, ‘And I
will ask the Father and he will give you another advocate. ..the Spirit of Truth.
He also commanded that the nations be baptized ‘in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’ With these and other testimonies of
this sort, it is shown that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are three
persons but that they are not three natures. FC, Vol. 95, Fulgentius: Selected Works,
Letter 8 — To Donatus, II1.4, p. 368.

Holy Scripture which truthfully and salutarily points out to.us that there
is one Lord God, just as it makes known to all the faithful that the Father
is true God, so also it makes known that the Son is true God. FC, Vol. 95,
Fulgentius: Selected Works, Letter 8 — To Donatus, V.11, p. 372.
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 233
Therefore, since by the witness of words from heaven, we know both that
God the Father is true God and God the Son is true God; either let them
assert with the Catholics that the Father and the Son are by nature the one
true God; or let them not be afraid to profess that they are worshipers of a
creature, so that they may know by the very clarity of things that they have
changed the truth of God into a lie. FC, Vol. 95, Fulgentius: Selected Works, Letter 8 —
To Donatus, V.12, p. 373.

Salvian the Presbyter (5th century)

In a word, holy deeds would be done by Christians if Christ has taught holy
things. He who is worshiped can be judged by His worshippers. For how is a
teacher good whose pupils we see are so evil? From this viewpoint, they are
Christians; they listen to Him, they read Him. It is easy for all to understand
the teaching of Christ. FC, Vol. 3, The Writings ofSalvian, The Presbyter, The Governance
of God, Book 4.17, pp. 120-121.

Caesarius of Arles (470-543)

Let us examine the Scriptures, and in them we will be able to understand

this more clearly. FC, Vol. 31, Saint Caesarius ofArles, Sermons (1-80), Sermon 38.3, p. 191.
When the Gospel was read, we heard that word which is at the same time both
terrible and desirable, the sentence of our Lord which is equally dreadful and
desirable. It is terrible because of what He says: “Depart from me, accursed
ones, into the everlasting fire’; it is desirable because of the words: “Come,
blessed, receive the kingdom.’...For if a man carefully heeds this lesson, even
if he cannot read the rest of the Scriptures, this lesson alone can suffice for
him to perform every good act and to avoid all evil. FC, Vol. 47, Saint Caesarius
of Arles, Sermons 187-238, Sermon 158.1, p. 359.

We want to confirm the evidence of Sacred Scripture where the Holy Spirit
can clearly be recognized as equal to the Father and to the Son in all powers.
FC, Vol. 66, Saint Caesarius of Arles, Sermons 187-238, Sermon 212.1, p. 102.

Gregory the Great (Gregory I c. 540-604)

For as the word of God, by the mysteries which it contains, exercises the
understanding of the wise, so usually by what presents itself on the outside,
it nurses the simpleminded. It presenteth in open day that wherewith the
234 HOLY SCRIPTURE

little ones may be fed; it keepeth in secret that whereby men of a loftier range
may be held in suspense of admiration. It is, as it were, a kind of river, if
I may so liken it, which is both shallow and deep, wherein both the Lamb
may find a footing, and the elephant float at large. Morals on the Book ofJob by S.
Gregory the Great, A Library ofFathers ofthe Holy Catholic Church (Oxford: John Henry Parker,
1844), Vol. 1, Parts 1 & 2,, Preface, p. 9.

But all this is duly executed by a ruler, if, inspired by the spirit of heavenly
fear and love, he meditate daily on the precepts of Sacred Writ, that the
words of Divine admonition may restore in him the power of solicitude and
of provident circumspection with regard to the celestial life, which familiar
intercourse with men continually destroys; and that one who is drawn to old-
ness of life by secular society may by the aspiration of compunction be ever
renewed to love of the spiritual country. For the heart runs greatly to waste
in the midst of human talk; and, since it is undoubtedly evident that, when
driven by the tumults of external occupations, it loses its balance and falls,
one ought incessantly to take care that through keen pursuit of instruction
it may rise again. For hence it is that Paul admonishes his disciple who had
been put over the flock, saying, Till I come, give attendance to reading (1
Timothy 4:13). Hence David says, How have I loved Thy Law, O Lord! It is
my mediatation all the day (Psalm 109:97). NPNF2: Vol. XII, The Book ofPastoral
Rule, Part 2, Chapter 11.

But as to what you say, most sweet brother, about your being unable to read
because of the pressure of tribulations upon you, I think this avails little for
your excuse, since Paul says, Whatsoever things are written are written for our
instruction, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might
have hope (Romans 15:4). If, then, holy Scripture has been prepared for our
comfort, we ought by so much the more to read it as we find ourselves the
more wearied under the burden of tribulations. But if we are to rely only on
that sentence which you quote in your letter, wherein the Lord says, When
they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak, for it shall
be given you in that hour what ye shall speak; far it is not ye that speak, but
the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you (Matthew 10:19), I say that
Holy Scriptures have been given us in vain, if, being filled with the Spirit,
we have no need of external words. But, dearest brother, trusting in God
without doubt, when we are straightened in a time of persecution, is one
thing; what we ought to do when the Church is at peace is another. For it
is our duty, through this same Spirit, to learn by reading now what we may
be able to shew forth also in suffering, should cause arise. NPNF2: Vol. XII, The
Epistles ofSt. Gregory the Great, Book 1, Epistle 52 — To Natalis, Bishop.
 The Self-Interpreting Nature of Scripture 235

But yet know ye that I did not believe the word you sent me. For you are seek-
ing praise from the work of others, seeing that you have perhaps never yet put
hand to spindle. Nor yet does this circumstance distress me, since I wish you
to love the reading of Holy Scripture, that, so long as Almighty God shall
unite you to husbands, you may know how you should live and how you
should manage your houses. NPNF2: Vol. XIII, Selected Epistles, Book 11, Epistle 78.

Paschasius of Dumium (6th century):

Some brothers went to Abbot Antony and asked to hear from him words by
which they might be saved. He said to them: “You have heard the Scriptures,
and you know what is sufficient to you from Christ.’ FC, Vol. 62, Paschasius of
Dumium, Questions and Answers of the Greek Fathers, Chapter 6, §2, p. 127.
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 Chapter 4

The Self—Interpreting Nature of Scripture

Irenaeus (130 — c. 200)

For by the fact that they thus endeavour to explain ambiguous passages of
Scripture (ambiguous, however, not as if referring to another god, but as
regards the dispensations of [the true] God), they have constructed another
god, weaving, as I said before, ropes of sand, and affixing a more important to
a less important question. For no question can be solved by means of another
which itself awaits solution; nor, in the opinion of those possessed of sense,
can an ambiguity be explained by means of another ambiguity, or enigmas
by means of another greater enigma, but things of such character receive
their solution from those which are manifest, and consistent and clear. ANF:
Vol. 1, Against Heresies, 2.10.1.

If, therefore, according to the rule which I have stated, we leave some ques-
tions in the hands of God, we shall both preserve our faith uninjured, and
shall continue without danger; and all Scripture, which has been given to
us by God, shall be found by us perfectly consistent; and the parables shall
harmonize with those passages which are perfectly plain; and those state-
ments the meaning of which is clear, shall serve to explain the parables; and
through the many diversified utterances [of Scripture] there shall be heard
one harmonious melody in us, praising in hymns that God who created all
things. If, for instance, any one asks, ‘What was God doing before He made the
world? ‘we reply that the answer to such a question lies with God Himself. For
that this world was formed perfect by God, receiving a beginning in time, the
Scriptures teach us; but no Scripture reveals to us what God was employed
about before this event. The answer therefore to that question remains with
God, and it is not proper for us to aim at bringing forward foolish, rash, and
blasphemous suppositions [in reply to it]; so, as by one’s imagining that he
238 HOLY SCRIPTURE

has discovered the origin of matter, he should in reality set aside God Himself
who made all things. ANF: Vol. 1, Against Heresies, 2.28.3.

Tertullian (c. 160—c. 220)

They would have the entire revelation of both Testaments yield to these three
passages, whereas the only proper course is to understand the few statements
in the light of the many. But in their contention they only act on the principle
of all heretics. For, inasmuch as only a few testimonies are to be found (mak-
ing for them) in the general mass, they pertinaciously set off the few against
the many, and assume the later against the earlier. The rule, however, which
has been from the beginning established for every case, gives its prescription
against the later assumptions, as indeed it also does against the fewer. ANF: Vol.
III, Against Praxeas, Chapter 20.

Well, if it occurs occasionally in certain portions of it, you will say, then why
not in that phrase, where the resurrection might be spiritually understood?
There are several reasons why not. First, what must be the meaning of so
many important passages of Holy Scripture, which so obviously attest the
resurrection of the body, as to admit not even the appearance of a figura-
tive signification? And, indeed, (since some passages are more obscure than
others), it cannot but be right — as we have shown above — that uncertain
statements should be determined by certain ones, and obscure ones by such
as are clear and plain; else there is fear that, in the conflict of certainties and
uncertainties, of explicitness and obscurity, faith may be shattered, truth
endangered, and the Divine Being Himself be branded as inconstant. Then
arises the improbability that the very mystery on which our trust wholly rests,
on which also our instruction entirely depends, should have the appearance
of being ambiguously announced and obscurely propounded, inasmuch as
the hope of the resurrection, unless it be clearly set forth on the sides both
of punishment and reward, would fail to persuade any to embrace a religion
like ours, exposed as it is to public detestation and the imputation of hostil-
ity to others. There is no certain work where the remuneration is uncertain.
There is no real apprehension when the peril is only doubtful. But both the
recompense of reward, and the danger oflosing it, depend on the issues of the
resurrection. Now, if even those purposes of God against cities, and nations,
and kings, which are merely temporal, local, and personal in their character,
have been proclaimed so clearly in prophecy, how is it to be supposed that
those dispensations of His which are eternal, and of universal concern to the
human race, should be void of all real light in themselves? The grander they
are, the clearer should be their announcement, in order that their superior
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 239
greatness might be believed. And I apprehend that God cannot possibly have
ascribed to Him either envy, or guile, or inconsistency, or artifice, by help of
which evil qualities it is that all schemes of unusual grandeur are litigiously
promulgated. ANF: Vol. III, On the Resurrection of the Flesh, Chapter 21.
Besides, there is not a parable which you will not find to be either explained
by the Lord Himself, as that of the sower, (which He interprets) of the man-
agement of the word of God; or else cleared by a preface from the writer
of the Gospel, as in the parable of the arrogant judge and the importunate
widow, which is expressly applied to earnestness in prayer; or capable of be-
ing spontaneously understood, as in the parable of the fig—tree, which was
spared a while in hopes of improvement — an emblem of Jewish sterility.
Now, if even parables obscure not the light of the gospel, how unlikely it is
that plain sentences and declarations, which have an unmistakable mean-
ing, should signify any other thing than their literal sense! But it is by such
declarations and sentences that the Lord sets forth either the last judgment,
or the kingdom, or the resurrection: ‘It shall be more tolerable,’ He says, ‘for
Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.’ And “Tell them that the
kingdom of God is at hand.’ And again, ‘It shall be recompensed to you at
the resurrection of the just.’ Now, if the mention of these events (I mean the
judgment—day, and the kingdom of God, and the resurrection) has a plain and
absolute sense, so that nothing about them can be pressed into an allegory,
neither should those statements be forced into parables which describe the
arrangement, and the process, and the experience of the kingdom of God,
and of the judgment, and of the resurrection. ANF: Vol. III, On the Resurrection of
the Flesh, Chapter 33.

Come, now, tell me how that passage (in the Epistle) to the Thessalonians
— which, because of its clearness, I should suppose to have been written with
a sunbeam — is understood by our heretics, who shun the light of Scripture:
‘And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly.’ And as if this were not plain
enough, it goes on to say: ‘And may your whole body, and soul, and spirit be
preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord.’ Here you have the entire
substance of man destined to salvation, and that at no other time than at the
coming of the Lord, which is the key of the resurrection. ANF: Vol. III, On the
Resurrection of the Flesh, Chapter 47.

This passage He confirms by subsequent ones, saying, ‘Pray that ye be not

tempted;’ yet they were tempted, (as they showed) by deserting their Lord,
because they had given way rather to sleep than prayer. The final clause,
therefore, is consonant, and interprets the sense of ‘Lead us not into temp-
tation;’ for this sense is, ‘But convey us away from the Evil One.’ ANF: Vol.
ITI, On Prayer, Chapter 8.
240 HOLY SCRIPTURE
But when the apostle interprets, “The two shall be (joined) into one flesh’ of
the Church and Christ, according to the spiritual nuptials of the Church and
Christ (for Christ is one, and one is His Church), we are bound to recognize a
duplication and additional enforcement for us of the law of unity of marriage,
not only in accordance with the foundation of our race, but in accordance with
the sacrament of Christ. ANF: Vol. IV, On Exhortation to Chasity, Chapter 5.

But, presenting to your weakness the gift of the example of His own flesh, the
more perfect Adam — that is, Christ, more perfect on this account as well (as
on others), that He was more entirely pure — stands before you, if you are
willing (to copy Him), as a voluntary celibate in the flesh. If, however, you
are unequal (to that perfection), He stands before you a monogamist in spirit,
having one Church as His spouse, according to the figure of Adam and of Eve,
which (figure) the apostle interprets of that great sacrament of Christ and the
Church, (teaching that), through the spiritual, it was analogous to the carnal
monogamy. ANF: Vol. IV, On Monogamy, Chapter 5.

Archelaus (a. 277)

Moreover, it is in perfect harmony with these sayings that Paul speaks, when
he interprets to the following intent certain things written in the law: “Thou
shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God
take care for oxen? Or saith He it altogether for our sakes?’ But why should
we waste further time upon this subject? ANF: Vol. VI, The Acts of the Disputation
with the Heresiarch Manes 21.

Hilary of Poitiers (c 315-367)

The worldly man cannot receive the faith of the Apostle, nor can any language
but that of the Apostle explain his meaning. God raised Christ from the dead;
Christ in Whom the fullness of the Godhead dwelt bodily. But He quickened
us also together with Him, forgiving us our sins, blotting out the bond of the
law ofsin, which through the ordinances made aforetime was against us, taking
it out of the way, and fixing it to His cross, stripping Himself of His flesh by
the law of death, holding up the powers to shew, and triumphing over them
in Himself. NPNF2: Vol. IX, On the Trinity, Book IX.10.

Basil of Caesarea (AD. 329-379)

You could find many passages of this sort in the writings of the evangelists
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 241

and the Apostle. Now, then, ifa command be given and the manner of carry-
ing it out is not added, let us obey the Lord who says: ‘Search the Scriptures.’
Let us follow the example of the Apostles who questioned the Lord Himself
as to the interpretation of His words, and learn the true and salutary course
from His words in another place. FC, Vol. 9, Saint Basil: Ascetical Works, Concerning
Baptism, Book II, Q&R 4, p. 399.

Whatsoever seems to be spoken ambiguously or obscurely in some places of

holy Scripture, is cleared up by what is plain and evident in other places. In
Regulas Brevius Tractatas, Interrogatio 267. Translation by William Whitaker, A Disputation on
Holy Scripture Against the Papists, Especially Bellarmine and Stapleton, trans. and ed, William
Fitzgerald (Cambridge: The University Press, reprinted 1849), p. 491.
Ta apidiBodra kal Etikekaduppévws eipfodat SoKodvta év TLoL
TOTOLS THs BeoTVEVoTOU Tpadfis ITO TOV Ev AddoLS TOOLS OLOA-
OYOULEVWV sadbnvicetar. In Regulas Brevius Tractatas, Interrogatio CCLXVII, PG
31:1264.

Epiphanius of Salamis (310/320—403)

But when the disciples asked him in the house, “Tell us the parable of the
tares,’ he explained it without concealment, for fear of providing the cheat
with an opening against the truth. (5) The Lord answered them plainly and
said, ‘He that sowed the good seed is God. The field is the world; the tares
are the wicked men; the enemy is the devil; the reapers are the angels; the
harvest is the consummation of the age; the wheat is the good men. The
Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis: Book I and III (Sects 47-80, De Fide) 66. Against the
Manichaeans, 65,4—5, p. 284.

Ambrose (c. 339-397)

Speaking of the Apostle Paul: What better expounder of the Scriptures do

we indeed look for than that teacher of the Gentiles, that chosen vessel —
chosen from the number of the persecutors? He who had been the persecutor
of Christ confesses Him. He had read Solomon more, in any case, than Arius
hath, and he was well learned in the Law, and so, because he had read, he
said not that Christ was created, but that He was begotten. For he had read,
‘He spake, and they were made: He commanded, and they were created.’ Was
Christ, I ask, made at a word? Was He created at a command? NPNF2: Vol. X,
On the Duties of the Clergy, Book I, Chapter 16.105.
242 HOLY SCRIPTURE

In most places Paul so explains his meaning by his own words, that he who
discourses on them can find nothing to add of his own; and if he wishes to say
anything, must rather perform the office of a grammarian than a discourser.
See Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 262; Chemnitz, Vol. 1, p. 167; and Whitaker, pp.
398, 492, who all render plerisque as ‘most.’
In plerisque ita se ipse suis exponat sermonibus, ut is qui tractat, nihil in-
veniat quod adjiciat suum; ac si velit aliquid dicere, grammatici magis quam
disputatoris fungatur munere. Epistola XXXVII.1, PL 16:1084. The translation found in
FG, Vol. 26, Saint Ambrose: Letters 54. Ambrose to Simplicianus, p. 286, has mistranslated this
word plerisque to read ‘in some instances’ rather than the correct translation of ‘most places.’

Chrysostom (349-407)

Paul, too, proceeded to treat of the Incarnation and interpret it more clearly,
and inflicted a timely blow on Marcion and Mani as well; with the requisite
understanding he gives explanation of how he was a priest in the time of
Melchizedek. Robert Charles Hill, trans., St John Chrysostom: Commentary on the Psalms,
Vol.2, Psalm 110 (Brookline: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1998), p. 16.

And, as I am always saying, the parables must not be explained throughout

word for word, since many absurdities will follow; this even He Himself [Je-
sus] is teaching us here in thus interpreting this parable. Thus He saith not
at all who the servants are that came to Him, but, implying that He brought
them in, for the sake of some order, and to make up the picture, He omits that
part, and interprets those that are most urgent and essential, and for the sake
of which the parable was spoken; signifying Himself to be Judge and Lord of
all. NPNF1: Vol. X, Homilies On the Gospel ofMatthew, Homily 47.

This now, you see, he said to them who think that it is utter corruption. Next,
that none again might suspect from this place that another body is spoken
of, he qualifies the dark saying, and himself interprets what he had spoken,
not allowing the hearer to turn his thoughts from hence in any other direc-
tion. What need is there then of our reasonings? Hear himself speaking,
and explaining the phrase, “Thou sowest not the body that shall be.” For he
straightway adds, ‘but a bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other
kind;’ i.e. it is not the body that shall be; not so clothed, for instance; not
having a stalk and beard, but ‘a bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some
other kind.’ NPNF1:; Vol. XII, Homilies on the First Epistle ofPaul to the Corinthians, Homily 41.
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 243
Commenting on 2 Cor. 3:9: Also, he interprets more clearly the meaning
of the words, “The letter killeth,’ declaring it to be that which we have said
above, namely, that the Law showed sin, not caused it. NPNFI: Vol. XII, Homilies
on Second Corinthians, Homily 7.

‘For we which live are also delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also
of Jesus may be manifested in us in our mortal flesh.’ For every where when he
has said any thing obscure, he interprets himself again. So he has done here
also, giving a clear interpretation of this which I have cited. ‘For therefore,
“we are delivered,” he says, in other words, we bear about His dying that the
power of His life may be made manifest, who permitteth not mortal flesh,
though undergoing so great sufferings, to be overcome by the snowstorm of
these calamities. And it may be taken too in another way. How? As he says in
another place, ‘If we die with him, we shall also live with Him.’ (2 Timothy
2:11.) ‘For as we endure His dying now, and choose whilst living to die for His
sake: so also will he choose, when we are dead, to beget us then unto life. For
if we from life come into death, He also will from death lead us by the hand
into life.’ NPNF1: Vol. XII, Homilies on Second Corinthians, Homily 9.

Anyhow, in case by wanting to make a display of these people’s stupidity we,

too, find ourselves induced to utter unseemly remarks, let’s have done with
their folly and turn aside from such idiocy; let us follow the direction of
Sacred Scripture in the interpretation it gives of itself, provided we don't
get completely absorbed with the concreteness of the words, but realize that
our limitations are the reason for the concreteness of the language. Human
senses, you see, would never be able to grasp what is said if they had not
the benefit of such great considerateness. FC, Vol. 74, Homilies on Genesis 1-17,
Homily 13.8, p. 172.

You see, despite the use of such precision by Sacred Scripture, some people
have not questioned the glib words of arrogant commentators and farfetched
philosophy, even to the extent of denying Holy Writ and saying the garden
was not on earth, giving contrary views on many other passages, taking a direc-
tion opposed to a literal understanding of the text, and thinking that what is
said on the question of things on earth has to do with things in heaven. And,
if blessed Moses had not used such simplicity of expression and considerate-
ness, the Holy Spirit directing his tongue, where would we not have come to
grief? Sacred Scripture, though, whenever it wants to teach us something
like this, gives its own interpretation, and doesn't let the listener go astray...
So, I beg you, block your ears against all distractions of that kind, and let
us follow the norm of Sacred Scripture...Not to believe in the contents of
244 HOLY SCRIPTURE

Sacred Scripture, and introduce instead other views from one’s reasoning,
is in my opinion to bring great peril to those rash enough to attempt it...
It is, after all, the unfailing custom of Scripture to employ human ways of
speaking for our sake and for our benefit. FC, Vol. 74, Homilies on Genesis 1-17,
Homily 13.13, pp. 175-176.

Warning against those who speak ‘from their own wisdom,’ he says: Let us,
however, I beg you, not be convinced by them, but block our ears against
them; let us instead place our credence in Sacred Scripture and heed what is
told us there; let it be our concern to lay its sound teachings in our soul and
be scrupulously careful about them and about our life, so that our life may
witness to the teachings and the teachings may declare the integrity of our life.
FC, Vol. 74, Homilies on Genesis 1-17, Homily 13.16, pp. 177-178.

Commenting on the curse of Cain: Sacred Scripture then interprets the

curse more clearly in the words, ‘When you till the soil, it will not proceed to
yield its strength to you. FC, Vol. 82, Homilies on Genesis 18-45, Homily 19.12, p. 28.

Commenting on Psalm 7 and speaking of the Psalmist says: Then, to in-

terpret what are the instruments of death, he adds, Ais arrows, showing the
rapidity of the punishment, whenever he chooses. What is the meaning offor
those on fire? For those being punished, for those being chastised. Then is the
fire not sufficient, but arrows are required? Do you see that everything is said
in a figurative manner and with a view to clarity, and with the purpose of
heightening fear in evey way? Robert Charles Hill, trans., St John Chrysostom: Com-
mentary on the Psalms, Vol. 1, Psalm 7 (Brookline: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1998), p. 136.

Commenting on v. 4 of Psalm 45: These words are a particular indication of

the inspired author’s longing, seeing what has already been achieved and the
world’s being led towards truth. Hence he employs an exhortatory style in his
manner of expression. It is customary with inferiors, remember, when moved
with ardor for their betters, to employ these expressions. In the cause of truth,
gentleness and righteousness. He uses the qualification of truth. Do you see how
Scripture interprets itself, showing the victory to be intellectual and spiritual?
How, that is, the one made mention of weapons, sword and bows, here makes
mention of gentleness? Robert Charles Hill, trans., St John Chrysostom: Commentary on the
Psalms, Vol. 1, Psalm 45 (Brookline: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1998), p. 268.

Commenting on v. 16 of Psalm 45: Then, by way of describing their power

and force and their glory, he says, You will appoint them rulers over all the earth.
Surely this does not require interpretation? I for one think it does not, as
the sun does not, either, being brillant; yet his words ave even clearer. Robert
Charles Hill, trans., St John Chrysostom: Commentary on the Psalms, Vol. 1, Psalm 45 (Brookline:
Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1998), p. 283.
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 245
There is something else we can learn here. What sort of thing is it? It is when
it is necessary to allegorize Scripture. We ourselves are not the lords over the
rules of interpretation, but must pursue Scripture’s understanding of itself,
and in that way make use of the allegorical method. What I mean is this. The
Scripture has just now spoken of a vineyard, wall, and wine—vat. The reader is
not permitted to become lord of the passage and apply the words to whatever
events or people he chooses. The Scripture interprets itself with the words,
‘And the house of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord Sabaoth.’ To give another
example, Ezekiel describes a large, great—-winged eagle which enters Lebanon
and takes off the top of a cedar. The interpretation of the allegory does not
lie in the whim of the readers, but Ezekiel himself speaks, and tells first what
the eagle is and then what the cedar is. To take another example from Isaiah
himself, when he raises a mighty river against Judah, he does not leave it to
the imagination of the reader to apply it to whatever person he chooses, but
he names the king whom he has referred to as a river. This is everywhere a
rule in Scripture: when it wants to allegorize, it tells the interpretation of the
allegory, so that the passage will not be interpreted superficially or be met by
the undisciplined desire of those who enjoy allegorization to wander about
and be carried in every direction. Why are you surprised that the prophets
should observe this rule? Even the author of Proverbs does this. For he said,
‘Let your loving doe and graceful filly accompany you, and let your spring of
water be for you alone.’ Then he interprets these terms to refer to one’s free
and lawful wife; he rejects the grasp of the prostitute and other woman. Duane
A. Garrett, An Analysis ofthe Hermeneutics ofJohn Chrysostom’s Commentary on Isaiah 1-8 with
an English Translation, Isaiah Chapter 5 (Lewiston/Queenston/Lampeter: Edwin Mellen Press,
1992), pp. 110-111.

Commenting on Isaiah 8:6—7: Do you see how flawlessly the passage shines
before us? For Scripture everywhere gives the interpretation of its metaphors,
just as it has done here. Having spoken of a river, it did not stick to the
metaphor, but told us what it means by river: “The king of Assyria, and all
his glory.’ Duane A. Garrett, An Analysis of theHermeneutics ofJohn Chrysostom’ Commentary
on Isaiah 1-8 with an English Translation, Isaiah Chapter 8 (Lewiston/Queenston/Lampeter:
Edwin Mellen Press, 1992), pp. 161.

Jerome (347-420)

This passage to the ignorant, and to those who are unaccustomed to meditate
on Holy Scripture, and who neither know nor use tt, does appear at first sight
to favor your opinion. But when you look into it, the difficulty soon disap-
246 HOLY SCRIPTURE

pears. And when you compare passages of Scripture with others, that the
Holy Spirit may not seem to contradict Himself with changing place and
time, according to what is written, ‘Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy
water spouts,’ the truth will show itself, that is, that Christ did give a possible
command when He said: ‘Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect,’
and yet that the Apostles were not perfect. NPNF2: Vol. VI, St. Jerome Against the
Pelagians, Book 1.14.

Some may say: ‘You are forcing the Scripture, that is not what it means.’ Let
Holy Writ be its own interpreter. ..FC, Vol. 48, The Homilies of St. Jerome: Vol. 1, On
the Psalms, Homily 6, p. 45.

...let us call upon the Lord, probe the depths of His sacred writings, and be
guided in our interpretation by other testimonies from Holy Writ. What-
ever we cannot fathom in the deep recesses of the Old Testament, we shall
penetrate and explain from the depth of the New Testament in the roar of
God’s cataracts—His prophets and apostles. FC, Vol. 57, The Homilies ofSt. Jerome:
Vol. 2, Homily 92, p. 246.

Augustine (354-430)

These two angelic communities, then, dissimilar and contrary to one another,
the one both by nature good and by will upright, the other also good by na-
ture but by will depraved, as they are exhibited in other and more explicit
passages of holy writ, so I think they are spoken of in this book of Genesis
under the names oflight and darkness; and even if the author perhaps had a
different meaning, yet our discussion of the obscure language has not been
wasted time; for, though we have been unable to discover his meaning, yet
we have adhered to the rule of faith, which is sufficiently ascertained by the
faithful from other passages of equal authority. NPNFI: Vol. II, The City of God,
Book XI, Chapter 33.

And it, was not said, ‘He hoped in the Lord God, nor He called on the name
of the Lord God,’ but ‘He hoped to call on the name of the Lord God.’ And
what does this ‘hoped to call’ mean, unless it isa prophecy that a people should
arise who, according to the election of grace, would call on the name of the
Lord God? It is this which has been said by another prophet, and which the
apostle interprets of the people who belong to the grace of God: ‘And it shall
be that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ For
these two expressions, ‘And he called his name Enos, which means man, and
‘He hoped to call on the name of the Lord God,’ are sufficient proof that man
 The Self-Interpreting Nature ofScripture 247
ought not to rest his hopes in himself; as it is elsewhere written, ‘Cursed is
the man that trusteth in man.’ Consequently no one ought to trust in himself
that he shall become a citizen of that other city which is not dedicated in the
name of Cain’s son in this present time, that is to say, in the fleeting course
of this mortal world, but in the immortality of perpetual blessedness. NPNF1:
Vol. II, The City of God, Book XV, Chapter 18.

Accordingly the Holy Spirit has, with admirable wisdom and care for our
welfare, so arranged the Holy Scriptures as by the plainer passages to satisfy
our hunger, and by the more obscure to stimulate our appetite. For almost
nothing is dug out of those obscure passages which may not be found set
forth in the plainest language elsewhere. NPNFI; Vol. II, On Christian Doctrine,
Book II, Chapter 6.8.

How We Should Proceed in Studying Scripture.

In all these books those who fear God and are of ameek and pious disposition
seek the will of God. And in pursuing this search the first rule to be observed
is, as I said, to know these books, if not yet with the understanding, still to
read them so as to commit them to memory, or at least so as not to remain
wholly ignorant of them. Next, those matters that are plainly laid down in
them, whether rules of life or rules of faith, are to be searched into more
carefully and more diligently; and the more of these a man discovers, the
more capacious does his understanding become. For among the things that
are plainly laid down in Scripture are to be found all matters that concern
faith and the manner of life,—to wit, hope and love, of which I have spoken
in the previous book. After this, when we have made ourselves to a certain
extent familiar with the language of Scripture, we may proceed to open up
and investigate the obscure passages, and in doing so draw examples from
the plainer expressions to throw light upon the more obscure, and use the
evidence of passages about which there is no doubt to remove all hesitation
in regard to the doubtful passages. And in this matter memory counts for
a great deal; but if the memory be defective, no rules can supply the want.
NPNF1I: Vol. I, On Christian Doctrine, Book I, Chapter 9.

To enumerate all the passages in the Hebrew prophets referring to our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ, would exceed the limits of a volume, not to speak
of the brief replies of which this treatise consists. The whole contents of these
Scriptures are either directly or indirectly about Christ. Often the reference is
allegorical or enigmatical, perhaps in a verbal allusion, orina historical narra-
tive, requiring diligence in the student, and rewarding him with the pleasure
of discovery. Other passages, again, are plain; for, without the help of what
is clear, we could not understand what is obscure. And even the figurative
248 HOLY SCRIPTURE
passages, when brought together, will be found so harmonious in their tes-
timony to Christ as to put to shame the obtuseness of the sceptic. NPNF1:
Vol. IV, Reply to Faustus the Manichaean, Book XII1.7.

Now, although I may not be able myself to refute the arguments of these men,
I yet see how necessary it is to adhere closely to the clearest statements of
the Scriptures, in order that the obscure passages may be explained by help
of these, or, if the mind be as yet unequal to either perceiving them when
explained, or investigating them whilst abstruse, let them be believed without
misgiving. But what can be plainer than the many weighty testimonies of
the divine declarations, which afford to us the clearest proof possible that
without union with Christ there is no man who can attain to eternal life
and salvation; and that no man can unjustly be damned,—that is, separated
from that life and salvation,—by the judgment of God? NPNFI: Vol. V, On the
Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants, Book III, Chapter 7.

Attend, then, carefully, to the apostle while in his Epistle to the Romans he
explains and clearly enough shows that what he wrote to the Corinthians,
“The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life,’ must be understood in the sense
which we have already indicated, —that the letter of the law, which teaches
us not to commit sin, kills, if the life-giving spirit be absent, forasmuch as
it causes sin to be known rather than avoided, and therefore to be increased
rather than diminished, because to an evil concupiscense there is now added
the transgression of the law. NPNFI: Vol. V, On the Spirit and the Letter, Chapter 8.

Moreover, it is said, “Give us this day,’ as long as it is called to—day, i.e. in this
temporal life. For we shall be so abundantly provided with spiritual food after
this life unto eternity, that it will not then be called daily bread; because there
the flight of time, which causes days to succeed days, whence it may be called
to—day, will not exist. But as it is said, “To-day, if ye will hear His voice,’ which
the apostle interprets in the Epistle to the Hebrews, ‘As long as it is called
to—day;’ so here also the expression is to be understood, ‘Give us this day.’
NPNFI: Vol. V1, The Harmony ofthe Gospels, Book II, Chapter 7.27.

Here by that rule I would wish to take ‘the sons of men’ of those that from old
men have been regenerated by faith. For these, by certain obscure passages
of Scripture, as it were the closed eyes of God, are exercised that they may
seek: and again, by certain clear passages, as it were the open eyes of God,
are enlightened that they may rejoice. And this frequent closing and opening
 The Self-Interpreting Nature of Scripture 249
in the holy Books are as it were the eyelids of God; which question, that is,
which try the ‘sons of men;’ who are neither wearied with the obscurity of the
matter, but exercised; nor puffed up by knowledge, but confirmed. NPNFI:
Vol. VIII, St. Augustin on the Psalms, Psalm 11.8.

Commenting on Matt. 23:2-3: When bad members of the clergy hear this
that is said against them in this text, they try to twist the meaning. Yes, I’ve
actually heard some of them trying to twist the meaning of this judgment.
If they were allowed to, wouldn’t they simply delete it from the gospel? But
because they can't delete it, they look for ways of twisting its meaning. But
the grace and mercy of the Lord is at hand, and he doesn’t let them do so,
because he has hedged all his judgments round with his truth, and balanced
them. Thus no matter who tries to cut something out or to tamper with it
by reading or interpreting it wrongly, the person of sound and solid sense
should join to scripture what has been cut out of scripture, and read what goes
before or comes after, and they will find the true meaning which the others
tried to explain away wrongly. WSA, Part 3, Vol. 4, Sermons, Sermon 137.7, p. 376.

The depths of meaning in the word of God are there to excite our eagerness
to study, not to prevent us from understanding. If everything was locked up
in riddles, there would be no clue to the opening up of obscure passages.
WSA, Part 3, Vol. 5, Sermons, Sermon 156.1, p. 96.

Our thoughts, my dearest brothers and sisters, in reflecting on and discussing

the holy scriptures must be guided by the indisputable authority of the same
scriptures, so that we may deal faithfully both with what is said clearly for
the purpose of giving us spiritual nourishment, and what is said obscurely in
order to give us spiritual exercise. Who, after all, would dare to expound the
divine mysteries otherwise than has been practiced and prescribed by the mind
and mouth of an apostle? WSA, Part 3, Vol. 10, Sermons, Sermon 363.1, p. 270. (414 AD.).

Theodoret of Cyrrhus (393-466)

Eran. — We have gone through many and sound arguments, but I was anxious
to know the force of the Gospel saying.
Orth. — You stand in need of no interpretation from without. The
evangelist himself interprets himself. For after saying ‘the Word was made
flesh,’ he goes on ‘and dwelt among us.’ That is to say by dwelling in us, and
using the flesh taken from us asa kind of temple, He is said to have been made
flesh, and, teaching that He remained unchanged, the evangelist adds ‘and
we beheld His glory — the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of
250 HOLY SCRIPTURE

grace and truth.’ For though clad with flesh He exhibited His Father's nobility,
shot forth the beams of the Godhead, and emitted the radiance of the power
of the Lord, revealing by His works of wonder His hidden nature. A similar
illustration is afforded by the words of the divine apostle to the Philippians:
‘Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form
of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of
no reputation and took upon Him the form of a servant and was made in the
likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man he humbled Himself
and became obedient unto death even the death of the cross.’ NPNF2: Vol. III,
Theodoret, Dialogue I—The Immutable. Orthodoxos and Eranistes.
 Chapter 5

The Holy Spirit Makes Scripture

Understandable for Those who Pray and
Walk in Obedience

Justin Martyr (wrote after 151)

But pray that, above all things, the gates of light may be opened to you; for
these things cannot be perceived or understood by all, but only by the man
to whom God and His Christ have imparted wisdom.’ ANF: Vol. I, Dialogue of
Justin, Chapter 7.

Then I continued, ‘I purpose to quote to you Scriptures, not that I am anx-

ious to make merely an artful display of words; for I possess no such faculty,
but God’s grace alone has been granted to me to the understanding of His
Scriptures, of which grace I exhort all to become partakers freely and bounte-
ously, in order that they may not, through want of it, incur condemnation
in the judgment which God the Maker of all things shall hold through my
Lord Jesus Christ.’ ANF: Vol. I, Dialogue ofJustin, Chapter 58.

Unless, therefore, a man by God’s great grace receives the power to understand
what has been said and done by the prophets, the appearance of being able
to repeat the words or the deeds will not profit him, if he cannot explain
the argument of them. ANF: Vol, I, Dialogue ofJustin, Chapter 92.

For I have showed already that Christ is called both Jacob and Israel; and I
252 HOLY SCRIPTURE
have proved that it is not in the blessing of Joseph and Judah alone that what
relates to Him was proclaimed mysteriously, but also in the Gospel it is writ-
ten that He said: ‘All things are delivered unto me by My Father;’and, “No
man knoweth the Father but the Son; nor the Son but the Father, and they
to whom the Son will reveal Him.’ Accordingly He revealed to us all that
we have perceived by His grace out of the Scriptures, so that we know Him
to be the first—-begotten of God, and to be before all creatures...ANF: Vol. I,
Dialogue of
Justin, Chapter 100.

Then I said again, ‘Would you suppose, sirs, that we could ever have under-
stood these matters in the Scriptures, if we had not received grace to discern
by the will of Him whose pleasure it was? ANF: Vol. 1, Dialogue ofJustin, Chapter 119.

Irenaeus (130 —c. 200)

If, therefore, even with respect to creation, there are some things [the knowl-
edge of] which belongs only to God, and others which come within the range
of our own knowledge, what ground is there for complaint, if, in regard to
those things which we investigate in the Scriptures (which are throughout
spiritual), we are able by the grace of God to explain some of them, while
we must leave others in the hands of God, and that not only in the present
world, but also in that which is to come, so that God should for ever teach,
and man should for ever learn the things taught him by God? ANF: Vol. I,
Against Heresies, 2.28.3.

That Christ, then, being Son of God before all the world, is with the Father,
both being with the Father and being with men in a close and intimate com-
munion, and king of all, for the Father has made all subject to Him, and Sav-
iour of those who believe in Him — such is the message of similar passages
of Scripture. Since it is beyond our scope and power to draw up an ordered
list of all the Scriptures, you will comprehend from these passages the oth-
ers also, that speak in like manner, believing Christ and seeking from God
wisdom and understanding to understand what was said by the prophets.
ACW, Vol. 16, St. Irenaeus: Proofofthe Apostolic Preaching, 52. The Message ofScripture, p. 81.

Tertullian (c. 160—c. 220)

Arise, therefore, Truth; arise, and as it were burst forth from Thy patience!
No custom do I wish Thee to defend; for by this time even that custom under
 Understanding Through the Holy Spirit, Prayer and Obedience 253
which Thou didst enjoy thy own liberty is being stormed! Demonstrate that
it is Thyself who art the coverer of virgins. Interpret in person Thine own
Scriptures, which Custom understandeth not; for, if she had, she never would
have had an existence. ANF: Vol. IV, On the Veiling of Virgins, Chapter 3.

Theophilus of Antioch (A.D. 115-168-181.)

And as regards the others whom you have read, I think you know with suf-
ficient accuracy how they have expressed themselves. But all these things will
every one understand who seeks the wisdom of God, and is well pleasing to
Him through faith and righteousness and the doing of good works. For one
of the prophets whom we already mentioned, Hosea by name, said, ‘Who is
wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them?
for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the
transgressors shall fall therein.’ He, then, who is desirous of learning, should
learn much. Endeavor therefore to meet [with me] more frequently, that,
by hearing the living voice you may accurately ascertain the truth. ANF: Vol.
U, Theophilus to Autolycus, Book Il, Chapter 38.

Tatian (c. 160)

Account Of Tatian’s Conversion: Wherefore, having seen these things, and

moreover also having been admitted to the mysteries, and having everywhere
examined the religious rites performed by the effeminate and the pathic, and
having found among the Romans their Latiarian Jupiter delighting in human
gore and the blood of slaughtered men, and Artemis not far from the great
city sanctioning acts of the same kind, and one demon here and another there
instigating to the perpetration of evil, — retiring by myself, I sought how I
might be able to discover the truth. And, while I was giving my most earnest
attention to the matter, | happened to meet with certain barbaric writings,
too old to be compared with the opinions of the Greeks, and too divine to
be compared with their errors; and I was led to put faith in these (i.e. the
Scriptures) by the unpretending cast of the language, the inartificial character
of the writers, the foreknowledge displayed of future events, the excellent
quality of the precepts, and the declaration of the government of the universe
as centered in one Being. And, my soul being taught of God, I discern that
the former class of writings lead to condemnation, but that these put an
end to the slavery that is in the world, and rescue us from a multiplicity of
254 HOLY SCRIPTURE

rulers and ten thousand tyrants, while they give us, not indeed what we had
not before received, but what we had received but were prevented by error
from retaining. ANF: Vol. II, Tatian’s Address To The Greeks, Chapter 29.

Gregory Thaumaturgus (c. 213-270)

With respect to these human teachers, indeed, he [i.e. Origen] counseled us to

attach ourselves to none of them, not even though they were attested as most
wise by all men, but to devote ourselves to God alone, and to the prophets.
And he himself became the interpreter of the prophets to us, and explained
whatsoever was dark or enigmatical in them. For there are many things of
that kind in the sacred words; and whether it be that God is pleased to hold
communication with men in such a way as that the divine word may not
enter all naked and uncovered into an unworthy soul, such as many are, or
whether it be, that while every divine oracle is in its own nature most clear
and perspicuous, it seems obscure and dark to us, who have apostatized from
God, and have lost the faculty of hearing through time and age, I cannot tell...
These things, moreover, as I judge, he gives forth only and truly by partici-
pation in the Divine Spirit: for there is need of the same power for or those
who prophesy and for those who hear the prophets; and no one can rightly
hear a prophet, unless the same Spirit who prophesies bestows on him the
capacity of apprehending His words. And this principle is expressed indeed
in the Holy Scriptures themselves, when it is said that only He who shutteth
openeth, and no other one whatever; and what is shut is opened when the
word of inspiration explains mysteries. ANF: Vol. VI, Acknowledged Writings, The
Oration and Panegyric Addressed to Origen, Argument 15.

Athanasius (297-373)

But for the searching of the Scriptures and true knowledge of them, an
honorable life is needed, and a pure soul, and that virtue which is according
to Christ; so that the intellect guiding its path by it, may be able to attain
what it desires, and to comprehend it, in so far as it is accessible to human
nature to learn concerning the Word of God. 2. For without a pure mind and
a modeling of the life after the saints, a man could not possibly comprehend
the words of the saints. 3. For just as, if a man wished to see the light of the
sun, he would at any rate wipe and brighten his eye, purifying himselfinsome
sort like what he desires, so that the eye, thus becoming light, may see the light
of the sun; or as, ifa man would see a city or country, he at any rate comes
 Understanding Through the Holy Spirit, Prayer and Obedience 255

to the place to see it; — thus he that would comprehend the mind of those
who speak of God must needs begin by washing and cleansing his soul, by
his manner of living, and approach the saints themselves by imitating their
works; so that, associated with them in the conduct of acommon life, he may
understand also what has been revealed to them by God, and thenceforth, as
closely knit to them, may escape the peril of the sinners and their fire at the
day of judgment, and receive what is laid up for the saints in the kingdom
of heaven, which ‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into
the heart of man,’ whatsoever things are prepared for them that live a virtuous
life, and love the God and Father, in Christ Jesus our Lord: through Whom
and with Whom be to the Father Himself, with the Son Himself, in the Holy
Spirit, honor and might and glory for ever and ever. Amen. NPNF2: Vol. IV, On
the Incarnation of the Word 57.

Hilary of Poitiers (c 315-367)

And therefore we look to Thy support for the first trembling steps of this
undertaking, to Thy aid that it may gain strength and prosper. We look to
Thee to give us the fellowship of that Spirit Who guided the Prophets and
the Apostles, that we may take their words in the sense in which they spoke
and assign its right shade of meaning to every utterance. NPNF2: Vol. IX, On
the Trinity, Book 1.38.

The Apostle who was chosen not of then nor through man, but through Jesus
Christ, to be the teacher of the Gentiles, expounds in language as express as
he can command the secrets of the heavenly Dispensations. He who had been
caught up into the third heaven and had heard unspeakable words, reveals to
the perception of human understanding as much as human nature can receive.
But he does not forget that there are things which cannot be understood in
the moment of hearing. The infirmity of man needs time to review before
the true and perfect tribunal of the mind, that which is poured indiscrimi-
nately into the ears. Comprehension follows the spoken words more slowly
than hearing, for it is the ear which hears, but the reason which under-
stands, though it is God Who reveals the inner meaning to those who seek
it. We learn this from the words written among many other exhortations
to Timothy, the disciple instructed from a babe in the Holy Scriptures by
the glorious faith of his grandmother and mother: Understand what I say;
for the Lord shall give thee understanding in all things. The exhortation to
understand is prompted by the difficulty of understanding. But God’s gift
256 HOLY SCRIPTURE
of understanding is the reward of faith, for through faith the infirmity of
sense is recompensed with the gift of revelation. Timothy, that ‘man of God’
as the Apostle witnesses of him, Paul’s true child in the faith, is exhorted to
understand because the Lord will give him understanding in all things: let us,
therefore, knowing that the Lord will grant us understanding in all things,
remember that the Apostle exhorts us also to understand. NPNF2: Vol. IX, On
the Trinity, Book X1.23.

But yet we do understand them; because he is faithful who said, ‘Ask and it
shall be given you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto
you.’...It is not therefore of ourselves that we understand, but of him who
has given us to understand those things which are beyond our knowledge.
Therefore understanding is to be looked for from him, who will both open
to those who knock, and will show to those who inquire, and will not refuse
those who ask. Psalmus CXXV, §2. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 249.
Hoc forte insolens existimetur. Plane insolens est, si nobis hanc gloriam
praesumimus, si tantum infirmitati nostrae licere volumus, ut tantis temporibus
abstrusa, tantis humani generis obscura aetatibus, in quibus intelligendis frustra
reges laboraverint, ipsi doctores et magistri legis erraverint, nos stulti saeculo, et
purgamenta mundi, et deliramenta sapientibus eorum intelligentiam gloriemur.
Sed tamen intelligimus, quia non mendax est qui dicit: Petite, et dabitur vobis;
quaerite, et inventetis; pulsate, et aperietur vobis...Non ergo ex nobis est quod
intelligimus; sed ex eo, qui quae ignorabilia erant fecit intelligi. Itaque ab eo
speranda intelligentia est: qui et pulsantibus aperiet, et quaerentibus demon-
strabit, et petentibus non negabit. Psalmus CXXV.2, PL 9:685-686.

And then, when Thou hadst breathed into me the breath oflife and endowed
me with the power of thought, Thou didst instruct me in the knowledge
of Thyself, by means of the sacred volumes given us through Thy servants
Moses and the prophets. From them I learnt Thy revelation, that we must
not worship Thee as a lonely God. For their pages taught me of God, not
different from Thee in nature but One with Thee in mysterious unity of
substance. | learnt that Thou art God in God, by no mingling or confusion
but by Thy very nature, since the Divinity which is Thyself dwells in Him Who
is from Thee. But the true doctrine of the perfect birth revealed that Thou,
the Indwelt, and Thou, the Indweller, are not One Person, yet that Thou dost
dwell in Him Who is from Thee. And the voices of Evangelists and Apostles
repeat the lesson, and the very words which fell from the holy mouth of Thy
 Understanding Through the Holy Spirit, Prayer and Obedience 257

Only—begotten are recorded, telling how Thy Son, God the Only—begotten
from Thee the Unbegotten God, was born of the Virgin as man to fulfill the
mystery of my salvation; holy Thou dwellest in Him, by virtue of His true
generation from Thyself, and He in Thee, because of the nature given in His
abiding birth from Thee. NPNF2: Vol. IX, On the Trinity Book VI.19.

And it is obvious that these dissensions concerning the faith result from a
distorted mind, which twists the words of Scripture into conformity with its
opinion, instead of adjusting that opinion to the words of Scripture. NPNF2:
Vol. IX, On the Trinity, Book VIL.4.

It is a matter requiring great diligence to consider the force of the words used,
and to know what belongs to each thing in the meaning of what is said... in
the divine Scriptures...ifan impious ear and a rustic mind should hear them,
it may neglect them as useless and unnecessary, but if a hearer or reader, ear-
nestly desirous of the knowledge of God, shall have approached them, whose
frequent reading and gift of spiritual grace shall have given him knowledge
to discern and understand the several matters contained therein, he will
admire everything, and will use them according to their proper powers and
qualities... Psalmus CXXXIYV, v. 1. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 249.
Magnae autem diligentiae res est, virtutem verborum collocatorum ex-
pendere, et scire quid cuique rei sub eorum quae dicta sunt significatione sit
proprium...in divinis Scripturis... si eas impia auris et mens rustica audiat,
tamquam otiosas et non necessarias negligat; at vero si cadens ad cognitionem
Dei auditor aut lector adstiterit, et cui frequens lectio, et spiritalis gratiae
donum scientiam dijucandi singula, intelligendique praestiterit; mirabitur
omnia, atque his secundum naturals eorum virtutes et efficientias utetur...
Psalmus CXXXTV, v. 1,. PL 9:753.

Cyril of Jerusalem (318-386)

See, I pray thee, how great a dignity Jesus bestows on thee. Thou weft called
a Catechumen, while the word echoed round thee from without; hearing of
hope, and knowing it not; hearing mysteries, and not understanding them;
hearing Scriptures, and not knowing their depth. The echo is no longer around
thee, but within thee; for the indwelling Spirit henceforth makes thy mind
a house of God. When thou shalt have heard what is written concerning
the mysteries, then wilt thou understand things which thou knewest not.
NPNF2: Vol. VII, Catechetical Lectures, Procatechesis 6.

’ 2%
And again: ‘Go to the bee and learn how industrious she is’; how, hovering
258 HOLY SCRIPTURE
about flowers of all kinds, she gathers the honey for your use, that you also, by
ranging over the sacred Scriptures, may lay hold of salvation for yourself, and
sated [i.e. filled] with the Scriptures, you may say: ‘How sweet to my palate
are your promises, sweeter than honey to my mouth!’ FC, Vol. 61, Carechetical
Lectures, Lecture (X.13, p. 192.

It must therefore belong to Jesus Christ’s grace itself to grant both to us to

speak without deficiency, and to you to hear with discretion; for discretion is
needful not to them only who speak, but also to them that hear, lest they hear
one thing, and misconceive another in their mind. NPNF2: Vol. VII, Carechetical
Lectures, Lecture XV1.2.

Epiphanius of Salamis (310/320—403)

Now if the Son says, ‘Neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son, and
no man knoweth the Son save the Father, how can he not know the lesser
thing when he knows the greater thing, the Father? But these words are sacred
and spoken by the Holy Spirit, and are unknowable by those who have not
received the gift and grace of the Holy Spirit. (6) For such are the Arians with
their wavering spirit and feeble intellect, and even in their minor deviations
they slip into hurtful ones. The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis: Book II and III (Sects
47-80, De Fide) 69. Against the Arian Nuts, 43,5-6, pp 361-362.

Search the divine Scriptures and learn from the powerful Holy Spirit, and
the Spirit itself who knows both the Father and the Son, will reveal to you
the knowledge of the Word, the Son of God, so that you may not wander
from the truth and lose your own soul. Ancoratus 19. Translation by William Goode,
Vol. 3, p. 253. .
"Epevvnoov tds Geias Tpadds, kal pdbe tod aylou Mvetpatos
THY SUvapty, Kal AUTO TO Iveta TO ywdokov Tov Tatépa Kal Tov
Yiov, atokah’TTEt Got Tv Tot Adyou Tod YLod Tod @eod YVOOLV,
(va [11] TAaVNAIs THs aAnbetas, kal ato aTs THY ceauTOD uXyV.
Ancoratus 19, PG 43:52-53.

Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335-395)

Thus does our reason, under the guidance of the Scripture, place not only the
Only—begotten but the Holy Spirit as well above the creation, and prompt
us in accordance with our Savior’s command to contemplate Him by faith
in the blessed world of life giving and uncreated existence: and so this unit
which we believe in, above creation, and sharing in the supreme and absolutely
 Understanding Through the Holy Spirit, Prayer and Obedience 259
perfect nature, cannot be regarded as in any way a ‘less,’ although this teacher
of heresy attempt to curtail its infinitude by introducing the idea of degrees,
and thus contracting the divine perfection by defining a greater and a less as
residing in the Persons. NPNF2: Vol. V, Against Eunomius, Letter 1, Gregory to his brother
Peter, bishop of Sebasteia.

Gregory of Nazianzus (329/330-389)

Who is the man, whose heart has never been made to burn, as the Scriptures
have been opened to him, with the pure words of God which have been tried
in a furnace; who has not, by a triple inscription of them upon the breadth
of his heart, attained the mind of Christ; nor been admitted to the treasures
which to most men remain hidden, secret, and dark, to gaze upon the riches
therein? and become able to enrich others, comparing spiritual things with
spiritual. NPNF2: Vol. VIL, Oration 11.96.

Basil of Caesarea (AD. 329-379)

To a widow. Enjoying as you do the consolation of the Holy Scriptures, you

stand in need neither of my assistance nor of that of anybody else to help you
to comprehend your duty. You have the all-sufficient counsel and guidance
of the Holy Spirit to lead you to what is right. NPNF2: Vol. VIII, Letters, Letter 283.
"Exovoa S€ Thy €k TOV Geiwv Mpaddv tapdaKAnow, ote niwv ovTeE
dAAou TLVOSs SenOyon Tpds TO TA SEoVTA OVVOPaV, AUTAPKH TH EK
Tov daylou Ivetpatos éxovca oupfovadtav Kal oSnylav pds TO
OULEPOV. Epistola CCLXXXIIL, Ad viuam, PG 32:1020.

Ambrose (c. 339-397)

Let God Himself, Who made me, teach me the mystery of heaven, not man,
who knew not himself. Whom rather than God should I believe concerning
God? NPNF2: Vol. X, The Letters of St. Ambrose, Letter 18.7.

On consideration, your Majesty, of the reason wherefore men have so far gone
astray, or that many—alas!—should follow diverse ways of belief concerning
the Son of God, the marvel seems to be, not at all that human knowledge has
been baffled in dealing with superhuman things, but that it has not submit-
ted to the authority of the Scriptures. NPNF2: Vol. X, Of the Christian Faith, Book
IV, Chapter 1.1.

God teaches and illuminates the minds of each, and pours into them the
260 HOLY SCRIPTURE

light of knowledge, if thou dost open the doors of they heart, and dost give
entertainment to the light of heavenly grace. When thou art in doubt, in-
quire diligently; for he that seeks finds, and to him that knocks it is opened.
There is much obscurity in the prophetical Scriptures; but if with the hand
of thy mind thou dost knock at the gate of the Scriptures, and diligently
examine those things that are hidden, thou wilt begin by degrees to collect
the meaning of the words; and it shall be opened to thee by no other than
the Word of God, of whom thou hast read in the Apocalypse, that the Lamb
opened the sealed book. Psa/mus CXXXIV (119), Sermo Octavus 59. Translation by Wil-
liam Goode, Vol. 3, p. 263.
Docet autem Deus, et mentes illuminat singulorum, et claritatem cognitio-
nis infundit, si tu aperias ostia cordis tui, et coelestis gratiae recipias claritatem.
Quando dubitas, diligenter inquiras; qui enim quaerit, invenit, et ei qui pulsat,
aperitur. Multa obscuritas est in scripturis propheticis: sed si manu quadam
mentis tuae Scripturarum januam pulses, et ea quae sunt occulta, diligenter
examines, paulatim incipies rationem colligere dictorum; et aperietur tibi non
ab alio, sed a Dei Verbo, de quo legisti in Apocalypsi, quod Agnus librum
signatum aperult, Psalmus CXXXIV (119), Sermo Octavus 59, PL 15:1319-1320.

To enable him to interpret the word, let him seek the assistance of God.
Expositio Evangelii secundum Lucam, Liber Octavus 64. Translation by William Goode, Vol.
3, p. 264.
Ut verbum emolat, Deum quaerat: Expositio Evangelii secundum Lucam, Liber
Octavus 64, PL 15:1784.

Does it not sometimes happen, that when we think of anything out of the
Scriptures, and cannot find its interpretation, while we doubt and seek, sud-
denly he [i. e. God the Word] appears to come to us over the mountains, that
is, the highest doctrines, and then appearing to us as it were above the hills,
illuminates our mind, that he may infuse into our understandings that which
seemed difficult to us to find out? Therefore the Word, from being as it were
absent, becomes present in our hearts. And, again, when anything is rather
obscure to us, the Word is as it were withdrawn, and we desire his presence as
that of one who is absent; and, again appearing, he shows himself to us, and is
as it were present to us in the knowledge of those things we are inquiring into.
Psalmus CXXXIV (119), Sermo Sextus 9. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 263.
Nonne cum aliquid de Scripturis cogitamus, et explanationem ejus invenire
non possumus, dum dubitamus, dum quaerimus, subito nobis quasi super
montes altissima dogmata videtur ascendere: deinde quasi super colles apparens
nobis, illuminat mentem; ut infundat sensibus, quod invenire posse difficile
videbatur? Ergo quasi ex absente fit praesens Verbum in cordibus nostris. Et
 Understanding Through the Holy Spirit, Prayer and Obedience 261
rursus cum aliquid nobis subobscurum est, tamquam subducitur Verbum,
et tamquam absentis adventum desideramus: et iterum apparens ostendit se
nobis, tamquam praesens sit nobis in iis, quae requirimus, cgnoscendis. Psalmus
CXXXIV (119), Sermo Sextus 9, PL 15:1270.

Niceta of Remesiana (335-415)

You will find in David's psalms everything that can help edify and console men
and women of every class and age. Children will find milk for their minds;
boys, material to praise God; youths, corrections for their ways; young men,
a model to follow; and old men, food for prayer. Women can learn mod-
esty. Orphans wiil find in David a father; widows, a vindicator; the poor, a
protector; strangers, a guardian. Rulers and magistrates learn lessons in fear.
A psalm consoles the sad, tempers the joyous, calms the angry, consoles the
poor and stirs the conscience of the rich. A psalm offers medicine for all who
will receive it—including even the sinner, to whom it brings the cure of holy
penance and tears.
The Holy Spirit makes ample provision so that even the hardest and
most recalcitrant hearts may, little by little, be glad to receive the medicine
of these revealed words. Ordinarily, human nature runs away from what is
hard, even though it is salutary, rejecting such things or, at least, taking them
only when they seem to be tempting. Through david his servant, the Lord
prepared a medicine, powerful enough to cure the wounds of sin, yet sweet
to the taste by reason of the melody. For, when a psalm is sung, it is sweet to
the ear. It enters the soul because it is pleasant. It is easily retained if it is often
enough repeated. Confessions that no severity of law can extort from the heart
are willingly made under the sweet influence of song. There is contained in
these songs, for those who meditate on them, all that is consoling in the
Law, the Prophets and even the Gospels. FC, Vol. 7, Writings ofNiceta ofRemesiana,
Liturgical Singing (De utilitate hymnorum) 5-6, pp. 68-69.

Jerome (347-420)

Hear me, therefore, my fellow-servant, my friend, my brother; give ear for a

moment that I may tell you how you are to walk in the holy scriptures. All that
we read in the divine books, while glistening and shining without, is yet far
sweeter within. ‘He who desires to eat the kernel must first break the nut.’
‘Open thou mine eyes,’ says David, ‘that I may behold wondrous things out
of thy law.’ Now, if so great a prophet confesses that he is in the darkness of
262 HOLY SCRIPTURE
ignorance; how deep, think you, must be the night of misapprehension with
which we, mere babes and unweaned infants, are enveloped! Now this veil
rests not only on the face of Moses, but on the evangelists and the apostles as
well. To the multitudes the Savior spoke only in parables and, to make it clear
that His words had a mystical meaning, said: — ‘he that hath ears to hear, let
him hear.’ Unless all things that are written are opened by Him ‘who hath
the key of David, who openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no
man openeth,’ no one can undo the lock or set them before you. If only you
had the foundation which He alone can give; nay, if even His fingers were
but passed over your work; there would be nothing finer than your volumes,
nothing more learned, nothing more attractive, nothing more Latin. NPNF2:
Vol. VI, The Letters of St. Jerome, Letter 58 — To Paulinus 9.

I end as I began, not content to have given you but a single warning. Love the
holy scriptures, and wisdom will love you. Love wisdom, and it will keep you
safe. Honor wisdom, and it will embrace you round about. Let the jewels on
your breast and in your ears be the gems of wisdom. Let your tongue know
no theme but Christ, let no sound pass your lips that is not holy, and let your
words always reproduce that sweetness of which your grandmother and your
mother set you the example. Imitate them, for they are models of virtue. NPNF2:
Vol. VI, The Letters of St. Jerome, Letter 130 — To Demetrias 20.

Chrysostom (349-407)

Say not then, ‘How shall I approach Him for them?’ Himself will listen to
their prayers. And the Catechumens’ prayer, what can it be but that they may
not remain Catechumens? Next, he suggesteth also the manner of the prayer.
And what is this? “That He would open the ears of their hearts;’ for they are
as yet shut and stopped up. ‘Ears,’ he saith, not these which be outward, but
those of the understanding, so as to hear ‘the things which eye hath not seen,
nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man.’ (1 Corinthians
2:9. Isaiah 54:4.) For they have not heard the untold mysteries; but they stand
somewhere at a distance and far off from them; and even if they should hear,
they know not what is said; for those [mysteries] need much understanding,
not hearing only: and the inward ears as yet they have not: wherefore also He
next invoketh for them a Prophet's gift, for the Prophet spoke on this wise;
‘God giveth me the tongue of instruction, that I should know how to speak
a word in season; for He opened my mouth; He gave to me betimes in the
 Understanding Through the Holy Spirit, Prayer and Obedience 263

morning; He granted me a hearing ear.’ (Isaiah 1. 4. Sept.) For as the Prophets

heard otherwise than the many, so also do the faithful than the Catechumens.
Hereby the Catechumen also is taught not to learn to hear these things of
men, (for He saith, ‘Call no man master upon the earth, but from above,
from heaven, “For they shall be all taught of God.” (Isaiah 54:13.). NPNFI:
Vol. XII, Homilies on Second Corinthians, Homily 2.

Then let us not make pretexts and excuses, and all will be easy. For, to show
you that all this is mere excuse, answer me this: Do you know what you ought
to do, and what to leave undone? Then why do you not what you ought?
Do that, and by right reason seek of God, and He will assuredly reveal it to
thee. NPNFI: Vol. XI, Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles, Homily 33.

And so ye also, if ye be willing to apply to the reading of him with a ready

mind, will need no other aid. For the word of Christ is true which saith,
‘Seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.’ (Matthew
7:7.) NPNFI: Vol. X1, Homilies on the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans, The Argument.

John1.18.—‘No man hath seen God at any time; the Only-begotten Son, which
is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.’
God will not have us listen to the words and sentences contained in the
Scriptures carelessly, but with much attention. This is why the blessed David
hath prefixed in many places to his Psalms the title ‘for understanding,’ and
hath said, ‘Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of
Thy Law.’ (Ps. xxxii. 42, &c.; Ps. cxix. 18.) And after him his son again shows
that we ought to ‘seek out wisdom as silver, and to make merchandise of her
rather than ofgold.’ (Prov. ii. 4 and iii. 14 [partially quoted]; John v. 39.) And
the Lord when He exhorts the Jews to ‘search the Scriptures,’ the more urges
us to the enquiry, for He would not thus have spoken if it were possible to
comprehend them immediately at the first reading. No one would ever search
for what is obvious and at hand, but for that which is wrapt in shadow, and
which must be found after much enquiry; and so to arouse us to the search
He calls them ‘hidden treasure.’ (Prov. ii. 4; Matt. xiii. 44.) These words are
said to us that we may not apply ourselves to the words of the Scriptures
carelessly or in a chance way, but with great exactness. NPNF1: Vol. XIV, Homilies
on the Gospel according to St. John, Homily 15.

Knowest thou not what is said? Why then pray that thou mayest learn: but
sure it is impossible to be ignorant of all things. For many things are of
themselves evident and clear. And further, even if thou be ignorant of all,
even so oughtest thou to be quiet, not to put out them that are attentive;
264 HOLY SCRIPTURE
that God, accepting thy quietness and thy reverence, may make the obscure
things also plain. NPNFI: Vol. XII, Homilies on First Corinthians, Homily 36.
Mark how he disapproves of questioning. For where faith exists, there is no need
of question. Where there is no room for curiosity, questions are superfluous.
Questioning is the subversion of faith. For he that seeks has not yet found.
He who questions cannot believe. Therefore it is his advice that we should not
be occupied with questions, since ifwequestion, it is not faith; for faith sets
reasoning at rest. But why then does Christ say, ‘Seek and ye shall find, knock
and it shall be opened unto you’ (Matt. vii. 7); and, ‘Search the Scriptures,
for in them ye think ye have eternal life’? (John vy. 39.) The seeking there is
meant of prayer and vehement desire, and He bids ‘search the Scriptures,’
not to introduce the labors of questioning, but to end them, that we may
ascertain and settle their true meaning, not that we may be ever questioning,
but that we may have done with it. NPNF1: Vol. XIII, Homilies on the First Epistle of
Paul to Timothy, Homily 1.

In the case of the Holy Scriptures, on the contrary, and these spiritual gems
of great value, there is no cause for suspecting danger, the effort is not great
whereas the gain is beyong telling, provided we enthusiastically put into it
what lies in our power. Grace, you see, is always active, seeking those that
welcome it with readiness. Such, after all, is our Lord: when he sees an alert
soul and fervent desire, out of his own prodigality he lavishes upon it riches
of his that surpass the request being made. FC, Vol. 74, Homilies on Genesis 1-17,
Homily 9.2, p. 118.

For my part, on the contrary, I beg you all not to pass heedlessly by the
contents of Holy Scripture. I mean, there is nothing in the writings at this
point which does not contain a great wealth of thought; after all, since the
blessed authors composed under the inspiration of the divine Spirit, on that
account they hold concealed within them great treasure because written by
the Spirit. Don’t be surprised if in the list of names I guarantee to show you a
great wealth of thought hidden there. You see, there is not even a syllable or even
one letter contained in Scripture which does not have great treasure concealed
in its depths. Hence we must be guided by grace from above and accept the
enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, and only then approach the divine sayings.
That is to say, Sacred Scripture does not call into play human wisdom for
the understanding of its writings, but the revelation of the Spirit, so that we
may learn the true meaning of its contents and draw from it a.great benefit.
After all, if in daily affairs the writings composed by human beings frequently
become corrupt through the passage of time, judging by the date mentioned
at the beginning ofthe text, and still contain great significance in even a single
 Understanding Through the Holy Spirit, Prayer and Obedience 265

syllable, so much the more in the case of the Holy Scriptures composed
by the Holy Spirit can we find this, provided we are alert and do not rush
heedlessly on but sharpen our responses and consider everything precisely,
proving ourselves no worse than people demonstrating a like enthusiasm for
material things. FC, Vol. 82, Homilies on Genesis 18-45, Homily 21.1, pp. 50-51.
Notice, I ask you, the insight of this remarkable author—or rather, the instruc-
tion of the Holy Spirit. I mean, he utters everything to us under the influence
of inspiration; he brought his tongue to the task, while the grace of the Spirit
teaches everything clearly to us in our human condition by means of him.
FC, Vol. 82, Homilies on Genesis 18-45, Homily 21.3, p. 52.

I know, ofcourse, that with your brains you will find many other such contrasts
contained in the Scriptures. This, after all, was the reason why they were
composed for our benefit, that we should learn these things and so shun evil
and prefer virtue. FC, Vol. 82, Homilies on Genesis 18-45, Homily 23.6, p. 92.

We have, you see, a loving Lord, and when he sees us anxious to learn and
demonstrating a keen appetite for understanding the divine sayings, he
doesn't allow us to want for anything; instead, he immediately enlightens our
thinking, bestows illumination from himself, and in his inventive wisdom
he implants in our soul the whole of his trustworthy instruction. FC, Vol. 82,
Homilies on Genesis 18-45, Homily 24.2, p. 105.

Begins his 35th Homily on Genesis in the following manner: The reading of
the Holy Scriptures, dearly beloved, is a great blessing. This it is that arouses
the soul to an appreciation of wisdom, this directs the mind to heaven, this
brings the man to a thankful attitude, this prevents our getting excited over
any earthly reality, this brings our thinking to rest in the world beyond and
ourselves to do everything with a view to reward from the Lord and to deal
with the trials of virtue with great readiness. From this source, you see, you
can gain a precise understanding of the providence of God’s prompt retribu-
tion, the fortitude of good people, the Lord’s goodness and the greatness of his
rewards. From this source you can be stirred to ardent imitation of noble men’s
good sense in not fainting under the struggles of virtue but rather maintaining
hope in God’s promises before their realization.
Hence, I beseech you, let us practice the reading of the holy scriptures
with great zeal. This, after all, is the way to fortify our knowledge, too, ifwe
are assiduous in applying ourselves to their contents. I mean, it isnot possible
for the person who is in touch with the divine message in a spirit of zeal and
fervent desire ever to suffer neglect; rather, even should a human teacher not
come our way, the Lord himself would come from on high to enlighten our
266 HOLY SCRIPTURE

minds, shed light on our thinking, bring to our attention what had slipped
our notice, and act as our instructor in what we have no knowledge of—pro-
vided we are prepared to contribute what lies in our power. Scripture says,
remember, ‘Do not call anyone on earth your teacher.’ When therefore we
take an inspired book in our hands, let us concentrate, collect our thoughts
and dispel every worldly thought, and let us in this manner do our reading
with great devotion, with great attention so that we may be able to be led by
the Holy Spirit towards the understanding of the writings and may gain great
benefit from them. FC, Vol. 82, Homilies on Genesis 18-45, Homily 35.1-2, pp. 304-309.

Besides, what benefit would there be in a homily when prayer has not been
joined to it? Prayer stands in the first place; then comes the word ofinstruc-
tion. And that is what the apostles said: “Let us devote ourselves to prayer and
the ministry of the word.’ Paul does this when he prays at the beginning of
his epistles so that, like the light of a lamp, the light of prayer may prepare
the way for the word. If you accustom yourselves to pray fervently, you will
not need instruction from your fellow servants because God himself, with
no intermediary, enlightens you mind. FC, Vol. 72, One the Incomprehensible Nature
of God, Homily 3.35, p. 111.

Commenting on Is. 1:12: But why did the prophet say, Who asked this from
your hands?’ I leave this to you to explain: you will be in a position to find
such explanations if you give evidence of a pure life. After all, if he sum-
moned Cornelius on account of his excellent life to knowledge of ineffable
things, and on account of his diligent reading he caused the eunuch also to
find knowledge, much more will he teach you things that are less obscure
since you are already enjoying faith, provided you give evidence of an upright
life. You see, just as an impure life is an obstacle to knowledge of these things
(as Paul says, ‘I could not speak to you as to spiritual people, since there were
quarrels and jealousies among you,’ and Isaiah likewise, They were anxious to
know my ways as if a people of righteous behavior’), so a pure life and zeal
in the search provide guidance. ‘Seek,’ Scripture says, remember, ‘and you
will find.’ Robert Charles Hill, trans., St John Chrysostom: Commentary on the Psalms, Vol. 1,
Psalm 44 (Brookline: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1998), p. 240.

Augustine (354-430)

I believe that God will lend us his aid so that Scripture, being read by good
men inspired by piety, may avail not against one false and bad opinion only
but against all. John H. S. Burleigh, ed., The Library of Christian Classics, Vol. VI, Augustine
Earlier Writings: Of True Religion, ix, 16. (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1953),
oh Doky
 Understanding Through the Holy Spirit, Prayer and Obedience 267
Thus much I believed, at one time more strongly than another, yet did I ever
believe both that Thou weft, and hadst a care of us, although I was ignorant
both what was to be thought of Thy substance, and what way led, or led back
to Thee. Seeing, then, that we were too weak by unaided reason to find
out the truth, and for this cause needed the authority of the holy writings,
I had now begun to believe that Thou wouldest by no means have given
such excellency of authority to those Scriptures throughout all lands, had it
not been Thy will thereby to be believed in, and thereby sought. For now
those things which heretofore appeared incongruous to me in the Scripture,
and used to offend me, having heard divers of them expounded reasonably, I
referred to the depth of the mysteries, and its authority seemed to me all the
more venerable and worthy of religious belief, in that, while it was visible for
all to read it, it reserved the majesty of its secrets within its profound signifi-
cance, stooping to all in the great plainness of its language and lowliness of
its style, yet exercising the application of such as are not light of heart;’ that
it might receive all into its common bosom, and through narrow passages
waft over some few towards Thee, yet many more than if it did not stand
upon such a height of authority, nor allured multitudes within its bosom by
its holy humility. These things I meditated upon, and Thou wert with me;
I sighed, and Thou heardest me; I vacillated, and Thou didst guide me; I
roamed through the broad way of the world, and Thou didst not desert me.
NPNFI: Vol. 1, The Confessions of St. Augustine, Book VI, Chapter 5, $8.

Love to read the sacred Letters, and you will not find many things to ask
of me. By reading and meditating, if you pray wholeheartedly to God, the
Giver of all good things, you will learn all that is worth knowing, or at least
you will learn more under His inspiration than through the instruction of
any man. FC, Vol. 20, Saint Augustine Letters, 140. AddressedtoHonoratus (412 AD), Chapter
37, pp. 135-136. Honoratus was a catechumen.

I do not want you to depend on my authority, so as to think that you must

believe something because it is said by me; you should rest your belief either
on the canonical Scriptures, if you do not see how true something is, or on
the truth made manifest to you interiorly, so that you may see clearly. FC, Vol.
20, Saint Augustine Letters, 147. Augustine to the noble lady Paulina, greeting, Chapter 2, p. 171.

Whoever is transported beyond the bounds of his mind to understand this

sees God even when He is thought absent; whoever cannot do this should ask
and strive to deserve to be able to do it. But let him not knock at the door of
man, the arguer, to ask that he may read what he does not read, but at the
268 HOLY SCRIPTURE
door of God the Saviour, that he may be strengthened to do what he is now
noble
not strong enough to do. FC, Vol. 20, Saint Augustine Letters, 147. Augustine to the
lady Paulina, greeting, Chapter 29, p. 198.

For we are not going to say that God is called Love because love itself is a
substance worthy of the name of God, but because it is a gift of God, as it is
said to God, ‘Thou art my patience.’ For this is not said because our patience
is God’s substance, but in that He Himself gives it to us; as it is elsewhere read,
‘Since from Him is my patience.’ For the usage of words itself in Scripture
sufficiently refutes this interpretation; for “Thou art my patience’ is of the
same kind as ‘Thou, Lord, art my hope,’ and “The Lord my God is my mercy,’
and many like texts. And it is not said, O Lord my love, or, Thou art my love,
or, God my love; but it is said thus, “God is love,’ as it is said, “God is a Spirit.’
And he who does not discern this, must ask understanding from the Lord,
not an explanation from us; for we cannot say anything more clearly. NPNF1:
Vol. III, On the Trinity, Book 15, Chapter 17.27.

Let not, however, things like these disturb thee, my beloved son. For it is
foretold to us that there must needs be heresies and stumbling—blocks, that
we may be instructed among our enemies; and that so both our faith and our
love may be the more approved,—our faith, namely, that we should not be
deceived by them; and our love, that we should take the utmost pains we can
to correct the erring ones themselves; not only watching that they should do no
injury to the weak, and that they should be delivered from their wicked error,
but also praying for them, that God would open their understanding, and
that they might comprehend the Scriptures. NPNFI: Vol. IV, A Treatise Concerning
the Correction of the Donatists, Chapter 1.2.

Let us, then, understand the calling whereby they become elected, — not
those who are elected because they have believed, but who are elected that
they may believe. For the Lord Himself also sufficiently explains this calling
when He says, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you. For if they
had been elected because they had believed, they themselves would certainly
have first chosen Him by believing in Him, so that they should deserve to be
elected. But He takes away this supposition altogether when He says ‘Ye have
not chosen me, but I have chosen you.’ NPNFI: Vol. V, A Treatise on the Predestination
of the Saints, Chapter 34.

For what is so much an adversary to those who wish to sin as the.command-

ment of God, i.e. His law and divine Scripture, which has been given us for
this life, that it may be with us in the way, which we must not contradict, lest
 Understanding Through the Holy Spirit, Prayer and Obedience 269

it deliver us to the judge, but which we ought to submit to quickly? For no

one knows when he may depart out of this life. Now, who is it that submits
to divine Scripture, save he who reads or hears it piously, deferring to it as of
supreme authority; so that what he understands he does not hate on this ac-
count, that he feels it to be opposed to his sins, but rather loves being reproved
by it, and rejoices that his maladies are not spared until they are healed; and
so that even in respect to what seems to him obscure or absurd, he does not
therefore raise contentious contradictions, but prays that he may understand,
yet remembering that goodwill and reverence are to be manifested towards
so great an authority? But who does this, unless just the man who has come,
not harshly threatening, but in the meekness of piety, for the purpose of
opening and ascertaining the contents of his father’s will? ‘Blessed,’ therefore,
‘are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” NPNF1: Vol. VI, Our Lord’ Sermon
on the Mount, Book I, Chapter XI.

For if those believed only because they held and handled, what shall we do?
Now, Christ is ascended into heaven; He is not to come save at the end, to
judge the quick and the dead. Whereby shall we believe, but by that whereby
it was His will that even those who handled Him should be confirmed? For
He opened to them the Scriptures and showed them that it behooved Christ
to suffer, and that all things should be fulfilled which were written of Him
in the Law of Moses, and the Prophets, and the Psalms. He embraced in His
discourse the whole ancient text of the Scriptures. All that there is of those
former Scriptures tells of Christ; but only if it find ears. He also ‘opened their
understanding that they might understand the Scriptures.’ Whence we also
must pray for this, that He would open our understanding. NPNF1: Vol. VII,
Ten Homilies on the First Epistle ofJohn, Homily 2.1, | John 2:12-17.

As we listened with much attention, while the Psalm was in reading, so let
us listen attentively, while the Lord revealeth the mysteries which He hath
deigned to obscure in this passage. For some mysteries in the Scriptures are
shut up for this reason, not that they may be denied, but that they may be
opened unto those who knock. If therefore ye knock with affection of piety,
and sincere heartfelt love, He, who seeth from what motives ye knock, will
open unto you. NPNFI: Vol. VIII, St. Augustin on the Psalms, Psalm 94.1.

Since therefore the only-begotten Word, coequal with the Father, is styled a
light; and man when enlightened by the Word is also called a light, who is
styled also a lantern, as John, as the Apostles; and since no man of these is the
Word, and that Word by whom they were enlightened is not a lantern; what
is this word, which is thus called a light and a lantern at the same time,
270 HOLY SCRIPTURE
save we understand the word which was sent unto the Prophets, or which
was preached through the Apostles; not Christ the Word, but the word of
Christ, of which it is written, ‘Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the
word of God’? For the Apostle Peter also, comparing the prophetical word
to a lantern, saith, ‘whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lantern,
that shineth in a dark place.’ What, therefore, he here saith, “Thy word’ is
the word which is contained in all the holy Scriptures. NPNF/: Vol. VIII, St.
Augustin on the Psalms, Psalm 119:105.

Let them ‘lift up their eyes to the hills whence cometh their help’ (ver. 1). What
meaneth, The hills have been lightened? The Son of righteousness hath already
risen, the Gospel hath been already preached by the Apostles, the Scriptures
have been preached, all the mysteries have been laid open, the veil hath been
rent, the secret place of the temple hath been revealed: let them now at length
lift their eyes up to the hills, whence their help cometh... “Of His fullness have
all we received,’ he saith. Thy help therefore is from Him, of whose fullness
the hills received, not from the hills; towards which, nevertheless, save thou
lift thine eyes through the Scriptures, thou wilt not approach, so as to be
lighted by Him. NPNF1: Vol. VIII, St. Augustin on the Psalms, Psalm 121.1.

We might well believe Him, if He only spake: He willed not that we should
believe Him speaking, but that we should have His Scriptures in our hands...
as though a kind of bond of God’s, which all who pass by might read, and
might keep to the path of its promise. NPNFI: Vol. VIII, St. Augustin on the Psalms,
Psalm 145.12.

What's obscure in the holy Scriptures, after all, is not locked up there in
order to be denied us; the reason rather is, that it should be opened up to
us when we knock, as the Lord says himself: Ask, and you shall receive; seek,
and you shall find; knock, and it will be opened to you (Lk 11:9). WSA, Part 3,
Vol. 7, Sermons, Sermon 270.1, p. 288.

But if it should happen that I buckle under the sheer magnitude of the task,
being so feeble and so unequal to the subject that I fail to express it as it
deserves, you have someone to turn to from me. May he, the Son of God
himself, the Word of God, be present in your minds and achieve by convers-
ing with you inwardly what I, as a mere man, cannot achieve outwardly in
your ears. WSA, Part 3, Vol. 11, Newly Discovered Sermons, Sermon 293A.6, p. 256.

Commenting on Jn 1:1—5: These are wonderful and amazing words, even

before they are understood; once understood they have to be wholeheartedly
 Understanding Through the Holy Spirit, Prayer and Obedience 27)

embraced. We are enabled, though, to understand them, not by human

aids but by being inspired to grasp them by the one who was good enough
to inspire fishermen to utter them... Jn the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God, etc. (Jn 1:1). To save you from
wasting your time seeking an understanding of these words from me, I told
you that you can only understand them when you are inspired by the one
whose inspiration was the cause of an uneducated fisherman proclaiming
them. WSA, Part 3, Vol. 11, Newly Discovered Sermons, Sermon 341.3, p. 284, 286.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. This was in the beginning with God (Jn 1:1-2). You were a bit scornful
when you heard ‘the Word’—words are heard all the time, after all; well, don’t
go on being scornful, because the Word was God.
‘And how am I to understand him being God and Word?’ May the one who
gave the fisherman his fill also cause you to drink. Meanwhile, just listen to
the one who's belching, believe his belching, so that you too may climb up
on the ladder of faith and take your fill of lively understanding. WSA, Part 3,
Vol. 11, Newly Discovered Sermons, Sermon 341.5, p. 287.

So, brothers and sisters, I think that’s enough to have put before you. In order
fully to understand it, though, knock at his (God’s) door. WSA, Part 3, Vol. 11,
Newly Discovered Sermons, Sermon 341.8, p. 289.

But we must first bend our necks to the authority of the Holy Scriptures,
in order that we may each arrive at knowledge and understanding through
faith. NPNF1: Vol. V, On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of
Infants,
Book I, Chapter 29.

John Cassian (360—430s?)

We knew also Abbot Theodore, a man gifted with the utmost holiness and
with perfect knowledge not only in practical life, but also in understanding
the Scriptures, which he had not acquired so much by study and reading, or
worldly education, as by purity of heart alone: since he could with difficulty
understand and speak but a very few words of the Greek language. This man
when he was seeking an explanation of some most difficult question, continued
without ceasing for seven days and nights in prayer until he discovered by a
revelation from the Lord the solution of the question propounded. NPNF2:
Vol. XI, Institutes of The Coenobia, 5:33.
Zhe HOLY SCRIPTURE

This man therefore, when some of the brethren were wondering at the splendid
light of his knowledge and were asking of him some meanings of Scripture,
said that a monk who wanted to acquire a knowledge of the Scriptures ought
not to spend his labor on the works of commentators, but rather to keep all
the efforts of his mind and intentions of his heart set on purifying himself
from carnal vices: for when these are driven out, at once the eyes of the heart,
as if the veil of the passions were removed, will begin as it were naturally
to gaze on the mysteries of Scripture: since they were not declared to us by
the grace of the Holy Spirit in order that they should remain unknown and
obscure; but they are rendered obscure by our fault, as the veil of our sins
covers the eyes of the heart, and when these are restored to their natural state
of health, the mere reading of Holy Scripture is by itself amply sufficient for
beholding the true knowledge, nor do they need the aid of commentators,
just as these eyes of flesh need no man’s teaching how to see, provided that
they are free from dimness or the darkness of blindness. For this reason there
have arisen so great differences and mistakes among commentators because
most of them, paying no sort of attention towards purifying the mind, rush
into the work ofinterpreting the Scriptures, and in proportion to the density
or impurity of their heart form opinions that are at variance with and contrary
to each other’s and to the faith, and so are unable to take in the light of truth.
NPNF2: Vol. XI, Institutes ofThe Coenobia, 5:34.
Hic ergo quibusdam fratribus admirantibus tam praeclarum scientiae ejus
lumen, et ab eodem quosdam Scripturarum sensus inquirentibus, ait: Mona-
chum ad Scripturarum notitiam pertingere cupientem, nequaquam debere
labores suos erga commentatorum libros impendere, sed potius omnem mentis
industriam et intentionem cordis erga emundationem vitiorum carnalium
detinere. Quibus expulsis confestim cordis oculi, sublato velamine passionum,
sacramenta Scripturarum velut naturaliter incipient contemplari. Siquidem
nobis non ut essent incognita vel obscura, sancti Spiritus gratia promulgata
sunt: sed nostro vitio velamine peccatorum cordis oculos obnubente redduntur
obscura, quibus rursum naturali redditis sanitati, ipsa Scripturarum sancta-
rum lectio ad contemplationem yerae scientiae abunde etiam sola sufficiat,
nec eos commentatorum institutionibus indigere: sicut oculi isti carnales ad
videndum nullius egent doctrina, si modo fuerint a suffusione, vel caligine
caecitatis immunes. Ideo namque et tanta varietas erroresque inter tractatores
ipsos exorti sunt, quod plerique minime erga purgationem mentis adhibita
diligentia prosilientes ad interpretandum eas, pro pinguedine vel immunditia
cordis sui diversa atque contraria vel fidei, vel sibimet sentientes, veritatis
lumen comprehendere nequiverunt. De Coenobiorum Institutis Libri Duodecim, Liber
Quintus, Caput XXXIV, PL 49:250-254.
 Understanding Through the Holy Spirit, Prayer and Obedience 273

Cyril of Alexandria (patriarch 412-444)

Before anything else, then, you should possess within you a sound understand-
ing and recall holy Scripture’s address: ‘Let your eyes see straight!’ The unseen
inner eyes’ ‘straight’ vision is the capacity for taking a rounded look, as clear
and precise as possible, at any statements about God which may be produced.
We see, in fact, in a glass darkly and know in part, nevertheless he who discloses
deep things out of darkness infuses truth’s light into those intent on acquiring
a sound knowledge of him. We ought, then, to fall down before God and
say: Lighten my eyes lest I sleep unto death.’ It is plain, indeed, that ‘sleeping
unto death’ means lapsing from sound and sacred doctrine; and we fall away
from soundness when we fail to follow inspired Scripture, and instead let
our minds be swayed by prejudices or incline towards parties who do not
tread straight the paths of faith and by so doing stand convicted in the first
instance of harming ourselves. Lionel R. Wickham, trans., Cyril of Alexandria: Select
Letters, On the Creed 3 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1983), p. 97.

Theodoret of Cyrrhus (393-466)

Commenting on Psalm 119:34: The Lord bade us search the Scriptures, but
there is need of light from above for those searching if they are to find what
they are looking for and keep what they have run to ground. FC, Vol. 102, Theo-
doret of Cyrus: Commentary on the Psalms 73-150, Psalm 119.18, p. 252.

Hilary of Arles (c. 401-449)

Commenting on 2 Peter 1:20: You must take care when interpreting the
Scriptures not to be too greatly fixated upon the places, times and people
who wrote them down, as if they were merely human compositions. Rather
you ought to rely on the clarity and sufficiency of the Spirit. Ancient Christian
Commentary on Scripture: New Testament, Vol. XI, James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude, Gerald Bray,
ed. (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2000), p. 141.
Praecavet ne stricte per loca et tempora et personas observarent secundum
humanam mentem. Sed per brevitatem et sufficientiam spiritus. Expositio In
Epistolas Catholicas, PL Sup. UI:110.

Fulgentius of Ruspe (c. 467-532)

Expend the zeal of your heart on the Holy Scriptures; and in them know
who you were, who you are, and who you ought to be. If you approach them
humbly and meekly, there assuredly you will find both prevenient grace by
274 HOLY SCRIPTURE

which the crushed person can rise and accompanying grace by which one
can run along the way of the right route and subsequent grace by which one
can atrive at the blessedness of the heavenly kingdom. FC, Vol. 95, Fulgentius:
Selected Works, Letter 6 — To Theodore the Senator 12, p. 353.

Julianus Pomerius (wrote around the end of the 5th century)

For the treatment of vital questions, though possibly not giving information
to the mind of him who fails to find what he is seeking, at least exercises the
talent of the investigator so that he learns by seeking and not finding that he
does not know what perhaps he presumed he knew; and, as a result of being
made aware of his ignorance, he searches for what he has perceived is lack-
ing, preserves what he has found, and perseveringly makes use of what he has
preserved; or if he has been able to treat profitably and explain adequately, for
example a passage proposed to him from Sacred Scripture, he does not pride
himself on his discovery of truth but glories in the Lord, who has enlightened
him inwardly to understand the things on which he was to shed light. For,
as learning without the gift of God, which is charity, makes one conceited,
so it edifies if charity is mingled with it. ACW, Vol. 4, Mary Josephine Suelzer, trans.,
Julianus Pomerius: The Contemplative Life (New York: Newman Press, 1947), p. 14.

Gregory the Great (Gregory I c. 540-604)

The Scriptures becomes for us a light to lighten the way in the present dark-
ness. [his indeed Peter said, “You will do well to pay attention to this as to a
lamp shining in a dark place’ (2 Peter 1:19). This the psalmist said, ‘Thy Word
is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105). Nevertheless,
we know that our own light is dim for us, unless the truth illumines this in
our minds. Again the psalmist says, “Yea, thou dost light my lamp; the LORD
my God lightens my darkness’ (Psalm 18:28). What is a burning lamp, unless
it is a light, but created light does not shine in us unless it is illuminated by
an uncreated light. Because, therefore, Almighty God both gave us the holy
Scriptures for our salvation and opened up those same Scriptures for us so
that they are effective for our salvation, we understand then that the Spirit
oflife is in the wheels. Hughes Oliphant Old, The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures
in the Worship of the Christian Church: Vol. 2, the Patristic Age (Grand Rapids: Eerdmands,
1998), pp. 450-451.
Haec nobis Scriptura in tenebris vitae praesentis facta est lumen itineris.
Hinc etenim Petrus ait: Cui benefacitis intendentes, quasi lucernae lucenti in
 Understanding Through the Holy Spirit, Prayer and Obedience 275
caliginoso loco. Hinc Psalmista dicit: Lucerna pedibus mets verbum tuum, Domine,
et lumen semitis meis. Scimus tamen quia et ipsa nobis nostra lucerna obscura
est, nisi hanc nostris mentibus veritas illustret. Unde iterum Psalmista ait:
Quoniam tu illuminas lucernam meam, Domine, Deus meus, illumina tenebras
meas. Quid enim lucerna ardens, nisi lumen est? Sed lumen creatum nobis non
lucet, nisi illuminetur a lumine non creato. Quia ergo omnipotens Deus ad
salutem nostram sanctorum Testamentorum dicta et ipse creavit, et ipse aperuit,
spiritus vitae erat in rotis. In Hiezechihelem, Liber Primus, Homilia 7.17, PL 76:848.

John of Damscus (652-750)

It is one and the same God Whom both the Old and the New Testament
proclaim, Who is praised and glorified in the Trinity: J am come, saith the
Lord, not to destroy life law but to fulfil it. For He Himself worked out our
salvation for which all Scripture and all mystery exists. And again, Search the
Scriptures for they are they that testify of Me. And the Apostle says, God, Who
at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son. Through the Holy
Spirit, therefore, both the law and the prophets, the evangelists and apostles
and pastors and teachers, spake.
All Scripture, then, is given by inspiration of God and is also assuredly
profitable. Wherefore to search the Scriptures is a work most fair and most
profitable for souls. For just as the tree planted by the channels of waters, so
also the soul watered by the divine Scripture is enriched and gives fruit in its
season , viz. orthodox belief, and is adorned with evergreen leafage, I mean,
actions pleasing to God. For through the Holy Scriptures we are trained to
action that is pleasing to God, and untroubled contemplation. For in these
we find both exhortation to every virtue and dissuasion from every vice. If,
therefore, we are lovers of learning, we shall also be learned in many things. For
by care and toil and the grace of God the Giver, all things are accomplished.
For every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that
knocketh it shall be opened. Wherefore let us knock at that very fair garden of
the Scriptures, so fragrant and sweet and blooming, with its varied sounds of
spiritual and divinely—inspired birds ringing all round our ears, laying hold of
our hearts, comforting the mourner, pacifying the angry and filling him with
joy everlasting: which sets our mind on the gold-gleaming, brilliant back of
the divine dove , whose bright pinions bear up to the only—begotten Son and
Heir of the Husbandman of that spiritual Vineyard and bring us through Him
to the Father of Lights. But let us not knock carelessly but rather zealously
276 HOLY SCRIPTURE

and constantly: lest knocking we grow weary. For thus it will be opened to
us. If we read once or twice and do not understand what we read, let us not
grow weary, but let us persist, let us talk much, let us enquire. For ask thy
Father, he saith, and He will shew thee: thy elders and they will tell thee. For
there is not in every man that knowledge. Let us draw of the fountain of the
garden perennial and purest waters springing into life eternal. Here let us
luxuriate, let us revel insatiate: for the Scriptures possess inexhaustible grace.
NPNF2: Vol. 1X, An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Book IV, Chapter 17.
 Chapter 6

The Necessity for Diligent Study for an

Understanding of Scripture

Clement of Rome (c. 96)

Ye are fond of contention, brethren, and full of zeal about things which do
not pertain to salvation. Look carefully into the Scriptures, which are the
true utterances of the Holy Spirit. Observe that nothing of an unjust or
counterfeit character is written in them. ANF: Vol. I, The Apostolic Fathers, First
Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians, Chapter 45.

Ye understand, beloved, ye understand well the Sacred Scriptures, and ye have

looked very earnestly into the oracles of God. Call then these things to your
remembrance. ANF: Vol. 1, The Apostolic Fathers, First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians,
Chapter 53.

Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna (69-155/156)

These things, brethren, I write to you concerning righteousness, not because

I take anything upon myself, but because ye have invited me to do so. For
neither I, nor any other such one, can come up to the wisdom of the blessed
and glorified Paul. He, when among you, accurately and steadfastly taught the
word of truth in the presence of those who were then alive. And when absent
from you, he wrote you a letter, which, if you carefully study, you will find
to be the means of building you up in that faith which has been given you,
and which, being followed by hope, and preceded by love towards God, and
Christ, and our neighbor, ‘is the mother of us all. ‘For if any one be inwardly
possessed of these graces, he hath fulfilled the command of righteousness,
since he that hath love is far from all sin. ANF: Vol. 1, The Apostolic Fathers, the Epistle
ofPolycarp to the Philippians, Chapter 3.
278 HOLY SCRIPTURE

Irenaeus (130-c. 200)

A sound mind, and one which does not expose its possessor to danger, and is
devoted to piety and the love of truth, will eagerly meditate upon those things
which God has placed within the power of mankind, and has subjected to
our knowledge, and will make advancement in [acquaintance with] them,
rendering the knowledge of them easy to him by means of daily study. These
things are such as fall [plainly] under our observation, and are clearly and
unambiguously in express terms set forth in the Sacred Scriptures. ANF: Vol.
I, Against Heresies 2.27.1.

Clement of Alexandria (150-c. 215)

But those who are ready to toil in the most excellent pursuits, will not desist
from the search after truth, till they get the demonstration from the Scriptures
themselves. ANF: Vol. II, The Stromata, Book VII, Chapter 16.

For we may not give our adhesion to men on a bare statement by them, who
might equally state the opposite. But if it is not enough merely to state the
opinion, but if what is stated must be confirmed, we do not wait for the
testimony of men, but we establish the matter that is in question by the
voice of the Lord, which is the surest of all demonstrations, or rather is the
only demonstration; in which knowledge those who have merely tasted the
Scriptures are believers; while those who, having advanced further, and become
correct expounders ofthe truth, are Gnostics. Since also, in what pertains to
life, craftsmen are superior to ordinary people, and model what is beyond
common notions; so, consequently, we also, giving a complete exhibition
of the Scriptures from the Scriptures themselves, from faith persuade by
demonstration. ANF: Vol. I, The Stromata, Book VII, Chapter 16.

Tertullian (c. 160—c. 220)

But, that we might attain an ampler and more authoritative knowledge at

once of Himself, and of His counsels and will, God has added a written
revelation for the behoof of every one whose heart is set on seeking Him,
that seeking he may find, and finding believe, and believing obey. ANF: Vol.
Il, The Apology, Chapter 18.
 The Necessity for Diligent Personal Study ofScripture 279
Hippolytus (c. 170-c. 236)

And these words he cites without understanding what precedes them. For when-
ever they wish to attempt anything underhand, they mutilate the Scriptures.
But let him quote the passage as a whole, and he will discover the reason
kept in view in writing it. ANF: Vol. V, Against the Heresy of One Noetus 4.

Origen (c. 185—c. 254)

Commenting on Romans 9:20: If we want to know something of the secret

and hidden things of God and if we are not people of lusts and contentions,
then let us inquire faithfully and humbly into the judgments of God which
are contained more secretly in holy Scripture. For even the Lord said: Search
the Scriptures, knowing that these things are applicable not to those who are
busy with other matters and only hear or read the Bible from time to time,
but to those who with a pure and simple heart endeavor to open up the holy
Scriptures by their labor and constant attention. I know well enough that I
am not one of them! But anyone who is, let him seek and he will find. Gerald
Bray, ed., Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament VI: Romans (Downers
Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1998), pp. 259-260.

Athanasius (297-373)

And if so be the same terms are used of God and man in divine Scripture,
yet the clear—sighted, as Paul enjoins, will study it, and thereby discriminate,
and dispose of what is written according to the nature of each subject, and
avoid any confusion of sense, so as neither to conceive of the things of God
in a human way, nor to ascribe the things of man to Gods. For this were to
mix wine with water, and to place upon the altar strange fire with that which
is divine. NPNF2: Vol. IV, De Decretis or Defense of the Nicene Definition, Chapter III.10.

Has then the passage no meaning?’ for this, like a swarm of gnats, they are
droning about us. No surely, it is not without meaning, but has a very apposite
one; for it is true to say that the Son was created too, but this took place when
He became man; for creation belongs to man. And any one may find this sense
duly given in the divine oracles, who, instead of accounting their study a
secondary matter, investigates the time and characters, and the object, and
thus studies and ponders what he reads. NPNF2: Vol. IV, De Decretis or Defense of
the Nicene Definition, Chapter III.13-14.
280 HOLY SCRIPTURE
Thus each of these heresies, in respect of the peculiar impiety of its invention,
has nothing in common with the Scriptures. And their advocates are aware of
this, that the Scriptures are very much, or rather altogether, opposed to the
doctrines of every one of them; but for the sake of deceiving the more simple
sort (such as are those of whom it is written in the Proverbs, ‘The simple
believeth every word ),’ they pretend like their ‘father the devil ‘ to study and
to quote the language of Scripture, in order that they may appear by their
words to have a right belief, and so may persuade their wretched followers
to believe what is contrary to the Scriptures. Assuredly in every one of these
heresies the devil has thus disguised himself, and has suggested to them words
full of craftiness. The Lord spake concerning them, that ‘there shall arise false
Christs and false prophets, so that they shall deceive many.’ Accordingly the
devil has come, speaking by each and saying, ‘I am Christ, and the truth is with
me;’ and he has made them, one and all, to be liars like himself. And strange
it is, that while all heresies are at variance with one another concerning the
mischievous inventions which each has framed, they are united together only
by the common purpose of lying. For they have one and the same father that
has sown in them all the seeds, of falsehood. Wherefore the faithful Christian
and true disciple of the Gospel, having grace to discern spiritual things, and
having built the house of his faith upon a rock, stands continually firm and
secure from their deceits. But the simple person, as I said before, that is not
thoroughly grounded in knowledge, such an one, considering only the words
that are spoken and not perceiving their meaning, is immediately drawn away
by their wiles. Wherefore it is good and needful for us to pray that we may
receive the gift of discerning spirits, so that every one may know, according to
the precept of John, whom he ought to reject, and whom to receive as friends
and of the same faith. Now one might write at great length concerning these
things, if one desired to go rate details respecting them; for the impiety and
perverseness of heresies will appear to be manifold and various, and the craft
of the deceivers to be very terrible. But since holy Scripture is of all things
most sufficient for us, therefore recommending to those who desire to know
more of these matters, to read the Divine word, I now hasten to set before
you that which most claims attention, and for the sake of which principally
I have written these things. NPNEF2: Vol. IV, To the Bishops of Egypt, Chapter 1.4.

Hilary of Poitiers (c 315-367)

The Lord has not left in doubt or obscurity the teaching conveyed in this
great mystery; He has not abandoned us to lose our way in dim uncertainty.
Listen to Him as He reveals the full knowledge of this faith to His Apostles;
— lam the Way and the Truth and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father
 The Necessity for Diligent Personal Study ofScripture 281
but through Me. If ye know Me, ye know My Father also; and from henceforth
ye shall know Him, and have seen Him. Philip saith unto Him, Lord, shew us
the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time
with you, and ye have not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen
the Father also. How sayest thou, Shew us the Rather? Dost than not believe
Me, that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I speak
unto you I speak not of Myself, but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth
His works. Believe Me, that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me; or else
believe for the very works’ sake. He Who is the Way leads us not into by—paths
or trackless wastes: He Who is the Truth mocks us not with lies; He Who is
the Life betrays us not into delusions which are death. He Himself has chosen
these winning names to indicate the methods which He has appointed for our
salvation. As the Way, He will guide us to the Truth; the Truth will establish
us in the Life. And therefore it is all-important for us to know what is the
mysterious mode, which He reveals, of attaining this life. No man cometh to
the Father but through Me. The way to the Father is through the Son. And
now we must enquire whether this is to be by a course of obedience to His
teaching, or by faith in His Godhead. For it is conceivable that our way to the
Father may be through adherence to the Son’s teaching, rather than through
believing that the Godhead of the Father dwells in the Son. And therefore let
us, in the next place, seek out the true meaning of the instruction given us
here. For it is not by cleaving to a preconceived opinion, but by studying the
force of the words, that we shall enter into possession of this faith. NPNF2:
Vol. TX, On the Trinity, Book VII.33.

All these passages they neither understand rationally, nor distinguish as to

their occasions, nor apprehend in the light of the Gospel mysteries, nor
realize in the strict meaning of the words and so they impugn the divine
nature of Christ with crude and insensate rashness, quoting single detached
utterances to catch the ears of the unwary, and keeping back either the sequel
which explains or the incidents which prompted them, though the meaning
of words must be sought in the context before or after them. NPNF2: Vol. IX,
On the Trinity, Book IX.2.

It is a matter requiring great diligence to consider the force of the words used,
and to now what belongs to each thing in the meaning of what is said...In
the divine Scriptures...if an impious ear and a rustic mind should hear them,
it may neglect them as useless and unnecessary, but if a hearer or reader, ear-
nestly desirous of the knowledge of God, shall have approached them, whose
frequent reading and gift of spiritual grace shall have given him knowledge
to discern and understand the several matters contained therein, he will
282 HOLY SCRIPTURE

admire everything, and will use them according to their proper powers and
qualities. _. Psalmus CXXXIV, y. 1. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 249.
Magnae autem diligentiae res est, virtutem verborum collocatorum ex-
pendere, et scire quid cuique rei sub eorum quae dicta sunt significatione sit
proprium...in divinis Scripturis...si eas impia auris et mens rustica audiat,
tamquam otiosas et non ecessarias negligat; at vero si cadens ad cognitionem
Dei auditor aut lector adstiterit, et cui frequens lectio, et spiritalis gratiae
donum scientiam dijucandi singula, intelligendique praestiterit; mirabitur
omnia, atque his secundum naturals eorum virtutes et efficientias utetur...
Psalmus CXXXIV, v. 1. PL 9:753.

Cyril of Jerusalem (318-386)

Time would fail me if I wished to adduce the testimonies that remain con-
cerning the Holy Spirit from the fourteen Epistles of Paul, wherein he has
taught with such variety, fullness and piety. But let it rest with the power of
the Holy Spirit to pardon us for our omissions (because the days are few)
and to infuse in you more perfectly the knowledge of what still remains; the
diligent among you may gain this knowledge from a more frequent reading
of the Holy Scriptures. ..FC, Vol. 64, Catechetical Lectures, Lecture XVII.34, p. 117.

And many are the proofs concerning the life eternal. And when we desire to
gain this eternal life, the sacred Scriptures suggest to us the ways of gaining it;
of which, because of the length of our discourse, the texts we now set before
you shall be but few, the rest being left to the search of the diligent. They
declare at one time that it is by faith; for it is written, He that believeth on the
Son hath eternal life, and what follows; and again He says Himself, Verily verily
I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth Him that sent Me, hath
eternal life, and the rest. At another time, it is by the preaching of the Gospel;
for He says, that He that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life
eternal. At another time, by martyrdom and confession in Christ’s name; for
He says, And he that hateth his life in this world, shall keep it unto life eternal.
And again, by preferring Christ to riches or kindred; And every one that hath
forsaken brethren, or sisters, and the rest, shall inherit eternal life. Moreover it
is by keeping the commandments, Thou shall not commit adultery, Thou shalt
not kill, and the rest which follow; as He answered to him that came to Him,
and said, Good Master, what shall I do that I may have eternal life? But further,
it is by departing from evil works, and henceforth serving God; for Paul says,
But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit
unto sanctification, and the end eternal life. NPNF2: Vol. VII, Catechetical Lectures,
Lecture XVIII, 30. See also FC, Vol. 64, Catechetical Lectures, Lecture XVIII.30, p. 136.
 The Necessity for Diligent Personal Study of Scripture 283
Basil of Caesarea (AD. 329-379)

The study ofinspired Scripture is the chief way of finding our duty, for in it
we find both instruction about conduct and the lives of blessed men, delivered
in writing, as some breathing images of godly living, for the imitation of their
good works. Hence, in whatever respect each one feels himself deficient,
devoting himself to this imitation, he finds, as from some dispensary, the
due medicine for his ailment. NPNF2: Vol. VIII, Letters, Letter 2, Basil to Gregory 3.

Read your Bible carefully, and you will find the answer to your question
there. NPNF2: Vol. VIII, Letters, Letter 188, §16. Or: So pay strict attention to the
Scriptures and you will find therein the solution of your problem. FC, Vol.
28, Letter 188, p. 24.

Here, also, one who examines each word minutely can gain a very accurate
knowledge of the meaning of the Holy Scripture, so that there is no excuse
of any of us being led astray into the snare of sin by an erroneous belief that
some sins are punished, while others may be committed with impunity. FC,
Vol. 9, Preface on the Judgment of God, p. 48.

Ambrose (c. 339-397)

But we do not reckon usefulness by the value of any gain in money, but in
acquiring godliness, as the Apostle says: ‘But godliness is profitable unto all
things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.’
Thus in the holy Scriptures, if we look carefully we shall often find that what
is virtuous is called useful: ‘All things are lawful unto me, but all things are
not profitable’ [useful]. Before that he was speaking of vices, and so means:
It is lawful to sin, but it is not seemly. Sins rest in one’s own power, but they
are not virtuous. To live wantonly is easy, but it is not right. For food serves
not God but the belly. NPNE2: Vol. X, On the Duties of the Clergy, Book II, Chapter 6.23.

In this way one who puts his trust in the aid of the Old and New Testament
can by resourceful inquiry attain the inmost secrets of the Wisdom of God.
FC, Vol. 42, Saint Ambrose: Paradise, Chapter 3.15, p.296.

Chrysostom (349-407)

Delectable indeed are the meadow, and the garden, but far more delectable
284 HOLY SCRIPTURE
the study of the divine writings. For there indeed are flowers which fade, but
here are thoughts which abide in full bloom; there is the breeze of the zephyr,
but here the breath of the Spirit: there is the hedge of thorns, but here is the
guarding providence of God; there is the song of cicadae, but here the melody
of the prophets: there is the pleasure which comes from sight, but here the
profit which comes from study. The garden is confined to one place, but the
Scriptures are in all parts of the world; the garden is subject to the necessities
of the seasons, but the Scriptures are rich in foliage, and laden with fruit alike
in winter and in summer. Let us then give diligent heed to the study of the
Scriptures: for if thou doest this the Scripture will expel thy despondency,
and engender pleasure, extirpate vice, and make virtue take root, and in
the tumult of life it will save thee from suffering like those who are tossed
by troubled waves. The sea rages but thou sailest on with calm weather; for
thou hast the study of the Scriptures for thy pilot; for this is the cable which
the trials of life do not break asunder. NPNFI: Vol. IX, On Eutropius, Patrician and
Consul, Homily 2.1.

If thus we regulate ourselves, and attentively study the Scriptures, in most

things we shall derive instruction from them. NPNFI: Vol. XIII, Homilies on the
Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians, at the end of Homily 20.

“Till I come give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.’ Even

Timothy is commanded to apply to reading. Let us then be instructed not to
neglect the study ofthe sacred writings. Again, observe, he says, “Till I come.’
Mark how he consoles him, for being as it were an orphan, when separated
from him, it was natural that he should require such comfort. ‘Till I come,’
he says, give attendance to reading the divine writings, to exhortation of one
another, to teaching of all...
Tt is well said, “Thou shalt save thyself.’ For he that is ‘nourished up in the
words of sound doctrine,’ first receives the benefit of it himself. From admon-
ishing others, he is touched with compunction himself. For these things are
not said to Timothy only, but to all. And if such advice is addressed to him,
who raised the dead, what shall be said to us? Christ also shows the duty of
teachers, when He says, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto an householder,
who bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.’ (Matthew 13:52.)
And the blessed. Paul gives the same advice, that we through patience and
comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.’ (Romans 15:4.) This he prac-
ticed above all men, being brought up in the law of his fathers, at the feet of
Gamaliel, whence he would afterwards naturally apply to reading: for he who
exhorted others would himself first follow the advice he gave. Hence we find
him continually appealing to the testimony of the prophets, and searching
 The Necessity for Diligent Personal Study of Scripture 285
into their writings. Paul then applies to reading, for it is no slight advantage
that is to be reaped from the Scriptures. But we are indolent, and we hear
with carelessness and indifference. What punishment do we not deserve!
NPNFI: Vol. XIII, First Timothy, Homily 13.

John i. 18.—‘No man hath seen God at any time; the Only—begotten Son, which
is in the bosom ofthe Father, He hath declared Him.’ God will not have us listen
to the words and sentences contained in the Scriptures carelessly, but with
much attention. This is why the blessed David hath prefixed in many places
to his Psalms the title ‘for understanding,’ and hath said, ‘Open Thou mine
eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy Law.’ (Ps. xxxii. 42,
&c.; Ps. cxix. 18.) And after him his son again shows that we ought to ‘seek
out wisdom as silver, and to make merchandise of her rather than of gold.’
(Prov. ii. 4 and iii. 14 [partially quoted]; John v. 39.) And the Lord when He
exhorts the Jews to ‘search the Scriptures,’ the more urges us to the enquiry,
for He would not thus have spoken if it were possible to comprehend them
immediately at the first reading. No one would ever search for what is obvi-
ous and at hand, but for that which is wrapt in shadow, and which must be
found after much enquiry; and so to arouse us to the search He calls them
‘hidden treasure.’ (Proy. ii. 4; Matt. xiii. 44.) These words are said to us that
we may not apply ourselves to the words of the Scriptures carelessly or in
a chance way, but with great exactness. NPNFI: Vol. XIV, Homilies on the Gospel
according to St. John, Homily 15.

Beloved, let us make great account of spiritual things, and not think that it is
sufficient for us to salvation to pursue them anyhow. For if in things of this
life a man can gain no great profit if he conduct them in an indifferent and
chance way, much more will this be the case in spiritual things, since these
require yet greater attention. Wherefore Christ when He referred the Jews to
the Scriptures, sent them not to a mere reading, but a careful and considerate
search; for He said not, ‘Read the Scriptures,’ but, ‘Search the Scriptures.’
Since the sayings relating to Him required great attention, (for they had been
concealed froth the beginning for the advantage of the men of that time,) He
biddeth them now dig down with care that they might be able to discover
what lay in the depth below. These sayings were not on the surface, nor were
they cast forth to open view, but lay like some treasure hidden very deep.
Now he that searcheth for hidden things, except he seek them with care and
toil, will never find the object of his search. For which cause He said, ‘Search
the Scriptures, because in them ye think ye have eternal life.’ He said not,
‘Ye have,’ but ‘ye think,’ showing that they gained from them nothing great
286 HOLY SCRIPTURE

or high, expecting as they did to be saved by the mere reading, without the
addition of faith. What He saith therefore is of this kind: ‘Do ye not admire
the Scriptures, do ye not think that they are the causes of all life? By these
I confirm My claims now, for they are they which testify of Me, yet ye will
not come to Me that ye may have eternal life.’ NPNFI: Vol. XIV, Homilies on the
Gospel according to St. John, Homily 41.

If now we will thus search the Scriptures, exactly and not carelessly, we shall
be able to attain unto our salvation; if we continually dwell upon them, we
shall learn right doctrine and a perfect life. For although a man be very hard,
and stubborn, and proud, and profit nothing at other times, yet at least he
shall gain fruit from this time, and receive benefit, if not so great as to admit
ofhis being sensible ofit, still he shall receive it. For ifa man who passes by an
ointment—maker’s shop, or sitteth in one, is impregnated with the perfume even
against his will, much more is this the case with one who cometh to church.
For as idleness is born of idleness, so too from working is generated a ready
mind. Although thou art full of ten thousand sins, although thou art impure,
shun not the tarrying here. ‘Wherefore,’ it may be said, ‘when hearing I do
not?’ It is no small profit to deem one’s self wretched; this fear is not useless,
this dread is not unseasonable. If only thou groanest that, ‘hearing I do not,’
thou wilt certainly come also to the doing at some time or other. For it cannot
be that he who speaks with God, and hears God speak, should not profit. We
compose ourselves at once and wash our hands when we desire to take the
Bible into them. Seest thou even before the reading what reverence is here?
And if we go on with exactness, we shall reap great advantage. For we should
not, unless it served to place the soul in reverence, have washed our hands;
and a woman ifshe be unveiled straightway puts on her veil, giving proof of
internal reverence, and a man if he be covered bares his head. Seest thou how
the outward behavior proclaims the inward reverence? Then moreover he that
sits to hear groans often, and condemns his present life.
Let us then, beloved, give heed to the Scriptures... Wherefore I exhort you
both to obtain Bibles, and to retain together with the Bibles the sentiments
they set forth, and to write them in your minds. The Jews because they gave
no heed were commanded to suspend their books from their hands; but we
place them not even in our hands but in our house, when we ought to stamp
them on our heart. Thus cleansing our present life, we shall obtain the good
things that are to come to which may we all attain, through the grace and
lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom and with whom, to the
Father and the Holy Ghost be glory, now and ever, and world without end.
Amen. NPNFI: Vol. XIV, Homilies on the Gospel according to St. John, Homily 53.
 The Necessity for Diligent Personal Study ofScripture 287
Let us then learn this lesson. Do not, when thou hearest that a man is not a
Heathen nor a Jew, straightway believe him to be a Christian; but examine
also into all the other points; for even Manichaeans, and all the heresies, have
put on this mask, in order thus to deceive the more simple. But if we ‘have
the senses’ of the soul ‘exercised to discern both good and evil,’ we are able to
discern such [teachers].
But how do our ‘senses’ become ‘exercised’? By continual hearing; by ex-
perience of the Scriptures. For when we set forth the error of those [Heretics],
and thou hearest today and to—morrow; and provest that it is not right, thou
hast learnt the whole, thou hast known the whole: and even if thou shouldest
not comprehend to—day, thou wilt comprehend to—morrow.
‘That have,’ he says, their ‘senses exercised.’ Thou seest that it is needful to
exercise our hearing by divine studies, so that they may not sound strangely.
‘Exercised,’ saith he, ‘for discerning,’ that is, to be skilled.
One man says, that there is no Resurrection; and another looks for none
of the things to come; another says there is a different God; another that He
has His beginning from Mary. And see at once how they have all fallen away
from want of moderation, some by excess, others by defect. As for instance,
the first Heresy of all was that of Marcion; this introduced another different
God, who has no existence. See the excess. After this that of Sabellius, saying
that the Son and the Spirit and the Father are One. Next that of Marcellus and
Photinus, setting forth the same things. Moreover that of Paul of Samosata,
saying that He had His beginning from Mary. Afterwards that of the Man-
ichaeans; for this is the most modern of all. After these the heresy of Arius.
And there are others too.
And on this account have we received the Faith, that we might not be
compelled to attack innumerable heresies, and to deal with them, but whatever
any man might have endeavored either to add or take away, that we might
consider spurious. For as those who give the standards do not oblige [people]
to busy themselves about measures innumerable, but bid them keep to what
is given them; so also in the case of doctrines.
But no man is willing to give heed to the Scriptures. For if we did give
heed, not only should we not be ourselves entangled by deceit, but we should
also set others free who are deceived, and should draw them out of dangers.
For the strong soldier is not only able to help himself, but also to protect his
comrade, and to free him from the malice of the enemy. But as it is, some do
not even know that there are any Scriptures. Yet the Holy Spirit indeed made
so many wise provisions in order that they might be safely kept. NPNFI: Vol.
XIV, Homilies on the to the Hebrews, Homily 8.

In the case of the Holy Scriptures, on the contrary, and these spiritual gems
288 HOLY SCRIPTURE
of great value, there is no cause for suspecting danger, the effort is not great
whereas the gain is beyond telling, provided we enthusiastically put into it
what lies in our power. Grace, you see, is always active, seeking those that
welcome it with readiness. Such, after all, is our Lord: when he sees an alert
soul and fervent desire, out of his own prodigality he lavishes upon it riches
of his that surpass the request being made. FC, Vol. 74, Homilies on Genesis I-17,
Homily 9.2, p. 118.

For, just as with grains of incense, the more they are moved about with your
fingers, the greater fragrance they give out, so it is with the Scriptures in our
experience: the more you devote yourself to studying them, the more you
are able to discover the treasure hidden in them, and thereby gain great and
unspeakable wealth. FC, Vol. 74, Homilies on Genesis 1-17, Homily 13.3, p. 170.

Hence, of course, I beseech you, let us never pass heedlessly by the contents
of Sacred Scripture, but even if it is a list of names or an outline ofhistory, let
us descry carefully the treasure hidden there. For this reason, after all, Christ
himself said, “Search the Scriptures.’ The sense of what is written cannot
be discovered on the surface at any point but requires of us careful study if
nothing ofwhat is concealed in its depths is to escape our notice. Now, if the
mere naming of our nature—I mean the word ‘human being’ (av8pwttos
)—
provided the occasion of so much benefit yesterday, how much advantage will
we gain if we approach the matters in Scripture with attention and an alert
mind? FC, Vol. 82, Homilies on Genesis 18-45, Homily 24.1, pp. 104-105,

Let us attend precisely to the reading, I beseech you, so as to manage to grasp

the sense of the writings. FC, Vol. 82, Homilies on Genesis 18-45, Homily 31.7, p. 242.

It is, in fact, customary with him to do this to each of the just ones: as many
of you as are familiar with the reading of the holy Scriptures will be in a
position to discover the truth right from the beginning and find God dispos-
ing of the life of his servants in this way. FC, Vol. 82, Homilies on Genesis 18-45
Homily 32.6, p. 258.

To the extent that you are industrious in reading the holy Scriptures you
will be able to discover this happening in every case. FC, Vol. 82, Homilies on
Genesis 18-45, Homily 35.21, p. 320.

Wonderful is the power of Sacred Scripture, and immense the wealth of ideas
concealed in its expressions. Hence it behooves us to attend precisely and
give ourselves to close study so as to reap the lavish benefits it offers. You see,
the reason Christ himself gave this command, ‘Search the Scriptures,’ was
 The Necessity for Diligent Personal Study of Scripture 289
that, far from idly listening to the mere reading, we should rather descend
to its very depths and be in a position to grasp the true sense of Scripture.
This, after all, is the way with Scripture: in a few words it is often possible to
find a great number of ideas. Its teachings, you see, are divine, not human,
and consequently you can see it all composed in a manner opposite to human
wisdom. What way that is, I will tell you: in the latter case—I mean human
wisdom—people’s whole interest is concentrated on the sequence of the words,
whereas in this case it is completely different. No study of Scripture is about
words, their beauty or sequence: it has of itself divine grace resplendent upon it
and its sayings have their own beauty. With that other writing you can grasp
the sense only after a great amount of unspeakable nit—picking, whereas in
this case, as you know, often a short phrase suffices for us to piece out the
complete message. FC, Vol. 82, Homilies on Genesis 18-45, Homily 37.1, p. 340.

All this you will find to be the case to the extent you are devoted to the read-
ing of the holy Scriptures. FC, Vol. 82, Homilies on Genesis 18-45, Homily 37.11, p. 348.

In your book they will all be mentioned. They will be formed by day, and no one
in them. Though the expression is not clear, the meaning must be hunted
down from the context and the different translator. Robert Charles Hill, trans.,
St John Chrysostom: Commentary on the Psalms, Vol. 2, Psalm 139 (Brookline: Holy Cross
Orthodox Press, 1998), p. 249.

Jerome (347-420)

It is usual in scripture to subjoin plain words to obscure ones, and to express

in a clear form what was first spoken enigmatically. Commentariorum in Isaiam
Libri octo et decem., Cap. XIX. Translation by William Whitaker, p. 494.
Moris est Scripturarum, obscuris manifesta subnectere, et quod prius sub
aenigmatibus dixerint, aperta voce proferre. Commentariorum in Isaiam libri octo et
decem., Cap. XIX, PL 24:180.

Why is the apostle Paul called a chosen vessel? Assuredly because he is a

repertory of the Law and of the holy scriptures. The learned teaching of our
Lord strikes the Pharisees dumb with amazement, and they are filled with
astonishment to find that Peter and John know the Law although they have
not learned letters. For to these the Holy Ghost immediately suggested what
comes to others by daily study and meditation; and, as it is written, they
were ‘taught of God.’ NPNE2: Vol. VI, The Letters of St. Jerome, Letter 53 — To Paulinus 3.

I beg of you, my dear brother, to live among these books, to meditate upon
290 HOLY SCRIPTURE
them, to know nothing else, to seek nothing else. Does not such a life seem
to you a foretaste of heaven here on earth? Let not the simplicity of the
scripture or the poorness of its vocabulary offend you; for these are due either
to the faults of translators or else to deliberate purpose: for in this way it is
better fitted for the instruction of an unlettered congregation as the educated
person can take one meaning and the uneducated another from one and the
same sentence. I am not so dull or so forward as to profess that I myself know
it, or that I can pluck upon the earth the fruit which has its root in heaven,
but I confess that I should like to do so. I put myself before the man who sits
idle and, while I lay no claim to be a master, I readily pledge myself to be a
fellow—student. ‘Every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth;
and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ Let us learn upon earth that
knowledge which will continue with us in heaven. NPNF2: Vol. VI, The Letters of
St. Jerome, Letter 53 — To Paulinus 10.

Let us read Sacred Scripture, and day and night let us ponder over its every
syllable, every letter; let us analyze and discuss it. FC, Vol. 48, The Homilies of St.
Jerome: Vol. 1, On the Psalms, Homily 44, pp. 330-331.

We read the Scriptures; we commit the psalms to memory; we master the

Gospels; we expound the prophets; but we must not do this so as to win
praise and glory in the presence of our brothers, but to please Christ, that
His word may resound from our lips. FC, Vol. 48, The Homilies of St. Jerome: Vol. 1,
On the Psalms, Homily 46, p. 348.

A true intimacy cemented by Christ Himself is not one which depends

upon material considerations, or upon the presence of the persons, or upon
an insincere and exaggerated flattery; but one such as ours, wrought by a
common fear of God and a joint study of the divine scriptures. NPNF2: Vol.
VI, Letter 53 — To Paulinus 1.

Augustine (354—430)

The Scriptural context usually sets the meaning in a clear light when the
surrounding verses which bear on the question at hand are treated to careful
examination. FC, Vol. 70, Eighty-Three Different Questions, Q#69.2, p. 168.

The circumstances of scripture generally throw light upon the meaning,

when those things which lie round the scripture and touch upon the pres-
ent question are handled in a diligent discussion. De Diversis Quaestionibus, 59.2
Translation by William Whitaker, p. 494, and i
 The Necessity for Diligent Personal Study ofScripture 291
Solet circumstantia Scripturae illuminare sententiam, cum ea quae circa
scripta sunt, praesentem quaestionem contingentia, diligenti discussione
tractantur. De Diversis Quaestionibus, LXIX.2, PL 40:75.

Putting aside, therefore, all theatrical and poetic trifling, let us by the diligently
study of the divine Scriptures, find food and drink for our minds; for they
are weary and parched with the hunger and thirst of vain curiosity, and desire
in vain to be refreshed and satisfied with silly phantasms, as unreal as painted
banquets. John H. S. Burleigh, ed., The Library ofChristian Classics, Vol. V1, Augustine Ear-
lier Writings: Of True Religion, li, 100. (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1953), p. 276.

Since, then, Scripture uses the word flesh in many ways, which there is not time
to collect and investigate, if we are to ascertain what it is to live after the flesh
(which is certainly evil, though the nature offlesh is not itself evil), we must
carefully examine that passage of the epistle which the Apostle Paul wrote
to the Galatians, in which he says,’ Now the works of the flesh are manifest,
which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry,
witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, en-
vyings, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such like: of the which I tell you
before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall
not inherit the kingdom of God.’ This whole passage of the apostolic epistle
being considered, so far as it bears on the matter in hand, will be sufficient
to answer the question, what it is to live after the flesh. NPNFI: Vol. II, The City
of God, Book XIV, Chapter 2.

It is therefore very rare and very difficult to find any ambiguity in the case of
proper words, as far at least as Holy Scripture is concerned, which neither the
context, showing the design of the writer, nor a comparison of translations,
nor a reference to the original tongue, will suffice to explain. NPNFI: Vol. II,
On Christian Doctrine, Book III, Chapter 4.

With regard, then, to this apparent contradiction between the passage which
speaks of the Son of God being of the seed of David, to the words, “Though
we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no
more, even though both quotations were not from the writings of one apostle,
— though one were from Paul, and the other from Peter, or Isaiah, or any
other apostle or prophet, — such is the equality of canonical authority, that
it would not be allowable to doubt of either. For the utterances of Scripture,
harmonious as if from the mouth of one man, commend themselves to the
belief of the most accurate and clear—sighted piety, and demand for their
discovery and confirmation the calmest intelligence and the most ingenious
research. In the case before us both quotations are from the canonical, that
292 HOLY SCRIPTURE

is, the genuine epistles of Paul. We cannot say that the manuscript is faulty,
for the best Latin translations substantially agree; or that the translations
are wrong, for the best texts have the same reading. So that, if any one is
perplexed by the apparent contradiction, the only conclusion is that he does
not understand. Accordingly it remains for me to explain how both passages,
instead of being contradictory, may be harmonized by one rule of sound faith.
The pious inquirer will find all perplexity removed by a careful examination.
NPNFI: Vol. IV, Reply to Faustus the Manichaean, Book X1.6.

If any one will piously and soberly consider the sermon which our Lord
Jesus Christ spoke on the mount, as we read it in the Gospel according to
Matthew, I think that he will find in it, so far as regards the highest morals,
a perfect standard of the Christian life: and this we do not rashly venture
to promise, but gather it from the very words of the Lord Himself. For the
sermon itself is brought to a close in such a way, that it is clear there are in
it all the precepts which go to mold the life. For thus He speaks: “Therefore,
whosoever heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto
a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and
the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell
not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these words
of mine, and doeth them not, I will liken unto a foolish man, which built his
house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the
winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.’
Since, therefore, He has not simply said, “Whosoever heareth my words,’ but
has made an addition, saying, ‘Whosoever heareth these words of mine,’ He
has sufficiently indicated, as I think, that these sayings which He uttered
on the mount so perfectly guide the life of those who may be willing to live
according to them, that they may justly be compared to one building upon
a rock. I have said this merely that it may be clear that the sermon before
us is perfect in all the precepts by which the Christian life is molded; for
as regards this particular section a more careful treatment will be given in its
own place. NPNF1; Vol. V1, Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, According to Matthew, Book
1, Chapter 1.1,

Julianus Pomerius (wrote around the end of the 5th century)

Let the pursuer of the contemplative life, then, approach his Creator to be
enlightened in heart; let him watchfully serve Him by contemplating Him and
untiringly enjoying Him; let him desire Him continually; for love of Him let
him flee all that could turn Him away; let him rest all his thoughts and all his
hope on his pleasure. Let him take time for holy meditations on the Sacred
 The Necessity for Diligent Personal Study ofScripture 293
Scriptures; let him, being divinely illumined, delight in them. There let him
consider his whole being as in some gleaming mirror; let him correct what he
sees disordered; let him hold to what is right; reform what is deformed; cultivate
what is beautiful; preserve what is sound; by careful reading strengthen what
is weak. Let him not tire of reading the commandments of his Lord, love
them without growing weary, fulfill them efficaciously; and, being adequately
instructed by them, let him understand what he should avoid and what he
should pursue. Let him devote himself to an examination of the mysteries
of the same Divine Scriptures, read of Christ there prophesied, see Him
represented, understand the perdition of the reprobate people according to
prophecy, mourn its fulfillment, rejoice in the salvation of the Gentiles. Let
him hold fast the things predicted and accomplished in the past; let him
trust future promises. ACW, Vol. 4, Julianus Pomerius: The Contemplative Life, pp. 27-28.

Caesarius of Arles (470-543)

We have gathered these facts as well as we could, dearly beloved, from the
different books of Scripture for the progress of your soul, and we suggest
them to the consideration of your charity. If, with the Lord’s help, you will
read over the Sacred Scriptures rather frequently and heed them carefully,
I believe that you can find an even better explanation. FC, Vol. 47, Sermons
81-186, Sermon 84, p. 19.

Willingly listen to the divine lessons in church, as you usually do, and read
them over again in your own homes. If anyone is so busy that he cannot take
time for holy Scripture before lunch, he should not be ashamed to read over
something of it at his own little meal. In this way just as the body is fed with
food, so the soul is refreshed by the word of God, the handmaid is satisfied but
the mistress is tormented by hunger, and your holy selves know how wrong
this is. For this reason, as I have already said, you ought to read and listen to
the sacred lessons with such eagerness that you may be able to speak about
them and teach them to others both in your own homes and elsewhere,
wherever you are. As you, like clean animals, masticate the word of God
by continuous reflection, you may be able both to procure useful flavor for
yourselves, that is, their spiritual meaning, and with God’s help give it to
others. FC, Vol. 66, Saint Caesarius ofArles, Sermons 187-238, Sermon 198.5, pp. 51-52.

Gregory the Great (Gregory I c. 540-604)

But, since he loves the more who presumes the more, I have some complaint
294 HOLY SCRIPTURE
against the most sweet disposition of my most glorious son the Lord Theodorus;
namely that he has received from the holy Trinity the gift of genius, the gift
of wealth, the gift of mercy and charity, and yet is unceasingly bound up in
secular causes, is occupied in continual processions, and neglects to read daily
the words of his Redeemer. For what is sacred Scripture but a kind ofepistle of
Almighty God to His creature? And surely, if your Glory were resident in any
other place, and were to receive letters from an earthly emperor, you would
not loiter, you would not rest, you would not give sleep to your eyes, till you
had learnt what the earthly emperor had written. The Emperor of Heaven,
the Lord of men and angels, has sent thee his epistles for thy life’s behoof; and
yet, glorious son, thou neglectest to read these epistles ardently. Study then, I
beseech thee, and daily meditate on the words of thy Creator. Learn the heart
of God in the words of God, that thou mayest sigh more ardently for the
things that are eternal, that your soul may be kindled with greater longings
for heavenly joys. For a man will have the greater rest here in proportion as
he has now no rest in the love of his Maker. But, that you may act thus, may
Almighty God pour into you the Spirit the Comforter: may He fill your soul
with His presence, and in filling it, compose it. NPNF2; Vol. XII, The Epistles of St.
Gregory the Great, Book 4, Epistle 31, Zo Theodorus, Physician.
Quid est autem Scriptura sacra, nisi quaedam epistola omnipotentis Dei ad
creaturam suam?...Stude ergo, quaeso, et quotidie Creatoris tui verba meditare.
Disce cor Dei in verbis Dei, ut ardentius ad aeterna suspires, ut mens vestra
ad coelestia gaudia majoribus desideriis accendatur. Epistola XXXI. Ad Theodorum
Medicum., PL 77:706.

Commenting on Job 5:5: Often the foolish man has a fountain ofinward liquid,
but he does not drink thereof; in that he is vouchsafed parts to understand,
yet he disdains to acquaint himself with the sentences of Holy Writ by the
reading of them; he knows that he has ability to understand by studying,
yet he gives over in disdain all study of the lessons of truth. ‘The riches’ of
the mind too are the words of Divine utterance, yet the foolish man regards
these riches with his eyes, while he never applies them to the purpose of his
own adornment. Morals on the Book ofJob by S. Gregory the Great, A Library ofFathers ofthe
Holy Catholic Church, (Oxford: John Henry Parker, 1844), Vol. 1, Parts 1 & 2, Book VI, p. 320.

And because by a righteous judgment He permits haughty minds to go forth

to commit sin, from the virtue they have received, it is rightly added, still
farther; And the frost from heaven, who hath gendered it? For He frequently
vouchsafes the knowledge of Holy Scripture, but when he who teceives it is
elated by this knowledge, he is, by the anger of the strict Judge, so blinded in
the Scripture itself, that he no longer sees its inward meaning, from seeking
 The Necessity for Diligent Personal Study ofScripture 295
thereby for outward applause; and that, though he could be warm by remain-
ing within, he goes forth and becomes frozen, and that he who before, when
easily led to the knowledge of God, remained unfrozen at the top, becomes
hardened, and sinks to the bottom. Is not Holy Scripture ‘heaven,’ which
opening to us the day of understanding, illuminates us with the Sun of
righteousness, and which, while the night of the present life surrounds us,
shines for us with the stars of the commandments. But since there must be
heresies, that they which are approved may be made manifest, when the
proud mind is kept back from a sound understanding of Scripture, frost is
generated from heaven by the judgment of the strict Judge; in order that,
when Holy Scripture itself glows in the hearts of the Elect, it may cast forth
from itself in a frozen condition, those who proudly seek to know it. For
they err in the very point, in which they should have corrected their faults;
and while they fall away from the heavenly understanding of the resplendent
Word, both hardened themselves, and about to deceive others, they sink to the
bottom, as ice, and bind others also. But yet the Lord says that He Himself
genders this frost, not because He Himself fashions the minds of the wicked
to sin, but because He does not liberate them from sin. Morals on the Book ofJob
by S. Gregory the Great, A Library of Fathers of the Holy Catholic Church, (Oxford: John Henry
Parker, 1847), Vol. 3, Part 5, Book XXIX, p. 345.

What is meant by the word of God being made known to us in a dream,

except that we do not learn the secret things of God, if we are kept awake
by worldly desires? For in a dream the outward senses are at rest, and inward
objects are discerned. If we wish then to contemplate things within, let us
rest from outward engagements. The voice of God, in truth, is heard as if
in dreams, when, with minds at ease, we rest from the bustle of this world,
and the Divine precepts are pondered by us in the deep silence of the mind.
For when the mind is at rest from outward employments, the weight of the
Divine precepts is more fully discerned. It is then that the mind penetrates,
in a more lively manner, the words of God, when it refuses to admit within
the tumult of worldly cares. Ibid., Morals on the Book ofJob by S. Gregory the Great,
A Library of Fathers of the Holy Catholic Church, (Oxford: John Henry Parker, 1847), Vol. 3,
Book XXIII, pp. 29-30.
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 Chapter 7

The Necessity for Private Reading of Scrip-

ture for the Sanctification of the Christian

Irenaeus

Now I shall simply say, in opposition to all the heretics, and principally against
the followers of Marcion, and against those who are like to these, in maintain-
ing that time prophets were from another God [than He who is announced
in the Gospel], read with earnest care that Gospel which has been conveyed
to us by the apostles, and read with earnest care the prophets, and you will
find that the whole conduct, and all the doctrine, and all the sufferings of
our Lord, were predicted through them. But if a thought of this kind should
then suggest itself to you, to say, What then did the Lord bring to us by His
advent? — know ye that He brought all [possible] novelty, by bringing Himself
who had been announced. For this very thing was proclaimed beforehand, that
a novelty should come to renew and quicken mankind. For the advent of the
King is previously announced by those servants who are sent [before Him],
in order to the preparation and equipment of those men who are to entertain
their Lord. ANF: Vol. I, Against Heresies 4.34.1.

Clement of Alexandria

But for the benefit of one’s neighbours, in the case of those who have proclivi-
ties for writing, and those who set themselves to deliver the word, both is other
culture beneficial, and the reading of the Scriptures of the Lord is necessary,
in order to the demonstration of what is said, and especially if those who hear
are accessions from Hellenic culture. ANF: Vol. II, The Stromata, Book IV, Chapter 11.
298 HOLY SCRIPTURE

Cyprian

The second book likewise contains the sacrament of Christ, that He has come
who was announced according to the Scriptures, and has done and perfected
all those things whereby He was foretold as being able to be perceived and
known. And these things may be of advantage to you meanwhile, as you
read, for forming the first lineaments of your faith. More strength will be
given you, and the intelligence of the heart will be effected more and more,
as you examine more fully the Scriptures, old and new, and read through
the complete volumes of the spiritual books. For now we have filled a small
measure from the divine fountains, which in the meantime we would send to
you. You will be able to drink more plentifully, and to be more abundantly
satisfied, if you also will approach to drink together with us at the same springs
of the divine fullness. ANF: Vol. V, Treatise XII. Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews.

Basil of Caesarea (AD. 329-379)

Naaman was not a great man with the Lord, but with his Lord; that is, he was
one of the chief princes of the King of the Syrians. Read your Bible carefully,
and you will find the answer to your question there. NPNF2: Vol. VIII, Letters,
Letter 188.16.

Chrysostom (349-407)

Yea, rather the reading of the divine Scriptures is not a meadow only, but a
paradise; for the flowers here have not a mere fragrance only, but fruit too,
capable of nourishing the soul... Let us not therefore listen carelessly; since even
they who roast the metallic earth, when they have thrown it into the furnace,
not only take up the masses of gold, but also collect the small particles with
the utmost care. Inasmuch, then, as we likewise have to roast the gold drawn
from the Apostolic mines, not by casting it into the furnace, but by depositing
it in the thoughts of your souls; not lighting an earthly flame, but kindling
the fire of the Spirit, let us collect the little particles with diligence. For if the
saying be brief, yet is its virtue great. For pearls too have their proper market,
not owing to the size of the substance, but the beauty of their nature. Even
so is it with the reading of the divine Scriptures; for worldly instruction rolls
forth its trifles in abundance, and deluges its hearers with a torrent of vain
babblings, but dismisses them empty-handed, and without having gathered
any profit great or small. Not so however is it with the grace of the Spirit, but,
 The Necessity for the Private Reading ofScripture 299
on the contrary, by means of small sentences, it implants divine wisdom in
all who give heed, and one sentence often times affords to those who receive
it a sufficient source of provision for the whole journey of life.
Since then its [i. e. Scripture’s] riches are so great, let us arouse ourselves,
and receive that which is spoken with a watchful mind; for I am preparing
to plunge our discussion to an extreme depth. The admonition itself hath no
doubt seemed beside the purpose, and superfluous to many: and they are apt
to talk much in this way, “Was Timothy of himself not able to judge what it
was needful to make use of, and did he wait to learn this of his teacher. And
then did the teacher not only give directions, but also set them down in writ-
ing, graying it there as on a column of brass in his Epistle to him? and was he
not ashamed to give directions about things of this nature, when writing in
a public manner, to his disciple?’ For this end then, that thou mayest learn
that the admonition, so far from being beside the purpose, was a necessary
and highly profitable one; and that the thing proceeded not from Paul, but
from the grace of the Spirit, viz, that this should have been (I say) not a
spoken precept, but one deposited in letters, and to be handed down to all
future generations through the Epistle, I shall proceed at once to the proof.
NPNFI: Vol. IX, Homilies concerning the Statues, Homily 1.24.

On the power of Scripture! But if a word merely have such great power, tell
me, how is it thou dost despise the Scriptures? And if an admonition can do
such great things, far more when the admonitions are with the Spirit. Yes, for
a word from the divine Scriptures, made to sound in the ear, doth more than
fire soften the hardened soul, and renders it fit for all good things. NPNF1:
Vol. X, Homilies on Matthew, Homily 2.10.

Let us then hear, as many of us as neglect the reading of the Scriptures, to

what harm we are subjecting ourselves, to what poverty. NPNF1: Vol. X, Homilies
on Matthew, Homily 47.4.

And this also this blessed Apostle shows in what he said to the Philippians;
‘Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my
heart, both in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel.’
(Philippians 1:7.) And so ye also, if ye be willing to apply to the reading of
him with a ready mind, will need no other aid. For the word of Christ is true
which saith, ‘Seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.’
(Matthew 7:7.) But since the greater part of those who here gather themselves
to us, have taken upon themselves the bringing up of children, and the care of
a wife, and the charge of a family, and for this cause cannot afford to all events
aroused to receive those things which have been brought together by others,
300 HOLY SCRIPTURE

and bestow as much attention upon the hearing of what is said as ye give to
the gathering together of goods. For although it is unseemly to demand only
so much ofyou, yet still one must be content if ye give as much. For from this
it is that our countless evils have arisen—from ignorance of the Scriptures;
from this it is that the plague of heresies has broken out; from this that there
are negligent lives; from this labors without advantage. For as men deprived
of this daylight would not walk aright, so they that look not to the gleaming
of the Holy Scriptures must needs be frequently and constantly sinning, in
that they are walking the worst darkness. And that this fall not out, let us
hold our eyes open to the bright shining of the Apostle’s words; for this man’s
tongue shone forth above the sun, and be abounded more than all the rest in
the word of doctrine; for since he labored more abundantly than they, he also
drew upon himselfa large measure ofthe Spirit’s grace. (1 Corinthians 15:10.)
NPNFI: Vol. X1, Homilies on the Epistle ofSt. Paul to the Romans, The Argument.

Therefore everything is neglected. For which of you when in his house takes
some Christian book in hand and goes over its contents, and searches the
Scriptures? None can say that he does so, but with most we shall find draughts
and dice, but books nowhere, except among a few. And even these few have
the same dispositions as the many; for they tie up their books, and keep them
always put away in cases, and all their care is for the fineness of the parchments,
and the beauty of the letters, not for reading them. For they have not bought
them to obtain advantage and benefit from them, but take pains about such
matters to show their wealth and pride. Such is the excess of vainglory. I do
not hear any one glory that he knows the contents, but that he hath a book
written in letters of gold. And what gain, tell me, is this? The Scriptures were
not given us for this only, that we might have them in books, but that we
might engrave them on our hearts. For this kind of possession, the keeping
the commandments merely in letter, belongs to Jewish ambition; but to us
the Law was not so given at all, but in the fleshy tables of our hearts. And this
I say, not to prevent you from procuring Bibles, on the contrary, I exhort
and earnestly pray that you do this, but I desire that from those books you
convey the letters and sense into your understanding, that so it may be
purified when it receiveth the meaning of the writing. For if the devil will
not dare to approach a house where a Gospel is lying, much less will any evil
spirit, or any sinful nature, ever touch or enter a soul which bears about with
it such sentiments as it contains. Sanctify then thy soul, sanctify thy body, by
having these ever in thy heart, and on thy tongue. For if foul speech defiles
and invites devils, it is clear that spiritual reading sanctifies and draws down
the grace of the Spirit. The Scriptures are divine charms, let us then apply
to ourselves and to the passions of our souls the remedies to be derived from
 The Necessity for the Private Reading ofScripture 301
them. For if we understand what it is that is read, we shall hear it with much
readiness. I am always saying this, and will not cease to say it. NPNF1: Vol.
XIV, Homilies on the Gospel according to St. John, Homily 32.3.

Never deem it an unnecessary thing that he should be a diligent hearer of

the divine Scriptures. For there the first thing he hears will be this, ‘Honor
thy father and thy mother’; so that this makes for thee. Never say, this is the
business of monks. Am I making a monk of him? No. There is no need he
should become a monk. Why be so afraid of a thing so replete with so much
advantage? Make him a Christian. For it is of all things necessary for laymen
to be acquainted with the lessons derived from this source; but especially for
children. For theirs is an age full of folly; and to this folly are super added the
bad examples derived from the heathen tales, where they are made acquainted
with those heroes so admired amongst them, slaves of their passions, and cow-
ards with regard to death; as, for example, Achilles, when he relents, when he
dies for his concubine, when another gets drunk, and many other things of
the sort. He requires therefore the remedies against these things. How is it not
absurd to send children out to trades, and to school, and to do all you can for
these objects, and yet, not to ‘bring them up in the chastening and admoni-
tion of the Lord’? And for this reason truly we are the first to reap the fruits,
because we bring up our children to be insolent and profligate, disobedient,
and mere vulgar fellows. Let us not then do this; no, let us listen to this blessed
Apostle’s admonition. ‘Let us bring them up in the chastening and admonition
of the Lord.’ Let us give them a pattern. Let us make them from the earliest
age apply themselves to the reading of the Scriptures. Alas, that so constantly
as I repeat this, I am looked upon as trifling! Still, I shall not cease to do
my duty. NPNFI: Vol. XIII, Homilies on the Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians, Homily 21.

Let the one who has slumped to the very depths of evil not despair of his own
salvation, but rather consider God’s unspeakable love and also heed God speak-
ing through the inspired author, ‘Does whoever falls rise again; does the one
who turns away return?’ and again, ‘I don’t wish the sinner’s death as much
as his turning from evil to live.’ Do you see, dearly beloved, how every item
written in Sacred Scripture has been recorded for no other purpose than our
benefit and the salvation of the human race? With this in mind, then, let
each of us apply the remedy from Scripture appropriate to ourselves. This,
you see, is the reason these matters are freely proposed to everyone: people of
good will are able to apply the fitting remedy to the ailment that is threatening
them and secure a rapid return to health—provided someone doesn't resist
the healing processes of the treatment, but rather gives evidence of personal
gratitude. There is, after all, no ailment of the soul or body besetting the
302 HOLY SCRIPTURE
human race which cannot come to healing from this source.
Do you see how it is possible to find in Scripture a remedy appropriate
to every trouble afflicting the human race and go off healed, to dispel every
depression that life causes and not be brought low by any circumstance be-
falling us? For this reason I beseech you to make your way here frequently,
and attend carefully to the reading of the Holy Scriptures, not only while
you are present here but also at home by taking the sacred books in your
hand and receiving the benefit of their contents with assiduity. Great, you
see, is the advantage accruing from this: first, this very fact of the tongue’s
being brought to reform through reading; then the soul too is given wings and
becomes elevated, glowing with the light of the Sun of Justice, freed at that
time from the harm of evil thoughts and enjoying great peace and tranquility.
What bodily nourishment is for the maintenance of our strength, reading is
for the soul. You see, its nourishment is spiritual, and it both invigorates the
mind and makes the soul strong, better attuned and wiser, no longer allowing
it to fall victim to irrational impulses but even rendering its wings light and
transferring it to heaven itself, so to say.
Accordingly, let us not neglect such a great advantage, I beseech you; in-
stead, let us show all zeal in attending to the reading of the holy Scriptures
in our home as well, and when we come along here let us not waste our time
in gossip and idle talk, but rather respect the purpose for which we have come,
by rousing ourselves and heeding what is being read so that we may gain greater
advantage and so take our leave from here. FC, Vol. 82, Homilies on Genesis 18-45,
Homily 29.4-5, pp.198-199; 201-202.

Ambrose

Commenting further on Psalm 119:105: ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet’:

The eye of our mind is fed with the light of this spiritual lamp, which shines
before us in this night of the world, lest, like those who walk in darkness,
we should stagger with uncertain footsteps, and be unable to find the right
path. Psalmus CXXXIV (119), Sermo Quartus Decimus 5. Translation by William Goode
Vol. 3, p. 262.
Lucerna pedibus meis verbum tuum, Domine...Pascitur et oculus noster
interior lucernae spiritalis lumine, quae nobis in hac mundi nocte praelucet;
ne sicut in tenebris ambulantes, incertis titubemus vestigiis, et viam veram
invenire nequeamus. Sermo Quartus Decimus 5, PL 15:1391.

The books of the heavenly Scriptures are good pastures, by which we are
fed by daily reading, by which we are renewed and refreshed, when we taste
 The Necessity for the Private Reading ofScripture 303

the things that are written, or ruminate frequently upon that which has
been tasted. Upon these pastures the flock of the Lord is fattened. Psalmus
CXXXIV (119), Sermo Quartus Decimus 2. Translation by William Goode, Vol. 3, p. 261-262.
Bona etiam pascua libri sunt Scripturarum coelestium, in quibus quo-
tidiana lectione pascimur, in quibus recreamur ac reficimur; cum ea quae
scriptasunt, degustamus, vel summo ore libata frequentius ruminamus. His
pascuisgrex Domini saginatur. Psalmus CXXXIV (119), Sermo Quartus Decimus 2,
PE 15:11390-1391.

Augustine (354-430)

In every page of these Scriptures, while I pursue my search as a son of

Adam in the sweat of my brow, Christ either openly or covertly meets and
refreshes me. Where the discovery is laborious my ardor is increased, and
the spoil obtained is eagerly devoured, and is hidden in my heart for my
nourishment. NPNFI: Vol. IV, Reply to Faustus the Manichaean, Book XII.27.

For what is so much an adversary to those who wish to sin as the command-
ment of God, z.e. His law and divine Scripture, which has been given us for
this life, that it may be with us in the way, which we must not contradict,
lest it deliver us to the judge, but which we ought to submit to quickly?
For no one knows when he may depart out of this life. Now, who is it that
submits to divine Scripture, save he who reads or hears it piously, deferring
to it as of supreme authority; so that what he understands he does not hate
on this account, that he feels it to be opposed to his sins, but rather loves
being reproved by it, and rejoices that his maladies are not spared until they
are healed; and so that even in respect to what seems to him obscure or
absurd, he does not therefore raise contentious contradictions, but prays
that he may understand, yet remembering that goodwill and reverence are
to be manifested towards so great an authority? But who does this, unless
just the man who has come, not harshly threatening, but in the meekness
of piety, for the purpose of opening and ascertaining the contents of his
father’s will? ‘Blessed,’ therefore, ‘are the meek: for they shall inherit the
earth.’ NPNFI: Vol. VI, Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, Book I, Chapter XI.

But the words of Holy Writ are divine banquets. If, then, you read dili-
gently—if, drawing example from what is outward, you penetrate what
is inward—you will be satiated, as it were, from hunting in the field, and
fill the stomach of the soul, so as to be able to announce things to come to
304 HOLY SCRIPTURE

your son placed before you, to wit to the people you have taken in charge.
But one who prophesies anything of God is already in the dark as to this
world; for it is assuredly right and fit that he whose senses are bright in-
wardly through intelligence should see less through concupiscence here
below. NPNF2, Vol. XII, Register of the Epistles of St. Gregory the Great, Book I, Epistle
LII. To Natalis, Bishop.

And yet even in regard of them, (a thing which ye ought especially to observe,
and to commit to your memory, because that which shall make us strong
against insidious errors, God has been pleased to put in the Scriptures, against
which no man dares to speak, who in any sort wishes to seem a Christian),
when He had given Himself to be handled by them, that did not suffice Him,
but He would also confirm by means of the Scriptures the heart of them
that believe: for He looked forward to us who should be afterwards; seeing
that in Him we have nothing that we can handle, but have that which we
may read. NPNFI, Vol. 7, Augustin, Ten Homilies on the First Epistle ofJohn, Homily II.1.

Every sickness of the soul hath in Scripture its proper remedy. NPNFI, Vol.
8, Augustin, St. Augustin on the Psalms, Psalm 37, section 2.

Our Lord and God takes care of and heals every ailment of the soul, and
so he produced many medicines from the holy scriptures (which you could
call the shelves of his pharmacy or drugstore) when the divine readings
were being read. The Works of Saint Augustine, John E. Rotelle, ed., trans. Edmund
Hill, O.P, (Brooklyn: New City Press, 1990), Part 3, Vol. 2, Sermons, Sermon 32.1, p. 137.

In all these books those who fear God and are of ameek and pious disposi-
tion seek the will of God. And in pursuing this search the first rule to be
observed is, as I said, to know these books, if not yet with the understanding,
still to read them so as to commit them to memory, or at least so as not to
remain wholly ignorant of them. Next, those matters that are plainly laid
down in them, whether rules oflife or rules of faith, are to be searched into
more carefully and more diligently; and the more of these a man discovers,
the more capacious does his understanding become. NPNFI, Vol. 2, Augustin,
On Christian Doctrine, Book II, Chapter 9.

Caesarius of Arles (470-573)

Therefore consider at once, brethren, and carefully notice that the man who
frequently reads or listens to sacred Scripture speaks with God. See, then,
 The Necessity for the Private Reading of Scripture 305

whether the Devil can overtake him when he perceives him in constant conver-
sation with God. However, ifa man neglects to do this, with what boldness or
with what feelings does he believe God will grant him an eternal reward, when
he refuses to speak with Him in this world through the divine text? FC, Vol. 31,
Saint Caesarius ofArles, Sermons (1-80), (New York: Fathers of the Church, 1956), Sermon 8.3 , p. 52.
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 Index of Church Fathers

Alexander ofAlexandria, p. 166 Epiphanius of Salamis, pp. 62-63, 177-181,

241, 258
Ambrose, pp. 65-68, 184-185, 241-242,
259-261, 283, 302-303 Eusebius of Caesarea, pp. 43-44

Ambrosiaster, p. 177 Firmilian, p. 165

Archelaus, p. 240 Fulgentius of Ruspe, pp. 131, 232-233, 273-

274
Arnobius, p. 165
Gregory ofNazianzus, pp. 77-78, 259
Asterius Urbanus, p. 24
Gregory ofNyssa, pp. 71-77, 182-183, 258-
Athanasius, pp. 44-51, 167-171, 254-255, 29
279-280
Gregory Thaumaturgus, p. 254
Augustine, pp. 92-116, 141-151, 207-224,
246-249, 266-271, 290-292, 303-304 Gregory the Great, pp. 132-134, 151-152,
234-235, 274-275, 293-295
Basil of Caesarea, pp. 68-71, 181-182, 240-
241, 259, 283, 298 Hilary of Arles, p. 273

Caesarius ofArles, p. 127, 233-234, 293, Hilary of Poitiers, pp. 51-57, 171-177,
304-305 240, 255-257, 280-282

Chrysostom, pp. 84-92, 140, 186-203, 243- Hippolytus, pp. 31, 279
245, 262-266, 283-289, 298-302
Irenaeus, pp. 17-24, 156-161 , 237, 252,
Clement of Alexandria, pp. 25-31, 161-1 64, 278, 297
278, 297
Isidore of Pelusium, pp. 126-127, 230-232
Clement of Rome, p. 277
Jerome, pp. 78-84, 140, 203-207, 245-246,
Constantine, pp. 43, 167 261-262, 289-290

Cosmas ofIndicopleustes, p. 134 John Cassian, pp. 116-120, 224, 271-272

Cyprian, pp. 39-41, 298 John ofDamascus, pp. 135-137, 275-276

Oyril ofAlexandria, pp. 124-129, 154, 231- Julianus Pomerius, pp. 127, 274, 292-293
233, 275
Justin Martyr, pp. 13-17, 155, 251-252
Cyril ofJerusalem, pp. 57-62, 139, 257-258,
282 Justus of Urgel, p. 131-132

Dionysius ofAlexandria, p. 41 Lactantius, pp. 41-42, 166-167

308 HOLY SCRIPTURE
Marius Victorinus, p. 44

Nemesius ofEmesa, p. 117

Niceta of Remesiana, pp. 64-65, 183-184, 261

Novatian, p. 42

Optatus ofMilevis, p. 92, 140-141

Origen, pp. 36-39, 164-165, 279

Paschasius ofDumium, p. 235

Polycarp, pp. 277

Prosper ofAquitaine, p. 127

Rufinus, pp. 78, 186

Salvian the Presbyter, pp. 128-131, 233

Socrates Scholasticus, p. 42-43

Tatian, p. 253-254

Tertullian, pp. 31-36, 164, 238-240, 252-253,

278
Theodoret of Cyrrhus, pp. 117-121, 225-228,
249-250, 273

Theonas ofAlexandria, p. 165

Theophilus of Alexandria, p. 78

Theophilus ofAntioch, pp. 160-161, 253

 HOLY SCRIPTURE
The Ground and Pillar of Our Faith
The Writings of the Church Fathers
Affirming the Reformation Principle of Sola Scriptura

The principle of sola Scriptura—the teaching that Scripture is materially

and formally sufficient and the ultimate authority for the Church—was
the formal principle of the Reformation. The Roman Catholic Church
teaches that the principle is illegitimate because, she claims, it is unhistorical.
By this she means that sola Scriptura is a theological novelty in that it
supposedly has no support in the teaching of the early Church. Roman
apologists charge that the teaching on Scripture promoted by the Reform-
ers introduced a false dichotomy between the Church and Scripture which
elevated Scripture to a place of authority unheard of in the early Church.
The Church of Rome insists that the early Church fathers, while fully
endorsing the full inspiration of the Old and New Testaments, did not
believe in sola Scriptura.
This volume is a compilation of the teaching of the Church fathers on
the primacy, sufficiency and ultimate authority of Scripture. It contains
one of the most extensive documentations of the patristic understanding of
Scripture in the English language brought together in one volume. The
editors have gone to great lengths to provide the primary sources where the
quotations can be found in the original works, where appropriate.
The documentation provided reveals in the clearest possible terms the
Church fathers’ belief in the material and formal sufficiency of Scripture.
By material sufficiency we mean that all that is necessary to be believed for
faith and morals is revealed in Scripture. Formal sufficiency means that all
that is necessary for faith and morals is clearly revealed in Scripture, so that
an individual, by the enablement of the Holy Spirit alone, can understand
the essentials of salvation and the Christian life. Page after page gives elo-
quent testimony to the supreme authority that Scripture held in the life of
the early Church and serves as a much needed corrective to Rome's misrep-
resentation of the Church fathers and her denigration of the sufficiency
and final authority of Scripture.

Cover Illustration: The first page of the Gospel of

John, translated by William Tyndale. Taken from the ISBN 189353105-8
first printed English New Testament of 1526.
BY PERMISSION OF THE BRITISH LIBRARY

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