X-Delivery-Notice:  SMTP MAIL FROM does not correspond to sender.
X-Mailer: QuickMail/SMTP interface.
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia
Date:         Mon, 5 Oct 1992 12:09:13 EDT
From:         Leo W <Leo_W@QM.CIRCA.UFL.EDU>
Subject:      Clement & Sola Scriptura

Clement of Alexandria, 153 - 193 - 217 A.D., head of the Catechetical School at
Alexandria, teacher of Origen, Alexander bishop of Jerusalem, and Hippolytus,
in The Stromata, or Miscellanies, book 8, chapters 26 & 27, clearly states what
anyone can sense from reading all of the early church fathers' writings up to
Clement's time:

On the ancient definition of the Catholic Church (as opposed to heretical
groups):

"... the true Church, that which is really ancient, is one, and that in it
those who according to God's purpose are just, are enrolled."

"Therefore in substance and idea, in origin, in pre-eminence, we say that the
ancient and Catholic Church is alone, collecting as it does into the unity of
the one faith -- which results from the peculiar Testaments, or rather the one
Testament in different times by the will of the one God, through one Lord --
those already ordained, whom God predestinated, knowing before the foundation
of the world that they would be righteous."

On the Sacred Tradition of the Church:

"... we enter in [to the kingdom of heaven] through the tradition of the Lord
.. the teaching of our Lord at His advent ... and that of the apostles,
embracing the ministry of Paul ..."

On the criterion by which truth and heresy are distinguished:

"For we have, as the source of teaching, the Lord, both by the prophets, the
Gospel, and the blessed apostles, "in diverse manners and at sundry times,"
leading from the beginning of knowledge to the end.  But if one should suppose
that another origin was required, then no longer truly could an origin be
preserved."

"He, then, who of himself believes the Scripture and voice of the Lord ... is
rightly [regarded] faithful ... 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 ... 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 ... so, consequently, we also, giving a complete exhibition
of the Scriptures from the Scriptures themselves, from faith persuade by
demonstration."

On how the heretics handle the Sacred Tradition:

"... in the first place they will not make use of all the Scriptures, 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 the use of the mere words.

On how the true teachings are established:

"But the truth is not found by changing the meanings (for so people subvert 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."

On how heresies are handled:

"... they are overturned by our clearly showing that they are opposed to the
Scriptures"

The true Sacred Tradition:

"... what has been spoken by the Lord through the prophets and by the Gospel,
and besides, attested and confirmed by the apostles."

"He leads us in the inspired Scriptures."

"Those are slothful who, having it in their power to provide themselves with
proper proofs for the divine Scriptures 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."

To date I have read 1140 pages of the earliest church fathers, and I have found
nothing taken in context which indicates a tradition outside the Scriptures
used to interpret the Scriptures.  In fact, I have only witnessed the early
church fathers using the same method that Clement outlined above, which is
consistent with the method employed in the NT epistles.  The only Sacred
Tradition, Infallible Source of Doctrine, even Divine Tradition in these early
writings to date, is what is contained in our Bible.  Claims to the contrary
would be considered heresy.

An interesting aside, the early church fathers from Clement of Rome to
Irenaeous (up to 202 A.D.) quote from every book in the New Testament except 2
and 3 John.

Yours in Christ Jesus,
Leo