Faith, Tradition, And Scripture
Lewis played an integral part in spreading the Christian faith in the 20th century. His numerous works have explored the ideas of Faith, Tradition, and Scripture and helped identify what it means to be a Christian. And yet the Church has always taught according to Sacred Faith and Sacred Tradition -- these two being the guiding lights of the Magisterium. Even the Second Vatican Council has stated, "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the word of God, committed to the Church" (Dei Verbum). Faith, Tradition, and Scripture, therefore, play an integral role in the formation of Christian identity and culture. This paper will analyze the Faith, Tradition, Scripture formula and show how it has developed through the centuries.
The Deposit of Faith
Vernon Staley (1894) states that "it is upon the authority of the Church, and upon that alone, that we know what is Scripture, and what is not" (p. 320). The meaning of this statement is bound up the Church's formula of Faith, Tradition, and Scripture -- for as some Protestants make Scripture their rule of Faith, the Church has never done so: Staley quotes Dr. Pusey, who says, "We acknowledge that Holy Scripture is the source of all saving truth; but it does not therefore follow that everyone, unguided, is to draw for himself the truth out of...
322). The deposit of Faith was passed down from Christ both through Scripture and Tradition: "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen" (John 21:25). Thus, while the Church Fathers gathered the books of Scripture together, they also passed on through Tradition the deposit of Faith to which all Christians should adhere.
Likewise, the authors of the pages of Scripture make mention of the act of passing on: St. Paul says, "For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you…" (1 Cor. 11:23). And it is St. Paul who disputes with Peter the correct way to approach both Jews and Gentiles in order to convert them. Thus, while even the Apostles of Our Lord contended among themselves, the Spirit of the Church has always been protected by the Holy Ghost, which guides the Church in Her pronouncements concerning that which is necessary for salvation (matters of faith and morals).
Authority and Revelation
As C.S. Lewis (2001) notes, "The Moral Law tells us the tune we have to play: our instincts are merely the keys…" (p. 10). Lewis here asserts the reality of nature that is the moral code -- however, because nature can be corrupted or perverted, we…
