What Does the History of the Canon of Scripture Teach Us about Evaluating Competing Christian Truth Claims? – CHS 167

Catholic Heritage Show w/ Dr. Erik Estrada

04-08-2020 • 30 mins

What does the history of the canon of Scripture teach us about discerning Christian truth claims? In this episode, I approach this question by making the general argument that Scripture by itself (sola scriptura) is incapable of establishing the nature of the canon of Scripture (i.e., the list of scriptural books). I briefly review some of the basic differences in the ways Protestant and Catholic Christians approach the question of how a Christian knows for certain which books belong to the canon of Scripture. I note that generally speaking Protestant Christians rely heavily on a certain number of criteria for determining the canon. Catholics, however, look not only to many of these same criteria but also to the Church’s authority and tradition. In this episode, we argue that Christians need the Church’s tradition and, ultimately, the Church’s authority to determine which books are indeed part of the authoritative list of scriptural books. Apart from the Church’s authority and the Church’s tradition, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to gain certainty on the nature of the canon of Scripture. Join us this week as we discuss the relationship between the canon of Scripture and one’s ability to discern competing Christian truth claims.

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The Catholic Heritage is devoted to helping Catholic Christians better understand the history, teachings and culture of their Catholic faith so that they can better love and serve Christ, the Church and their neighbors. Dr. Erik Estrada is a Catholic scholar who holds a Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame and specializes in the history of Christianity and historical theology. He also completed a licentiate (S.T.L) in theology and patristic science at the Augustinianum Patristic Institute in Rome and a S.T.B. at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.

If you would like to provide feedback to the show, of if you have any inquiries, you can contact him at feedback@catholicheritageshow.com.