Publications relevant to this issue

Biblical Authority

What is the authority of the Bible?

How should Christians make decisions?

The position of the Church of England is that supreme and final authority rests with the Bible as God's Word written.

This is explained in Article 6 of the Church's Thirty-Nine Articles but this has to be understood alongside the rest of the articles.  These affirm that the Bible is always over the Church and not the other way around.   Moreover, in the Book of Homilies, which remains a sort of official commentary on the teaching of the Church of England, the Bible is described quite clearly as 'God's infallible Word'.  That is to say, the Bible is reliable, without error as originally given by God.

In many contemporary debates it is often that the issue centres not around the authority of the Bible but how it is to be interpreted today.  This is misleading; in reality the differences normally arise not from interpretation but the more fundamental question of what people believe the Bible itself to be.  See further an article in Cross†Way 2003.

The Anglican teaching on the nature and authority of the Bible as represented in the official doctrines of the Church of England.

The Book of Homilies contains an exhortation on reading Scripture, particularly in having humility when claiming that Scripture is in error.

Church Society articles

"The Word of God : Its Divine Inspiration, Infallibiiity, And All-sufficiency for Salvation. Church Association Tract 401 (from 1909) by James Maden Holt.

The attitude of the Protestant Reformers to the divine inspiration of the Bible is charted by Philip Edgcumbe Hughes in his Churchman article.

The English Reformers' Teaching on Scripture. Churchman article by Ernest Strickland.

The relevance of the Old Testament Commandments for people today. The Old not Contrary to the New (Cross†Way article 2004)

The Bible has all the Authority of God, its author (Cross†Way article 1999)

Being gods or being God's - Introductory article in Cross†Way 1999 on the assault on authority in the Church today

Are We Shortchanging  Our People?
David Wheaton discusses the importance of bible reading in church services. (Cross†Way article 2004)

Theological Method & Authority. Nigel Atkinson discusses the roles Scripture and Tradition should have in the authority of the Church. (Cross†Way article 1999)

Irenaeus on the Authority of Scripture, the 'Rule of Truth' and Episcopacy - Part 1. Churchman article by James Paice

Irenaeus on the Authority of Scripture, the 'Rule of Truth' and Episcopacy

- Part 2. Churchman article by James Paice

New Revised Standard Version OUP 1995 - Part 1, An Appraisal.
Churchman article by John Dobson

New Revised Standard Version OUP 1995 - Part 2.

Churchman article by John Dobson

Without error : Augustine and Jerome

At the end of the fourth century there was an interesting exchange of letters between Augustine of Hippo and Jerome who was 12 years his senior. Augustine raised a few questions about the rationale behind Jerome's translation of the Bible into Latin but also about a particular point in Jerome's commentary on Galatians where the monk had asserted that Paul had not rebuked Peter, despite what the letter of Galatians appears to say. Henry Chadwick in "The Early Church' observes that 'Jerome was a prickly figure' who 'could not endure criticism'. At first Jerome ignored the letter so that Augustine had to write twice more (the post was also not so fast in those days). Jerome then said he ignored the letter because he thought it a fake - he was sure Augustine would not have written to him in such terms.

Finally he rebuked Augustine for being so impudent and accused him of seeking to use the letter (which has apparently found its way into the open) to boost his own reputation. Although at the end of his life Jerome seems to have recognised the great talent of Augustine he deflected the substantive simply stating that his own commentary merely followed that of Origen. Sadly, I don't believe any copies of Origen's commentary have survived.

Augustine wrote in his first letter; 'it seems to me that most disastrous consequences must follow upon our believing that anything false is found in the sacred books' (Letter 28 chapter 3). He repeated the point in his second letter; '…by the admission of falsehood here, the authority of the Holy Scriptures given for faith of all coming generations is to me made wholly uncertain and wavering' (40.5).

Later he spelt out His own understanding of the nature of authority,

'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'.

He accepted the authority of other writers only 'because they have succeeded in convincing my judgement of its truth either by means of these canonical writings themselves, or by argument addressed to my reason.' (82.3)