Scripture and Tradition:

Catholic-Lutheran Perspectives of Divine Revelation

Fray James Erold P. Gatinao, OAR

Introduction
It has been 500 years since start the reformation movement of Martin Luther. It all begun
with the question: How can I find the gracious God?1He later found the gracious God in the
scriptures. However, the search for “the gracious God” ended up to the painful rift in the
Catholic world. Exchange of words between sides turned violent to the extent of engaging into
wars. Furthermore, the gap widened the more and the differences broadened as time passes.
Nonetheless, there are still number of doctrines where Catholics and the Lutherans mutually
agree. And in this perspective, both parties seek unity.

Lutheran’s Divine Revelation

To introduce the doctrines of the Lutherans, one must keep in mind the sole source of
divine revelation they acclaim: the Sacred Scripture. The Scripture, and Scripture alone, is
authoritative divine revelation. It serves as the medium for God’s message to the world, which is
written Scripture alone without Tradition.2 It shows that Lutherans claim that the scripture alone
suffices in the salvation of mankind and it contains everything that Christians need to know the
revealed God and to live out God’s ways. Hence, there is no need of tradition as Catholics claim.
A. Skevington Wood presented Martin Luther’s view of special revelation from God. He
said that Luther’s view of revelation proper is “confined to that particular redemptive knowledge
of Himself in Christ which God conveys to the believer or awakened enquirer.”3 He affirms that
Christ is the sole mediator of God’s self-disclosure. This special revelation, he further noted
Luther’s view, in Scriptures. "If you want to encounter God, you must first see Him under the
mask, in the Word. Then one day you can behold Him also in His majesty. For now God will not
present you with anything special apart from and contrary to His command contained in His
Word".4 Notice here that the Scripture seems to play the role of a mediator. However, Wood

1
Report of the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity (2013) From Conflict To Communion: Lutheran-
Catholic Common Commemoration Of The Reformation In 2017
2
https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/how-do-catholics-and-protestants-disagree-over-scripture-tradition/Retrieved
October 10, 2017
3
A. Skevington Wood, Luther’s Concept of Revelation, Evangelical Quarterly 1963 p. 154
4
Wood, Luther’s Concept of Revelation p. 154
borrowed the word of John Baillie referring to the Bible as “mediated immediacy” which
expresses the Bible’s mediation role for revelation but its substance is “nothing less than God
Himself”5
Clearly, Luther put the Scripture in a pedestal. He holds the scripture as God in its
substance and so man have no license to select or reject. The Written Word and the Living Word
are almost indivisible as Christ is the core of the Scripture. Hence, no one should alter or
displaced the statements of the Scripture.6
Moreover, it was widely known that Lutherans does not believe in tradition. As
mentioned earlier, there is no need for tradition for the Scripture contains the revelation of God
or substantially, the revealed Word. Nonetheless, Lutherans claim that they too value tradition
but in a different sense as the Catholics. Luther himself did not reject tradition entirely. He
allowed it as long as it is in line with Scripture. Therefore, for Lutherans, tradition is not a
separate mode of revelation from Scriptures.7 Their tradition is based on scriptures,
consequently, the principle Sola Scriptura still holds.

Catholic’s Source of Divine Revelation

God has revealed Himself to man throughout centuries. There were patriarchs, judges,
prophets, and kings. But the fullness of God’s self-disclosure culminated with the incarnation of
His Son, Jesus Christ. This Gospel was handed over to the apostles to preach to all nations God’s
saving truth through Jesus Christ. This mission was faithfully accomplished by the apostle
through oral teaching and through this medium and the Good news was handed over to the
faithful.8
The Roman Catholic Church has taught from the beginning that the Scripture is the Word
of God. “Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of
the Holy Spirit.”9 The Church from the time of the apostles has exerted a lot of effort preserving
the tradition of the Church in written and in practices and rituals. It is the objective of the Church

5
Wood, Luther’s Concept of Revelation p. 155
6
From Conflict To Communion: Lutheran-Catholic Common Commemoration Of The Reformation In 2017
7
Jeremy Bouma, How do Catholics and Protestants Disagree over Scripture and Tradition, https://zondervanaca
demic.com/blog/how-do-catholics-and-protestants-disagree-over-scripture-tradition/ Retrieved October 10, 2017
8
Pope Paul VI, Dogmatic Constitution On Divine Revelation Dei Verbum November 18, 1965, 7
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_dei-
verbum_en.html Retrieved October 12, 2017
9
Dei Verbum 9
to preserve the “Gospel forever whole and alive within the Church.”10 The catechism of the
Catholic Church expressed, “The Father’s self-communication made through his Word in the
Holy Spirit remains present and active in the Church.”11
However, the Sacred Tradition (or Unwritten Tradition) precedes the Sacred Scripture12
(Written Tradition). Jesus himself did not write His teachings, neither His Apostles nor any of
his disciples during Jesus’ ministry. And so, when Jesus said, “Go out to the whole world;
proclaim the Good News to all creation,”13 the His followers preached orally without any written
guide. That is why the apostles handed down the Word they themselves received ensure that the
Good News be kept alive through apostolic letters and written accounts of Jesus’ life.14"Stand
firm, then, brothers, and keep the traditions that we taught you, whether by word of mouth or by
letter"15
To discuss further, Tradition as the source of revelation is not only verbal, but real. It is
passed down not only by way of instruction, but also by means of institution, cult, rites, etc. 16 In
other words, Tradition plays a vital role in the life of the Church. Even the successors of the
apostles preserved this tradition and had given a high regard for it. Joseph Ratzinger commented,
“Their writings testify to the living presence of tradition and are, as it were, a living expression
of the perpetuation of the mystery of Christ in the life of the Church.”17
These two distinct modes of transmission of divine revelation supplement each other.
One is not greater than the other. The Church says, “Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then,
are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out
from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and moves
towards the same goal.”18 While the Sacred Scriptures is the Word of God written under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Sacred Tradition faithfully preserves and transmits the Word of
God through the teachings of Christ handed down to the Apostles and their successors, and
visible in various forms such as rites, liturgy, sacraments and hierarchy of the Church.

10
Dei Verbum 7
11
Catechism of the Catholic Church 79, ECCE and Word and Life Publications, Manila, 1994, p. 32
12
Rene Latourelle, SJ Theology of Revelation, Alba House Publishing, New York, 1996, p. 474
13
Mark 16:15 The Jerusalem Bible Philippine Bible Society, 2004
14
Dei Verbum 8
15
2 Thess. 2:15 JB
16
Rene Latourelle, SJ Theology of Revelation, p. 477
17
Joseph Ratzinger, Commentary on Dei Verbum in the Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche (Translation: Herbert
Vorgrimler, ed., Commentary on the Documents of Vatican II - New York: Crossroad, 1989, Vol. 3, p 101
18
Dei Verbum 9; cf. CCC 80
Perspectives on Sources of Revelation
There are several differences in views regarding the Scriptures and Tradition. In the same
way, there are some similarities in their claims in these modes of revelation. This is expected as
the Lutherans separated themselves from the Catholic Church due to unpleasant events and
practices of the Roman Church at that time. Here are the different viewpoints:
Lutherans view tradition as subject to Scriptures while Catholic Church emphasizes on
the equal importance of both Tradition and Scriptures. As discussed earlier, traditions in
Lutherans doctrine should be scriptural. Consequently, the traditions which are not found in
Scriptures are not accepted as revealed truths. The Catholic doctrine on the infallibility of the
office of the Pope is, therefore, rejected by the Lutherans as it is not immediately found in
Scriptures.
On the other hand, the Tradition for the Catholic Church is not subjected to the
Scriptures. Sacred Tradition precedes the Bible but the Church gives equal significance to both.
Thus, there are traditions that were in action even before the writing of the Gospels and the
compilation of the Bible books and letters. The Eucharist, the sacraments, the veneration of the
saints and the hierarchy in the Church are the examples of traditions before the Scriptures.
The Sola Scriptura doctrine of the Lutherans asserts that the written Word of God or the
Bible contains all that one needs in acquiring the divinely revealed truths. It contains all the
norms that the believer needs to apply in their own lives. All other means of proclaiming truths
which are not found in the Bible or extra biblical are rejected and are not use. Hence, the
Scripture is the rule of faith.
Based on Martin Luther’s view, Lutherans claim that the Word of God is Christ Himself
substantially. There is no other mediator but Christ Himself and so is the Bible (Mediated
Immediacy).The inerrancy of the Scriptures may be based on this.

Conclusion
The differences between the views of Lutherans to that of the Catholic Teachings
regarding the transmission of the revelation made by God resulted to different views in their
response. The Sola Scriptura doctrine divinized the Bible and become the source of salvation in
the same degree to Jesus. While the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, by which Tradition is
passed on, is the sole authority to interpret the Scriptures, Lutherans claim that anyone can
interpret it. However, the danger of multiplicity of views with no objective roots from the
tradition of the Apostles leads to confusion between private and public revelation. That may be
the cause of the division Lutherans (or Protestants in general) into many other sects with diverse
views.
The Sacred Tradition, with the authority of the Magisterium of the Church, preserves the
Gospel message as received by the Apostles. The Bible alone is not sufficient as it is written by
human authors with different intentions and context in writing the Gospels and Letters. As the
Gospel of John says, “There was much else that Jesus did; if it were written down in detail, I do
not suppose the world itself would hold all the books that would be written.”19

19
John 21:25 JB
Bibliography
 Bouma, Jeremy, How do Catholics and Protestants Disagree over Scripture and Tradition,
https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/how-do-catholics-and-protestants-disagree-over-
scripture-tradition/ Retrieved October 10, 2017
 Catechism of the Catholic Church 79, ECCE and Word and Life Publications, Manila,
1994, p. 32
 Latourelle, SJ, Rene, Theology of Revelation, Alba House Publishing, New York, 1996,
p. 474
 Pope Paul VI, Dogmatic Constitution On Divine Revelation Dei Verbum November 18,
1965, 7 http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-
ii_const_19651118_dei-verbum_en.html Retrieved October 12, 2017
 Ratzinger, Joseph, Commentary on Dei Verbum in the Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche
(Translation: Herbert Vorgrimler, ed., Commentary on the Documents of Vatican II -
New York: Crossroad, 1989, Vol. 3
 Report of the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity (2013) From Conflict To
Communion: Lutheran-Catholic Common Commemoration Of The Reformation In 2017
https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/how-do-catholics-and-protestants-disagree-over-
scripture-tradition/ Retrieved October 10, 2017
 The Jerusalem Bible Philippine Bible Society, 2004
 Wood, Skevington, Luther’s Concept of Revelation, Evangelical Quarterly 1963