Authority and truthfulness of Scripture
- F15.1 Scripture is the inspired, true word of God: consensus from Era I (high)
- F15.2 Both Testaments are the one God’s Scripture, given through the one Word: consensus from Era II (against Marcion) (high)
- F15.3 Things necessary for faith and life are plainly set out in Scripture; obscure passages are read by the plain (Irenaeus, Augustine) (high)
Two separate measures, shown side by side; neither is combined with the other (confidence-weighted, out of 4; counts show how many of this doctrine's 3 questions each rests on; ⚠ marks coverage more than 10 points below the median, a less certain rank). This doctrine is first-order (tier weight 3). How scoring works · Scripture and tradition · Glossary · Every score with its citation
Closeness to Scripture
Closeness to the fathers
Charts: closeness to the fathers by question, and timeline
- c. 96 Clement of Rome F15.1
- c. 180 Irenaeus F15.1
- c. 180 Irenaeus F15.2
- c. 180 Irenaeus F15.3
- c. 415 Augustine F15.1
- c. 415 Augustine F15.3
- 1646 Westminster Confession Presbyterian
- 1646 Westminster Confession Reformed Baptist
- 1672 Confession of Dositheus Orthodox
F15 · Authority and truthfulness of Scripture
Scripture is God’s inspired word.
Tier: First-order (scoring weight 3). How the tiers were set: theological triage. Method: conventions. Traditions’ sources: confessional sources.
In short
Scripture calls itself God-breathed and unbreakable. The fathers, from Clement of Rome on, call it the true words of the Holy Spirit, and Augustine says its authors were free from error. Things necessary for salvation are set out plainly in Scripture (Irenaeus, Augustine), even though some passages are hard. All nine traditions, in their classic statements, hold Scripture’s authority; they differ on how Scripture relates to church tradition (S07).
Plan
Question: F15.1: is Scripture God’s inspired and truthful word? How Scripture relates to tradition is S07. Scripture: 2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:20–21; John 10:35; Matt 5:18. Fathers: 1 Clement 45; Irenaeus, Against Heresies II.28.2; Augustine, Letter 82.3. F15.2: is the Old Testament Christian Scripture (Luke 24:27; Irenaeus IV.9.1)? F15.3: are the things necessary for salvation clear in Scripture (Deut 30:11–14; 2 Tim 3:15–17; Irenaeus II.27; Augustine, On Christian Doctrine II.9)?
Questions
- F15.1 Is Scripture God’s inspired and truthful word?
- F15.2 Is the Old Testament Christian Scripture (against Marcion)?
- F15.3 Are the things necessary for salvation clear in Scripture?
Verdicts and trace
Weighed under the source-proximity principle: Scripture first, then the father eras I–IV.
F15.1 · Is Scripture God’s inspired and truthful word?
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F15.1 | Scripture is the inspired, true word of God: consensus from Era I | High | F15.1.1 · F15.1.3 weighing | clement-of-rome-f15-s1 · irenaeus-f15-s1 · augustine-f15-s1 | F15.1.4: high |
F15.2 · Is the Old Testament Christian Scripture (against Marcion)?
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F15.2 | Both Testaments are the one God’s Scripture, given through the one Word: consensus from Era II (against Marcion) | High | F15.2.1 · F15.2.3 weighing | irenaeus-f15-s2 | F15.2.4: high |
F15.3 · Are the things necessary for salvation clear in Scripture?
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F15.3 | Things necessary for faith and life are plainly set out in Scripture; obscure passages are read by the plain (Irenaeus, Augustine) | High | F15.3.1 · F15.3.3 weighing | irenaeus-f15-s3 · augustine-f15-s2 | F15.3.4: high |
Post-750 development
Which of this doctrine’s questions each tradition stays closest to, or departs from. Each row links to the tradition’s notes; exact scores and bases are in the reasoning.
| Tradition | Closest to the fathers on | Departs or sharpens on |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | F15.1, F15.2, F15.3 | — |
| Orthodox | F15.1, F15.2, F15.3 | — |
| Oriental Orthodox | F15.1, F15.2, F15.3 | — |
| Lutheran | F15.1, F15.2, F15.3 | — |
| Anglican | F15.1, F15.2, F15.3 | — |
| Presbyterian | F15.1, F15.2, F15.3 | — |
| Reformed Baptist | F15.1, F15.2, F15.3 | — |
| General Baptist | F15.1, F15.2, F15.3 | — |
| Anabaptist | F15.1, F15.2, F15.3 | — |
Overall verdict
All nine classic traditions confess Scripture’s inspiration and truthfulness; they differ on its relation to tradition (S07). All nine receive both Testaments (F15.2). On F15.3, the classic confessions agree that what is needed for salvation is taught in Scripture (often with a church-interpretation note in East and Rome; WCF I.7 states the clarity of saving essentials expressly).
Verification status
Dositheus 2 verified (the earlier ‘dictated’ wording was wrong and is corrected); Vatican I Dei Filius 2 (’they have God as their author’) verified.