Moved here from notes/reasoning/relics.md in the tier migration. The per-question reasoning now lives on each doctrine’s reasoning page: S19.1 · S19.2 · S19.3 · S19.4.

Relics: reasoning steps

Verdicts: categories/relics.md. Weighing criteria as in justification reasoning: Scripture in context and original language; each father’s polemical setting; date and breadth of witness; explicit beats inferred; unverified texts carry no weight.

Post-750 development by tradition

Catholic

Trent XXV (Waterworth, verified): “the holy bodies of holy martyrs … are to be venerated by the faithful; through which (bodies) many benefits are bestowed by God on men”. Matches R1–R3. Trent XXV also orders reform of abuses: “in the invocation of saints, the veneration of relics, and the sacred use of images, every superstition shall be removed, all filthy lucre be abolished” (Waterworth, verified).

Orthodox

Follows Nicaea II and John of Damascus. Matches R1–R3.

Lutheran

AC XXI (bookofconcord.org, verified): “the memory of saints may be set before us, that we may follow their faith”, but “Scripture teaches not the invocation of saints”. Relics are addressed in the Smalcald Articles II.II.22–23 (bookofconcord.org, verified): relics involve “so many falsehoods and tomfooleries concerning the bones of dogs and horses” and are “without the Word of God; being neither commanded nor counseled, they are an entirely unnecessary and useless thing”; worst of all when treated as working “indulgence and the forgiveness of sins”. It departs on R1 and R3 in practice.

Presbyterian

WCF XXI.2 (opc.org, verified): worship to God “alone; not to angels, saints, or any other creature”. Calvin’s Inventory of Relics / Admonition (1543; Beveridge ET on Wikisource; also Gutenberg #32136 / CCEL, verified): openly polemical — “a longing for relics is never free from superstition, nay, what is worse, it is the parent of idolatry”; “a great majority of the relics which are exhibited are spurious, being brought forward by certain deceivers”; “every Apostle has more than four bodies, and every Saint two or three”. Sides with Vigilantius’s objection.

Oriental Orthodox

Sources: Oriental Orthodox confessional sources. Classic formulations only.

• R1 (fathers 4/4; Scripture n/a): Relics honoured.
• R2 (fathers 4/4; Scripture 2/4): Severus preached at the martyrs’ chapel on ’the commemoration of the martyrs’ (Select Letters, verified); the Copto-Arabic Synaxarion keeps feasts of relic translations, e.g. ‘Translation of the remains of Saint John Chrysostom’ and ‘Translation of the body of Saint Epiphanius to Cyprus’ (verified, Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia, ‘Synaxarion, Copto-Arabic’).
• R3 (fathers 4/4; Scripture 4/4): Affirmed: Pope Shenouda III, relics of saints worked ‘miracles and wonders for all who touched them’ (verified, popeshenouda.org.eg).
• R4 (fathers 4/4; Scripture n/a): Patristic consensus.

Anglican

Sources: Anglican confessional sources. Classic formulations only.

• R1 (fathers 1/4; Scripture n/a): Art. XXII.
• R2 (fathers 1/4; Scripture 3/4): Art. XXII: ‘Adoration … of Reliques’ a fond thing.
• R3 (fathers 1/4; Scripture 2/4): Not affirmed.
• R4 (fathers 0/4; Scripture n/a): Art. XXII.

Reformed Baptist

Sources: Reformed Baptist confessional sources. Classic formulations only.

• R1 (fathers 1/4; Scripture n/a): Rejects.
• R2 (fathers 1/4; Scripture 3/4): 1689 22.2.
• R3 (fathers 1/4; Scripture 2/4): Not affirmed.
• R4 (fathers 0/4; Scripture n/a): Vigilantius’s side.

General Baptist

Sources: General Baptist confessional sources. Classic formulations only.

• R1 (fathers 1/4; Scripture n/a): Rejects.
• R2 (fathers 1/4; Scripture 3/4): Rejects.
• R3 (fathers 1/4; Scripture 2/4): Not affirmed.
• R4 (fathers 0/4; Scripture n/a): Vigilantius’s side.

Anabaptist

Sources: Anabaptist confessional sources. Classic formulations only.

• R1 (fathers 1/4; Scripture n/a): Rejects.
• R2 (fathers 1/4; Scripture 3/4): Rejects.
• R3 (fathers 1/4; Scripture 2/4): Not affirmed.
• R4 (fathers 0/4; Scripture n/a): Vigilantius’s side.