Sola Scriptura: The Bible as All History

Sources: Robert M. Grant with David Tracy, A Short History of the Interpretation of the Bible, 2d. ed. (Fortress, 1984); Telford Work, "The Confession of Christ as Hermeneutical Norm" (2001); Telford Work, Living and Active: Scripture in the Economy of Salvation (Eerdmans, 2001).

Reading: Rev. 4.

Bible as History, History as Bible
The Bible is evidence of historical events in the ancient Near East
Interpreters disagree over how literally it attests to past events
Christians also quote, preach, and cite the Bible to narrate all history
The Bible focuses history on creation, Israel, Jesus, Church, end
Communities have their own historical visions:

Eastern Orthodoxy: Biblical practice deepens Scripture into Holy Tradition
Church Fathers are the Bible's privileged interpreters
Orthodox appreciate the story's continuity
Conflicts are resolved by appeals to the weightiest tradition

Roman Catholicism: Three sixteenth century attitudes towards Tradition

Classical: All saving truth is explicitly or implicitly in Scripture
Two-source: Truth is "partly in written books and partly in unwritten Tradition
Charismatic: New illumination comes through popes and councils

Trent (and Vatican II) refuses to choose one option
Catholics appreciate the story's development
Conflicts are resolved by appeals to the Magisterium (teaching office)

Protestantism: Biblical practice judges traditions
Sola Scriptura: The traditions that are the Bible stand over, fund, and norm all traditions (including themselves)
Scripture is the norma normans, tradition the norma normata

Lutheranism, Anglicanism, Methodism: All holy tradition conforms to it
Radical Reformation, Calvinism: All holy tradition derives from it

Protestants appreciate the story's perspicuity
Thus: Bible translation, literal over allegorical interpretation, illumination
Preaching and Bible reading take center stage in the Reformation
Conflicts are resolved by appeals to the best interpretation