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Examined Doctrine
Scripture & Authority

Authority of Scripture

What is the final authority for doctrine, and how do tradition and church office relate to it?

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Scripture alone is the finalScripture with tradition and church te…Scripture supreme
29 FIGURES · 23 QUOTED · 0 WITHOUT A STANCE

Scripture alone is the final

Scripture alone is the final, only infallible authority

Huldrych Zwingli1484 – 1531AFFIRMS°PRIMARY SOURCE❝ QUOTEDJacobus Arminius1560 – 1609AFFIRMS°STANDARD ACCOUNTJohn Calvin1509 – 1564AFFIRMS°PRIMARY SOURCE❝ QUOTEDMartin Luther1483 – 1546AFFIRMS°PRIMARY SOURCE❝ QUOTEDPhilip Melanchthon1497 – 1560AFFIRMS°PRIMARY SOURCE❝ QUOTEDJohn Owen1616 – 1683AFFIRMS°PRIMARY SOURCE❝ QUOTEDJonathan Edwards1703 – 1758AFFIRMS°PRIMARY SOURCE❝ QUOTEDSecond London Baptist Confession1689AFFIRMS°PRIMARY SOURCE❝ QUOTEDWestminster Confession1646AFFIRMS°PRIMARY SOURCE❝ QUOTEDJohn Wesley1703 – 1791AFFIRMS°PRIMARY SOURCE❝ QUOTEDGavin OrtlundlivingAFFIRMS°STANDARD ACCOUNTJohn MacArthur1939 – 2025AFFIRMS°PRIMARY SOURCE❝ QUOTEDJohn Piperb. 1946AFFIRMS°STANDARD ACCOUNTJosh HowertonlivingAFFIRMS°PRIMARY SOURCE❝ QUOTEDJustin PeterslivingAFFIRMS°PRIMARY SOURCE❝ QUOTEDMichael S. Heiser1963 – 2023AFFIRMS°PRIMARY SOURCE❝ QUOTEDR.C. Sproul1939 – 2017AFFIRMS°PRIMARY SOURCE❝ QUOTEDThe Church of Eleven22 Statement of Faithundated (read 2026)AFFIRMS°PRIMARY SOURCE❝ QUOTEDVoddie Bauchamb. 1969AFFIRMS°STANDARD ACCOUNT

Scripture with tradition and church te…

Scripture with tradition and church teaching office

Basil the Greatc.330 – 379AFFIRMS°PRIMARY SOURCE❝ QUOTEDCouncil of Chalcedon451AFFIRMS°PRIMARY SOURCE❝ QUOTEDCouncil of Constantinople I381AFFIRMS°PRIMARY SOURCE❝ QUOTEDCouncil of Ephesus431AFFIRMS°PRIMARY SOURCE❝ QUOTEDCouncil of Nicaea I325AFFIRMS°PRIMARY SOURCE❝ QUOTEDJohn Chrysostomc.347 – 407CONTESTED°DISPUTED READING❝ QUOTEDThomas Aquinas1225 – 1274AFFIRMS°STANDARD ACCOUNT

Scripture supreme

Scripture supreme, recognized and interpreted through the church

Athanasius of Alexandriac.296 – 373AFFIRMS°PRIMARY SOURCE❝ QUOTEDAugustine of Hippo354 – 430LEANS°STANDARD ACCOUNTIrenaeus of Lyonsc.130 – c.202LEANS°PRIMARY SOURCE❝ QUOTED
How to read a cell — sourcing tiers, blanks, and why some figures are never quoted
PRIMARY SOURCEread in a primary source
STANDARD ACCOUNTstandard scholarly account
DISPUTED READINGdisputed among scholars
NOT LOCATEDnot located in a source

A cell marked quoted carries the figure's own words — 285 of 402of them, about 71%. Where there is no quotation the claim is still sourced, and the tier says how far. 4 figures carry no quotation at all, for reasons that differ: a living author cannot be quoted at length under copyright where Calvin can, and a figure at the standard account tier has simply had no primary-source pass yet. 4 of them state their own reason on their page.

A state label ending in ° was read from the stance, tier and note rather than stated by the corpus. See themethodology.