St. John
Chrysostom
Another Church Father frequently cited
as an advocate of perspicuity is St. John Chrysostom (ca. 347-407), the great
preacher and Bishop of Constantinople. For example, Chrysostom wrote: “All
things are clear and open that are in the divine Scriptures; the necessary
things are all plain.” (“Homilies on Thessalonians”) That certainly sounds like
something Luther or Calvin might declare!
Yet elsewhere in the same set of
homilies Chrysostom emphasized the authority of Church traditions as essential
to scriptural interpretation. Citing St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians,
he wrote:
So then, brethren, stand fast, and
hold the traditions which ye were taught, whether by word, or by Epistle of
ours. Hence it is manifest that they did not deliver all things by Epistle, but
many things also unwritten, and in like manner both the one and the other are
worthy of credit. Therefore let us think the tradition of the Church also
worthy of credit. It is a tradition, seek no farther. (The Homilies, On 2
Thessalonians, 4:2)
Thus even if the “necessary of things”
in Scripture are in some sense “plain,” the individual Christian might ensure
his or her interpretation is in conformity with the “Tradition of the Church.”
Bellarmine, writing on Chrysostom’s language here, explained: “Chrysostom used
those exaggerations to shake off the torpor from the many who could if they
wished read the Scriptures with great fruit. For elsewhere, he affirms in the
same places that the Scriptures are difficult.” (On the Word, bk. 3,
chap. 2)
We should also consider Chrysostom’s
other beliefs on various soteriological doctrines. In other homilies, Chrysostom
claimed the Apostles handed down unwritten traditions to be followed, and that
this apostolic Tradition includes prayers for the dead, which of course is
contrary to Protestant teaching on salvation. (Homily 3 on 2 Timothy; Homily
3 on Philippians) Chrysostom also had a high view of the clergy and their ability
to represent divine truth. In his treatise on The Priesthood we read: “Whatever
priests do here on earth, God will confirm in heaven, just as the master ratifies
the decisions of the servants. Did he not give them all the powers of heaven?”
(The Priesthood, 3.5.183) It is reasonable to infer from this that
Chrysostom’s ecclesiology identifies priests and bishops as having a higher
order of authority that the laity, and that his includes interpretive authority.
(Casey J. Chalk, The Obscurity of Scripture: Disputing Sola Scriptura and
the Protestant Notion of Biblical Perspicuity [Steubenville, Ohio: Emmaus
Road Publishing, 2023], 205-7)
Epiphanius of Salamis
Early English Reformer William Whitaker
cites St. Epiphanius of Salamis (ca. 310-403) and his Against All Heresies
as also affirming perspicuity. For example, Epiphanius there wrote: “All things
are clear and full of light in the divine scripture.” He also declared: “All
things are clear in the divine scriptures to those who will approach with pious
reasoning to the divine word.” (Disputation on Holy Scripture, 399)
However, like other Church Fathers,
Epiphanius’s statements must be read within the fulness of this theology, which
includes high view of episcopal authority and Tradition. For example,
Epiphanius wrote that all bishops derive their authority from the Apostles
themselves, including the Bishop of Rome, who can trace his authority to Peter
and Paul, and that one’s faith must be apostolic and confirmed by “our fathers
and bishops.” (Against All Heresies, 27.6 and 73.34) He further noted in
the same text: “It is needful also to make use of Tradition; for not everything
can be gotten from Sacred Scripture. The holy Apostles handed down some things
in the Scriptures, other things in Tradition.” (Against All Heresies,
61.6) Finally, Epiphanius also taught, contra how many Protestants interpret sola
fide, that the Sacrament of baptism is salvific and that grave sins require
a “secondary remedy,” namely, the Sacrament of Confession. (Against All Heresies,
59.2) (Casey J. Chalk, The Obscurity of Scripture: Disputing Sola Scriptura
and the Protestant Notion of Biblical Perspicuity [Steubenville, Ohio:
Emmaus Road Publishing, 2023], 207)
Further
Reading:
Not
By Scripture Alone: A Latter-day Saint Refutation of Sola Scriptura