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Sola Scriptura

Scripture's Final Authority in the Modern World

by Ben Witherington III

Published by: Baylor University Press

Imprint: Baylor University Press

Sales Date: Sunday, 1st Oct 2023

230 Pages, 5.00 x 8.00 x 0.92 in

Hardcover
9781481320467
Published: Sunday, 15th Oct 2023

$21.99

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In modern times, evangelical Protestants have advocated for the belief that the Bible is the only real standard of truth and true Christian praxis for the church. But is this how the early Jews and Christians, who wrote the biblical books, viewed their sacred texts? And what counted as those sacred texts? Furthermore, there is often a lack of clarity as to what is meant by the famous phrase that became a motto of the German Reformation: sola scriptura. Does it mean that the Bible is the only authority for Christian faith and practice, or does it mean the Bible is the final authority, allowing non-biblical traditions, human reason, and perhaps even experience to have some authority in the church?

With this magisterial study, Ben Witherington III invites readers to go back to the time of the writing of the Bible and look at what is said about the sacred texts with a specific focus on how the authority of such texts was viewed. Witherington then walks through Christian history until the point where the phrase sola scriptura actually appears as an authority claim of some kind. Surprisingly, it does not show up until the fourteenth century A.D. and not in the writings of a Protestant. From there, Witherington examines how the phrase continued to be used in the various Reformations and into the modern era. The story of Sola Scriptura also involves the rise of science, the effect of the Enlightenment, and changes in views about human sexuality that have affected the discussion of the Bible’s authority in various ways.

Students of Scripture, budding scholars, pastors, and laity alike stand to benefit from this book as Christians of all stripes are confronted by the same crises: a profound historical amnesia that is affecting even churches that are bibliocentric; the general chaos in Western culture that has further alienated younger generations from the church and angered the older generations who still attend church; and the increasing biblical illiteracy in the church, including in its pulpits, which has led to churches taking their signals and sense of direction from the culture rather than the biblical witness itself. Such crises will not be overcome without a serious coming to grips with the Bible, its history, and its authority for the Christian life.

Sola Scriptura is an admirably accessible work of fine scholarship. The book is well argued and constructed, lucidly written, and makes its case very well. It also takes on one of the most pressing issues in contemporary culture, namely the nature and location of authority. As always in his work, Ben Witherington ranges widely through a large and diverse literature, and he has an excellent familiarity with the more tangential literatures.
~Philip Jenkins, Distinguished Professor of History, Baylor University

In this valuable volume, Ben Witherington III tackles a large topic--biblical authority. He does so insightfully and, for my part, convincingly. Tradition, reason, and experience notwithstanding, Witherington contends that sacred Scripture is the final and ultimate arbiter for matters of faith and practice. Whether or not you are inclined to embrace this theological position, you will benefit from reading this thoughtful and timely book, written by one of the foremost biblical commentators of our time.
~Todd D. Still, Charles J. and Eleanor McLerran DeLancey Dean & William M. Hinson Professor of Christian Scriptures, George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University

Ben Witherington has written commentaries on each of the twenty-seven texts that constitute the New Testament as well as engaged in larger, more holistic theological and ethical reflection on the message of these texts. Now he reflects deeply, and in a manner richly informed by the history of the church’s engagement with scripture, on the nature of scriptural authority itself. This is a timely and well-nigh prophetic work in its examination of authority in the Christian churches throughout the millennia and the place of scriptural authority within that matrix. It should help us to think past worn and tired Protestant-Catholic divides as well as find a balanced center in the current confusion concerning authority in the Church Universal.
~David A. deSilva, Trustees’ Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Greek, Ashland Theological Seminary

Ben Witherington's Sola Scriptura is a timely book. Many people refer to the principle of 'Scripture alone,' but don’t really know what it means or where tradition fits in. Consequently, the application of this important principle is off-target. Witherington provides us with a helpful corrective that will assist theologians and biblical interpreters as they wrestle with the meaning and application of the sacred text.
~Craig A. Evans, John Bisagno Distinguished Professor of Christian Origins, Houston Christian University

Ben Witherington is one of the best, wisest, clearest, smartest, most sensible, most prayerful, and most inspiring Bible scholars around. Everything he writes is worth reading. And everything he writes will help you open up the Living Word of God.
~James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage

Questions about the canon, authority, and trustworthiness of the Bible are commonplace, even among Christians, and in Sola Scriptura Ben Witherington offers answers to those questions. He argues his thesis through his own historical summary and critical analysis of Jewish and Christian views on sacred texts, making the case that the Bible should be the final authority for Christian faith and practice today. This text is a gift to Christians who desire to ground their trust in the Bible with accessible historical evidence and offers much to ponder for Christians across the theological spectrum.
~Holly Beers, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Westmont College

Dr. Witherington, as a seasoned scholar, presents a much-needed defense for the authority of Scripture with concise historical context for renewed significance for contemporary crises of faith untethered from the foundations of Scripture.
~M. Sydney Park, Associate Professor of Divinity, Beeson Divinity School