Questions
Copy these questions into an email, provide brief answers, and send to Fr Charles who will comment on them. After you have received you comments, then you can go onto the next lesson.
Questions for Lesson 3: Scripture and Holy Tradition
I. The Nature of Holy Scripture
1. What is Holy Scripture, and what are its key attributes according to the Orthodox Church?
2. Why is the Bible not the same as a scientific textbook or an ordinary history book, even though it contains historical events?
II. Authority and Interpretation
3. How did the early Church preserve and live the faith before the New Testament canon was formally recognized, and what role did Holy Tradition play during this time?
4. Who determined and confirmed which books belong in the Bible, who wrote the books of the New Testament, and when did the Church formally recognize the New Testament canon? Why does this matter for understanding the authority of Scripture?
5. How did the New Testament come to be written, who wrote it, and over what period of time did this occur within the life of the early Church?
6. According to Orthodox teaching, where does the authority of Holy Scripture ultimately come from?
7. What is necessary for the proper interpretation of Holy Scripture, and what does the account of the Ethiopian Eunuch teach us about this?
8. From an Orthodox perspective, what is lacking in the claim that “Scripture alone” is the sole authority for faith and salvation, and why does the Church reject the idea that Scripture is self-authenticating and sufficient for individual interpretation?
III. Holy Tradition
9. What is Holy Tradition, and what essential elements of the Christian faith does it include beyond the written Scriptures?
10. How do Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition relate to one another within the life of the Church, and how together do they preserve the fullness of the faith handed down from Christ and the Apostles?
IV. Scripture in the Life of the Church
11. What Scriptures did Christ and the Apostles use, and why is this significant for understanding the Old Testament in the Orthodox Church?
12. How does the Orthodox Church ensure the preservation of Holy Tradition and guard against error through its hierarchical structure, conciliar approach, and reliance on the Holy Spirit?
13. What is the Orthodox way to read and study the Bible, and how does this differ from purely individual or academic approaches?
14. How does the Orthodox Church trace its origins to the Apostles and Pentecost, and why is this Apostolic foundation essential for understanding authority, Scripture, and Tradition?
V. Integrative Reflection Question
15. How does the Orthodox understanding of Holy Scripture—received, preserved, and interpreted within the life of the Church through Holy Tradition—shape both our understanding of biblical authority and the way we read, live, and pass on the Christian faith today?