The One Valid Source

Even a cursory glance at the early patristic writings up until the 5th century will show that the church Fathers did not use such terminology as “the experience of the church” or “the living community of faith.” Rather, their reference to the correctness of the faith of the community was the prophetic and apostolic teaching communicated through God’s servants, the prophets and the apostles. And no wonder, since they were raised on the one valid source of the knowledge of God, the only kanon of theology (or word about God), which was nothing other than the word of God Himself as imbedded in His scripture. And it is from this God that they learned His language. They learned that the biblical communities, Israel and the church, are always erring, sinning, and harloting after other gods. They learned that these communities are always in need of the prophets and apostles, whom God sends them, to chastise them and to call them back to the path that leads to salvation and life. The Fathers of the church did not earn their appellation as Fathers honoris causa; they earned it because they did to the best of their ability what every true father is supposed to do: they begot children and raised them with the authority of the one who knows better….

If, as we Orthodox maintain, salvation is the ultimate business of the church, then the main, if not foremost, occupation of the church’s leaders ought to be the study and teaching of scripture.

~ Fr. Paul Nadim Tarazi, “Scripture in Theological Education”