Quote:
Originally Posted by HERn
As a Protestant I believe that which was written in the New Testament is true (not necessarily scientifically) and is useful for teaching, doctrine and correction. I hope that I am learning to respect and benefit from the writings of the early Church Fathers, but I do not equate them as scripture to be used to form doctrines, teachings, etc. I'm positive that there are many spiritual blessings from their teachings, but each one must be evaluated with scripture and where not congruent rejected. Rejecting Athanasius' (sorry for the spelling) teaching on theosis is not the same as rejecting Paul's teaching on marriage, at least to this Protestant.
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Well said, HERn.
Orthodox Christians don't equate the Church Fathers as Scripture, either. But we interpret Scripture based on the consensus of the Church Fathers.
How then can we be sure what the Bible teaches? What is our "interpretative lens"? For us, interpretation is not a matter of personal opinion ("Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation" 2 Peter 1:20 (KJV)) Therefore, Orthodox Christians depend upon the consensus of the Holy Fathers to provide a trustworthy guide to the accurate interpretation of the Bible.
Anyway, as Fr Lawrence R. Farley says, "For the Orthodox Church, the goal is not simply to understand the sacred texts, but to apply them in one’s daily life. The texts are given, like every other gift in the Church, to aid the Christian in his ongoing transfiguration."