SCRIPTURE AND TRADITION
Any honest confusion is probably rooted in the fact that even the oldest non-Catholic Christian denominations weren't started until almost 100 years after the invention of the printing press. As a result, some people began to think the Bible created the church; whereas in fact, the church created the Bible under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible is the story of God in action in the hearts and minds of humanity.
First God chose a people, Israel, to whom he could entrust his promises. Active in their midst, God showed himself as the one true and living God. His words and deeds were taught from generation to generation. And Israel's sacred authors then -- under divine inspiration -- wrote down his plan of salvation, creating what we now call the Hebrew Scriptures or the Old Testament.
God fulfilled his plan in Jesus Christ and formed the Body of Christ, the church, to bring it to completion. The early church preached who Jesus is and what he shows us about the God of supreme love. And Christianity's sacred authors then -- inspired by the same Holy Spirit -- created the New Testament.
Jesus said, "The heavens and the earth will pass away, but my words will not pass" (Luke 21:33). His teachings will live forever. But Saint John said, "There are still many other things that Jesus did, yet if they were written about in detail, I doubt there would be room enough in the entire world to hold the books to record them" (John 21:25). Where, then are the "details" of Jesus' teaching, if not in the Bible? They are carried on in the teaching ministry of the Catholic Church.
All truth, therefore, has been handed on from age to age through teaching and preaching. It is the heart of those truths that was eventually written down and, finally, collected into the Bible, the Word of God. The rest of those truths, the body of teachings nourished by the heart, continues to be taught through the ministry of the bishops, successors to the Apostles, as Sacred Tradition.
THE CHURCH CAME FIRST
Both Scripture and Tradition are, therefore, necessary in order to know the full revelation of Jesus. The question must be asked, "Did Christ intend his revelation to be passed on faithfully by the church with the assistance of Scripture or by Scripture alone?" As Michael Pakaluh recently wrote, if Christ wished his revelation to be passed on by a book alone, why did he found a church but fail to write a book?
It is clear Christ came to found a church, not write a book. There is no record that Christ ever intended his followers to write a book. Thank God they did. But Tradition passed on by the church is equally as important as Scripture in knowing what Jesus wants of his followers. Saint Paul urges, "Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you received from us whether by word, or letter" (2 Thessalonians 2:15). He intends his unwritten apostolic teaching to have the same authority as his written teaching.
Thus we have written tradition, the Bible; and we have oral tradition, the teachings of the church, to complete our understanding of divine revelation, God's personality and plan.
Church teachings always complement the Bible. Church teachings never contradict the Bible.
THE PROOF OF FOUR "P's"
The Roman Catholic Church produced, preserved, protects and proclaims the Bible.
The Holy Spirit inspired the authors of the sacred texts to write their works and reveal the Word of God. But lots of other people wrote books they claimed were also the word of God. It was necessary for the Catholic bishops under the pope -- inspired by the Holy Spirit -- to list the authentic books and, thus by the year 400, compile the Bible. In this sense, the Catholic Church produced the Bible.
Mass production of printed materials was unknown for centuries after Jesus founded his church. All scrolls and books had to be written by hand and copied by hand. The monks in Catholic monasteries took responsibility for accurately reproducing the Bibles used in the churches throughout the world. Without their work, the Bible would have disappeared, evangelization would have stopped. The Catholic Church preserved the Bible.
Throughout the European Dark Ages, hordes of barbarians threatened to destroy the church and the Bible. Catholic monasteries kept the Bible safe behind strong walls. Throughout all of Christian history, misguided teachers have tried to introduce false concepts of God and salvation. The bishops continue to keep all teaching firmly rooted in biblical truth. The Catholic Church protects the Bible.
Most of the world first heard the Good News through the work of Catholic missionaries. And, in our times, Vatican II re-emphasized Scripture in Catholic life. The Catholic Church proclaims the Bible.
NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT
Read your Bible. Pray with your Bible every day. Go to church. Hear your priests, deacons and bishop preach ways in which you can apply biblical truths to your everyday life. participate in parish and diocesan classes and programs. Grow in your understanding of the Bible.
Make no mistake about it, the Roman Catholic Church is, and has always been, a Bible-believing church.