Tracing the belief differences between Catholics and Protestants to the belief in Sola Scriptura or the Scripture Alone.

Do you want to know how and why Roman Catholics and Protestants differ so widely on so many issues? The reason involves two words: Sola Scriptura.

That two-word term, Sola Scriptura, is Latin for "by Scripture alone," and it was among the principal mottos of the Protestant Reformation. One can trace virtually every major difference in belief between mainstream Protestant Christianity and Roman Catholicism to Sola Scriptura.

Sola Scriptura is, of course, only one of the five "solas" that Protestant Reformers championed during the Reformation period. The others were:

• Sola fide ("by faith alone")
• Sola gratia ("by grace alone")
• Solus Christus ("Christ alone")
• Soli Deo gloria ("glory to God alone")

Yet these other declarations stand on an understanding of divine revelation that hinges on that first Sola - Sola Scriptura.

The Rise of Rome

After the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and the death of Jesus' remaining apostles, the church in Rome emerged as the leading Christian congregation of the Roman world. With the rise of Constantine, the Christian church became institutionalized and the rest of the Christian community increasingly looked to Rome for leadership. (And also to Byzantium, which partly explains the East-West split). When the western Roman Empire fell, the medieval Christian church became the most solid institution in Europe. It was also, at this time, being called more and more the "catholic" (or universal) church.

Apostolic Succession

Christians in the medieval church grappled with the doctrine of apostolic succession, along with other pressing theological matters. Did the successors to the apostles carry the same authority as the original apostles? And did the institutional church (specifically its leadership) have the authority to designate who those successors were?

Advocates of apostolic succession pointed to Paul's exhortation to Timothy: "The things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." (II Timothy 2:2)

One of the leading voices for a strong apostolic succession was Irenaeus, a deeply influential leader of the second-century Christian church. However, it was expected one would stay consistent with the teachings of the original apostles.

Toward the beginning of the third century, Tertullian, an early Christian leader and theologian, wrote: "No other teaching will have the right of being received as apostolic than that which is at the present day proclaimed in the churches of apostolic foundation." In other words, those preachers, elders, and presbyters authorized to teach must teach according to the "apostolic foundation" of the church.

The Protestant Reformation

One of the frustrations that led Martin Luther to challenge the Roman Catholic Church was the apparent abuse of apostolic succession and consequent ecclesiastical authority. Luther became convinced that the Scriptures alone were authoritative, and that the Church must bow to them. "God's Word shall establish articles of faith," wrote Luther, "and no one else, not even angel can do so."

Today, most Protestant Christians (including many who don't even like to call themselves "Protestant," such as the Baptists) hold to the doctrine of Sola Scriptura. Though their interpretations of Scripture often vary, they do not accept the ecclesiastical authority of a hierarchical body (such as the Vatican) to dictate the meaning of Scripture, nor do they accept the right of the Pope (or any other institutional officer) to announce new revelation from God.

Of course, some Protestant denominations are more hierarchical than others, such as the Anglican Church. Nevertheless, for most Protestant Christians (especially those coming from an evangelical perspective), it's Sola Scriptura - the Scriptures alone.

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For more on this issue, consult:

A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs, edited by David W. Bercot

The Story of Christianity by Justo Gonzalez

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