# Experience
_Through our ongoing experience of life and ritual we begin to hear repeated themes, stories, and patterns. How we respond to these can both help and hinder our learning._
## Principles
There are a range of frameworks
### Sola scriptura
The principle of _sola scriptura_ (“by scripture alone”) is associated with the protestant reformation. Martin Luther’s treatises against abuse of indulgences and papal power[^luther] sparked a protest (hence: _protestant_) movement. Fanned by technological advances in printing and accessible Bible translations, protestant ideals spread quickly and took root across Europe.
Latin had been the language of the church for over a thousand years, though few common people were able to understand it. Instead, Bibles began to be translated into local languages and made available for all to read. A seismic shift was underway as the authority of interpretation moved from the church and clergy to the people, and despite brutal attempts to suppress these heretical views[^foxe] the Catholic church’s role as arbiter of interpretation would never be the same.
> [!quote]
> “I defy the Pope and all his laws… if God spare my life ere many years, I will cause a boy that driveth the plough, \[to\] know more of the scripture than thou doest.” — William Tyndale, Foxe's Book of Martyrs, 1563 ed (updated for clarity)
As a reactionary principle _Sola scriptura_ stood in contrast to the Catholic doctrine that only the church magisterium could interpret scripture. Later reflection on the Reformation period would identify five _solae_ (“alone”), three of which were articulated in the Reformation period (though not explicitly together):
|Solae|Principle|Implication|
|---|---|---|
|Sola scriptura|By scripture alone|Church traditions are subject to scripture and don’t supersede it.|
|Sola fide|By faith alone|Works are evidence of faith-based forgiveness, indulgence-based forgiveness is wrong.|
|Sola gratia|By grace alone|Forgiveness based on unearned favour, not from works.|
|Solo Christo|Through Christ alone|Jesus sanctifies marriage, baptism, communion, etc. so priests aren’t needed.|
|Soli Deo Gloria|Glory to God alone|Worship of Mary, saints, and angels is wrong; praise and petition should be to God.|
These principles displaced Catholic church authority by resetting the precedence of applying Bible teaching: scripture over tradition, faith over works, and grace over merit.
### The perspecuity of scripture
### Wesleyan Quadrilateral
The Wesleyan Quadrilateral (one possible visualisation)
However, the model
> [!quote]
> “The term ‘quadrilateral’ does not occur in the Wesley corpus—and more than once I have regretted having coined it for contemporary use since it has been so widely misconstrued.” — Albert Outler (1991)
### One-liners
It can be incredibly useful to have a few pithy generalisations which summarise major conclusions of our experiences with the Bible. Like any summary, these generalisations lose nuance and are in danger of being misunderstood without the holistic context in which they were developed, but they are also easier to grasp, apply, and interrogate than longer creedal statements.
- #### Pete Enns
> “God lets his children tell his story”
- #### The Bible Project
> “From page one to the final word, we believe the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus.”
This statement can be understood as a christological (Christ-centered) perspective on the Bible. Expanding on this summary is a multi-part podcast series on “Paradigms” for reading the Bible, which elaborate seven pillars describing what the Bible is.[^bp]
1. The Bible is divine and human literature
2. The Bible is unified literature
3. The Bible is messianic literature
4. The Bible is communal literature
5. The Bible is ancient literature
6. The Bible is meditation literature
7. The Bible is wisdom literature
Even this expanded set of definitions needs considerable unpacking to understand, and yet further explanation to apply. Implicit in the descriptions of _what the Bible is_ is _how it should be approached_.
## Hermeneutics
Today
BibleOps
### Reader-Response
### Reference Book
### Moral Code
### Systematic Theology
Approaching the Bible as either a reference book or moral code assumes that it is a cohesive authoritative whole. In this view, it is possible to gather disparate passages on a given topic and unify them to form a consolidated doctrinal position. Examples of topics addressed by Systematic Theologies include: [^sys]
- **Angelology** - The study of the angels
- **Eschatology** - The study of the end times
- **Soteriology** - The study of salvation
- Etc…
While an attractive proposition, the process of consolidating passages into a unified theory is a creative act fraught with problems.
1. Selecting relevant passages and interpretations is subject to personal, community, and social biases.
2. Biblical authors in different times each have their _own_ perspectives that differ from one another.
3. Concepts described through different genres are difficult to compare.
4. Creation of systematic theology is neither modelled nor commanded.
It is possible to manage these risks by studying how a subject
|With assumption of unity|Without assuming unity|
|---|---|
|||
### Therapeutic Moral Deism
### Historic
## Creeds
Early Christian groups had no identifiable creed representing either social or geographic groups, though tenets of faith are variously described in the New Testament[5](https://www.bibleops.com/en/experience/#fn:nt). One of the most notable passages of this kind describes the gospel preached by Paul:
> [!bible]
> “For I passed on to you in the first place what I had myself received,
> that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
> and that He was buried,
> and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
> and that He appeared to Cephas,
> then to the Twelve,
> then to more than five hundred brothers at once …
> then He appeared to James,
> then to all the apostles” &mdash 1 Cor 15:3 (NRSV)
Other significant summaries of the gospel message include [Romans 1:3-4](https://ref.ly/Rom%201.3-4;nrsv?t=biblia), [8:34](https://ref.ly/Romans%208.34;nrsv?t=biblia), and [1 Tim 3:16](https://ref.ly/1%20Tim%203.16;nrsv?t=biblia). Perhaps the most condensed summary was the simple but startling statement [“Jesus is Lord”](/hermeneutics/context#political).
Later Christian writers likewise summarised broader doctrine and behaviour according to their need, though these formulations did not represent widely recognised or authoritative definitions of orthodoxy.[^creed]
Questions used for baptismal interrogation are documented from several sources and represent more structured formulations of the Christian faith. In these we see themes which arise in later, more formal creeds.
### The Old Roman Symbol
> [!quote]
> “I believe in God the Father almighty;
> and in Christ Jesus His only Son, our Lord,
> Who was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
> Who under Pontius Pilate was crucified and buried,
> on the third day rose again from the dead,
> ascended to heaven,
> sits at the right hand of the Father,
> whence He will come to judge the living and the dead;
> and in the Holy Spirit,
> the holy Church,
> the remission of sins,
> the resurrection of the flesh”
> — Tyrannius Rufinus, Commentarius in symbolum apostolorum (c. 404)
### Nicea and beyond
### Modern statements of faith
### Community boundaries
Tom’s Doubts, #14, by Saji George ([Link](https://twitter.com/S_A_J_I/status/110040087445782528))
## Faith
Role of
### Resurrection
asdf
The Psalmist had questions.
## Summary
2. Situational summaries of the gospel message are found in the teaching of the apostles; later formulations came to be used as tests of Christian orthodoxy by different communities.
Principles, creeds, and models guide the identity and beliefs of both individuals and communities. As we experience the consequences of these more abstract concepts we are challenged to refine them against a greater authoritative work: the [[Text]].
## Appendix
### Bibliography
- Osborne, G. (2006). _The Hermeneutical Spiral: A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation_. IVP USA. (Amazon [UK](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hermeneutical-Spiral-Grant-R-Osborne/dp/0830828265) | [US](https://www.amazon.com/Hermeneutical-Spiral-Comprehensive-Introduction-Interpretation/dp/0830828265), [IVP](https://www.ivpress.com/the-hermeneutical-spiral), [Logos](https://www.logos.com/product/3182/the-hermeneutical-spiral)).
### Notes
[^luther]:Luther’s [95 theses](https://www.luther.de/en/95thesen.html) disputed church teaching on the commercialisation of [indulgences](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indulgence) (a way for the Catholic church, as Jesus’ authority on earth, to reduce punishment of sins for the dead by performing tasks or making charitable donations), the authority of the Pope, and purgatory.
[^foxe]: Tyndale was strangled and burned at the stake. His words are [recounted](https://www.dhi.ac.uk/foxe/index.php?realm=text&edition=1563&pageid=570&anchor=plough#kw) in Foxe’s book of Martyrs. _The Unabridged Acts and Monuments Online or TAMO (The Digital Humanities Institute, Sheffield, 2011). Available from: [https://www.dhi.ac.uk/foxe](https://www.dhi.ac.uk/foxe) [Accessed: 04/01/2022]._
[^bp]: In this 14-episode series, Tim, Jon & Carissa discuss what shapes the way BibleProject reads the Bible: ([Link](https://bibleproject.com/podcast/series/paradigm/)).
[^sys]: For a short intro see Wikipedia’s [Systematic Theology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systematic_theology) page.
[^nt]: Several New Testament passages include descriptions of belief: [Acts 4:10](https://ref.ly/Acts%204.10;nrsv?t=biblia); [1 Cor 8:6](https://ref.ly/1%20Cor%208.6;nrsv?t=biblia); [2 Cor 4:14](https://ref.ly/2%20Cor%204.14;nrsv?t=biblia); [Gal 1:4](https://ref.ly/Gal%201.4;nrsv?t=biblia); [Phil 2:6-11](https://ref.ly/Phil%202.6-11;nrsv?t=biblia); [1 Tim 2:5](https://ref.ly/1%20Tim%202.5;nrsv?t=biblia); [2 Tim 2:8](https://ref.ly/2%20Tim%202.8;nrsv?t=biblia), [4:1](https://ref.ly/2%20Tim%204.1;nrsv?t=biblia); [1 Thess 4:14](https://ref.ly/1%20Thess%204.14;nrsv?t=biblia), [5:9](https://ref.ly/1%20Thess%205.9;nrsv?t=biblia); [1 Pet 3:18-21](https://ref.ly/1%20Pet%203.18-21;nrsv?t=biblia).
[^creed]: For a deeper analysis of the development of Christian Creeds, see: Kelly, J. N. D. (2006). Early Christian Creeds (Third Edition). London; New York: Continuum.