Protestantism claims to be based on the the Bible alone. However, if you think about it, the truth is that Protestantism is based on many different interpretations of the Bible rather than the Bible alone. Every denomination has its own "Tradition".
What many do not realize is that the Church existed for some 400 years without the Bible as we know it today. Imagine, the Church was in existence twice as long as the United States has been in existence before there was a somewhat settled agreement as to what books to include in the Canon.
The Orthodox Faith rightly teaches that the Church was not founded by or upon the Bible, since it did not exist then, but the Church was founded upon the Tradition handed down from Christ to the apostles. The Church existed on this oral Tradition for over 400 years before the Canon was decided upon. And who was it that decided which books to include and which books to exclude from the Canon? The Church, the only Church that existed then, the Orthodox Church. The Canon was determined by the bishops of the Church in Council; the same bishops who gave us the Orthodox Faith.
The Bible did not not produce the Church, the Church produced the Bible. The Bible is only one part of the Tradition of the Church. To be sure, it is a very important part. But the Bible was never written to be a comprehensive manual nor does it ever make such a claim about itself. Protestantism has attempted to turn it into something it never was and never can be. The Bible is not sufficient of itself to convey the fullness of the Christian Faith. It only touches on bits and pieces of it as pertains to questions and issues that were addressed in the early Church. Nor can the Bible be properly interpreted apart from the Apostolic Tradition which produced it.
What many do not realize is that the Church existed for some 400 years without the Bible as we know it today. Imagine, the Church was in existence twice as long as the United States has been in existence before there was a somewhat settled agreement as to what books to include in the Canon.
The Orthodox Faith rightly teaches that the Church was not founded by or upon the Bible, since it did not exist then, but the Church was founded upon the Tradition handed down from Christ to the apostles. The Church existed on this oral Tradition for over 400 years before the Canon was decided upon. And who was it that decided which books to include and which books to exclude from the Canon? The Church, the only Church that existed then, the Orthodox Church. The Canon was determined by the bishops of the Church in Council; the same bishops who gave us the Orthodox Faith.
The Bible did not not produce the Church, the Church produced the Bible. The Bible is only one part of the Tradition of the Church. To be sure, it is a very important part. But the Bible was never written to be a comprehensive manual nor does it ever make such a claim about itself. Protestantism has attempted to turn it into something it never was and never can be. The Bible is not sufficient of itself to convey the fullness of the Christian Faith. It only touches on bits and pieces of it as pertains to questions and issues that were addressed in the early Church. Nor can the Bible be properly interpreted apart from the Apostolic Tradition which produced it.
The Protestant view of the Bible is akin to having twenty or so airline pilots write letters addressing certain questions raised by some students in different places over many years and then 400 years later putting those letters into a book form and declaring it to be a full and comprehensive manual and all that is needed to train all future pilots.
I have been asked by Protestants, "Does the Orthodox Church believe in the Bible?". This is an interesting question considering the fact that the Orthodox Church collected, preserved and determined which books to include in the Bible. It shows how far removed Protestantism is from the history of the Church. But the correct answer to that question is "No". We don't believe IN the Bible. We believe the words of the Bible. Our faith is not in words about Christ but in the Living Word, Christ Himself.
If you really want to understand the Orthodox view of the Bible and its use read the article titled "Where did the Bible come from?" at the following link: http://orthodoxphotos.com/
