What is the relationship between Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium?
In Catholic theology, Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium are so closely linked that no one of them can stand without the others (often compared to a three-legged stool). As the Second Vatican Council taught in Dei Verbum, Sacred Scripture is the written speech of God, Sacred Tradition transmits the full living Word of God entrusted to the Apostles, and the Magisterium (the Pope and bishops) is the living teaching authority that authentically interprets them. Together, under the Holy Spirit, they safeguard the one divine deposit of faith.
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 80-95
- 2 Thessalonians 2:15
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.