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That is a very good question.  Catholics often get accused of placing Sacred Tradition over Sacred Scripture.  We believe that everything in the Bible is Truth.  However, we don't believe ALL Truth is in the Bible.  Jews believe the same thing - they call it the Written Torah and the Oral Torah.  We call it the "Deposit of Faith" ... our faith is comprised of what is in the bible AND what is not so clear from scripture but has been passed down through Apostolic teaching.  There is NOTHING in this "Deposit of Faith" that is not in scripture, though in some cases some doctrine are not as obvious as others. There is NOTHING in this "Deposit of Faith" that contradicts scripture (else it would not be truth).

This is why Catholics and Eastern Orthodox do not hold to "Sola-Scriptura".  "Where is that in the Bible?" is not a question that must be answered for something to be true.

Purgatory is in scripture but the strongest evidence for it is in a book that Protestants do not accept - the Book of Macabees.  It is also something Jews believe in though they do not call it by the same name.  Check out the thread Ripley's referenced for a brief discussion.

wk, and krisi~



Not ALL Jews, just Talmudists. Here is a group of non-Messianic Jews who rail violently against Oral Torah: The Karaite Korner - Karaism v Rabbanism

Additional thoughts/comments on Rabbinic Jews:

They also hold to "no such thing as hell" (annihilists), many ways to God/heaven (relativists), and deny our Savior or even THE NEED for One (legalists, righteousness is earned by following Torah, atonement is through prayers, repentance, and good works).

I responded to this in another thread..just that you don't know what is right/wrong; therefore, you could be taking things into your faith that aren't appropriate. Paul had to get onto an early church for things they weren't doing right...he had to correct them...so who should we listen to? The churches? Or the apostles???

krisi~



Curiously though, the church fathers (that I have read, which isn't alot) don't quote the Apostles outiside of what we have today as scripture. For example, there are no "Peter told me, his disciple, this...." (And in fact, I don't even believe that the foundation of the Roman Catholic church *IS* Peter...a severe lack of evidence to support that claim, and plenty of evidence -from the NT writings of Paul- that refutes it...but THAT is another matter...however, I bring it up because it goes to the foundation being deceptive. A self-proclaimed authority, JUST LIKE ORAL TORAH.)

The only example *I find* of any kind of refernce of extra-biblical teaching from Apostles is the recorded testimony of Polycarp, who was a direct disciple of John, regarding Passover. (But then even in the NT the Apostles kept on observing Passover, on the correct day, as commanded by God, so it's not really "extra-biblical".)

wk, if you have quotes by church fathers of teachings of Apostles outside of scripture, post them.

And our ultimate example is Jesus Himself, who ALWAYS rebuked those who placed greater emphasis on tradition than God's word. *HE* appealed to sola scriptura. He would answer them with "You have read/heard... It is written... According to the Law, Writings, and Prophets...", etc. The (Jews) ones who handed Him over were not convinced of Him being Messiah, because of THEIR TRADITONAL EXPECTATIONS, not because He didn't fulfill all Torah, or wasn't the Messiah prophesied. (Just like you will read here from non-Messianic Jews today. Also why the very Jewish Apostles were dejected and scattered after His crucifixion. He didn't meet their expectations either. He was dead, and Israel was still occupied/oppressed.)

Here's what early "hearers" did: Now the people here were of nobler character than the ones in Thessalonica; they eagerly welcomed the message, checking the Tanakh every day to see if the things Sha'ul was saying were true. Acts 17:11 CJB
Notice they are commended for it, not discouraged from comparing PAUL'S words, A *CONFIRMED* APOSTLE, to scripture..."to see if they were TRUE." We all should do the same. What was, and is, the "Gold Standard of TRUTH"? Tanakh/scripture.

Again, this has been discussed in other threads. Here's one: Sacred Tradition: Genitle Talmudism