Bible

Bible, often refered to as the Holy Bible, is the holy book of Christianity.

It is divided into two major sections, the Old Testament (which consists of holy Scriptures of Judaism), and the New Testament (which is primarily made up of the Gospels and other writings focusing on Jesus Christ, whom Christians teach is the Messiah promised in the Old Testament).

Roman Catholicism teaches that the Bible is the Church's written tradition (as opposed to the non-Biblical teachings, which are held as oral tradition). As the Church's written tradition, the Bible is seen as having come from the Church, and that the Church has authority over the Bible, its content, and its interpretation. In this view, the Bible is subserviant to the Church and made equal to ecclesiastical oral tradition.

Protestantism believes that the Bible is the product of the Holy Spirit of God speaking through the Prophets and Apostles, and that the Church is brought into being by the teachings of the Scriptures. Traditional Protestantism teaches that because the Bible is God's word, it is the foundation for the Church, rather than the Church being the foundation for the Bible. According to classical Protestant teaching, the Bible has authority over the Church to form and shape its doctrines and practices, and the Church does not have the authority to do anything not authorized by Scripture. Protestantism holds that this is because the Bible itself teaches that the Scriptures have been breathed forth by God Himself, and are not a mere written tradition or myth about God.

The Protestant view is that the Roman Catholic stance grants ecclesiatical authorities far too much power over the Church and individual believers. It is claimed that Roman teaching empowers an institution that has become a needless barrier between God and man, and that such power is too easily abused by those institutions who claim such authority over the Scriptures.

The Roman Catholics believe that the Protestant view leads to disorder and chaos, with people who are not properly trained and authorized ecclesiastical authorites making interpretations not sanctioned by Church tradition. They charge that the Protestant teaching opens a can of worms where every person is his own priest and Bible interpreter, and this grants the individual too much power that can easily be abused.