Tuesday, August 31, 2010

The Rule and Norm of Every Doctrine

"While [pagan philosophy] proceeded, on the subject of the soul, as far in the direction of supposed implications as the thinker pleased, we are not entitled to such license, namely, of affirming whatever we please. For we make Sacred Scripture the rule and the norm of every doctrine. Upon that we are obliged to fix our eyes, and we approve only whatever can be brought into harmony with the intent of these writings"--Gregory of Nyssa, ca. 350 A.D. (quoted in Jaroslav Pelikan's The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600), p. 50, emphasis added).