For the Israelites of the Old Testament, the Torah (the Law) was historically and traditionally the source of authority for everything they knew and believed. For the Jews who lived during the time of the New Testament, the Hebrew Scriptures (the Law, the books of the Prophets, and the other writings) were historically and traditionally the source of authority for everything they knew and believed. When the Israelites returned from the Babylonian Captivity, they had nothing from their previous lives except for the holy words of Scripture which Ezra shared to the crowds. Now, as we live in this third era of Salvation History with an understanding of Christ, the entire Bible (both Old and New Testament) is historically and traditionally the source of authority for everything we know and believe.

Regardless of denomination, all Christians agree on the authority and Truth of the Bible as the inspired Word of God. Where Christian denominations differ is whether or not the Bible should be treated as the only source of authority. As Catholics, we believe that Scripture and the Apostolic Tradition of the Church both give us a complete understanding of Godly authority. We believe this because the Bible as all Christians know it today was not compiled until hundreds of years after Christ lived and taught. It was the successors to the Apostles, the Pope and Bishops in meeting at Ecumenical Councils, who decided which books of the Bible to include and which to reject. Even if they do not recognize this authority of the Catholic Church, Christians all know and recognize the books of the Bible because of the authority that was exercised by the Apostolic successors to codify the Biblical canon.

The Church did not grant her own authority to herself - all divine authority, from the Scriptures to Apostolic Tradition, comes directly from Christ. Christ placed it in the hands of his Apostles to protect this authority and to pass it on, but the Church was not meant to be exclusively passed on by the Apostles. In addition to the Twelve, Christ chose 72 other disciples to go out and spread his message - these are the original priests, who go to the ends of the world and reach out to the individual. They use the words of Christ, and they use the Scriptures that have been authoritative for thousands of years, so that we may understand it. In this case, we rely on the talent and willingness of holy men and women to share Scripture with us, especially if they understand it in ways we do not. St. Jerome was the first to promulgate the Scriptures into the language of the masses (Latin) so that they may receive the word of God individually. We rely on individuals like Ezra before the Temple, the disciples in the Gospels, St. Jerome of the early Church, and priests today to allow us access to this Divine Authority.