Scripture and Tradition in the Church

By Patrick Madrid

As a theological peritus (expert) at the Second Vatican Council, Yves Congar, O.P. exerted a profound influence on the Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum. Congar’s widely lauded contribution to Dei Verbum was the culmination of his decades of sustained scholarship, deeply exploring Sacred Tradition and its relationship to Scripture and the Church.

His adroit and penetrating research into the testimony of the Fathers and medieval doctors yielded a remarkable abundance of rich, compelling data that enabled him to formulate what he saw as a viable solution to the twin “problems” of sola Scriptura and Tradition — the former is problematic for Catholics, while the latter is problematic for Protestants.

This book explores Congar’s understanding of the concept of the material sufficiency of Scripture and its relationship to Sacred Tradition, as well as his critique of the Protestant principle of sola Scriptura and its inherent assertion that Scripture is formally, not just materially, sufficient.

— Patrick Madrid, from the introduction

“In this book, Patrick Madrid makes an an important contribution to the Catholic-Protestant dialogue on the important but complex issue of the relationship between the unique authority of Sacred Scripture and the Church’s living tradition. In particular, Scripture and Tradition in the Church will re-invigorate awareness and appreciation of the influential role played by Yves Congar in twentieth century Catholic theology and ecumenism, especially his understanding of divine revelation. Clearly written and carefully researched, Madrid strikes a tone that is irenic and constructive, not polemical or apologetic.”
— Scott Hahn, Ph.D., Fr. Michael Scanlan Chair of Biblical
Theology and the New Evangelization (Franciscan University of Steubenville); Founder and President, St. Paul Center of Biblical Theology.

“Patrick Madrid’s appraisal of Yves Congar’s contribution to the discussion of the relationship between Scripture and Tradition is most timely in the year that witnessed the canonizations of both Pope John XXIII, who called the Dominican friar to the Second Vatican Council as a peritus, and Pope John Paul II, who named him a Cardinal. Madrid’s irenic work serves as a demonstration, moreover, of his own ardent desire for a restoration of Christian unity through authentic ecumenism. This is an important book for all who love Scripture, Catholics and Protestants alike, and an insightful invitation to Christian dialogue.”
— Sebastian Mahfood, OP, Ph.D., professor of theology, Holy Apostles College and Seminary

 “The relationship between Scripture, Tradition, Revelation and authority is a tangled question in dispute between Catholics and Protestants. Patrick Madrid’s scholarly book analyzes this question thoroughly, with the help of the best insights offered by Yves Congar O.P. in the 20th century. These are ongoing and important questions, intelligently articulated by a Catholic mind well-trained through engagement in modern apologetics.”
—Rev. Peter Joseph, S.T.D., editor, Apologetics and Catholic Doctrine 

Special Notes
HARDCOVER, 268 pages, index of subjects, index of Scripture passages