‘Oral tradition in the Old Testament and Judaism’

In Hans Burger, Arnold Huijgen and Eric Peels (eds), Sola Scriptura. Biblical and Theological Perspectives on Scripture, Authority, and Hermeneutics.

Studies in Reformed Theology 32.

Leiden: Brill, 2018. Pages 123-136.

The term ‘sola scriptura’ refers to the written text of the Bible. In this article, I treat certain indications that God has revealed more than just what has been written down in the text of the Bible by asking: What is the meaning of the oral tradition in ancient times? Does the oral tradition have significance for our view of sola scriptura as principle?
Gaining answers requires considering the following subjects: the Book of Genesis, several laws in Exodus and Deuteronomy, the relationship between oral and written traditions as found in antiquity, in the rabbinic traditions, and in the New Testament. After treating these subjects, I give some general considerations.