Journal: Southern Baptist Journal of Theology
Volume: SBJT 26:2 (Summer 2022)
Article: The Perfection Of Sacred Scripture
Author: Amandus Polanus Von Polansdorf

SBJT 26:2 (Summer 2022) p. 34

The Perfection Of Sacred Scripture1

Amandus Polanus Von Polansdorf

(translated by Ryan Modisette)

Amandus Polanus (1561–1610) was a German Reformed theologian who spent much of his academic career teaching in Basel, Switzerland. He produced one of the most important systematic theologies of the early Reformed orthodox period, Syntagma Theologiae Christianae, or translated the Nexus of Christian Theology. In this work, he wrote extensively on the doctrine of Scripture, especially interacting with the well-known Roman Catholic apologist, Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621). His refutation of Bellarmine spanned almost 800 pages in his work. In what follows, we have a never before translated excerpt from his Syntagma Theologiae on the perfection of Scripture by Ryan Modisette.

Ryan Modisette is a PhD student in systematic theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky. Ryan has also completed the Graduate Certificate in Latin Studies from the University of Kentucky. He and his wife Vicki live in Louisville, Kentucky.

When one deals with the perfection of Sacred Scripture, three questions in particular need to be considered.

1. Whether sacred Scripture is perfect.
2. Whether there are other true divine traditions which have not been written.
3. Whether those traditions beyond Scripture are necessary.

This is the response to the first of these questions we will address in this chapter. We say that sacred Scripture is perfect.

So that our intention may be perceived rightly, we do not intend to

SBJT 26:2 (Summer 2022) p. 35

communicate that all the orations of the prophets, Christ, and the apostles, and in just so many words, are held to be recorded, or that all the deeds of the prophets, Christ and the apostles are written in full. That disagrees with John 20:30–31: “Jesus indeed performed many other signs in the sight of his disciples which are not written in this book. These are written, however, that you should believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life through his name.” Such a notion also disagrees with John 21:25: “Jesus did many other things which, if they were written down one by one, I do not believe even the world itself could contain the books that would be written.” Nor do we intend this, that every doctrine of faith and of morality is set forth expressly, that is, clearly and in so many words in Scripture, as they are expounde...