And to whom were they referring?
When, however, they are confuted from the Scriptures, they turn round and accuse these same Scriptures, as if they were not correct, nor of authority, and [assert] that they are ambiguous, and that the truth cannot be extracted from them by those who are ignorant of tradition. For [they allege] that the truth was not delivered by means of written documents, but viva voce….
And for extra credit – to whom could they be referring?!
No google searches, please. Leave your guess in the com-box and I’ll give the answer later, along with the citation!
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Andrew Compton
Christ Reformed Church
Anaheim, CA
The Reformed Reader Blog 
Is it Cornelius Van Til speaking to Karl Barth?
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Sounds like one of the Reformers referring to the Roman Catholic church. I’ll guess Martin Luther.
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Was it Ireneaus? Probably aimed at either Catholics or Gnostics or both :)
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Isn’t this Irenaeus addressing the heretics? Probably the Marcionites and Valentinians.
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I think I have read either Calvin or Turretin quoting this quote.
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Tertullian or Irenaus against the gnostic heretics?
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Andrew, I am reluctant to give this answer because it seems too easy, so it’s probably wrong. Is it Calvin concerning the Church of Rome?
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Thanks for the guesses everyone! I love this quote *because* it is a spot-on critique of Roman catholicism. It is hard to believe that it isn’t from one of the Reformers.
Those of you who guessed Irenaeus were right! This is from his anti-gnostic work, Against Heresies, and I cited it from David King & William Webster’s volume full of quotes from the church fathers which illustrate that Sola Scriptura did not originate in the 16th century, but was the original belief of the Christian church. To hear a 2nd century church father saying this is quite interesting!
What is more, it is VERY interesting that the beliefs of the Gnostics sound SO much like those of Roman catholicism! This is a point which Webster especially emphasizes in vol. 2 of this 3 volume set!
Here is a link to the best deal I’m aware of for the set: http://www.christianbook.com/scripture-ground-pillar-faith-vols-1/william-webster/pd/4678?event=CF
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Well done, brother! Interesting does not come close to describing it. Thanks for that very enlightening bit of history!
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