For a long time, the Roman Catholic Church saw itself as the protector of Christian teachings. It believed that it had the responsibility to preserve and pass down the true message of Jesus and the apostles. Because of this, the Church did not rush to translate the Bible into common languages. Instead, it used the Latin Vulgate, a version of the Bible that most ordinary people could not understand. The Church believed that trained clergy should interpret the Bible so that people would not misunderstand or misuse it.

Protestants, however, disagreed with this approach. They believed that the teachings of Jesus and the apostles were found mainly in the Bible, not just in Church traditions. They argued that every Christian should have direct access to Scripture in their own language so they could read and understand it for themselves. They also insisted that Bible translations should be based on the oldest and most accurate manuscripts available. This led to efforts to translate and distribute the Bible in many languages, making it more accessible to people worldwide.

One major result of this Protestant approach was that more people could now read and interpret the Bible on their own. However, this also created its own challenges. Without a single authority to guide interpretation, different people and groups began understanding the Bible in different ways. This led to disagreements and the rise of many different Christian denominations, which Brennan Breed describes as the “nomadic” nature of biblical texts, meaning that the Bible can be used and interpreted in many ways, often disconnected from its original historical and cultural setting.

On one extreme, Breed’s idea suggests that if there is no central authority like the Church, people might misinterpret or misuse the Bible. On the other extreme, the Catholic Church’s control over Scripture in the medieval period prevented ordinary believers from reading it for themselves. Both approaches have their positive and negative sides.

A balanced view would recognise that both the Church and the Bible are important. The Church played a key role in preserving the Bible and ensuring that Christian teachings were passed down through history. It helped copy, protect, and interpret Scripture. However, the Bible itself is the foundation of Christian belief and should be available to everyone.

Looking at the history of the Bible in places like the British Library, we can see how it has changed over time. From the handwritten Latin Vulgate to the first printed versions like the Gutenberg Bible, it is clear that both Church authority and the desire for accessibility have influenced how people engage with Scripture. The Catholic Church maintained biblical teachings, while the Protestant movement helped spread the Bible to more people.

Credit for some of the work: James White. Transcript: Does the Bible teach sola scriptura?