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William Whitaker
William Whitaker
One of the key issues that divided Protestants and Roman Catholics during the Reformation was their understanding of Holy Scripture. In this monumental work, William Whitaker addresses six significant areas where Rome had deviated from the ancient and truly catholic understanding of the Bible. Interacting largely with two of Rome’s most formidable controversialists, Robert Bellarmine and Thomas Stapleton, Whitaker answers questions regarding the number of canonical books, the authentic editions and versions of Scripture, the authority of Scripture, the perspicuity of Scripture, the proper interpretation of Scripture, and the perfection of Scripture. Whitaker’s Disputation on Holy Scripture was an important rejoinder for Protestants in the sixteenth century and stands to this day as a worthy guide to God’s Word.
“Whitaker’s Disputation on Holy Scripture is one of the most eminent treatments, both polemical and positive, of the authority and interpretation of Scripture written during the post-Reformation era. In its polemic, the Disputation offers a detailed refutation of Roman Catholic argumentation, specifically that of Cardinal Bellarmine, against Protestant assumptions concerning the integrity and authority of Scripture. In its positive statements, the Disputation provides one of the clearest and most precise explanations of the Protestant understanding of the interpretation of Scripture. Although written as a defense of the Reformed faith of the English church, the Disputation was respected and used as a source of doctrinal argument not only by the English but also by the Continental Reformed and the Lutherans, being drawn on extensively by the eminent Lutheran theologian Johann Gerhard.”
Richard A. Muller,scholar in residence for Reformation and post-Reformation studies, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary