Understanding the Catholics aversion to sola scriptura

To refute the Catholic position (and, by extension, the Protestant sola scriptura debate) from a "Torah only" perspective—meaning a viewpoint that holds the Torah (the first five books of Moses) as the sole, unalterable, and complete divine standard—you must dismantle the very foundation of both Catholic and Protestant arguments: the authority of the New Testament and the concept of progressive revelation. Here is a step-by-step refutation of the Catholic arguments against sola scriptura, argued strictly from a Torah-only framework. 1. On the Catholic Claim: "The Word of God is transmitted through both Scripture AND Tradition" The Torah-Only Refutation: The Torah explicitly commands that nothing is to be added to or subtracted from it. Deuteronomy 4:2 states: "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you." Deuteronomy 13:1 warns that even if a prophet or dreamer arises and performs signs, if they teach the worship of other gods or deviate from the commandments, they are false. From this perspective, "Sacred Tradition" is not a complementary channel of divine revelation; it is a direct violation of the Torah's self-contained finality. The Catholic Magisterium claims the Holy Spirit guides them to define new doctrines (e.g., the Immaculate Conception, Papal Infallibility, the veneration of images). A Torah-only view rejects this outright: if the Torah does not explicitly command or establish it, it is a human fabrication. The Word was finished at Sinai. There is no "unwritten tradition" that carries the same weight as the written Law, because the written Law forbids its own expansion. 2. On the Catholic Claim: "The Church’s Magisterium is needed to authoritatively interpret the Word" The Torah-Only Refutation: The Torah is presented as inherently comprehensible and directly given to the entire congregation of Israel, not exclusively to a priestly or hierarchical Magisterium. Deuteronomy 30:11-14 says: "For this commandment which I command you this day is not concealed from you, nor is it far away. It is not in heaven... Neither is it beyond the sea... Rather, the matter is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to perform it." The Torah-only view argues that an infallible teaching Magisterium (like the Catholic Church claims) is rendered unnecessary by this text. The Torah was given to the people directly. While the Levitical priests had a role in teaching (Leviticus 10:11), their role was ministerial, not magisterial. They were to teach what was written, not create new binding interpretations that supersede the plain meaning of the text. The Catholic Church's claim to bind consciences on matters not explicitly detailed in the Torah (e.g., Sunday obligation vs. the Seventh-day Sabbath) is viewed as an overreach of human authority that directly contradicts the Torah's exclusive sovereignty. 3. On the Catholic Claim: "The New Testament and the Church fulfill and expand upon the Old" The Torah-Only Refutation: This is the core rupture. A Torah-only perspective denies that the New Testament (or the Apostolic writings) possesses divine authority equal to or surpassing the Torah. Deuteronomy 18:18-19 speaks of a prophet like Moses, whom God will raise up. A Torah-only Jew or Nazarene would argue that this prophet (whom Christians call Jesus) must be tested by the Torah. In Deuteronomy 13, any prophet who encourages the abandonment of the Torah's commandments (even if they perform miracles) is a false prophet. If the Catholic Church (and even Protestantism) teaches that the ceremonial laws, dietary laws, and the Sabbath are "fulfilled" and thus no longer binding, the Torah-only view declares this a violation of Deuteronomy 27:26 ("Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them") and Malachi 3:6 ("For I am the LORD, I change not"). Therefore, the Catholic reliance on the New Testament to "interpret" the Torah is backward. From a Torah-only view, the Torah is the arbiter of truth. If the Catholic tradition or the New Testament contradicts a direct, plain commandment of the Torah (e.g., eating unclean animals, abolishing the Sabbath, or removing the distinction between Israel and the nations), the Torah declares that tradition null and void. The Final Torah-Only Verdict on Sola Scriptura Interestingly, a Torah-only adherent agrees with the Catholic Church that sola scriptura (as defined by Protestants) is flawed—but for the exact opposite reason. The Torah-only view says: The Protestants are wrong because they use "Scripture alone" but they have the wrong canon (they include the New Testament as Scripture, which is an addition). The Catholics are wrong because they use "Tradition and the Magisterium" to legitimize that addition. The Torah-only refutation is absolute: The Torah alone is the covenant. It is eternal, unchangeable, and complete. Neither a Pope, a Church council, nor an Apostle has the authority to alter, expand, or abrogate it. Any system—Catholic or Protestant—that appeals to a "new covenant" that supersedes the commandments given at Sinai is, by definition, a deviation from the pure, unadulterated Word of God as given to Moses.