What does scripturalism mean?
Scripturalism is the principle that scripture—especially the Bible—possesses primary or exclusive authority in matters of religious belief and practice. In its most familiar historical use, the capitalised term denotes the doctrine commonly described as sola scriptura, according to which the Bible is sufficient and authoritative without requiring equal authority to be assigned to church tradition, religious experience, or institutional teaching. The lowercase word may also refer more generally to an approach that derives its beliefs and methods from scripture. In theological and historical writing, scripturalism can signal either a constructive emphasis on close attention to biblical texts or, in a critical context, a concern that a rigid appeal to scripture leaves insufficient room for other sources of knowledge and authority. The term is more precise than the broad word fundamentalism and more narrowly focused than the general concept of literalism, since it concerns the authority and use of scripture rather than only interpretive methods.
nounAdherence to the authority and principles of scripture, especially the doctrine that the Bible alone is the authoritative source of religious belief. The term may also refer more generally to a system of thought based on scriptural teaching.
- The doctrine that scripture, especially the Bible, is the sole or highest authority for religious belief.
- A system of religious or ethical thought based on the content and principles of scripture.
"The committee rejected a narrow form of scripturalism in favour of a broader interpretation of religious tradition."
"The movement's scripturalism placed the authority of the Bible above that of ecclesiastical institutions."
"Her study examines how scripturalism shaped the interpretation of difficult religious texts."
The plural is possible but uncommon, usually when contrasting distinct forms or interpretations of the doctrine.
"The study compares rival scripturalisms in several medieval communities."
In its capitalised form, scripturalism names the principle that the Bible is the supreme and sufficient authority in religious belief.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does scripturalism come from?
The word was formed within English by combining scriptural with the suffix -ism, a grammatical element ultimately derived from Greek and used to form names of doctrines or systems of belief. Scriptural in turn derives from scripture, from Latin scriptura, meaning a writing or written text and ultimately connected with the Latin verb scribere, “to write.” The same Latin root underlies cognates such as describe, prescribe, and transcript.
Related word forms
How scripturalism is actually used
The word is relatively uncommon and occurs mainly in academic, theological, and historical writing. When capitalised as Scripturalism, it commonly denotes the doctrine of the Bible's sole religious authority; the lowercase form may have a broader sense.