The idea of basing all important doctrine on scripture alone, often referred to as sola scriptura in Protestant theology, presents a paradox. Scripture itself does not provide a definitive list of what constitutes scripture. The canon of scripture—what is accepted as the Bible today—was determined through a combination of church tradition, historical consensus, and, in the case of the Old Testament, influenced by Jewish authorities like the Pharisee rabbis. This means that the very principle of sola scriptura relies on an extra-scriptural process to establish which books are considered authoritative. Hence, the doctrine of scripture alone cannot be derived solely from scripture, making it a self-referential paradox.
— ChatGPT, 2024
