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St. Augustine & Extrabiblical Infallibility

St. Augustine & Extrabiblical Infallibility

Last updated on: June 6, 2026 at 12:52 am by Dave Armstrong

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St. Augustine & Extrabiblical Infallibility 2026-06-06T00:52:32-04:00 Dave Armstrong

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vs. James Swan

Photo credit: cover of my self-published 2012 book.

Anti-Catholic reformed polemicist James Swan holds the usual erroneous Protestant view about St. Augustine: that he supposedly believed in sola Scriptura: the view that only Scripture is infallible, and denial of the infallibility of sacred apostolic tradition and the Church and ecumenical councils. He expressed this in his article, Did Martin Luther Miscite Saint Augustine? (Boors All, 11-12-24), and issued the following challenge:

Rome’s defenders, past and present, . . . are assuming Augustine’s infallible authority structure was the same as theirs . . .

This does not mean Augustine believed these other authorities were infallible. What would be useful information from Rome’s defenders are explicit quotes from Augustine . . . in which he does claim councils, popes and Tradition are infallible along with the Scriptures. . . .

The burden of proof for Rome’s defenders is to demonstrate their current version of infallible authority was the same as Augustine’s. . . . Augustine had the same infallible authority as Luther!

Happy to oblige! It’s very easy for me to do, seeing that I edited the 245-page book, The Quotable Augustine: Distinctively Catholic Elements in His Theology way back in 2012.

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Apostolic Succession

If now you seem to yourself to have been tossed to and fro enough, and wish to put an end to labors of this kind, follow the pathway of Catholic teaching, which has flowed down from Christ Himself through the Apostles even unto us, and will hereafter flow down to posterity. (On the Usefulness of Believing, 20)

. . . the Acts of the Apostles; . . . which book I must needs believe if I believe the gospel, since both writings alike Catholic authority commends to me. (Against the Fundamental Epistle of Manichaeus, 5, 6)

The Catholic, which is also the apostolic, doctrine . . . (Against Faustus the Manichee, xxiii, 5)

You immediately deny that Matthew wrote the narrative, though this is affirmed by the continuous testimony of the whole Church, from the days of apostolic presidency to the bishops of our own time. . . . I ask you to believe the book which I quote to have been written by Matthew, since it has been handed down from the days of Matthew in the Church, without any break in the connection between that time and the present. . . . a book acknowledged and approved as handed down from the beginning in the Church founded by Christ Himself, and maintained through the apostles and their successors in an unbroken connection all over the world to the present day . . . (Against Faustus the Manichee, xxviii, 2)

We, namely, the catholic faith, coming from the doctrine of the apostles planted in us, received by a line of succession, to be transmitted sound to posterity—the catholic faith, I say, has, between both those parties, that is, between both errors, held the truth. (Lectures on the Gospel of John, 37, 6)

No one who has not yielded to the malicious and deceitful suggestions of lying devils, can be so blinded by passion as to deny the ability of the Church of the apostles— a community of brethren as numerous as they were faithful— to transmit their writings unaltered to posterity, as the original seats of the apostles have been occupied by a continuous succession of bishops to the present day, . . . (Against Faustus the Manichee, xxxiii, 6)

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Catholic Church, Infallibility and Indefectibility of

This same is the holy Church, the one Church, the true Church, the catholic Church, fighting against all heresies: fight, it can: be fought down, it cannot. (Sermon to Catechumens on the Creed, 14)

. . . the immoveable Catholic faith, . . . (Ep. 166 [3, 6]: to St. Jerome [415] )

For in the belly of the Church truth abides. Whosoever shall have been separated from this belly of the Church, must needs speak false things: . . . (Explanations of the Psalms, 58:3 [58, 5]; I rearranged the word order of the awkward translation; changing no words)

. . . sound doctrine, which alone is Catholic, . . . (Against Faustus the Manichee, xx, 23)

. . . to avoid offending the Church by erroneous doctrine, . . . (Against Faustus the Manichee, xxii, 46)

. . . the body of Christ, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and mainstay of the truth, dispersed throughout the world . . . (Against the Letters of Petilian the Donatist, ii, 104, 237)

. . . the holy and true Church of Christ . . . (Against the Letters of Petilian the Donatist, i, 22, 24)

. . . that Church which is the true Church of Christ. (Ep. 93 [12, 50]: to Vincentius [408] )

. . . the certainty of Catholic truth . . . (Ep. 139 [1]: to Marcellinus [412] )

. . . many states and places where we saw the true Catholic Church firmly established . . . (Ep. 185 [7, 25]: to Boniface [416])

Let us love what we sing: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” that so they may know, by their own experience, with what perfect truth their mother, the Catholic Church, calls out to them . . . let them come to the true Church of Christ, that is, to the Catholic Church our mother . . . (Ep. 185 [9, 36 / 10, 46]: to Boniface [416])

His commands, which He has willed should be confirmed by so great authority of the Catholic Church. (On the Usefulness of Believing, 33)

Councils, Ecumenical

Councils themselves, which are held in the several districts and provinces, must yield, beyond all possibility of doubt, to the authority of plenary Councils which are formed for the whole Christian world . . . (On Baptism, Against the Donatists, ii, 3, 4)

They attempt, accordingly, to prevail against the firmly-settled authority of the immoveable Church by the name and the promises of a pretended appeal to reason. This kind of effrontery is, we may say, characteristic of all heretics. But He who is the most merciful Lord of faith has both secured the Church in the citadel of authority by most famous œcumenical Councils and the Apostolic sees themselves, and furnished her with the abundant armour of equally invincible reason by means of a few men of pious erudition and unfeigned spirituality. (Ep. 118 [5, 32]: to Deoscorus [410] )

Rule of Faith / “Three-Legged Stool” (Bible-Church-Tradition)

But those reasons which I have here given, I have either gathered from the authority of the church, according to the tradition of our forefathers, or from the testimony of the divine Scriptures, . . . No sober person will decide against reason, no Christian against the Scriptures, no peaceable person against the church. (On the Trinity, iv, 6, 10)

My opinion therefore is, that wherever it is possible, all those things should be abolished without hesitation, which neither have warrant in Holy Scripture, nor are found to have been appointed by councils of bishops, nor are confirmed by the practice of the universal Church, . . . (Ep. 55 [19, 35]: to Januarius [400] )

And let any one, who is led by the past custom of the Church, and by the subsequent authority of a plenary Council, and by so many powerful proofs from holy Scripture, and by much evidence from Cyprian himself, and by the clear reasoning of truth, to understand that the baptism of Christ, consecrated in the words of the gospel, cannot be perverted by the error of any man on earth . . . (On Baptism, Against the Donatists, v, 4, 4)

If, then, you have come to some understanding of what is not at variance with the rule of the Catholic faith, whereto you have attained as the way that is guiding you to your fatherland; and hast so understood it as to feel it a duty to dismiss all doubts whatever on the subject: add to the building, but do not abandon the foundation. And surely of such a character ought to be any teaching given by elders to those who are babes, as not to involve the assertion that Christ the Lord of all, and the prophets and apostles, who are much farther advanced in age than themselves, had in any respect spoken falsely. (Lectures on the Gospel of John, 98, 7)

But this I say, that according to the Holy Scriptures original sin is so manifest, and that this is put away in infants by the laver of regeneration is confirmed by such antiquity and authority of the catholic faith, notorious by such a clear concurrent testimony of the Church, that what is argued by the inquiry or affirmation of anybody concerning the origin of the soul, if it is contrary to this, cannot be true. (Against Two Letters of the Pelagians, iii, 26 [X] )

Tradition, Apostolic

He cannot quote a decisive passage on the subject from the Book of God; nor can he prove his opinion to be right by the unanimous voice of the universal Church . . . (Ep. 54 [4, 5]: to Januarius [400] )

. . . moved, not indeed by the authority of any plenary or even regionary Council, but by a mere epistolary correspondence, to think that they ought to adopt a custom which had no sanction from the ancient custom of the Church, and which was expressly forbidden by the most unanimous resolution of the Catholic world . . . (On Baptism, Against the Donatists, iii, 2, 2)

And this is the firm tradition of the universal Church, in respect of the baptism of infants . . . (On Baptism, Against the Donatists, iv, 23, 31)

Whence, however, was this derived, but from that primitive, as I suppose, and apostolic tradition, by which the Churches of Christ maintain it to be an inherent principle, that without baptism and partaking of the supper of the Lord it is impossible for any man to attain either to the kingdom of God or to salvation and everlasting life? So much also does Scripture testify, according to the words which we already quoted. (On Merit and the Forgiveness of Sins and on Infant Baptism, i, 34 [XXIV] )

You see with what confidence this great man [St. Cyprian] expresses himself after the ancient and undoubted rule of faith. [regarding infants possessing original sin] (On Merit and the Forgiveness of Sins and on Infant Baptism, iii, 11)

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Photo credit: cover of my self-published 2012 book.

Summary: St. Augustine (354-430) did not believe in sola Scriptura. He believed in the infallibility of the Church, ecumenical councils, and sacred apostolic tradition, contrary to that view.

Anti-Catholicism

Fathers of the Church

Augustine & apostolic succession

Augustine & Church authority

Augustine & infallibility

Augustine & the rule of faith

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extrabiblical infallibility

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