Which is the primary source of special revelation in Christian doctrine?

• A. Scripture
• B. Nature
• C. Conscience
• D. Church Tradition

Answer: (D)

In this view, special revelation is handed down through the living Tradition of the Church. God’s disclosure of Himself is safeguarded not just in written words but in the ongoing teaching, worship, and ministry of the Christian community across generations. This Tradition includes apostolic teaching, creeds, liturgy, and the Church’s authoritative interpretation, all of which preserve and transmit the faith faithfully. Scripture is highly respected as inspired and sacred, but it is understood within the framework of Tradition, which provides the coherent context and interpretive authority that keeps the Bible from being read in isolation or misapplied. Because Tradition carries the continuity and safeguarding of the apostolic deposit of faith, it is viewed as the primary channel through which God’s saving revelation is preserved and communicated.

Nature and conscience reveal general revelation and moral awareness, not the specific, saving message that God has uniquely disclosed. Scripture remains central as a written record of revelation, yet without the guiding and interpretive authority of Tradition, its message could become fragmented or misconstrued.