The Council of Trent (1562): How a Catholic Archbishop Silenced the Protestant Claim of “Scripture Alone” ‘Sola Scriptura’ Because The Reformers Were Keeping Sunday, Not Sabbath
During the Protestant Reformation, many brave reformers stood firm on the principle of sola scriptura — the Bible and the Bible alone as the final authority for faith and practice. They rejected human traditions that contradicted God’s Word. The Roman Catholic Church responded by calling the Council of Trent (1545–1563). One of the central debates was whether Scripture alone should rule, or whether church tradition held equal (or greater) authority. On January 18, 1562, Gaspar del Fosso (also known as Caspar del Fosso or Gaspare Ricciulli), Archbishop of Reggio, delivered a powerful speech that turned the tide in the council. Here is the heart of his argument (preserved in historical records of the council):
“The Protestants claim to stand upon the written word only. They profess to hold the Scripture alone as the standard of faith. They justify their revolt by the plea that the church has apostatized from the written word and follows tradition. Now the Protestants’ claim that they stand upon the written word only is not true. Their profession of holding the Scripture alone as the standard of faith is false! The written word explicitly enjoins the observance of the seventh day as the Sabbath. They do not observe the seventh day, but reject it. If they do truly hold the Scripture alone as their standard, they would be observing the seventh day as is enjoined in the Scripture throughout. Yet they not only reject the observance of the Sabbath enjoined in the written word, but they have adopted and do practise the observance of Sunday, for which they have only the tradition of the Church. Consequently the claim of ‘Scripture alone as the standard,’ fails; and the doctrine of ‘Scripture and tradition’ as essential, is fully established, the Protestants themselves being judges.”
The archbishop’s point landed with full force. The council hailed the argument as decisive. The party favoring “Scripture alone” surrendered, and Trent officially declared that Scripture and tradition must be received and venerated equally. What the Bible Actually Says God’s Word is crystal clear on the Sabbath:
- “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God…” (Exodus 20:8-10)
- Jesus Himself kept the seventh-day Sabbath as His custom (Luke 4:16).
- The apostles continued observing it after the resurrection (Acts 13:14, 42; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4).
Nowhere in the entire Bible is there a command from God, Christ, or the apostles to transfer the sacredness of the Sabbath to Sunday (the first day of the week). The change rests entirely on church tradition — not Scripture. Sunday as the “Mark” of the Mother Church’s Authority Catholic sources have openly acknowledged this for centuries. The fact that the vast majority of Protestant churches followed Rome in observing Sunday — despite claiming sola scriptura — became the visible proof of the Catholic Church’s claimed power to override God’s written Word. As one Catholic statement puts it: the transfer of the Sabbath to Sunday is proof that “the church is above the Bible.” This is exactly why the Archbishop of Reggio could say with confidence: Protestants were unknowingly obeying Catholic tradition rather than Scripture alone. A Call Back to Scripture Alone — Truly If we truly believe in the Bible as our only rule of faith, we must ask:
- Where does Scripture command us to keep Sunday holy?
- Why do we follow a change that has zero biblical support?
The consistent answer from God’s Word is the seventh-day Sabbath — the same day Jesus, the apostles, and the early church honored. God’s law has never changed. His Sabbath remains a sign of loyalty to Him as Creator (Exodus 20:11; Ezekiel 20:12, 20). Will you stand with the clear teaching of Scripture, or with centuries of human tradition?
Thank you, Grok, great job.