On Schleiermacher's Reconstruction of Biblical Authority

Schleiermacher's account of biblical authority is nuanced and complex. Firstly, from the point view of Ontology, Schleiermacher reverses the Protestant orthodoxy's view that the doctrine of Scripture is the source of Christian faith. On the contrary, Schleiermacher thinks that the authority of Holy Scripture is based on faith in Christ. Secondly, in Schleiermacher's eyes, Holy Scripture plays a vital role in the cognition of faith and has a normative function for dogmatics. Finally, Schleiermacher has the opinion that Scripture is an aspect of the redeeming work of Jesus Christ, and so is a norm for faith practice or redemption. The proper understanding of Schleiermacher's view of biblical authority which has far-reaching significance for contemporary theology must consider all the above three aspects, otherwise, it would be misunderstood.