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When did the doctrine of biblical inerrancy first emerge after the Protestant Reformation as officially defined and accepted?

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Biblical doctrines are teachings explicitly taught in the Bible. For example, the inspiration of Scripture in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 declares that God is the author of Scripture: >16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. [The doctrine of biblical inerrancy]( https://www.gotquestions.org/Biblical-inerrancy.html) reflects on the character of God and is foundational to our understanding of everything the Bible teaches. It is worth pointing out that only the original autographs (the original manuscripts written by the apostles, prophets, etc.) are under the divine promise of inspiration and inerrancy. There is no biblical promise that copies of the original manuscripts would be equally inerrant or free from errors. As the Bible has been copied thousands of times over thousands of years, some copyist errors have likely occurred. I found an article about the 1978 International Council on Biblical Inerrancy where several hundred Christians representing forty-one churches and thirty-eight Christian denominations met to study, pray, and deliberate over an essential doctrinal issue: the inerrancy of Scripture. Over 300 Evangelicals, including John F. MacArthur, J. I. Packer, Francis Schaeffer, R. C. Sproul, and Josh D. McDowell, signed the document. [Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy](https://www.gotquestions.org/Chicago-Statement-Biblical-Inerrancy.html) Surely this is not the first “official” approval of the doctrine of biblical inerrancy within Protestantism? Did this doctrine exist prior to 1978? I fully acknowledge and understand that Augustine wrote to Jerome to express the meaning of this doctrine and the Catholic Church teaches that the Bible is without error. However, I am looking for sources from Reformed Protestantism to indicate when the doctrine of biblical inerrancy was first defined and documented.
Asked by Lesley (34714 rep)
Oct 21, 2023, 07:21 AM
Last activity: Oct 21, 2023, 05:21 PM