3 Scripture as Word of God and Principium Cognoscendi Theologiae 3.1 Scripture as Principium or Foundation of Theology A. The Scriptural Foundation of the Theology of the Reformers: The Perspective of the Reformed Confessions The logical priority of Scripture over all other means of religious knowing in the church—tradition, present-day corporate or official doctrine, and individual insight or illumination—lies at the heart of the teaching of the Reformation and of its great confessional documents.