the apostles who were eye-witnesses of the incarnate Word, and they had passed it on to the Church. Hence, when asked where the authentic faith was to be found, their answer was clear and unequivocal: in a general way it was contained in the Church’s continuous tradition of teaching, and more concretely in the Holy Scriptures. These were in fact the twin—as we shall see, overlapping—authorities to which Christians looked for the confirmation of their beliefs. By itself, however, this is a bald statement,