Unwritten revelation by living voice; corruption; writing for stability; do not require the unwritten when Scripture is given

XXIII. Unwritten revelation is that by which the divine things we must believe are signified by the word handed down with a living voice. By living voice — of God himself, or of angels, or of the holy fathers, prophets, and Apostles — the word of God was once delivered. Human carelessness and Satan's malice corrupted and depraved it in many ways. So God restored and confirmed the purity of his word by fresh revelations from time to time, and at last, for greater stability and certainty, also willed it to be committed to writing.

Here a rule must be noted: once written revelation has been given, the unwritten is not to be demanded rashly, nor forced on others by tyranny — against Coster, Enchiridion of controversies, chapter 1, where he claims Christ willed neither that his Church hang on paper writings nor that mysteries be committed to parchments. See also Bellarmine, On the unwritten word of God, book 4, chapter 3; and Sadeel, Whitaker, and Nigrinus on the papistic contempt of sacred Scripture — indeed Christ himself (John 5:39; John 17) and Paul (2 Timothy 3:15-2 Timothy 3:16).