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While the concept may have existed far prior, a recent discussion has left me wondering - What is the earliest documented usage of the term "Sola Scriptura" in Christian writings. I am not interested in articulation of the concept, but instead of the first documented usage of this specific and actual phrase in reference to the doctrine (not just coincidental usage) - so please be sure to include a quote in your answer.

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    May 17, 2020 at 2:42

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In 1520 Luther wrote the following in his defense against the bull of Pope Leo X:

Nolo omnium doctior iactari, sed solam scripturam regnare, nec eam meo spiritu aut ullorum hominum interpretari, sed per seipsam et suo spiritu intelligi volo. (WA 7:98.40–99.2)

Mark D. Thompson gives this translation:

I do not want to throw out all those more learned [than I], but Scripture alone to reign, and not to interpret it by my own spirit or the spirit of any man, but I want to understand it by itself and its spirit.

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The first documented usage of the specific and actual phrase ''Sola Scriptura'' in reference to the doctrine was as late as the 20th century.

The solas were not systematically articulated together until the 20th century. But sola gratia and sola fide were used in conjunction by the Reformers themselves. For example, in 1554 Melanchthon wrote, "sola gratia justificamus et sola fide justificamur" ("only by grace do you justify and only by faith are we justified"). All of the solas show up in various writings by the Protestant Reformers, but they are not catalogued together by any.

In 1916, Lutheran scholar Theodore Engelder published an article titled "The Three Principles of the Reformation: Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia, Sola Fides", ("only scripture, only grace, only faith"). In 1934, theologian Emil Brunner substituted Soli Deo gloriam for Sola Scriptura.In 1958, historian Geoffrey Elton, summarizing the work of John Calvin, wrote that Calvin had "joined together" the "great watchwords." Elton listed sola fide with sola gratia as one term, followed by sola scriptura and soli Deo gloria. (source).

According to Protestants,

These “five solas” were developed in response to specific perversions of the truth that were taught by the corrupt Roman Catholic Church. (source).

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    The sufficiency of scripture is very much a distinct doctrine from sola scriptura. But I think your Gregory of Nyssa quote is talking about sola scriptura proper.
    – curiousdannii ♦
    May 16, 2020 at 14:49
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    The Westminster Confession 1.10 is a good concise definition (for how I've always heard it defined, there may be people who define it differently): "The Supreme Judge, by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture."
    – curiousdannii ♦
    May 16, 2020 at 14:56
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    Frankly, I am uninterested in Protestantism vs. Catholicism. The quote needn't be from a protestant source. That being said, the most common origin of this are the five solas of the reformation. These are attributed to Martin Luther. While I have no doubt these ideas were ones that he championed, I do not believe he used that terminology. Nor do I think the person who first articulated the five solas was the coiner of sola scriptura - I'm guessing these were culled together from multiple sources.
    – James Shewey
    May 16, 2020 at 15:04
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    @RadzMatthewC.Brown It's more that it stands beside sola scriptura. It's very possible to say that the Bible contains all the knowledge we need for salvation while also believing that tradition, reason, or experience have equal authority or even higher authority than the scriptures. I think most Catholics would probably affirm that the Bible contains all the knowledge required to come to faith in God, but of course they deny sola scriptura. Both are important doctrines, but they're distinct ones.
    – curiousdannii ♦
    May 16, 2020 at 15:08
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    @RadzMatthewC.Brown Sola is Latin for alone (the sole source) as in no other form of tradition can be an infallible source of Christian doctrine, whereas sufficiency can mean either materially sufficient (Scripture is clear enough in what it says to convey or imply strongly enough what unwritten/lived tradition says for sure) or formal sufficiency (the Protestant doctrine that all Christian doctrine is formally given in Scripture and nothing else is strictly binding). Sola Scriptura doesn't mean 'prima Scripture' (Scripture comes first) as Protestants suggest. At least in practice.
    – Sola Gratia
    May 16, 2020 at 15:12

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