How did the Council of Trent define the authority of Scripture and tradition?

The Council of Trent, convened by Pope Paul III, rejected the Protestant doctrine of sola Scriptura ("Scripture alone") in favor of a "both/and" approach that grants equal reverence to both Scripture and tradition.12

The council affirmed that the "deposit of faith" is preserved through both the written Scriptures and unwritten traditions. While the Roman Catholic Church recognizes the Bible as the word of God, it maintains that the church existed before the New Testament and served to produce and authenticate it, thereby establishing tradition as an essential source of revealed truth.3

Additionally, the council reaffirmed the authority of the Latin Vulgate Bible, declaring it adequate for doctrinal proofs against the Protestant insistence on using original Hebrew and Greek texts. By upholding these two sources, the council sought to consolidate Roman Catholic doctrine against the challenges posed by the Reformation.12