Given these remarks, let us see the issue. The issue is, if we had to, after an earthquake or whatever, keep just one author, this would be the Bible or a Father? I can speak for myself and if I make (and made) some general remarks, this happens because I believe that my view is shared by the majority of the Orthodox faithful (not by you of course, as I see).

Most of the writings of our Fathers are holy as the Bible is, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and although the Bible exists in their writings, since they quote, they interpret, etc., their writings do not exist in the Bible. However, I’m not saying this; what I say is indeed that their writings are more important than the Bible, because they go further, as Christ promised, when He said that the Holy Spirit will help us know more in the course of time.

We don’t have our faith from the Bible: we have our faith from the Church, i.e. from our family, friends, from living people who have faith and introduced us to their faith. These are our immediate personal fathers. From father to father we reach to the Bible. Without the chain of the fathers, we would have nothing, not even the Bible! Let me remind you, closing this short note, that it was again the Fathers that decided what book should belong to the Bible (the Canon) and what book should be left out of the Bible. Please write if even now I’m not clear enough.