[Deo volente]

“Paul is saying that we need to follow the traditions...So from a Catholic perspective, we can follow the Catholic tradition, OR, we can follow the scripture...Either one will work equally well...”

Paul did not use the phrase “equally well” to explain what he was talking about, nor is that meaning implied in the verse.

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“But the scripture says that the spoken word and the written word will work equally well...There's a whole world of difference there...How could you guys follow the Catholic tradition without the benefit of the written word??? You couldn't...”

The Scripture does not say or imply that the spoken and written word will work “equally well”.

Also, the Church's Tradition is NOT “without the benefit of the written word”. They work together. There's never any conflict between Scripture and Church Tradition.
You're right, though. We couldn't follow the Tradition without the help of God's Word in Scripture.

The whole rickety edifice of “sola scriptura” falls to the ground on just this one verse of St. Paul. That's what amazes me about the argument. It gets so convoluted, trying to prove that the WRITTEN word is the sole rule of faith, when St. Paul explicitly says the opposite.

[Iscool]

The Scripture does not say or imply that the spoken and written word will work “equally well”.

OF course it does...It says the tradition we must follow is the spoken word OR the written word...THE TRADITION IS THE WRITTEN WORD as well as the spoken word...