Recently I have heard anti-Protestant polemics from both Roman Catholics and Orthodox - and the heart of it has been something like this:
"Protestants believe that Christians should listen to nothing other than the Bible - and that the example or wisdom of Christians from earlier ages has no value".
That kind of polemic is not serious.
Sola Scriptura is what Gregory of Nyssa articulates when he says that "we make the Holy Scriptures the rule and measure of every tenet (belief, practice or opinion). We have to fix our eyes upon that and approve that alone which is in harmony with the intention of the Scriptures."
Sola Scriptura is this simple principle that we find all the way through the ancient Church Fathers: The Bible alone governs Christian belief and practice.
Therefore, we have great freedom to read and listen to all kinds of Christian wisdom, confident that we have a sure guide to determine what we are to keep and what we are to discard.
"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."
[WCF 1.X]
The Protestant has much greater freedom and confidence in reading all the shared Christian wisdom because the Scriptures are the bright lamp to show us all the treasures scattered throughout global Church history -and also show up the erroneous trash.