WHAT IS SACRED TRADITION? The Christian faith is not a religion of the book. Christianity is the religion of the Word of God, a word which is not a written and mute word, but the Word which is incarnate and living (Catechism of The Catholic Church, No. 108). The Sacred Tradition is the oral teaching of Jesus Christ handed down to His apostles, who in turn handed it down to their disciples (the early Church Fathers), and then to the next generation, and then finally to present. How does it become possible? Well, for almost 400 years there was no written New Testament to fall back on. All of the apostles and disciples taught orally for the first 400 years. Yes, but didnt St. Paul, St. Peter, St. John, St. Luke, etc., write everything down in their epistles and gospels? Yes, they did, but none of it was widely available to geographically separated disciples and it wasnt part of The Bible until the local councils of Laodicea, Rome, Hippo, and Carthage put the 27 books of the New Testament together in 363 AD, 382 AD, 393 AD, and 397 AD. At that time, it took on the mantle of infallible scripture with the Old Testament. Interestingly, Protestants today accept this Catholic Tradition of these 27 books of the Bible being divinely inspired. Protestants also accept the Catholic Tradition of meeting on Sunday, rather than the Jewish custom of meeting on Saturday. However, did the New Testament authors themselves directly use Oral Tradition? Yes. For instance, in Acts 20:35, St. Paul himself says the following: In all things I have shown you that by so toiling one must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, `It is more blessed to give than to receive. (These words are not recorded anywhere else in the Bible, including the 4 Gospels, so this is one example of an oral teaching of Jesus being handed on to Paul, who hands it down to us.) Another example of this is in the book of Jude 1:9, which says the following: But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, disputed about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a reviling judgment upon him, but said, The Lord rebuke you. (This dispute, between the Archangel Michael and the devil over Moses body, is nowhere to be found in the written text of the Old Testament.) Here are a few more: Matthew 2:23: And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, He shall be called a Nazarene. (This he shall be called a Nazarene prophecy is not in written scripture anywhere). Matthew 23:2: The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses seat;(Moses seat is not mentioned anywhere in written scripture). 1 Corinthians 10:4: and all drank the same supernatural drink. For they drank from the supernatural Rock which followed them, and the Rock was Christ. (Nowhere in the Old Testament does it say that a rock followed the Israelites in the desert.) 2 Timothy 3:8: As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of corrupt mind and counterfeit faith; (These 2 individuals who opposed Moses are not written in the Old Testament). Hebrews 11:35: Women received their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life (This is a direct reference to 2 Maccabees 7, which Luther threw out of his bible in the 16th century. This story cannot be found anywhere in the Protestant Bible. It is in the Catholic Bible, and has been since the 4th century.) See?! If Sacred Tradition is not permitted by the Lord and that all theachings must be gotten from the Sacred Scriptures, then why did the New Testament authors write something not found anywhere in the Old Testament? Remember that when the New Testament books were still being composed, the only Sacred Scripture that existed at that time are the Old Testament books especially the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament). But, what did the holy Scriture say about the Sacred Tradition? 2 Thessalonians 2:15: Stand firm and hold fast to the Traditions you were taught, whether by an ORAL STATEMENT or by a letter from us. Philippians 4:9: Keep on doing what you have learned and received and HEARD and SEEN IN ME. Then the God of peace will be with you. 1 Corinthians 11:2: I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the Traditions, just as I handed them on to you. 2 Thessalonians 3:6: We instruct you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to shun any brother who conducts himself in a disorderly way and not according to the TRADITION they received from us. 1 Peter 1:25: ...but the Word of the Lord REMAINS FOREVER. This is the Word that has been PROCLAIMED TO YOU (i.e., orally). Did Jesus condemn tradition? Our Lord Jesus said, And why do you transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? (Matt. 15:3). St. Paul warned, See to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ (Col. 2:8) — But these verses merely condemn erroneous human traditions, not truths which were handed down orally and entrusted to the Church by the apostles. These latter truths are part of what is known as apostolic tradition, which is to be distinguished from human traditions or customs. Consider Matthew 15:6–9, which Protestants often use to defend their position: So by these traditions of yours you have made God’s laws ineffectual. You hypocrites, it was a true prophecy that Isaiah made of you, when he said, ‘This people does me honor with its lips, but its heart is far from me. Their worship is in vain, for the doctrines they teach are the commandments of men.’ Look closely at what Jesus said. He was not condemning all traditions. He condemned only those that made God’s word void. In this case, it was a matter of the Pharisees feigning the dedication of their goods to the Temple so they could avoid using them to support their aged parents. By doing this, they dodged the commandment to Honor your father and your mother (Exodus 20:12). Elsewhere, our Lord Jesus instructed His followers to abide by traditions that are not contrary to God’s commandments. The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice (Matt. 23:2–3). What Protestants often do, unfortunately, is see the word tradition in Matthew 15:3 or Colossians 2:8 or elsewhere and conclude that anything termed a tradition is to be rejected. They forget that the term is used in a different sense, as in 1 Corinthians 11:2 and 2 Thessalonians 2:15, to describe what should be believed. Jesus did not condemn all traditions; He condemned only erroneous traditions, whether doctrines or practices, that undermined Christian truths. The rest, as the apostles taught, were to be obeyed. St. Paul commanded the Thessalonians to adhere to all the traditions he had given them, whether oral or written. The early Christians were also very much aware on the weight of Sacred Tradition in the life of the holy Church, as they said: ⚫St. Irenaeus, bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul (c. 180 AD): So forceful are these arguments that no one should henceforth seek the truth from ANY OTHER SOURCE since it would be simple to get it from THE CHURCH ....On this account are we bound to avoid them, but to make choice of the things pertaining to the Church with utmost diligence, and to lay hold of the TRADITION OF TRUTH ..For how should it be if the Apostles themselves had not left us writing? Would it be necessary [in that case] to follow the course of Tradition which they handed down to those whom they committed the Churches? (Against the Heresies 3:4:1) Though none others know we the disposition of our salvation, than those through whom the Gospel came to us, first heralding it, then by the will of God delivering us the Scriptures, which were to be the foundation and pillar of our faith. ...But when the heretics use Scriptures, as if they were wrong and unauthoritative, and we variable, and the truth could not be extracted from them by those who were IGNORANT OF TRADITION. And when we challenge them in turn with that TRADITION, which is FROM THE APOSTLES, which is guarded by the succession of presbyters in the churches, they oppose themselves to TRADITION, saying they are wiser, not only than those presbyters but even than the Apostles! The TRADITION OF THE APOSTLES manifested, on the contrary, in the whole world, is open in every church to all who seeks the truth ...And since it is a long matter in a work like this to enumerate these successions, we will confute them by pointing to the TRADITION of the greatest and most ancient and universally-known Church founded and constituted at Rome by the two most glorious Apostles, Peter and Paul, a TRADITION which she has had and a faith which she proclaims to all men FROM THOSE APOSTLES. (Against the Heresies 3:1-3) It comes to this, therefore, these men do not consent to either Scripture nor TRADITION. (Against the Heresies 3:2:2). ⚫Tertullian of Carthage (c. 200): We do not take our scriptural teaching from the parables but we interpret the parables according to our teaching. (Purity 9:1) For this reason we should not appeal merely to the Scriptures nor fight our battle on ground where victory is either impossible or uncertain or improbable. For a resort to the Scriptures would but result in placing both parties on an equal footing, whereas the natural order of procedure requires one question to be asked first, which is the only one now that should be discussed. Who are the guardians of the real faith? To whom do the Scriptures belong? By whom and through whom and when and to whom was the committed the doctrine that makes us Christians? For wherever the truth of Christian doctrine and faith clearly abide, there will be also the true Scriptures and the true interpretations and all the true Christian traditions. (On Prescription Against the Heretics 36) ⚫Origen (c. 220): Although there are many who believe that they themselves hold to the teachings of Christ, there are yet some among them who think differently from their predecessors. The teaching of the Church has indeed been handed down through an order of succession from the Apostles and remains in the churches even to the present time. That alone is to be believed as the truth which is in no way at variance with ecclesiastical and Apostolic Tradition (The Fundamental Doctrines 1:2 [A.D. 225]). ⚫St. Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 350): But in learning the Faith and in professing it, acquire and keep only that which is now delivered to you BY THE CHURCH, and which has been built up strongly out of the Scriptures. (Cat V:12) Which Scriptures? These: Learn also diligently FROM THE CHURCH what are the books of the Old Testament and what are the books of the New. (Cat IV:33) Note: St. Cyril is referring to the local church since, in his day, different city-churches recognized different Scriptural canons. And the very fact that he needs to tell his new converts this shows that the Biblical canon was not yet universally established. ⚫St. Anthony of Egypt (c. 320): Wherefore, keep yourselves all the more untainted by them (the Arians), and observe the TRADITIONS of the fathers, and chiefly the holy faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, which you have learned from the Scripture, and which you have often been put in mind by me. (Athanasius Life of Anthony NPNF Vol IV 2nd Series). ⚫St. Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria (c. 330-370): Let them (the Arians) tell us from what teacher, or from what TRADITION, they derived those notions concerning the Savior. (De Decr 13) For what OUR FATHERS have DELIVERED, this is true doctrine; and this is truly the token of doctors, to confess the SAME THING with each other, and to vary neither from themselves nor from their fathers; whereas they who do not have this character are not to be called true doctors. (De Decr 4) Laying down their PRIVATE impiety as some sort of rule, they (the Arians) wrest all the Divine oracles (the Scriptures) into accordance with it. (Orat 1, 52) Had they dwelt on these thoughts and recognized the ECCLESIASTICAL (i.e., Church) scope as an ANCHOR for the Faith, they would not have made shipwreck of the faith. (Orat 3, 58) ⚫St. Basil the Great, bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia, Asia Minor (c. 370 AD): Of the dogmas and messages preserved in the Church, some we possess from written teaching and others we receive from the Tradition of the Apostles, handed on to us in mystery (i.e., Sacrament; the Liturgy of the Mass). . In respect to piety both are of the same force. No one will contradict any of these, no one, at any rate, who is even moderately versed in matters ecclesiastical. Indeed, were we to try to reject unwritten customs as having no great authority, we would unwittingly injure the Gospel in its vitals; or rather, we would reduce [Christian] message to a mere term. (The Holy Spirit 27:66 [A.D. 375]). ⚫St. Gregory Nazianzen, archbishop of Constantinople (c. 370 AD): I desire to learn what is the fashion of innovation in things concerning the Church. But since our faith has been proclaimed both in writing AND WITHOUT WRITING, here and in distant parts, in times of danger and of safety, how is it that some make such attempts and others keep silent? (Ep 101). It suffices for proof of our statement that we have a TRADITION coming down from the fathers, an inheritance as it were, by succession FROM THE APOSTLES through the saints who came after them (Against Eunomius 4, 6 on Christs nature). ⚫St. Epiphanius, bishop of Salamis (c. 370 AD): It is needful also to make use of Tradition, for not everything can be gotten from Sacred Scripture. The holy Apostles handed down some things in the Scriptures, other things in Tradition. (Medicine Chest Against All Heresies 61:6 [A.D. 375]). ⚫St. John Chrysostom, archbishop of Constantinople (c. 390 AD): Stand firm and hold fast to the Traditions you were taught, whether by an oral statement or by a letter (2 Thess 2:15). Hence it is manifest that they did not deliver all things by Epistle, but many things UNWRITTEN, and in like manner both the one and the other are worthy of credit. Therefore, let us think the TRADITION of the Church also worthy of credit. It is a Tradition, seek no farther. (Commentary on 2nd Thessalonians NPNF 13:390). ⚫St. Augustine, bishop of Hippo (c. 400 AD): Those which we keep, not as being written, but as from TRADITION, if observed by the whole of Christendom, are thereby understood to be committed to us BY THE APOSTLES themselves or plenary Councils, and to be retained as instituted. (Ep 118). But in regard to those observances which we carefully attend and which the whole world keeps, and which derive not from Scripture but from Tradition, we are given to understand that they are recommended and ordained to be kept, either by the Apostles themselves or by plenary [ecumenical] councils, the authority of which is quite vital in the Church (Letter to Januarius [A.D. 400]). And if anyone seek for Divine authority in this matter, though what is held by the whole Church, and not as instituted by Councils, but as a matter of invariable custom, is rightly held to have been HANDED DOWN by APOSTOLIC authority. (On Baptism 24 speaking of infant Baptism). [T]he custom [of not rebaptizing converts] ...may be supposed to have had its origin in Apostolic Tradition, just as there are many things which are observed by the whole Church, and therefore are fairly held to have been enjoined by the Apostles, which yet are not mentioned in their writings (On Baptism, Against the Donatists 5:23[31] [A.D. 400]). ***** In the Second Vatican Council’s document on divine revelation, Dei Verbum (Latin: The Word of God), the relationship between Tradition and Scripture is explained: Hence there exists a close connection and communication between sacred Tradition and sacred Scripture. For both of them, flowing from the same divine wellspring, in a certain way merge into a unity and tend toward the same end. For sacred Scripture is the word of God inasmuch as it is consigned to writing under the inspiration of the divine Spirit. To the successors of the apostles, sacred Tradition hands on in its full purity God’s word, which was entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. Thus, by the light of the Spirit of truth, these successors can in their preaching preserve this word of God faithfully, explain it, and make it more widely known. Consequently it is not from sacred Scripture alone that the Church draws her certainty about everything which has been revealed. Therefore both sacred Tradition and sacred Scripture are to be accepted and venerated with the same devotion and reverence. Therefore, Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the word of God, which is committed to the Church. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Photo: The basalt synagogue chair in the synagogue of Korazin known as the seat of Moses. This was referenced by Jesus in Matthew 23:2. Notice the Aramaic inscription on the front of the chair that says: Remembered for good Judah ben Israel who made this stoa and its staircase. As his reward may he have a place with the righteous.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 01:58:57 +0000
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