15. Christian Revelation: Transmission and Conservation
40. The Transmission of Revelation in Apostolic Times
The communication of revealed truths to mankind in the course of history, especially through Jesus, would have been useless had God not assured their incorrupt transmission through all ages.1
Regarding the transmission of revelation in apostolic times, we can say, quoting Vatican II, that:
God graciously arranged that the things he had once revealed for the salvation of all peoples should remain in their entirety, throughout the ages, and be transmitted to all generations. Therefore, Christ the Lord, in whom the entire Revelation of the most high God is summed up (cf. 2 Cor 1:20; 3:16–4,6), commanded the apostles to preach the Gospel, which had been promised beforehand by the prophets, and which he fulfilled in his own person and promulgated with his own lips. In preaching the Gospel they were to communicate the gifts of God to all men. This Gospel was to be the source of all saving truth and moral discipline. This was faithfully done: it was done by the apostles who handed on, by the spoken word of their preaching, by the example they gave, by the institutions they established, what they themselves had received—whether from the lips of Christ, from his way of life and his works, or whether they had learned at the prompting of the Holy Spirit; it was done by those apostles and other men associated with the apostles who, under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit, committed the message of salvation to writing.2
Tradition, Scripture, and Magisterium were, thus, present right from the beginning:
In order that the full and living Gospel might always be preserved in the Church the apostles left bishops as their successors. They gave them “their own position of teaching authority.” This sacred Tradition, then, and the sacred Scripture of both Testaments, are like a mirror, in which the Church, during her pilgrim journey here on earth, contemplates God, from whom she receives everything, until such time as she is brought to see him face to face as he really is (cf. Jn 3:2).3
41. The Deposit of Faith: Sacred Scripture and Tradition
There is only one source of revelation: God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The content of divine revelation is found in Sacred Scripture and Tradition as a single deposit (the deposit of faith): “So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter” (2 Thes 2:15).
Sacred Scripture is the word of God—written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit—contained in the collection of sacred books that have God as their author, and it was entrusted to the Church as such.4
Tradition is the word of God—received from Christ himself through the apostles—that was transmitted to us without alteration, as it were from hand to hand, by the Church with the assistance of the Holy Spirit.5 Thus, revelation is kept alive in the midst of the Christian community and is handed down from generation to generation. This is the origin of the word Tradition (from traditio, “handing down”).
The beliefs of the Church, unchanged for centuries, are either included in Scripture or belong to Tradition. It is often possible to find testimonies of Tradition dating back to the first centuries. Testimonies that are not explicitly contained in Sacred Scripture have been preserved in either ancient liturgical or disciplinary texts and practices, or the writings of early Christian authors.
42. Relationship Between Sacred Scripture and Tradition
Through Tradition, we know which books are inspired by the Holy Spirit, that is, the list or canon of the books that make up Holy Scripture.
Tradition was ignored by early Protestants; they tried to rely on Scripture alone. Tradition is, however, of primordial importance. In a certain sense, Tradition is prior to Scripture, since many revealed truths were not written immediately, but much later. This is the case in the teachings of Christ found in the Gospels.
Thus, the word Tradition is also used to encompass the entire deposit of revelation; the Second Vatican Council uses it in this sense:
The apostolic preaching, which is expressed in a special way in the inspired books, was to be preserved in a continuous line of succession until the end of time. Hence the apostles, in handing on what they themselves had received, warn the faithful to maintain the traditions which they had learned either by word of mouth or by letter (cf. 2 Thes 2:15), and they warn them to fight hard for the faith that had been handed on to them once and for all (cf. Jude 3).6
The same Council also reminds us that although the deposit of faith is already complete and no increase is to be expected,7 our understanding of it does increase. This is sometimes called the homogeneous evolution of Christian dogma.
The Tradition that comes from the apostles makes progress in the Church, with the help of the Holy Spirit. There is a growth in insight into the realities and words that are being passed on. This comes about in various ways. It comes through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts (cf. Lk 2:19 and 51). It comes from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which they experience. And it comes from the preaching of those who have received, along with their right of succession in the episcopate, the sure charism of truth.8
Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal. Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit. And Tradition transmits in its entirety the word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching. Thus it comes about that the Church does not draw her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Hence, both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal feelings of devotion and reverence.9
43. Deposit of Faith and Magisterium
The Magisterium of the Church performs a very special function in the conservation and transmission of the deposit of revelation.
The Magisterium is the contents of the official teaching of the Church as well as the exercise of her teaching role. This role is entrusted exclusively to the hierarchy of the Church, which was established by Christ and received his pledge of the special assistance of the Holy Spirit in order to prevent any error in the exercise of her magisterial function. Moreover, the Church can proclaim as revealed truths only those already contained in the deposit of revelation, that is, in Sacred Scripture and Tradition.
The Second Vatican Council explains it:
The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ. Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully. All that it proposes for our belief as being divinely revealed is drawn from this single deposit of faith.10
· The Magisterium infallibly acts in an extraordinary and solemn way (this is a defining act) when the pope speaks ex cathedra or the college of bishops (with its head, the pope) gathered in an ecumenical council define some truth of faith that must be believed by all Christians.
· A doctrine is taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium (this is a non-defining act) when it is proposed by the pope and the bishops dispersed throughout the world who are in communion with him. This Magisterium is also infallible when it proposes that a truth is to be held definitively.
There is a certain order among the truths contained in the deposit of faith.
i) The first group (divinely revealed truths or doctrines de fide credenda) is constituted by all those truths contained in the word of God—whether written or handed down in Tradition—that the Church infallibly sets forth to be believed as divinely revealed either by the extraordinary or the ordinary Magisterium (doctrines de fide credenda). These truths require an assent of theological faith by the faithful. Whoever doubts or denies them falls into heresy.
ii) The second group (truths held definitively or doctrines de fide definitive tenenda) includes everything definitively proposed by the Church regarding teaching on faith and morals. This is set forth infallibly either by the extraordinary Magisterium (by a defining act) or taught—also infallibly—by the ordinary and universal Magisterium of the Church (a non-defining act) as a truth that is to be held definitively and absolutely–sententia definitive tenenda. Every believer is to give firm and definitive assent to these truths (doctrines de fide tenenda). The assent is based on faith in the Holy Spirit’s assistance to the Magisterium and on the Catholic doctrine of the infallibility of the Magisterium.
The Church teaches that a doctrine belongs to the first or second group with an act that is either a defining act (of the extraordinary Magisterium) or a non-defining act (of the ordinary Magisterium). Even without a formal definition, this doctrine belongs to the inheritance of the depositum fidei and is to be understood as having set forth infallibly. Such a doctrine can be confirmed or reaffirmed by the Roman pontiff, even without the recourse to a solemn definition, by declaring explicitly that it belongs to the teaching of the ordinary and universal Magisterium of the Church as a truth of the first or the second group. In this case, it is not a dogmatic definition, but a formal attestation of a truth that is already possessed and infallibly transmitted by the Church.
iii) The third group includes all those teachings—on faith and morals—set forth by the ordinary and universal Magisterium but not proposed as definitive. These teachings require a religious submission of the will and intellect. A proposition contrary to these doctrines is to be qualified as erroneous or, in the case of teachings of the prudential order, rash or dangerous.11
One of the most important historical responsibilities of the Magisterium is composing the symbols of faith (creeds) and the catechisms, which contain and summarize the basic truths of revelation. The oldest and most revered creeds are the Apostle’s Creed, the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, and the Athanasian Creed.12 Not all the revealed truths are included in the dogmas defined by the extraordinary Magisterium of the Church. Usually, the pastors define only the truths that are controverted.
It is clear, therefore, that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the Magisterium of the Church, are so connected and associated that one cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls.13
Footnotes:
1. Cf. CCC, 74–100.
2. DV, 7.
3. Ibid.
4. DS 3006.
5. Cf. DS 1501; DV, 9.
6. DV, 8.
7. Cf. DV, 4.
8. DV, 8.
9. Ibid., 9.
10. Ibid., 10.
11. Cf. CIC, c. 750; LG, 25; J. Card. Ratzinger, “Doctrinal Commentary on the Concluding Formula of the ‘Professio Fidei’”: L’Osservatore Romano, July 15, 1998.
12. Cf. CCC, 185–197.
13. DV, 10.
The communication of revealed truths to mankind in the course of history, especially through Jesus, would have been useless had God not assured their incorrupt transmission through all ages.1
Regarding the transmission of revelation in apostolic times, we can say, quoting Vatican II, that:
God graciously arranged that the things he had once revealed for the salvation of all peoples should remain in their entirety, throughout the ages, and be transmitted to all generations. Therefore, Christ the Lord, in whom the entire Revelation of the most high God is summed up (cf. 2 Cor 1:20; 3:16–4,6), commanded the apostles to preach the Gospel, which had been promised beforehand by the prophets, and which he fulfilled in his own person and promulgated with his own lips. In preaching the Gospel they were to communicate the gifts of God to all men. This Gospel was to be the source of all saving truth and moral discipline. This was faithfully done: it was done by the apostles who handed on, by the spoken word of their preaching, by the example they gave, by the institutions they established, what they themselves had received—whether from the lips of Christ, from his way of life and his works, or whether they had learned at the prompting of the Holy Spirit; it was done by those apostles and other men associated with the apostles who, under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit, committed the message of salvation to writing.2
Tradition, Scripture, and Magisterium were, thus, present right from the beginning:
In order that the full and living Gospel might always be preserved in the Church the apostles left bishops as their successors. They gave them “their own position of teaching authority.” This sacred Tradition, then, and the sacred Scripture of both Testaments, are like a mirror, in which the Church, during her pilgrim journey here on earth, contemplates God, from whom she receives everything, until such time as she is brought to see him face to face as he really is (cf. Jn 3:2).3
41. The Deposit of Faith: Sacred Scripture and Tradition
There is only one source of revelation: God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The content of divine revelation is found in Sacred Scripture and Tradition as a single deposit (the deposit of faith): “So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter” (2 Thes 2:15).
Sacred Scripture is the word of God—written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit—contained in the collection of sacred books that have God as their author, and it was entrusted to the Church as such.4
Tradition is the word of God—received from Christ himself through the apostles—that was transmitted to us without alteration, as it were from hand to hand, by the Church with the assistance of the Holy Spirit.5 Thus, revelation is kept alive in the midst of the Christian community and is handed down from generation to generation. This is the origin of the word Tradition (from traditio, “handing down”).
The beliefs of the Church, unchanged for centuries, are either included in Scripture or belong to Tradition. It is often possible to find testimonies of Tradition dating back to the first centuries. Testimonies that are not explicitly contained in Sacred Scripture have been preserved in either ancient liturgical or disciplinary texts and practices, or the writings of early Christian authors.
42. Relationship Between Sacred Scripture and Tradition
Through Tradition, we know which books are inspired by the Holy Spirit, that is, the list or canon of the books that make up Holy Scripture.
Tradition was ignored by early Protestants; they tried to rely on Scripture alone. Tradition is, however, of primordial importance. In a certain sense, Tradition is prior to Scripture, since many revealed truths were not written immediately, but much later. This is the case in the teachings of Christ found in the Gospels.
Thus, the word Tradition is also used to encompass the entire deposit of revelation; the Second Vatican Council uses it in this sense:
The apostolic preaching, which is expressed in a special way in the inspired books, was to be preserved in a continuous line of succession until the end of time. Hence the apostles, in handing on what they themselves had received, warn the faithful to maintain the traditions which they had learned either by word of mouth or by letter (cf. 2 Thes 2:15), and they warn them to fight hard for the faith that had been handed on to them once and for all (cf. Jude 3).6
The same Council also reminds us that although the deposit of faith is already complete and no increase is to be expected,7 our understanding of it does increase. This is sometimes called the homogeneous evolution of Christian dogma.
The Tradition that comes from the apostles makes progress in the Church, with the help of the Holy Spirit. There is a growth in insight into the realities and words that are being passed on. This comes about in various ways. It comes through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts (cf. Lk 2:19 and 51). It comes from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which they experience. And it comes from the preaching of those who have received, along with their right of succession in the episcopate, the sure charism of truth.8
Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal. Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit. And Tradition transmits in its entirety the word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching. Thus it comes about that the Church does not draw her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Hence, both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal feelings of devotion and reverence.9
43. Deposit of Faith and Magisterium
The Magisterium of the Church performs a very special function in the conservation and transmission of the deposit of revelation.
The Magisterium is the contents of the official teaching of the Church as well as the exercise of her teaching role. This role is entrusted exclusively to the hierarchy of the Church, which was established by Christ and received his pledge of the special assistance of the Holy Spirit in order to prevent any error in the exercise of her magisterial function. Moreover, the Church can proclaim as revealed truths only those already contained in the deposit of revelation, that is, in Sacred Scripture and Tradition.
The Second Vatican Council explains it:
The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ. Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully. All that it proposes for our belief as being divinely revealed is drawn from this single deposit of faith.10
· The Magisterium infallibly acts in an extraordinary and solemn way (this is a defining act) when the pope speaks ex cathedra or the college of bishops (with its head, the pope) gathered in an ecumenical council define some truth of faith that must be believed by all Christians.
· A doctrine is taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium (this is a non-defining act) when it is proposed by the pope and the bishops dispersed throughout the world who are in communion with him. This Magisterium is also infallible when it proposes that a truth is to be held definitively.
There is a certain order among the truths contained in the deposit of faith.
i) The first group (divinely revealed truths or doctrines de fide credenda) is constituted by all those truths contained in the word of God—whether written or handed down in Tradition—that the Church infallibly sets forth to be believed as divinely revealed either by the extraordinary or the ordinary Magisterium (doctrines de fide credenda). These truths require an assent of theological faith by the faithful. Whoever doubts or denies them falls into heresy.
ii) The second group (truths held definitively or doctrines de fide definitive tenenda) includes everything definitively proposed by the Church regarding teaching on faith and morals. This is set forth infallibly either by the extraordinary Magisterium (by a defining act) or taught—also infallibly—by the ordinary and universal Magisterium of the Church (a non-defining act) as a truth that is to be held definitively and absolutely–sententia definitive tenenda. Every believer is to give firm and definitive assent to these truths (doctrines de fide tenenda). The assent is based on faith in the Holy Spirit’s assistance to the Magisterium and on the Catholic doctrine of the infallibility of the Magisterium.
The Church teaches that a doctrine belongs to the first or second group with an act that is either a defining act (of the extraordinary Magisterium) or a non-defining act (of the ordinary Magisterium). Even without a formal definition, this doctrine belongs to the inheritance of the depositum fidei and is to be understood as having set forth infallibly. Such a doctrine can be confirmed or reaffirmed by the Roman pontiff, even without the recourse to a solemn definition, by declaring explicitly that it belongs to the teaching of the ordinary and universal Magisterium of the Church as a truth of the first or the second group. In this case, it is not a dogmatic definition, but a formal attestation of a truth that is already possessed and infallibly transmitted by the Church.
iii) The third group includes all those teachings—on faith and morals—set forth by the ordinary and universal Magisterium but not proposed as definitive. These teachings require a religious submission of the will and intellect. A proposition contrary to these doctrines is to be qualified as erroneous or, in the case of teachings of the prudential order, rash or dangerous.11
One of the most important historical responsibilities of the Magisterium is composing the symbols of faith (creeds) and the catechisms, which contain and summarize the basic truths of revelation. The oldest and most revered creeds are the Apostle’s Creed, the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, and the Athanasian Creed.12 Not all the revealed truths are included in the dogmas defined by the extraordinary Magisterium of the Church. Usually, the pastors define only the truths that are controverted.
It is clear, therefore, that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the Magisterium of the Church, are so connected and associated that one cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls.13
Footnotes:
1. Cf. CCC, 74–100.
2. DV, 7.
3. Ibid.
4. DS 3006.
5. Cf. DS 1501; DV, 9.
6. DV, 8.
7. Cf. DV, 4.
8. DV, 8.
9. Ibid., 9.
10. Ibid., 10.
11. Cf. CIC, c. 750; LG, 25; J. Card. Ratzinger, “Doctrinal Commentary on the Concluding Formula of the ‘Professio Fidei’”: L’Osservatore Romano, July 15, 1998.
12. Cf. CCC, 185–197.
13. DV, 10.