God’s Revelation: Sacred Scriptures and Tradition
God’s Revelation: Sacred Scriptures and Tradition
Revelation and Sacred Tradition “At various times in the past and in various different ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but in our own time, the last days, he has spoken to us through his Son” (Heb 1:1-2). God chose to reveal to us the mysteries of salvation. He did so by speaking through a long line of heralds of his word–beginning with the prophets of old and ending with his very Son, Jesus the Lord, in whom the fullness of Revelation is brought to completion.
God, however, did not want this message of liberation to be known by only a few. He saw to it that what he had revealed would remain forever whole and entire, and be passed on to all generations. To assure this stability, Jesus Christ founded his Church. Built upon the Rock –the apostle Peter (Mt 16:18)– the Church was to be in essence universal (in Greek, catholic).
Christ commissioned the apostles to preach to all men his Gospel, which is the source of all the truths necessary for salvation and moral teaching. He also ordered them to administer the heavenly gifts, the sacraments.
This commission was faithfully fulfilled by the apostles. By their oral preaching, and by their example, the apostles handed on what they had received from the lips of Christ himself, reinforced by the ineffable experience of having lived close to him and seeing what he did. They also incorporated in their teaching what they had learned through the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
The commission was fulfilled, too, by those apostles and apostolic men who, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, put the message of salvation in writing.
The apostles knew very well that the Gospel had to be kept forever whole and alive within the Church. Thus, they appointed bishops as their successors, giving them the authority to teach in their own place. The apostles warned the Christians to hold fast to the traditions that they had learned either by word of mouth or by letter; these we call the Church’s Tradition.
“Tradition” means “handing on”–the apostles handed on what they themselves had received from Christ. Before a line of the New Testament was written, it was the Church that preached Christ to the new converts. And it was on the apostles’ testimony that the first converts believed in Christ.
Tradition also means “that which is handed on”–the content of the teachings that the apostles received from Christ. This Tradition includes everything that contributes to holiness of life and to the increase in faith in the people of God. Thus, with her teaching, life, and worship, the Church perpetuates and hands on to all generations all that she is, and all that[1] she believes.[2] This Tradition developed in the Church with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Sacred Tradition and human traditions
The Bible mentions two kinds of religious traditions: divine and human.
God wanted divine Tradition preserved and honored because he made it part of the deposit of faith. As St Paul affirmed: “Stand fast and uphold the traditions just as I have handed them on to you” (1 Cor 11:2; see also 2 Thess 2:15 and 3:6). Against this, the Protestants claim that all Tradition is man‑made, not coming from God, made by those who have the power to teach in the Church.
The Fathers of the Church received this divine Tradition from the apostles, their ancestors, and faithfully transmitted it.
On the other hand, Christ accused the Pharisees of being too concerned about the traditions of men, which had their origin in the opinions of earlier teachers, while neglecting the divine traditions of God’s Law: “You put aside the commands of God to cling to the traditions of men” (Mk 7:8).
With these man-made traditions, the Jews were forever adding little precepts and interpretations to the Law of God; instead of helping its fulfillment, these human traditions suffocated and contradicted it.
Jesus challenged these innovations and denounced the hypocrisy and insincerity of the teachers of the Jews. Something similar happens nowadays with the innovations of religious sects.
As in any other institution, however, human traditions can also be found in the Church. But these traditions have only a temporary value. Moreover, the Church is able to distinguish the enduring word of God from human traditions that are only of transient worth.
Sacred Scriptures, Tradition, and Magisterium
There is a close connection and communication between sacred Tradition and the Sacred Scriptures. Both flow from the same source, merge, and tend to the same end. The whole of Sacred Scriptures is the word of God entrusted by Christ and the Holy Spirit to the apostles and their successors. The bishops, the successors of the apostles, remain as a body, in unity of communion and of faith, headed by the bishop of Rome, the successor of St Peter. They have the duty to proclaim the Sacred Scriptures, as the word of God, faithfully preserve it, explain it, and make it more widely known; they have to hand on all that the Church has received from the Lord. When they so transmit the word of God, they are making–and keeping–Tradition.
Consequently, it is not from Sacred Scriptures alone that the Church draws her certainty about everything that has been revealed. Holy Mother Church teaches us to accept and venerate both Sacred Scriptures and sacred Tradition with the same loyalty and reverence.
In other words, sacred Tradition and Sacred Scriptures form one sacred deposit of the word of God, entrusted to the Church. And the task of authentically interpreting the word of God has been assigned exclusively to the living teaching office of the Church, the Magisterium. Yet, this Magisterium is not above the word of God, but serves it, teaching only what has been handed on, listening to it devoutly, guarding it scrupulously, and explaining it faithfully.
These three elements–sacred Tradition, Sacred Scriptures, and the Magisterium–are so linked that one cannot stand without the other two. All three, together and each in its own way under the action of the Holy Spirit, contribute effectively to the salvation of souls.
How to Distinguish Catholic Faith from Error
Some historical personalities have unfortunately either interpreted the Sacred Scriptures not in agreement with Tradition, or distorted sacred Tradition, or defied the Magisterium of the Church. In fact, most of these heretics often tried to pass themselves off as the true Church, and their errors as the true faith.
How can we distinguish the true Catholic faith from error?
In his Commonitorium (nos. 2-3), St Vincent of Lerins, a monk of the fifth century, sought a method by which the Christian faith can be distinguished from error. The following paragraphs are a transcription of his conclusions.
After consulting with many persons outstanding in sanctity and doctrine, and inquiring about the topic, I have found consensus on the following: “To unmask the schemes of the heretics, avoid their subterfuges, and maintain himself wholesome in unpolluted faith, with God’s help, a Christian must support his faith with two means: the authority of divine law, and the Tradition of the Catholic Church.”
Somebody may object, “The canon of the Scriptures is sufficient for everything; why do I need to add the authority of the Church to interpret it?”
I answer: The Scripture –because of its loftiness– is not identically and universally understood by all. The same words are diversely interpreted by different people. There are as many interpretations as readers; [Here St Vincent names the most notorious heretics before him. Then he concludes:] such is also the case of Nestorius in our present time.
Thus, to avoid the manifold subtleties of error, it is absolutely necessary to interpret the writings of the prophets and the apostles following the line of Catholic sense.
The greatest care must be applied in the Catholic Church to maintain what had been believed everywhere, always, and by all. This is what properly and truly speaking “Catholic” means: the idea of universality applied to places, time, and persons. We shall be Catholic if we adhere to universality, antiquity, and general consensus.
We adhere to universality if we confess as the one and true faith what the entire Church professes in the whole world.
We adhere to antiquity if we do not break away from the sense proclaimed by our holy predecessors and fathers.
We adhere to the general consensus if –within this antiquity– we embrace the definitions and doctrines of all, or almost all, bishops and teachers.
Concrete Applications of the Method
The Commonitorium continues by offering concrete applications of this rule:
What should a Christian Catholic do if a little fraction of the Church separates from the communion in the universal faith?
- Surely, he should set the health of the entire body ahead of the interest of a rotten and infected limb.
What if the heretical novelty is not limited to a small group but threatens the entire Church?
- In this case, a Christian should adhere to antiquity; obviously, the faith cannot be altered by any recent lie.
What if on looking into antiquity, one discovers that the error had been shared by many persons, or even by an entire city or region?
- In such a case, one should carefully prefer the decrees –if there are such– of an ancient universal council to the recklessness and ignorance of all those persons.
What if a new viewpoint comes up, about which nothing has been defined?
- Then one should make research and compare the opinion of our ancestors; but only of those who always remained in the communion and faith of the one Catholic Church, and became proven teachers, even though they belong to different times and places.
A Christian can believe without any doubt whatever he has found to be believed, not by one or two proven doctors only, but by all in full agreement; whatever has been maintained, written, and openly taught in a frequent and constant manner.
Footnotes:
[1]St Vincent of Lerins, Commonitorium, n. 2-3.
[2]Cf. II Vat. Council, Const. Dei Verbum, 8.
Revelation and Sacred Tradition “At various times in the past and in various different ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but in our own time, the last days, he has spoken to us through his Son” (Heb 1:1-2). God chose to reveal to us the mysteries of salvation. He did so by speaking through a long line of heralds of his word–beginning with the prophets of old and ending with his very Son, Jesus the Lord, in whom the fullness of Revelation is brought to completion.
God, however, did not want this message of liberation to be known by only a few. He saw to it that what he had revealed would remain forever whole and entire, and be passed on to all generations. To assure this stability, Jesus Christ founded his Church. Built upon the Rock –the apostle Peter (Mt 16:18)– the Church was to be in essence universal (in Greek, catholic).
Christ commissioned the apostles to preach to all men his Gospel, which is the source of all the truths necessary for salvation and moral teaching. He also ordered them to administer the heavenly gifts, the sacraments.
This commission was faithfully fulfilled by the apostles. By their oral preaching, and by their example, the apostles handed on what they had received from the lips of Christ himself, reinforced by the ineffable experience of having lived close to him and seeing what he did. They also incorporated in their teaching what they had learned through the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
The commission was fulfilled, too, by those apostles and apostolic men who, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, put the message of salvation in writing.
The apostles knew very well that the Gospel had to be kept forever whole and alive within the Church. Thus, they appointed bishops as their successors, giving them the authority to teach in their own place. The apostles warned the Christians to hold fast to the traditions that they had learned either by word of mouth or by letter; these we call the Church’s Tradition.
“Tradition” means “handing on”–the apostles handed on what they themselves had received from Christ. Before a line of the New Testament was written, it was the Church that preached Christ to the new converts. And it was on the apostles’ testimony that the first converts believed in Christ.
Tradition also means “that which is handed on”–the content of the teachings that the apostles received from Christ. This Tradition includes everything that contributes to holiness of life and to the increase in faith in the people of God. Thus, with her teaching, life, and worship, the Church perpetuates and hands on to all generations all that she is, and all that[1] she believes.[2] This Tradition developed in the Church with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Sacred Tradition and human traditions
The Bible mentions two kinds of religious traditions: divine and human.
God wanted divine Tradition preserved and honored because he made it part of the deposit of faith. As St Paul affirmed: “Stand fast and uphold the traditions just as I have handed them on to you” (1 Cor 11:2; see also 2 Thess 2:15 and 3:6). Against this, the Protestants claim that all Tradition is man‑made, not coming from God, made by those who have the power to teach in the Church.
The Fathers of the Church received this divine Tradition from the apostles, their ancestors, and faithfully transmitted it.
On the other hand, Christ accused the Pharisees of being too concerned about the traditions of men, which had their origin in the opinions of earlier teachers, while neglecting the divine traditions of God’s Law: “You put aside the commands of God to cling to the traditions of men” (Mk 7:8).
With these man-made traditions, the Jews were forever adding little precepts and interpretations to the Law of God; instead of helping its fulfillment, these human traditions suffocated and contradicted it.
Jesus challenged these innovations and denounced the hypocrisy and insincerity of the teachers of the Jews. Something similar happens nowadays with the innovations of religious sects.
As in any other institution, however, human traditions can also be found in the Church. But these traditions have only a temporary value. Moreover, the Church is able to distinguish the enduring word of God from human traditions that are only of transient worth.
Sacred Scriptures, Tradition, and Magisterium
There is a close connection and communication between sacred Tradition and the Sacred Scriptures. Both flow from the same source, merge, and tend to the same end. The whole of Sacred Scriptures is the word of God entrusted by Christ and the Holy Spirit to the apostles and their successors. The bishops, the successors of the apostles, remain as a body, in unity of communion and of faith, headed by the bishop of Rome, the successor of St Peter. They have the duty to proclaim the Sacred Scriptures, as the word of God, faithfully preserve it, explain it, and make it more widely known; they have to hand on all that the Church has received from the Lord. When they so transmit the word of God, they are making–and keeping–Tradition.
Consequently, it is not from Sacred Scriptures alone that the Church draws her certainty about everything that has been revealed. Holy Mother Church teaches us to accept and venerate both Sacred Scriptures and sacred Tradition with the same loyalty and reverence.
In other words, sacred Tradition and Sacred Scriptures form one sacred deposit of the word of God, entrusted to the Church. And the task of authentically interpreting the word of God has been assigned exclusively to the living teaching office of the Church, the Magisterium. Yet, this Magisterium is not above the word of God, but serves it, teaching only what has been handed on, listening to it devoutly, guarding it scrupulously, and explaining it faithfully.
These three elements–sacred Tradition, Sacred Scriptures, and the Magisterium–are so linked that one cannot stand without the other two. All three, together and each in its own way under the action of the Holy Spirit, contribute effectively to the salvation of souls.
How to Distinguish Catholic Faith from Error
Some historical personalities have unfortunately either interpreted the Sacred Scriptures not in agreement with Tradition, or distorted sacred Tradition, or defied the Magisterium of the Church. In fact, most of these heretics often tried to pass themselves off as the true Church, and their errors as the true faith.
How can we distinguish the true Catholic faith from error?
In his Commonitorium (nos. 2-3), St Vincent of Lerins, a monk of the fifth century, sought a method by which the Christian faith can be distinguished from error. The following paragraphs are a transcription of his conclusions.
After consulting with many persons outstanding in sanctity and doctrine, and inquiring about the topic, I have found consensus on the following: “To unmask the schemes of the heretics, avoid their subterfuges, and maintain himself wholesome in unpolluted faith, with God’s help, a Christian must support his faith with two means: the authority of divine law, and the Tradition of the Catholic Church.”
Somebody may object, “The canon of the Scriptures is sufficient for everything; why do I need to add the authority of the Church to interpret it?”
I answer: The Scripture –because of its loftiness– is not identically and universally understood by all. The same words are diversely interpreted by different people. There are as many interpretations as readers; [Here St Vincent names the most notorious heretics before him. Then he concludes:] such is also the case of Nestorius in our present time.
Thus, to avoid the manifold subtleties of error, it is absolutely necessary to interpret the writings of the prophets and the apostles following the line of Catholic sense.
The greatest care must be applied in the Catholic Church to maintain what had been believed everywhere, always, and by all. This is what properly and truly speaking “Catholic” means: the idea of universality applied to places, time, and persons. We shall be Catholic if we adhere to universality, antiquity, and general consensus.
We adhere to universality if we confess as the one and true faith what the entire Church professes in the whole world.
We adhere to antiquity if we do not break away from the sense proclaimed by our holy predecessors and fathers.
We adhere to the general consensus if –within this antiquity– we embrace the definitions and doctrines of all, or almost all, bishops and teachers.
Concrete Applications of the Method
The Commonitorium continues by offering concrete applications of this rule:
What should a Christian Catholic do if a little fraction of the Church separates from the communion in the universal faith?
- Surely, he should set the health of the entire body ahead of the interest of a rotten and infected limb.
What if the heretical novelty is not limited to a small group but threatens the entire Church?
- In this case, a Christian should adhere to antiquity; obviously, the faith cannot be altered by any recent lie.
What if on looking into antiquity, one discovers that the error had been shared by many persons, or even by an entire city or region?
- In such a case, one should carefully prefer the decrees –if there are such– of an ancient universal council to the recklessness and ignorance of all those persons.
What if a new viewpoint comes up, about which nothing has been defined?
- Then one should make research and compare the opinion of our ancestors; but only of those who always remained in the communion and faith of the one Catholic Church, and became proven teachers, even though they belong to different times and places.
A Christian can believe without any doubt whatever he has found to be believed, not by one or two proven doctors only, but by all in full agreement; whatever has been maintained, written, and openly taught in a frequent and constant manner.
Footnotes:
[1]St Vincent of Lerins, Commonitorium, n. 2-3.
[2]Cf. II Vat. Council, Const. Dei Verbum, 8.