How do you define "tradition?"

[Ignatius21]

What it is it? From where does it come? What does it include, and how does it affect how you understand Christ, religion, Scripture, and the world around you?

And on what basis do you accept the authority of this tradition?

 

[New_Wineskin]

What it is it? From where does it come? What does it include, and how does it affect how you understand Christ, religion, Scripture, and the world around you?

And on what basis do you accept the authority of this tradition?

For me , tradition is something handed down from one person or generation to another . I allow no authority for tradition .

 

[MoreCoffee]

What it is it? From where does it come? What does it include, and how does it affect how you understand Christ, religion, Scripture, and the world around you?

And on what basis do you accept the authority of this tradition?

TRADITION: The living transmission of the message of the Gospel in the Church. The oral preaching of the Apostles, and the written message of salvation under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (Bible), are conserved and handed on as the deposit of faith through the apostolic succession in the Church. Both the living Tradition and the written Scriptures have their common source in the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. The theological, liturgical, disciplinary, and devotional traditions of the local churches both contain and can be distinguished from this apostolic Tradition

 

[Rev Randy]

TRADITION: The living transmission of the message of the Gospel in the Church. The oral preaching of the Apostles, and the written message of salvation under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (Bible), are conserved and handed on as the deposit of faith through the apostolic succession in the Church. Both the living Tradition and the written Scriptures have their common source in the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. The theological, liturgical, disciplinary, and devotional traditions of the local churches both contain and can be distinguished from this apostolic Tradition

What he said

 

[Thekla]

TRADITION: The living transmission of the message of the Gospel in the Church. The oral preaching of the Apostles, and the written message of salvation under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (Bible), are conserved and handed on as the deposit of faith through the apostolic succession in the Church. Both the living Tradition and the written Scriptures have their common source in the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. The theological, liturgical, disciplinary, and devotional traditions of the local churches both contain and can be distinguished from this apostolic Tradition

To add only imitation (as Paul exhorts frequently).

 

[Ignatius21]

For me , tradition is something handed down from one person or generation to another . I allow no authority for tradition .

Could you elaborate on both of your points?

Do you allow no authority for any tradition?

 

[Standing Up]

Yeah, I'll go with wiki for EO-

" Holy tradition, for the Eastern Orthodox, is the deposit of faith given by Jesus Christ to the Apostles and passed on in the Church from one generation to the next without addition, alteration or subtraction. "

We Christians find this deposit of faith first in scripture and then sometimes in the writings of other men (this is known as tradition tied to apostles).

I would differ in seeing that "deposit" as the fullness that didn't need later generations to add, alter, subtract from it. I agree with Jude-contend for the faith once delivered.

I would also differ in seeing that the Church is the people, not an institution that somehow developed the deposit. Paul said we are the temple indwelt by the Spirit.

 

[Kristos]

it's a way of thinking that permeates an organization and is visible in it's actions and documents.

 

[Ignatius21]

it's a way of thinking that permeates an organization and is visible in it's actions and documents.

Sounds like something from an MBA course

But I'd agree.

 

[Ignatius21]

So for those who would say "I give no place to tradition" or "Tradition has no authority for my faith," what do you actually mean by it?

 

[Kristos]

Sounds like something from an MBA course

But I'd agree.

Yes, that was an attempt to "de-theologize" it because it's not a concept in any way unique to Christianity or Orthodoxy.

 

[98cwitr]

Reoccurring events or activities set in place by men.

παράδοσις,n \{par-ad'-os-is}
1) giving up, giving over 1a) the act of giving up 1b) the surrender of cities 2) a giving over which is done by word of mouth or in writing, i.e. tradition by instruction, narrative, precept, etc. 2a) objectively, that which is delivered, the substance of a teaching 2b) of the body of precepts, esp. ritual, which in the opinion of the later Jews were orally delivered by Moses and orally transmitted in unbroken succession to subsequent generations, which precepts, both illustrating and expanding the written law, as they did were to be obeyed with equal reverence

Matthew 15:3
Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?

Mark 7:8
You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”

Mark 7:9
And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!

Traditions are from man, commands are from God. Don't let His commands get sullied into man's traditions (as the Pharisees did).

 

[Kristos]

Well there you go. I guess we are done with this conversation.

 

[sonshine234]

TRADITION: The living transmission of the message of the Gospel in the Church. The oral preaching of the Apostles, and the written message of salvation under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (Bible), are conserved and handed on as the deposit of faith through the apostolic succession in the Church. Both the living Tradition and the written Scriptures have their common source in the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. The theological, liturgical, disciplinary, and devotional traditions of the local churches both contain and can be distinguished from this apostolic Tradition

What he said

 

[ViaCrucis]

Tradition -- that which is handed down. From the same etymological root as "trade" and "trader"; from trans+dare, "to hand over".

In a Christian context it is the faith which each generation of Christians hands down to the next generation. Whether from parent to child, or from teachers to their students, or from pastors to the congregations (and so on and so forth). It is the living faith transmitted to us from those who came before, and which we will again transmit to those coming after us.

If you are raising your child in a Christian home, teaching them the value of Scripture, teaching them how to pray, teaching them to love God and neighbor, and passing the Gospel message on to them then you are passing down tradition as it was passed down to you.

Human beings can no more avoid tradition than they can avoid breathing. Tradition is a fundamental component of human society, it's built into our biology and our psychology. We learn by observation and imitation, it's how children learn to walk, how to talk, how to act, and how to behave. Within the Christian context, we are passing on the importance of our faith and the substance of that faith--so we teach new converts and our children about what we have received.

If you are teaching your child the importance of the Scriptures, you are passing on a tradition to them. If you are teaching your congregation about the meaning of the Cross, you are passing on a tradition to them. If you preach the Gospel to your neighbor, you are passing on a tradition to them.

If we didn't value highly tradition in the Church then we couldn't be obedient to the Great Commission the Lord gave in Matthew 28. You can't make disciples unless you pass on to them the faith you have yourself received. And you wouldn't know to do that unless the Gospel of Matthew had been written down, preserved, and copied down and kept as part of a sacred collection of writings we know as the Bible (that, too, is tradition).

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Fireinfolding]

You can see oral tradition passed down here likewise

Jerm 44:17 But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.

These would do that which went forth from their own mouth (orally) but based the same on what was traditionally done, not by them alone, but their fathers, their kings and their princes.

Seems to go both ways, in truth and in falsehoods

 

[NorrinRadd]

What it is it? From where does it come? What does it include, and how does it affect how you understand Christ, religion, Scripture, and the world around you?

And on what basis do you accept the authority of this tradition?

The definition depends on the context. The word can be used in a loose, general fashion: Evangelical tradition, Protestant tradition, Pentecostal tradition, etc., referring to beliefs and practices common to most members of any of those groups.

It can also be used somewhat more "officially" to refer to long-standing beliefs and practices regarded by some as in some sense "normative."

As is typical of Protestants, I view Scripture as the sole authoritative writing on faith and practice. "Tradition" may be of use in interpreting and applying Scripture, but it does not outweigh other tools. I like Roger Olson's way of expressing it: "Tradition gets a vote, but not a veto."

 

[Thekla]

Reoccurring events or activities set in place by men.

παράδοσις,n \{par-ad'-os-is}
1) giving up, giving over 1a) the act of giving up 1b) the surrender of cities 2) a giving over which is done by word of mouth or in writing, i.e. tradition by instruction, narrative, precept, etc. 2a) objectively, that which is delivered, the substance of a teaching 2b) of the body of precepts, esp. ritual, which in the opinion of the later Jews were orally delivered by Moses and orally transmitted in unbroken succession to subsequent generations, which precepts, both illustrating and expanding the written law, as they did were to be obeyed with equal reverence

Matthew 15:3
Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?

Mark 7:8
You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”

Mark 7:9
And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!

Traditions are from man, commands are from God. Don't let His commands get sullied into man's traditions (as the Pharisees did).

Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. 2 Th. 3:6

paradosis ... it depends

 

[Dorothea]

Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. 2 Th. 3:6

paradosis ... it depends

 

[Fireinfolding]

Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. 2 Th. 3:6

paradosis ... it depends

Definately, if a man doesnt work he does not eat, which is also a good tradition to hold to, and follow


2Thes 3:11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.

Disorderly...

Some walked disorderly, "working not" at all

Withdrawl yourself from every brother that walketh disorderly not after the tradition they received because he "hears" (being away now) some are not working. In vs 11 "For we hear"... (being away from them) and now writing them he conveys what is was he had formerly commanded them (in this epistle)

2Thes 3:11 For even *when* we were *with you*, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

He said they ate no mans bread for nought, and they too worked making themselves an example unto them and exhorts those that are not working to now work (eat their own bread)

2Thes 3:12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.



Decent tradition if you ask me