Sacred Traditions...

[annad347]

Do Lutheran's have Sacred Traditions that they follow?

If so are they similar to Catholic Sacred Traditions or do Lutheran's have their own?

 

[BreadAlone]

Do Lutheran's have Sacred Traditions that they follow?

If so are they similar to Catholic Sacred Traditions or do Lutheran's have their own?

You'd have to explain more what you mean. We have Scripture, the Sacraments, the Liturgy, the Sign of the Cross, the Apostolic Ministry, and other like things. Is this what you mean?

 

[tampasteve]

Yes, a more thorough explanation of the question would help.

That said, the answer is "kind of". It is more along the lines of intentional Tradition (I think I made that term up....). We maintain the Sacraments that Jesus instituted and maintain a high understanding of the Eucharist. What I mean is that we have kept some of the ancient Catholic Traditions, certain teachings and interpretation of Scripture, aspects of the Liturgy, Scripture, etc. and other Traditions so long as they bear witness to the Gospel and can be grounded in Scripture. Further, some Lutheran churches maintain things like Apostolic Succession, but the understanding is different than a Roman Catholic understanding of the Tradition.

 

[annad347]

Not really sure I can explain any more because I'm still trying to understand Catholic Sacred Traditions, but it seems Lutherans have a few of the same traditions when I attend their church, so I was wondering about the ones that are different... but I think I got my answer, but I will update if I didnt.

 

[Daniel9v9]

If you're talking about Sacred or Holy Tradition in a Roman Catholic sense (progressive tradition), no. Nor in an Eastern Orthodox sense (fixed tradition).

Lutherans are firmly Sola Scriptura. This means Scriptures are always of higher authority than any Church Father, tradition, movement, council, or theologian. However, Lutherans greatly value tradition, and we follow in the steps of the western Church, notably Augustinian. The Lutheran Church can be traced back in tradition to the early Church - there's nothing novel about it. This was one of the great points in the Augsburg Confession, and why they cite the early Fathers, to show Rome that we teach in accordance with tradition and Scripture.

Very simply, the Lutheran Reformers were Evangelical Catholics, who reformed conservatively; everything against Scripture was disregarded, but anything adiaphora (things neither commanded nor forbidden in the Bible), valuable for good order and edification was kept, which is why we maintain the liturgy and vestments etc. This marks a big difference between the Lutheran Church and the Reformed Churches, especially those of Zwinglian and Anabaptist heritage. Those were radical reformers who opposed any kind of tradition. Lutherans maintain tradition, but tradition is always governed by Scripture.

 

[tampasteve]

Not really sure I can explain any more because I'm still trying to understand Catholic Sacred Traditions, but it seems Lutherans have a few of the same traditions when I attend their church, so I was wondering about the ones that are different... but I think I got my answer, but I will update if I didnt.

Ah. As a lapsed Roman Catholic and member of a Lutheran church I think I understand.

The liturgy, the church service, is superficially VERY similar to a Roman Catholic Nuvos Ordo Mass. On a superficial level they are nearly identical. This made the transition for me very easy - I already knew the rhythms of the service and how to respond to everything.

The reasons why are probably beyond the scope of this thread (although it would make a nice thread in itself!), but suffice to say the theology behind the liturgy is different.

For example, our understanding of the Eurcharist/Communion is different from Roman Catholic understanding, even though it is the central part of both of the liturgies.

The Lutheran theology of the Saints is vastly different from Catholic understanding, even though you will see depictions of them similar to Catholic churches.

There are a lot more examples, but one must really delve into the theology than the superficial. We glean most of our understanding and traditions from the Western church tradition, so there will be many overlaps with other "high" churches such as the Roman Catholics, the Anglicans/Church of England/Episcopal Church, etc.

 

[BreadAlone]

In his Examination of the Council of Trent, which is sort of the 'golden standard' of Evangelical-Lutheranism compared with counter-reformation Papism, Chemnitz outlines eight kinds of "tradition," with the Evangelical understanding of Tradition contra the Papal view. Among these are:

•The 1st Kind: "The Things which Christ and the Apostles delivered by word of mouth and which were later committed to writing by the evangelists and apostles."
•The 2nd Kind:"That the books of Holy Scripture were, as Augustine says, cared for by the church in an unbroken span of time and by a sure unbroken succession and faithful transmitted to posterity and to us, as it were, form hand to hand"
•The 3rd Kind: ”[The] tradition of the Apostles, which has been made known in all the world, [and] is available in the church for examination by all who want to hear the truth.”
•The 4th Kind: "The Exposition, the true sense, or natural meaning of the Scripture."
•The 5th Kind: "The Fathers sometimes call those dogmas traditions which are not set forth in so many letters and syllables in Scripture but are brought together from clear testimonies of Scripture by way of good, certain, firm, and clear reasoning.”
•The 6th Kind: "The catholic consensus of the fathers. For it is a common form of speech to say: 'The fathers handed it down this way.’”
•The 7th Kind: "Ancient rites and customs which [the ancients] traced back to the apostles because of their antiquity....not articles of faith but only certain rites: to make the sign of the cross, to turn toward the east in prayer."
"Whatever is commanded that does not hinder faith or good morals is to be considered an indifferent thing [ADIAPHORA] and observed for the benefit of those among whom one lives."
•The 8th Kind “Traditions which pertain both to faith and morals and which cannot be proved with any testimony of Scripture but which the Synod of Trent nevertheless commands to be received and venerated with the same reverence and devotion as the Scripture itself.”

The 8th Kind is rejected. But Lutherans do maintain Holy Tradition, as Scripture itself is the chief part of that Tradition.

 

[annad347]

WOW... THANK YOU for all the information. WOW.

God Bless