What is Tradition? What is the difference in view between Catholics and Protestants?

[Marcel_Prix]

Hey guys,
I've read about Tradition. Yet, I'm still confused and don't get it yet. What is clear is that Catholics follow Tradition while Protestants don't.

What does this mean exactly?

 

[chevyontheriver]

Hey guys,
I've read about Tradition. Yet, I'm still confused and don't get it yet. What is clear is that Catholics follow Tradition while Protestants don't.

What does this mean exactly?

Catholics follow Tradition, as do the Orthodox. But the little secret I'll let you in on is that EVERYBODY follows traditions, and that includes Protestants. One particular tradition they follow assiduously is that of denying that they follow any traditions at all.

OK. Some know that they follow traditions. But the ones most likely to deny it still keep to a bevy of traditions. It's humorous.

 

[Daniel9v9]

Well, there are several church bodies that hold to the concept of Holy Tradition, though they be different. It's essentially the idea that God speaks to us through the Scriptures and through His Church; so a written Word and an oral Word.

If by "Protestant" we mean the Reformed and their daughter bodies, then no, they have a negative view of tradition. Anglicans, on the other hand, embrace something approaching Holy Tradition, and we Lutherans, while we value tradition, we insist on that it must be governed by God's Word.

Here's a practical example of how all of this works out:

Who should we pray to?
Roman Catholic and Eastern and Oriental Orthodox: God, Mary, saints and angels. Regarding prayers to Mary, saints and angels, they appeal to Holy Tradition.

Reformed, Anglican and Lutheran: God alone on the basis of Scripture alone.

Is the office of Bishop by divine right?
Roman Catholic and Eastern and Oriental Orthodox: Yes, according to Holy Tradition.

Reformed and Lutheran (for the most part): No, Scriptures make no such distinction.

Anglican: Yes, according to tradition.

Or another quick example: The Assumption of Mary is not found in the Bible, but it is a formal teaching of the Roman Catholic Church based on Holy Tradition.

 

[HTacianas]

Hey guys,
I've read about Tradition. Yet, I'm still confused and don't get it yet. What is clear is that Catholics follow Tradition while Protestants don't.

What does this mean exactly?

It's not only Catholics. It is the entirety of the Apostolic Churches. For instance, central to Christian worship is the Liturgy, called the Mass in the Roman Church. The Liturgy is a Tradition of the Church and is found nowhere in scripture excepting for references to it in the Revelation. Paul said to the Thessalonians:

2Th 2:15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.

We see that some traditions were taught by word of mouth, and some by letter. Other examples of tradition are the Eucharist and the idea of antichrist. Paul said to the Corinthians:

1Co 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

Notice that Paul did not say, "start blessing a cup and some bread". They were already doing that because they had been taught to do it through tradition. On antichrist:

1Jo 2:18 ...as you have heard that Antichrist is coming...

The writer didn't send a letter warning anyone about antichrist. It says "you have heard that antichrist is coming". They had already known of antichrist through tradition. Tradition has changed over time based on different needs over time. The Nicene Creed is an example of Tradition that has changed over time to combat specific heresies that have come up over time.

 

[Jonaitis]

Hey guys,
I've read about Tradition. Yet, I'm still confused and don't get it yet. What is clear is that Catholics follow Tradition while Protestants don't.

What does this mean exactly?

I would look into the Five Solas for starters.

 

[timothyu]

Following tradition removes the need to think.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Traditions are interpretations of the faith. Catholics have some correct ones and some that are wrong. Protestant churches have some correct ones and some wrong ones.

The only way to really know what is the truth is to return to the scriptures and prayerfully read them.

Although I read the writings of the earliest church fathers along with the bible to get the context of the scriptures, I think it pointless to read ones that come at later dates, for they are just interpretations of scripture by people too far removed from the apostles.

 

[Brother-Mike]

Hey guys,
I've read about Tradition. Yet, I'm still confused and don't get it yet. What is clear is that Catholics follow Tradition while Protestants don't.

What does this mean exactly?

Tradition? I like Eric Hoffer’s line: “Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.”

 

[Tuur]

OK. Some know that they follow traditions. But the ones most likely to deny it still keep to a bevy of traditions. It's humorous.

Once a friend who's a Roman Catholic started asking about our traditions, and I started rattling off stuff like "Thou shalt not sit in thy brother's pew," but stopped when took it serious.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I would look into the Five Solas for starters.

Yup. Traditions.

 

[PsaltiChrysostom]

Tradition can be summed up by the St. Vincent of Lerins, a bishop and writer in France during the fifth century, writes that "we must hold what has been believed everywhere, always, and by all". Tradition encompasses the Life and Beliefs of the Church. As Professor Jaroslav Pelikan, Yale Professor of History, stated, "Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. Tradition lives in conversation with the past, while remembering where we are and when we are and that it is we who have to decide."

Within the Eastern Orthodox and similar to Catholicism as well as Oriental Orthodoxy, is that the keystone are the Scriptures. However, those are interpreted through the Church as to the application and supporting structure of the Church. So the next big items would be church councils, such as what we see in Acts in the first council of Jerusalem. This would also include creeds and canon laws such as the Nicene Creed or practical considerations as to how bishops are to govern. After that, we have various writings by the church fathers. These can cover a wide range of topics from theology to marriage advice. Even the church services themselves become a part of Tradition. For example, we have liturgies that date back to the 2nd century, Liturgy of St. James and another of St. Mark. So the question for us is, are we following what the early church followed or forging a different path?

Then there is what could be called "tradition" or custom of local churches or groups of churches. I would include the direction that Catholics (Head-heart-left shoulder-right shoulder) and Orthodox (Head-heart-right shoulder-left shoulder) make the sign of the Cross.

 

[chilehed]

What is clear is that Catholics follow Tradition while Protestants don't.

What does this mean exactly?

"Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle." - 2 Thessalonians 2:15

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition together make up a single sacred deposit of the word of God.

In keeping with the Lord's command, the Gospel was handed on in two ways:

- orally 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 it at the prompting of the Holy Spirit;
- in writing "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".​

​

Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit.

And Sacred 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.

As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.​

There are also pious traditions, such as the idea that Mary's parents were named Anne and Joachim, but those are not part of Sacred Tradition. In common Catholic parlance, lowercase "t" indicates pious tradition (which is not inerrant and which a faithful Catholic is free to believe or not believe) and uppercase "T" indicates Sacred Tradition (which is inerrant and which a faithful Catholic is bound to accept as the authentic word of God).

One excellent example of Sacred Tradition is the Canon of Scripture. Apart from the Sacred Tradition of the Catholic Church, it's not possible to identify which ancient texts are part of Sacred Scripture and which are not.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Hey guys,
I've read about Tradition. Yet, I'm still confused and don't get it yet. What is clear is that Catholics follow Tradition while Protestants don't.

What does this mean exactly?

Sola Scriptura is the difference. Protestant's do not add to the Bible and Catholics have the Bible and the Catechism. That's pretty much it.
Blessings.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

Hey guys,
I've read about Tradition. Yet, I'm still confused and don't get it yet. What is clear is that Catholics follow Tradition while Protestants don't. But anyway, Paradosis is the active act of trying to pass something down to future generations, preserve them for posterity etc. Thematically it has a lot to do with the root word for catechism, that comes from the Greek word echo, which describes the rote learning method of instruction in the early church where students would repeat back answers given to them on various doctrinal topics and matters of faith.


What does this mean exactly?

The Greek word for Tradition, paradosis means literally passing something on to someone else, like giving an inheritance to the next generation. While people often separate Tradition and Scripture, Scripture itself is a manifestation of Paradosis at work. Scripture was passed and maintained by the scribal tradition, and a number of scriptures like Genesis, Job, and the sayings of Jesus found in the Gospels existed as oral traditions before being committed to writing.


This word is also related to Catechism (Catechism instruction demonstrates it), the ancient method of instruction in Christendom. Catechism comes from the Greek word for echo, and describes the rote learning method where students would repeat back answers and statements of faith from their instructor so they could memorize them.


Englishman's Concordance
Strong's Greek: 3862. παράδοσις (paradosis) — 13 Occurrences
Matthew 15:2 N-AFS
GRK: παραβαίνουσιν τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων
NAS: do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders?
KJV: transgress the tradition of the elders?
INT: break the tradition of the elders

Matthew 15:3 N-AFS
GRK: διὰ τὴν παράδοσιν ὑμῶν
NAS: of God for the sake of your tradition?
KJV: by your tradition?
INT: on account of the tradition of you

Matthew 15:6 N-AFS
GRK: διὰ τὴν παράδοσιν ὑμῶν
NAS: of God for the sake of your tradition.
KJV: by your tradition.
INT: on account of the tradition of you

Mark 7:3 N-AFS
GRK: κρατοῦντες τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων
NAS: [thus] observing the traditions of the elders;
KJV: holding the tradition of the elders.
INT: holding the tradition of the elders

Mark 7:5 N-AFS
GRK: κατὰ τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων
NAS: according to the tradition of the elders,
KJV: according to the tradition of the elders,
INT: according to the tradition of the elders

Mark 7:8 N-AFS
GRK: κρατεῖτε τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων
NAS: you hold to the tradition of men.
KJV: ye hold the tradition of men,
INT: you hold to the tradition of men

Mark 7:9 N-AFS
GRK: ἵνα τὴν παράδοσιν ὑμῶν στήσητε
NAS: in order to keep your tradition.
KJV: ye may keep your own tradition.
INT: that the tradition of you you might keep

Mark 7:13 N-DFS
GRK: θεοῦ τῇ παραδόσει ὑμῶν ᾗ
NAS: of God by your tradition which
KJV: through your tradition, which
INT: of God for the tradition of you which

1 Corinthians 11:2 N-AFP
GRK: ὑμῖν τὰς παραδόσεις κατέχετε
NAS: and hold firmly to the traditions, just
KJV: keep the ordinances, as
INT: to you the traditions you keep

Galatians 1:14 N-GFP
GRK: πατρικῶν μου παραδόσεων
NAS: zealous for my ancestral traditions.
KJV: zealous of the traditions of my
INT: fathers of me for [the] traditions

Colossians 2:8 N-AFS
GRK: κατὰ τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων
NAS: according to the tradition of men,
KJV: after the tradition of men,
INT: according to the tradition of men

2 Thessalonians 2:15 N-AFP
GRK: κρατεῖτε τὰς παραδόσεις ἃς ἐδιδάχθητε
NAS: and hold to the traditions which
KJV: hold the traditions which
INT: hold fast to the traditions which you were taught

2 Thessalonians 3:6 N-AFS
GRK: κατὰ τὴν παράδοσιν ἣν παρελάβοσαν
NAS: and not according to the tradition which
KJV: after the tradition which
INT: according to the tradition which you received

 

[Pavel Mosko]

Hey guys,
I've read about Tradition. Yet, I'm still confused and don't get it yet. What is clear is that Catholics follow Tradition while Protestants don't.

What does this mean exactly?

I believe the big difference is Saint Vincents of Lerin's definition of Tradition for authoritative Christian teaching, often called "the Canon of saint Vincent" by Catholics and this is also used by other ancient Christian churches.

Anyway, Saint Vincent describes dogmatic Christian teaching in his book the Commitory as having 3 characteristics:

1) Antiquity. It must be found in the earliest days of the Faith, at least in "seed form". This typically refers to Bible verses but can be related to more abstract things like a basic understanding of God as Trinity.


2) Universality. It should be something that is believed or practices by orthodox believers at large.


3) Consensus. Kind of self explanatory. There can be some variation in views of the above, but there should be a lot of agreement and the teaching should be based on that.


I actually believe this is a superior to many Protestant, modus operandi, of Sola Scriptura ways of doing things which focus on the Antiquity/Scripture end of things and making that thee only thing considered. Outside of Magisterial Protestants like Luther and Calvin many times Universality and Consensus are assumed on the part of the Protestant interpreting "What is Biblical", and even with those two Reformers saint Augustine was too heavily referenced (Saint Augustine greatly differed from his predecessors on a number of important issues).

 

[ViaCrucis]

Hey guys,
I've read about Tradition. Yet, I'm still confused and don't get it yet. What is clear is that Catholics follow Tradition while Protestants don't.

What does this mean exactly?

That's partly true, but not completely.

Protestants have tradition too, and some are more open to the broader Tradition of the Christian Church than others.

What Protestants, generally, don't believe is in the divine inspiration/infallibility of Tradition outside of Scripture.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[timothyu]

Tradition: Quite often the blind leading the blind.

The tradition survives because no one questions it's merit or whether there has been human will incorporated. A mistake as man's will is our downfall especially when put before the will of God. That in itself was the original sin.

 

[Jonaitis]

Yup. Traditions.

Yeah, your point?

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Hey guys,
I've read about Tradition. Yet, I'm still confused and don't get it yet. What is clear is that Catholics follow Tradition while Protestants don't.

What does this mean exactly?

This is my read on it.

Protestants pick and choose what tradition to follow.

While you can expect to know what tradition Catholics follow.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Yeah, your point?

Simple. Your five solas are traditions of men. Even the ones I might like. They are not in themselves Scripture.

Those who claim absolutely no tradition are really followers of a 'no tradition' tradition. They would be better off recognizing that they followed their own tradition rather than pretending they followed no tradition at all.