Holy Tradition and Scripture

Holy Tradition refers to the living transmission of the faith, encompassing not only Scripture but also the teachings, practices, and sacramental life passed down through the Apostles and their successors. It includes everything from the formulation of doctrines in the Ecumenical Councils to the liturgical worship, prayers, iconography, hymns, and the lives of the saints.

While Scripture is indeed divinely inspired and central to the life of the Church, it is only part of the broader context of called Holy Tradition. The New Testament itself was born from the Church, written by members of the Church under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, discerned which books were authoritative and canonized them. Before the canon was settled, the early Christians already had a living faith, guided by the oral teachings, the writings of the Apostles and the ongoing way of life.

 Scripture and Tradition are not two separate sources but complementary expressions of the fulness of the Apostolic faith. Holy Tradition is needed to  interpret and preserve the correct understanding of the Scriptures. Offering more than mere intellectual knowledge or reading. Salvation is about participation in the life of Christ through His Body, the Church. This life includes the sacraments, particularly Baptism and the Eucharist, and the ascetic disciplines such as fasting, daily prayer, and almsgiving—essential  practices, handed down through Tradition for the Christian journey toward theosis (union with God). 

Our spiritual life requires more than a book, it entails building a loving relationship the God.  Therefore, the doctrine of Sola Scriptura, introduced during the Reformation, is viewed as a significant error. It isolates Scripture from the living context of the Church, leading to personal or private interpretations that deviate from the Apostolic faith, undermining the authority of the Church and rejecting Holy Tradition.

Holy Tradition coupled with Scripture encompasses the fulness of a Christian life, including the sacramental life, the communal worship, and the guidance provided by the saints and Church Fathers. This comprehensive approach is necessary to prepare the faithful for a deeper relationship with God in both this life and the life to come.

Below is a video of a class session on this topic from the Saint Geroge Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Greenville SC's adult Catechism class. 

Video:  https://youtu.be/avT_0XjV8dY

 

What is proper relationship between Scripture and Holy Tradition?

Protestants the Orthodox have different views on the relationship between Holy Tradition and Scripture. While both recognize the authority and importance of Scripture in knowing the truth, agreeing they are  inspired by God, but written in human language, there are differences in how they approach the role of Holy Tradition.

Protestant view: They generally emphasize Scripture as the final and only authority in matters of faith and practice. They uphold the sufficiency and clarity of Scripture as the sole guide for Christian belief, salvation, and a Christian way of life.  

Orthodox Christian view: They see the New Testament as born out of Holy Tradition, which encompasses the living transmission of the faith of the Apostles. This includes not only the teachings, but also the way of life and worship of the early church. Holy Tradition serves as the foundation for understanding Scripture which is read and interpreted in the context of Tradition. 

Holy Tradition and Scripture are inseparable. Holy tradition does not contradict Scripture but is the basis for fully understanding it. Neglecting Holy Tradition, as seen in various Protestant churches, has led to the proliferation of many different  interpretations and denominations.  In contrast, the Orthodox Church views  Holy Tradition as fundamental to understanding Scripture. It serves as a unifying and stabilizing force for the commonality of belief, practices, and way of life among Orthodox communities worldwide. 

Oral teaching was the beginning. When Saint Paul and other Apostles brought the Gospel to the world, they conveyed it through oral teaching. The Lord entrusted the Apostles with oral teachings before His ascension. His teachings contained more than a set of intellectual beliefs, but included an entire way of life the early followers called “the Way” (Acts 9:2).

In those times oral teaching was the preferred way because you could not always trust written documents because you did not know the writer. Oral was preferred because you knew the teacher.

Holy Tradition is not only a compliment or addition to Scripture. Nor is it a set of antiquated customs mindlessly repeated, but is a shared belief and experience of a life in Christ known by the apostles and passed on the the early church followers. Instead, for  Orthodox Christians, Tradition is more than mere historical information. It cannot be separated from Scripture. Scripture is the expression of the Holy Tradition. It  does not stand over Scripture, nor does Scripture include the entirety of Holy Tradition. 

The agreement on the final canon of the New Testament took many years. It required a consensus of the entire Christian community. It was not until the fourth century that the majority of the Christian community recognized the 27 books that now comprise the New Testament as Scripture. This  consensus was then supported by the teachings of the early Church Fathers, the decisions of local and ecumenical councils, and the collective wisdom of the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Through this process what became Scripture emerged from the early Church. However, what was written was never the sole basis of their worship, practice, or way of life. The practices and way of life were well established before there were any written documents.

Holy Tradition in comprehensive. It encompasses the form of worship rooted in the practices of the early Church. The hymns, prayers and liturgies used in Orthodox services contain truth and have been preserved from Apostolic times.  Today the liturgy of Saint John Chryssostom, dating back to the 4th century, is widely used in Orthodox worship.

Why was Tradition rejected in the 16th century Reformation? At that time there were practices in the Roman Church that some reformers, including Martin Luther, believed to be inconsistent with what they understood as Holy Tradition. They criticized certain doctrines, practices, and abuses within the Roman Church, such as indulgences, the sale of ecclesiastical offices, and the perceived deviation from biblical teachings. Advocating for a return to what they believed were the authentic teachings and practices of the early Church, the doctrine of “Sola Scriptura” emerged asserting that Scripture alone is the ultimate authority and sufficient guide for Christian belief and practice. This was seen as a means to guard against the potential abuses or deviations they perceived in the Roman Church at that time. The reformers aimed to highlight the clarity, sufficiency, and accessibility of Scripture, advocating for the individuals to have direct access to the Word of God. 

The Reformation itself was not a monolithic movement. Various Protestant traditions emerged with their own interpretations of the relationship between Scripture and tradition. The rejection of the integral view of Tradition and Scripture and the development of sola Scriptura were influenced by a combination of theological, historical, and ecclesiastical factors. As a result there are widely differing views on the role of Holy Tradition. 

For Orthodox Christians, Holy Tradition is seen as essential. It is necessary for  preserving the teachings and way of life that Jesus taught the Apostles, which were then passed down to the early followers and established the early Church. The reference to the “one, holy, apostolic church” in the Creed,  emphasizes the belief in the continuity of the apostolic Church through the ages. The Orthodox Church is the continuation of that apostolic Church. It upholds the teachings, practices, and spiritual life that have been handed down through Holy Tradition.  Holy Tradition is the guiding principle for understanding Scripture, maintaining commonality in belief, practices and way of life among Orthodox communities worldwide.

 

Why is Holy Tradition important and How Does it Relate to Scripture?

The foundation of the church and its practices is Christ and Holy Tradition, which refers to the teachings and practices of the early Christian Church were passed down through a combination of written and oral traditions. The early church did not have a universally recognized canon of New Testament books, but the Apostles insisted that their followers hold true to the traditions they taught, which is now known as Holy Tradition. It was several hundred years before there was a common collection of books used in the early churches that we now know as the New Testament.    

In the growth of the early church the Apostles insisted that the followers  hold true to the tradition they taught. 

“I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you” (1 Cor. 11:2). 

“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 Thess. 2:15). 

Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us” (2 Thess. 3:6).

The Orthodox Church has always preserved the original teachings of the Apostles through the continuity of its practices, liturgies, sacraments, and writings of the early Church Fathers, in addition to the New Testament. 

There is a serious error that is inherent in many churches that came from an innovation introduced by Martin Luther, Sola Scriptura or Scripture Alone. This is the belief that scripture alone is the final authority for Christian faith and practice. They will often challenge Orthodox Christians when we talk about our faith saying, “Where do you find this in Scripture?” Their view of the church is limited to a book. They rejected Holy Tradition that was not recorded in the books and letters of the New Testament. In a sense they whitewashed the richness and completeness of the faith established in the early Church. 

The Orthodox Church has maintained this full richness based on Holy Tradition. It gives us the completeness of the faith as the Apostles taught. Holy Tradition includes, in addition to the New Testament, the results of the Ecumenical councils defending the nature of Christ, the liturgies and sacramental practices practiced since the earliest days of the Church, hymns, iconography and writings of the early Church Fathers. Nothing of Holy Tradition is contrary to Holy Scripture. With it we have the fullness of Christian Faith based on continual practices of the Orthodox Church from the time of the Apostles.

The Bible is an important part of Holy Tradition, and the Gospels give us the story of Jesus which is the basis of our Trinitarian faith. The official Bible for the Church is the Greek Bible (1904 text of the Ecumenical Patriarchate), and the Orthodox Study Bible that uses the New King James Version is recommended for general reading. However, I don't suggest that you read it analytically as Protestants do, but rather prayerfully and with the help of the interpretations handed down through th Church Fathers.

It is recommended to read The New Testament as a story written by eyewitnesses without trying to determine doctrine, as doctrines included in the Creed. Reading the Bible prayerfully every day and letting it speak to one's soul builds faith, which leads to receiving God's grace that is nourished by the sacramental life in the Church and ascetic practices like prayer and fasting. St. John Chrysostom, in his 2nd Homily on the Gospel of Matthew, encouraged believers to approach Scripture with a prayerful attitude, saying: "If we wish to understand the meaning of Holy Scripture, we must pray for the help of the Holy Spirit, who will guide us into all truth."

Remember that the New Testament was written by faithful men who were eyewitnesses and God inspired. Analysis as you read may turn the story into something akin to studying a text book on philosophy where you seek to extrapolate hidden meanings, or use logic to compose arguments and innovations. If you come across something you don’t understand or find hard to believe as you read, do not doubt, but instead assume that you are not yet ready to grasp the full meaning or reality of that event. Overtime more and more will be revealed through your reading. 

If you choose to engage in a Bible study group, it should be under the guidance of Orthodox clergy within the context of a local parish and with full respect of Holy Tradition. It's important to be wary of other kinds of social oriented study groups. If for business reasons it’s important to participate in such groups, be sure to take your Orthodox Study Bible with you so you can share the interpretations provided by our Church Fathers. It’s best to avoid such social oriented groups. If there are no Orthodox clergy available then choose a study group with careful discernment. Bible study should be primarily oriented to discussions about how to apply Scripture to our daily life and our full participation in the Holy Tradition of the Church. 

Keep in mind that the Church is founded on Holy Tradition that is the living and dynamic transmission of the teachings and practices of the Church from generation to generation beginning with Apostolic times. Holy Tradition ensures the continuity, unity, and vitality of the Church's teachings, practices, and worship.