2. Scripture & Tradition

There is much to be admired and learned from the present-day emphasis on a return to the Scriptures. However, what Catholics must be cautious about is how the Scriptures are studied and interpreted. Many fundamentalists would have us base our faith solely upon the bible. This sounds fair and good, but an immediate dilemma arises. Who speaks authoritatively upon the Scriptures when there is dispute? How can Christians see the Church simply arising from the Scriptures when it was the early Church herself, inspired by the Spirit of God, that formulated these writings and set the canon in the fourth century? Many attempt to use the bible against us today, not realizing that it is especially our book. One famous evangelizer, the late Fr. Illig, joked that it was a shame the Catholic Church failed to get a copyright on her book. In a humorous way, this speaks to the fact that the community to which inspired revelation was given and collected, ought to take full claim of their book and use it with confidence and authority. Unlike churches which have existed for a short time, and here I mean a handful of decades or a few centuries, the Catholic Church's long tradition wherein the Spirit of God has nurtured and guided us, cannot and must not be overlooked. Those who speak against Tradition, ironically, after only a couple years, begin to refer to their own history, even if only in regards to the practices and remarks of the last pastor. The Lord gives us his Word and breathes life into it. This is why the Catholic Church is dynamic and alive. This is why Tradition and Scripture must be placed side by side in the Catholic analysis. It is important to note, and Catholic scholars concur, that while every teaching might not necessarily be explicit in Scripture-- nothing the Church professes can be counter to the Gospel. Where there seems to be a discrepancy, there is simply some confusion as to what the Church actually teaches. It is in this light that the Church clarifies her deposit of faith and thus develops her doctrine in the movement of history, a saving history into which the Lord has decisively entered.

Revelation was entrusted to the Apostles who were commissioned to hand it on to all generations.

A. By means of oral preaching and ordinances (Tradition):

1. From the mouth of Christ;
2. From a living association with him;
3. From his actions; and
4. From what they learned under the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

B. The commission of Christ was fulfilled when the Apostles (and other Apostolic men), under the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit, committed the saving message to writing (Scripture):

1. Apostolic Tradition found in the bible, some which had be abrogated or abolished;

2. Ecclesiastical Traditions which existed then and should not be abandoned; and

3. Dogmatic Traditions pertaining to the essential deposit of faith and morals not clearly found in Scripture.

Traditions, according to the Council of Trent, included customs, liturgical ceremonies, church practices, and prayer devotions. God's holy Word found substance in the life of the Church and in the manifold ways that Christians lived out their discipleship.

Cardinal Ratzinger discerned four levels of appreciation in the concept of Tradition in the Tridentine definition: (Revelation & Tradition, pp. 65-66)

1. The inscription of Gospel revelation, not merely in the bible, but in human hearts;

2. The perpetual speaking of the Holy Spirit to the Church;

3. The activity of Church councils; and

4. The liturgical tradition and that of the Church's life.

The Second Vatican Council saw Tradition in terms of a process, under the Holy Spirit's guidance, by which the Church developed a maturing insight into the Revelation which had been given once and for all. ". . . the Church in her teaching, like, and worship, perpetuates and hands on to all generations all that she herself is, all that she believes" (Dei Verbum, 8). Vatican II explained that Scripture and Tradition together constituted the supreme rule of faith. At every Mass we exclaim that Scripture is the Word of God. The role of Tradition is to explain and to preserve God's Word, making the Scriptures more accessible and widely known. The labor of preserving the Word of God (in all its purity) falls upon the shoulders of both the bishops and the laity. However, the authentic interpretation of God's Word is a function reserved to the Teaching Office or Magisterium of the Church (the bishops in union with the Holy See, the Pope).

We may need to be aware of the various literary forms in Scripture to truly appreciate the meaning of a particular piece. The Hebrews often used exaggeration, myths, plays on words, hymns, poetry, speeches, etc. to describe the things of God. Sometimes these forms become clouded in English translation. Also, we must ask ourselves what the particular meaning of a passage us-- what is it trying to say? A good commentary can be quite useful in this regard. The many facets of Christ's teaching, to illustrate Scriptural complexity, takes four Gospels, a selection of other works, and a number of letters. Each of these sources presents its own particular theology to effectively bring us the Good News of Christ-- the message of salvation.