Published March 13, 2017
Sectarians, for instance, disbelieving the biblical testimony that Christ governs the Church and the Holy Spirit teaches Christians, likewise disbelieve that apostolic Tradition has been faithfully preserved by the Church. By rejecting Holy Tradition, sectarians reject the Bible itself—the Word of God—precisely *because* it is recognized as Scripture according to that very Tradition.
Holy Tradition not included in the New Testament canon may be divided into written (conciliar decrees, liturgical texts, writings of the Holy Fathers, etc.) and oral (ecclesiastical practice).
The Principle of Holy Tradition:
St. Vincent of Lérins (+ before 450):
“…we shall follow universality (EVERYWHERE), antiquity (ALWAYS), and consent (BY ALL). We follow universality when we acknowledge as true only that faith which the Church throughout the whole world confesses; antiquity, when we in no way depart from those views undoubtedly approved by our holy forefathers and Fathers; and consent, when in antiquity we follow the definitions and thoughts of all—or at least the majority—of bishops and teachers.”
(Commonitory, Ch. 2)
Holy Tradition in the Old Testament
Before Moses, there were no sacred books. Knowledge of God, creation, and the lives of Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Joseph was transmitted orally. Even after Scripture appeared, Tradition remained primary:
“We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us what You did in their days, in days of old” (Ps. 43:2);
“He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them… and arise and tell them to their children” (Ps. 77:5–6).
The New Testament on Holy Tradition
The Gospels themselves are part of Holy Tradition:
“Many have undertaken to compile narratives about the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the Word” (Luke 1:1–2).
Thus, the Gospels themselves were composed based on the living Tradition of eyewitnesses.
Where has the Apostles’ teaching gone?
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…” (Matt. 28:19).
The Lord commands “make disciples”—not merely “write letters.” The fourteen epistles of Paul, three of Peter, two of John—are these the sum total of the Apostles’ teaching? To “teach” is not synonymous with “to write”; teaching is primarily oral.
Did the Apostles preach only what Christ taught them directly?
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:12–13).
Sectarians claim the Apostles transmitted only what Christ taught them personally. But when did Christ instruct them not to circumcise Gentiles or forbid eating strangled meat and idol sacrifices? (Acts 15). Here we see the Holy Spirit guiding the Apostles into truth beyond Christ’s earthly ministry.
The Apostles themselves received Christ’s words through Tradition:
“I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35).
Where in the Gospels do we find these words of Christ? Nowhere. This shows the Apostles relied on oral transmission—especially St. Paul, who was not Christ’s disciple during His earthly life.
From where did Jude learn about Michael the Archangel disputing with the devil over Moses’ body?
“Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil… dared not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’” (Jude 1:9).
This comes from oral Tradition.
Is all of Christ’s teaching recorded in Scripture?
“To whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering… speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3).
What Christ taught the Apostles about the Kingdom—and especially about administering the Sacraments—is known only through oral Tradition.
Is all apostolic teaching contained in the New Testament?
“Therefore watch, remembering that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears” (Acts 20:31).
If everything were written, where are St. Paul’s three years of preaching to the Ephesians?
Preserving Tradition is a direct apostolic command:
“O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust…” (1 Tim. 6:20);
“And the things that you have heard from me… commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2).
Protestants claim these commands applied only to the original recipients. Yet why do they apply “by grace you have been saved” (Eph. 2:5) to themselves if not to the original audience?
Apostolic letters and oral instructions carry equal authority:
“Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle” (2 Thess. 2:15).
St. John Chrysostom (+407) comments: “It is clear the Apostles did not deliver everything through letters, but much through oral teaching; both deserve equal trust. Therefore, we must accept ecclesiastical Tradition as reliable. If Tradition exists, nothing more is needed.” (Homily 4 on 2 Thessalonians)
The Apostles taught orally; letters served as reminders:
“Let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to perfection… not laying again the foundation of repentance… instruction about baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment” (Heb. 6:1–2).
No written exposition by Paul on baptism or laying on of hands survives—but this does not mean the communities “lost” these teachings.
The Apostle appeals to church custom:
“But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God” (1 Cor. 11:16).
When instructing women to pray with covered heads, Paul cites not Scripture but church custom—part of Holy Tradition.
Oral preaching suffices for faith:
“How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14).
Faith comes through hearing—not solely through reading.
Apostolic Epistles Are Not Dogmatic Textbooks
Protestants assume the New Testament contains everything needed for apostolic faith. Yet the Apostles never intended their letters as comprehensive doctrinal manuals. They addressed specific issues in specific communities:
1. Absence prevented personal visits:
“I have much to write to you, but I do not wish to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face…” (2 John 12; cf. 3 John 13–14).
2. False teachings arose:
“We ask you… not to be soon shaken in mind… as though the day of Christ had come” (2 Thess. 2:1–2).
3. Denial of resurrection emerged:
“How can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead?” (1 Cor. 15:12).
4. A different gospel appeared:
“I marvel that you are turning away so soon… to a different gospel” (Gal. 1:6).
5. Factions developed:
“I have been informed… that there are contentions among you” (1 Cor. 1:11).
Moreover, some letters were private (to Titus, Timothy, Philemon, Theophilus). Why would Paul write about fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays if this was universally practiced and uncontested?
Early Church Fathers on Tradition
Some Protestants, disbelieving Scripture, claim oral apostolic Tradition was lost. This is refuted by the universal teachers of the Church. If Tradition were lost by the 5th century, councils would not command its preservation.
– Clement of Alexandria (+ c. 215):
“Whoever interprets Scripture without Holy Tradition tears truth into fragments.” (*Stromata*, VII)
– St. Cyprian of Carthage (+258):
“Pious and simple souls easily avoid error by turning to the source of Divine Tradition.”
– St. Basil the Great (+379):
“If we reject unwritten customs as insignificant, we unintentionally harm the Gospel itself. We keep customs as laws, delivered to us by holy men.”
– St. Gregory of Nyssa (+ after 394):
“We have received from the Fathers a Tradition as an inheritance, passed down from the Apostles through successive saints.” (Against Eunomius, IV.5)
– St. Epiphanius of Cyprus (+403):
“We must hold to Tradition, for not all is found in Scripture. The Apostles delivered some things in writing, others orally.”
– St. John Chrysostom (+407):
“The Apostles delivered much orally; both forms deserve equal trust. Thus, we must accept ecclesiastical Tradition as reliable.”
– St. Augustine (+430):
“Whatever the Holy Church holds—without conciliar decree—we rightly consider apostolic Tradition.”
– St. Vincent of Lérins (+ before 450):
“To distinguish truth from falsehood, one must interpret Scripture according to the universal, ancient, and consensual Tradition of the Church.”
Church Councils on Tradition
– Council of Gangra (c. 340), Canon 21:
Condemning innovators, it decrees: “We desire that all things accepted from divine Scriptures and apostolic Traditions be maintained in the Church.”
– Council of Carthage (397), Canon 33:
Defines the biblical canon and states: “WE HAVE RECEIVED FROM THE FATHERS that these books are to be read in church.”
→ The biblical canon itself was formed through Holy Tradition.
– Seventh Ecumenical Council (787):
“All that opposes ecclesiastical Tradition, teaching, and the pattern of the holy Fathers—past, present, or future—is ANATHEMA.”
Examples of Holy Tradition
Written Tradition (customs recorded in writing):
1. Fasting:
– St. Ignatius the God-bearer (+107), disciple of St. John: “One must fast throughout Lent; whoever does so remains in communion with the Lord.”
– Apostolic Canons, 69: Mandates fasting on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Lent for clergy and laity alike.
– Didache (late 1st–early 2nd c.): “Your fasts shall not be with the hypocrites… but fast on the fourth and sixth days [Wednesday and Friday].” Widely accepted in the early Church; some Fathers considered it Scripture.
Oral Tradition (attested in historical accounts):
1. Prayers for the departed:
St. Dionysius the Areopagite (+c. 96): “We recount the Tradition received from our divinely enlightened leaders concerning the prayer the hierarch offers over the departed.”
2. The Sign of the Cross:
St. Hippolytus of Rome (+c. 235): “Always humbly make the sign of the Cross on your forehead… a seal against the devil.”
St. Hippolytus was a disciple of St. Irenaeus (+202), who was a disciple of St. Polycarp (+156), disciple of St. John the Evangelist.
3. Infant Baptism and Godparents:
St. Dionysius the Areopagite: Describes the ancient practice of godparents guiding baptized infants—a custom received “from ancient Tradition.”
4. Transmission of Oral Teaching:
St. Papias of Hierapolis (c. 155–165): “I preferred the living voice in the soul over books… I inquired what Andrew, Peter, Philip, Thomas, James, John, or Matthew said, or what Aristion and the presbyter John—disciples of the Lord—taught.” (Eusebius, Church History, III)
Why Some Traditions Were Kept Secret
St. Dionysius the Areopagite:
“It is unlawful to explain the mystical meanings of sacramental rites in writing… One learns them through secret instruction within our sacred Tradition.” (On the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, VII)
Who Compiled Holy Scripture?
Scripture is only a part of Holy Tradition. To interpret it apart from Tradition is, as Clement of Alexandria said, to “tear truth into fragments.”
Protestants insist Scripture interprets itself—but Scripture nowhere claims this. Instead, 2 Thessalonians 2:15 places Tradition and Scripture on equal footing.
The Protestant Dilemma:
Protestants claim sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”) and reject anything not in the Bible. Yet we ask: On what authority do you accept 27 New Testament books as inspired? Where does Scripture list its own canon?
– The New Testament canon was largely settled by the mid-2nd century (evidenced by citations in St. Irenaeus).
– The full canon of both Testaments was formally ratified at the Councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397).
– The Old Testament canon was confirmed at Laodicea (364) and Carthage (397).
Thus, Protestants unknowingly rely on the Council of Carthage (397), which declared: “WE HAVE RECEIVED FROM THE FATHERS that these books are to be read in church.”
This forces Protestants into a dilemma:
1. If the council was correct, then Scripture was received through Tradition.
2. If the council erred, then Protestants have no basis to accept the 27-book New Testament.
Moreover, that same council anathematized those who deny infant baptism (Canon 124) and attests to the veneration of martyrs (Canon 71)—practices Protestants reject.
To claim the Holy Spirit guided the council in defining Scripture but erred on other decrees is to accuse the Spirit of contradiction — a blasphemy Christ warned “shall not be forgiven” (Matt. 12:32).
Who May Interpret Scripture?
Since Scripture was compiled by the Church, it must be interpreted according to the Church’s understanding.
Sixth Ecumenical Council (680–681), Canon 19:
“When Scripture is examined, it must be explained only as the luminaries and teachers of the Church have expounded it in their writings… lest, through ignorance, one stray from the truth.”
Protestant Confusion
Protestants demand: “Show us your oral apostolic Tradition!”
We reply: “Fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays.”
They ask: “Where is this written?”
We cite the Didache and Apostolic Canons.
They retort: “If it’s written, how is it oral Tradition?”
Thus, they contradict themselves: demanding oral Tradition be proven in writing, yet denying its oral character once documented. When told of unwritten customs, they again demand written proof. This circular skepticism reveals not honest inquiry, but a rejection of the Church’s living voice—the very means by which Christ promised to preserve His Truth.
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