Scripture Interpretation: Part II Holy Tradition
The Holy Apostle Paul wrote in his first letter to Timothy: “I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth.” (1Tim. 3:14-5) This letter is estimated to have been written between 64 and 66 A.D. This was long before the New Testament had been gathered into one book and all of its contents were not yet written. Nevertheless, the Apostle Paul calls the Church the “pillar and bulwark of the truth”. What was the source of the truth which was embodied by the Church: Tradition and to express it more properly we can say “Holy Tradition”. But what does the term “Holy Tradition” signify for the Orthodox?
Hieromonk Sophronios Michaelidis tells us: “Holy Tradition is nothing other than the life of the Church in the Holy Spirit throughout the ages. Consequently, all the expression of this life in the Holy Spirit, that is the imparting of the revealed truth, the apostolic succession of Pastors, the liturgical and sacramental life, the correct teaching and interpretation of the gospel truth by the Holy Fathers, the experience of divine Grace in the life of believers and all the expression of ‘new’ life, which Christ imparts to people, through his Church, comprises Holy Tradition.”1
In the catechetical book, These Truths We Hold, the following is written concerning Holy Tradition: “We take special note that for the Orthodox, the Holy Bible forms a part of Holy Tradition, but does not lie outside of it. One would be in error to suppose that Scripture and Tradition are two separate and distinct sources of Christian Faith, as some do, since there is in reality, only one source; and the holy Bible exists and found its formulation within Tradition.”2
The Apostle and Evangelist Luke draws on Tradition when he writes his Gospel. He begins, “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things which have been accomplished among us, just as they were delivered to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word.” (Luke 1:1-2) The Apostle Jude does likewise when he writes: “Contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints”. (Jude 1:3) The word “delivered” in both of these quotes is the same in Greek: paradidomi. The Apostle Paul uses a Greek term with the same root when he writes of tradition: paradosis. For example, he writes in his second letter to the Thessalonians, “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.” (2Th 3:6) The Strong’s and Thayer Greek/English Dictionaries state that paradosis is derived from paradidomi. The first definition for this term in the Thayer Dictionary is “to give into the hands (of another)”.3 So it can be thought of that which has been handed down, whether oral or written—this is Tradition.
But let us now go on to see how the New Testament itself proves that it is not the sole source of Christian faith. Here are some examples:
In His intimate conversation with His disciples at the Mystical Supper our Lord tells them: “The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (Jn. 14:26). And a little later, “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” (Jn. 16:12-13)
“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]
“What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.” [Phil 4:9]
“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 Th 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 Th 3:6]
“Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.” [2 Tim 1:13-4]
“What you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” [2 Tim 2:2]
“Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink, but I hope to come to see you and talk with you face to face.” [2 John 1:12]
Another point which merits our attention are the references to sacred literature in the New Testament which are not found in the Old Testament, but were preserved and imparted through Holy Tradition. For example, the Apostle Matthew tells us that the Holy Family “went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was being spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, ‘He shall be called a Nazarene.’” (Mat. 2:23) There is the prophecy of Enoch, which the Apostle Jude mentions in his epistle: “Enoch in the seventh generation from Adam prophesied, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord came with his holy myriads, to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness which they have committed in such against him.’” (Jude 1:14-15) The event of the dialogue between the archangel Michael and the devil related to the body of Moses, which Jude again mentions (Jude 1:9), and which is not found written in the Old Testament. The same applies also about the words of Christ “It is more blessed to give than to receive” which are not found in any gospel, and which the Apostle Paul mentions from Holy Tradition (Acts 20:35). Finally in critiquing the Scribes and Pharisees our Lord says, “Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute.’” (Luke 11:49) None of the aforementioned are found in the Scriptures.
Before closing, a passage from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians should be considered. “See to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ…. Let no one disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, taking his stand on visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind.” I know of Protestants who apply these words to the Orthodox Church without researching the historical context in order to learn the contemporary problem the Apostle Paul was dealing with. In The New Oxford Annotated Bible we read the following in the introduction to this epistle: “The Apostle heard the disquieting news of the activity of false teachers in the newly founded church, and he wrote this letter to correct their erroneous speculations. These teachers who claimed to possess superior knowledge of divine matters (2:18) advocated a theosophical mixture of ascetic (2:16, 20-23) and ritualistic (2:16-18) practices, some of which had parallels in the Jewish sect of the Essenes.” (The New Oxford Annotated Bible With The Apocrypha, expanded edition, Revised Standard Version, Copyright 1962, Oxford University Press, Inc., p.1428)
The “erroneous speculations” are explained in more detail within the introduction for the letter to the Colossians of The Orthodox Study Bible as follows: “Error in Colosse was a local blend of Jewish (perhaps Essene) and Oriental ideas. The heretics thought they were ‘supplementing’ apostolic Christianity, which they saw as primitive, with greater knowledge and better access to spiritual things. They imagined that (1) the hierarchy of celestial powers (the ‘angels’ in some Jewish thought) was supreme rather than Christ; (2) Christ was not unique in His divine nature nor in His actions, for He was not God but one of several mediators; (3) sin resulted from a lack of knowledge (Gr. gnosis), a particular sort of knowledge in which the heretics were specialists; and (4) salvation consisted in having this gnosis imparted by a series of rituals and ascetic practices (among which the Jewish rites were prized, but Christian baptism was considered a mere low-level initiation).” Pp. 461-2
As a concluding comment we can refer to the words with which the Apostle John the Theologian ends his Gospel: “There are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” Archimandrite Vasileios of Stavronikita (he now lives as a recluse outside of Iveron Monastery on Athos) thus comments on this, “However, those things which the world could not contain if they were written in detail are found, made known and lived in the Church, where Jesus Himself lives. Those who think they know Christ outside the Church know very few things about Him; those who belong to the Church live ‘in Him’”4
- Orthodoxy and the Jehovah’s Witnesses, 2nd Edition Improved and expanded, The Holy Metropolis of Kitios Larnaka – Cyprus 1997, Hieromonk Sophronios G. Michailidis, p.39-41. (This publication exists only in Greek)
- These Truths We Hold, St. Tikhon’s Seminary Press 2010, p. 224
- See https://e-sword.net
- Hymn of Entry, Archimandrite Vasileios, St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1984, pp. 17-8
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