The Holy Scriptures – Sacred Tradition

The Holy Bible is the written divinely inspired Word of God. ¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ~ (2 Tim. 3: 16). It is a crucial and vital part of God’s self-revelation to the human race. The Holy Bible is in fact, a biography of God in this world – the Indescribable One, describing Himself. The expression, of the Inexpressible. The Bible did not fall from heaven ready made, nor was the Bible dictated by God, word for word to men, who were merely His passive instruments.

But God revealed Himself as the True. Triune and Living God to His People and He inspired His People to produce Scriptures. The words of the Bible are human words, for indeed, which however, God Himself inspired to be written to remain as scriptural witness to Himself. The Holy Bible as the Word of God continues to inspire and transform the lives of men and women the world over. The Bible is used at different levels in the life of the faithful, in the community worship and for personal reading.

Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition have much in common. Both deals with faith, because both contains what we must believe to be followers of Christ. These two together, Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition form this single deposit. They may not be separated because, both are instruments of God’s revelation and is one message and the Truth. Holy Tradition is the link, we have with the Holy Church of ancient days, which is to be preserved, for God, is its source. This Tradition cannot change, as it is – The faith and practice which our Lord Christ imparted to His Apostles & has come down to us through twenty centuries.

The Holy Tradition includes – The books of the Holy Bible, The Holy Creeds, The Holy Church Fathers and their teachings, The decisions of Ecumenical Councils (guided by the Holy Spirit) and the Liturgy of the Holy Church, The canons and the entire system of Church government and worship, which are given to us to preserve, protect, and defend. The Apostles & their successors taught the Church, inspired by the Holy Spirit, in their instructions as they visited the Churches & in their writings. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit we adhere to Holy Tradition as it is present in the Apostle’s writings and as it is resident in the Church to which the truth was promised. When He, the Spirit of truth, come He will guide you into all Truth (Jn. 16: 13).

Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition have these in common, 1. Both are vehicles for God’s revelation. 2. Both trace their origin to the Holy Spirit. 3. Sacred Scripture is found in the Sacred Text and Sacred Tradition is found in the believing community. 4. Both draw on Christ, the Son of God and both are the source and summit of God’s revelation, Who handed on to the Apostles what He came to teach: “What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has bidden Me” (John 12: 50). ²⁵ Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written (Jn 21: 25).

The Holy Scriptures both are the Word of God and are about the Word of God, Jesus Christ. The Holy Bible is a uniquely inspired part of the Sacred Tradition. The Sacred Tradition is the Living reality, that forms the Holy Bible as received, meditated on, contemplated, read, heard, & put into the Life of the Church. Literally, this word means something that is handed on from one person to another, rather like handing over a baton in a relay race. … and the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. ~  2 Timothy 2: 2

 (T)radition – Orthodox : – When Orthodox Christians speak of Tradition, they mean the handing on of the Good News of the Kingdom to those who are willing to receive it. Evangelism is thus tradition, because it is passing on the Good News. The Greek word used is “paradosis“. – compound word. Etymology: The Greek noun paradosis refers given along side (para-) – the doron (giving) dosis (gift). Paradosis is the giving of a gift. More exactly, paradosis is the very life of the Holy Trinity as it has been revealed by Christ Himself and testified by the Holy Spirit. The roots and the foundations of this sacred Tradition can be found in the Holy Scriptures. For it is only in the Scriptures that we can see and live the presence of the three Persons of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 

Sacred Tradition is the Scripture (deposit/gift) as it is lived in the Church. It is nevertheless the Word of God. Specifically, it is the Word of God that the prophets and the Apostles received through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This message which they received was “handed over” to the Christian world by the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Tradition is, to be exact, a bond between the present and the past. A giving over which is done by word of mouth or in writing. i.e. tradition by instruction, narrative, precept, the substance of a teaching of the body of precepts, ritual, which in the opinion of the later etc. that which is delivered or handed over. Jews were orally delivered by Moses and orally transmitted in unbroken succession to subsequent generations, which precepts, both illustrating and expanding the written law, as they did were to be obeyed with equal reverence.

The Holy Tradition are the teachings delivered by our Lord Jesus Christ, to His disciples, who in their turn kept it alive in their hearts and passed to the believers through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Tradition is the deposit of the faith, passed on from generation to generation. ³Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. The Holy Tradition is the “faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). It is apostles’ teaching that was ‘continued’ in the Christian community from the day of Pentecost. Much teaching was transmitted orally by the Apostles has come down to us in Sacred Tradition. The roots and the foundations of this Sacred Tradition can be found in the Holy Scriptures. This Sacred Tradition later took Partly in the form of the Holy Bible or Holy Scriptures

It is only in the Holy Scriptures, that we can see and live the presence of the three Persons of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Our Lord Jesus Christ said, that the Holy Spirit would lead us into all truth. ²⁶But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you (Jn. 14: 26). Jesus Christ also said, “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 in all truth” (Jn. 16: 12, 13). God the Holy Spirit, speaks to the Church and leads us to the Truth. This leading (guiding) of the Holy Spirit is what we call, Holy Tradition.

Holy or Sacred Tradition in Holy Scriptures: – Holy Tradition – Biblically/Scripturally Based & Apostolically Transmitted.   There are excellent Scripture verses that tell us exactly what is meant by the words “Holy Tradition”. 
“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit (Parathou) these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also”. 2 Timothy 2: 2.  
“What you heard from me, keep as a pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the deposit that was entrusted to you……., with the help of the Holy Spirit. 2 Tim. 1: 13-14.
“Therefore brethren, stand fast, and hold to the traditions (traditions – Paradosies) which you have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle” 2 Thess. 2: 15. These traditions, then, are partly written (scripture) and partly oral.
³ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance^[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,; “For what I received I passed on (Paredoka) to you as of first received…..” (1 Cor. 15: 3).
St Paul said, – ²³ For I received from the Lord what I also passed (Paredoka) on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” (1 Cor. 11: 23).
“I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions (teachings) I just passed (Paredoka) them on to you – (1 Cor. 11: 2).
These orally said things that were heard, are equally important in keeping the Holy Tradition of the Church as a lively sign of the growth of the Church.

St. John explains it accurately. (1 Jn 1: 1-3) ~ “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of Life. The life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the father and was manifested to us…” ¹That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. ² The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. ³ We proclaim to you what, we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴ We write this to make our^[a] joy complete

What the Church looks upon as the Holy Tradition are the truths of faith, that was handed down from the apostles through the Apostolic Fathers and Church fathers to the present-day Church. These truths of faith had first been heard, seen and experienced by the apostles. …. knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition (Patroparadotos) from your fathers (ancestors), but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot (1 Peter 1: 18-19). ¹Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, ² just as they were handed down (Paredosen) to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word – (Lk. 1: 1-2). The oral word preceded the written word. Hence becoming Holy Tradition.

Sacred Scripture – Holy Bible and Sacred Tradition: -The Great ‘Pillar of Orthodoxy’, St. Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria during the 4^th century, gives the most appropriate definition of the Church’s Tradition. Church’s Tradition is defined as: “Let us look at the very tradition, teaching, and faith of the Church from the very beginning, which the Logos gave (edoken), the Apostles preached (ekeryxan), and the Church Fathers preserved (ephylaxan). Upon this the Church is founded (tethemeliotai)”. The words of St. Athanasius of Alexandria regarding the Holy faith are notable. “Tradition refers to that faith given by Logos in the beginning and preached by Apostles, preserved by Church fathers and reared by the Holy Church which is founded on it.” (Epistle to Serapion, 28). The Apostles sustained them in the Church and passed them over to the succeeding generations of the Church through the Heads of Church appointed by them. The truths of faith that are thus handed down, sustained and upheld by the Church of today constitute the Holy Tradition.