How did we detirmine Sacred Tradition?

[Montie_Claunch]

I was just wondering. I was told why we have Sacred Tradition but, I was never told how we did it. How did we do it and keep trake of it without writeing it down (and thence putting it in the bible as Sacred Scripture)?

 

[awalt]

Well a lot of it was written down - many documents, Church documents, Papal documents, etc. exist that are not inspired Scripture.

A lot of it is also passed down in oral tradition - protected by the Holy Spirit, and confirmed in the Bible as one of the ways Jesus wanted the Church to continue His mission.

If you have concerns about this, research when the various parts of the New Testament were actually written, and it’s longer than from now back to the Civil War , so why would one believe that? Why do we believe the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are inspired, since the Bible doesn’t directly say so? (If you don’t believe that read the Bible some time and imagine you never heard the concept of “Inspired” - would you understand the Bible was afterward? I doubt it, we get that from tradition)

 

[vern_humphrey]

Sacred tradition comes from the Apostles.

If you read the New Testament, they make it clear that there was much that Christ taught them that they did not write down – but they did pass it on to their successors. Over the years, the successors wrote down things that had come to them by word of mouth – that’s the tradition.

Essentially, when we ask “What is sacred tradition?” the answer is, “It’s what the Apostles and their successors taught and what the early Christians believed.”

 

[Montie_Claunch]

awalt:

Well a lot of it was written down - many documents, Church documents, Papal documents, etc. exist that are not inspired Scripture.

A lot of it is also passed down in oral tradition - protected by the Holy Spirit, and confirmed in the Bible as one of the ways Jesus wanted the Church to continue His mission.

If you have concerns about this, research when the various parts of the New Testament were actually written, and it’s longer than from now back to the Civil War , so why would one believe that? Why do we believe the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are inspired, since the Bible doesn’t directly say so? (If you don’t believe that read the Bible some time and imagine you never heard the concept of “Inspired” - would you understand the Bible was afterward? I doubt it, we get that from tradition)

I am not saying anything against it, I was just curious how we keept track.

 

[Della]

Montie Claunch:

I am not saying anything against it, I was just curious how we keept track.

The great thing is that “we” (lay people) don’t need to keep track–that is the job of the Magisterium or teaching authority of the Church composed of all our bishops together with the Holy Father.

It’s good for us to keep up with what we are being told in encyclicals and other pronouncements from the Vatican. But thankfully, you and I don’t have to figure it all out for ourselves. We have ordained ministers of the word of God, both oral and written, whose vocation is to keep the Church on track by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

 

[Reformed_Rob]

Montie Claunch:

How did we do it and keep trake of it without writeing it down (and thence putting it in the bible as Sacred Scripture)?

For what it’s worth, from reading some Ratzinger, there’s an aspect of “tradition” that is inherent in the Church. Like, living with the Church, because the Church is a living body.

I’m not sure exactly how to say it, but along side with what was said in an earlier post about the apostles, it’s in the Church that the tradition exists, matures, and is, yes, interpreted.

It doesn’t have to be written down. If it were, then it wouldn’t have to be Sacred Scripture just because it was written down. It is there in history for the Church to reflect upon (ie. in liturgies, conciliar documents, papal statements, the Father’s, etc) and apply throughout history, always keeping the Church up-to-date, as it were. But like said earlier, the “seed” of it is written, but it’s in the Church that it’s interpreted and applied.

Rob, are you still “Reformed”>>??