Paul, Traditions, and Catholic Tradition

[Robert_Michael]

Hello.

I’m very aware of Paul talking about apostolic tradition at times in his writings, stating that we must stick to his tradition. I’m cool with that. But, how are we supposed to know that Catholic tradition is in line with Apostolic tradition?

Thanks a bunch. God bless.

 

[JRKH]

Hello.

I’m very aware of Paul talking about apostolic tradition at times in his writings, stating that we must stick to his tradition. I’m cool with that. But, how are we supposed to know that Catholic tradition is in line with Apostolic tradition?

Thanks a bunch. God bless.

Jesus founded a single community or Church. He founded it upon the leadership of the Apostles and their successors who have passed on the Traditions, both written and oral from Pentacost to today. The line is unbroken. Therefore Catholic Tradition IS apostolic Tradition.

Does that help?

Peace
James

 

[ljubim]

JRKH’s answer sounds good.

The whole thing about tradition is that it had to be passed on, not by individuals but as a group. The Church. That’s why Paul didn’t go into explicit detail, writing books full of nitty gritty descriptions of practices. He had the reassurance that the Church would survive to perpetuate it.

 

[StrawberryJam]

Hello.

I’m very aware of Paul talking about apostolic tradition at times in his writings, **stating that we must stick to his tradition. **I’m cool with that. But, how are we supposed to know that Catholic tradition is in line with Apostolic tradition?

Thanks a bunch. God bless.

Sadly, while you did not even realize it… you underscored the problem I see in some non catholic communities.

Are you a follower of Paul, or a follower of Jesus Christ?

I can understand your situation as an outsider looking at both sides, I think.

I think some protestants rely much more on Paul than Jesus.

 

[Robert_Michael]

Sadly, while you did not even realize it… you underscored the problem I see in some non catholic communities.

Are you a follower of Paul, or a follower of Jesus Christ?

I can understand your situation as an outsider looking at both sides, I think.

I think some protestants rely much more on Paul than Jesus.

Uhh, what Paul said in Scripture is 100% in line with what Christ says. In fact, Christ speaks through Paul by the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 1:10-31 ESV
(10) I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
(11) For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.
(12) What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”
(13) Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
(14) I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,
(15) so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name.
(16) (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)
(17) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
(18) For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
(19) For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
(20) Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
(21) For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
(22) For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,
(23) but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
(24) but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
(25) For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
(26) For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
(27) But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
(28) God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
(29) so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
(30) And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
(31) so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 3:4-23 ESV
(4) For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?
(5) What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.
(6) I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
(7) So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
(8) He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.
(9) For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.
(10) According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.
(11) For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
(12) Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw–
(13) each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.
(14) If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.
(15) If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
(16) Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
(17) If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
(18) Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
(19) For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,”
(20) and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”
(21) So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours,
(22) whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future–all are yours,
(23) and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

Now, I have another question for my Catholic friends (for, we are friends of Christ and of each other, no?). What is Apostolic Tradition? How do we know the oral traditions of the Apostles today, since they have not been written (or else they wouldn’t be oral)?

Thank you.

 

[Jotobo]

I would tell you this. It would seem you are more of a Protestant, at least that is what it seems. I myself am just beginning to become part of the Catholic Church.

As a Protestant you believe that God, by his power and sovereignty has protected the Scripture in that we can trust it and rely on it.

It is therefore very easy, almost easier to believe that he has done the same with his church. He has protected the Church and allowed it to grow through its traditions being passed on and practiced. Just as you trust the translation of scripture that has been handed down century after century, you can trust so has He done the same with His Church traditions and practices and teaching.

Does that make sense? I hope so. It makes sense in my head but harder to write down, lol…

 

[TheDoctor]

Now, I have another question for my Catholic friends (for, we are friends of Christ and of each other, no?). What is Apostolic Tradition? How do we know the oral traditions of the Apostles today, since they have not been written (or else they wouldn’t be oral)?Thank you.

Hi Robert and welcome to the forums.

At the risk of being circular, see Post #2. The Apostles, lead by Peter, passed along their traditions for about, what, 50 years before the first book of the New Testament was written. Even when the gospels and letters were being used in various areas, they were still following the oral Traditions taught by the Apostles. As the Apostles died, those Traditions were carried on by their Bishops and Priests under the leadership of the Bishop of Rome. It is these same Traditions the Church preserves today.