What is the difference between 't' and 'T'?

[Seeks_God]

I was wondering if people can explain the difference between the little ‘t’ and the big ‘T’ when referring to tradition and whit it is important???

 

[netmilsmom]

Seeks God:

I was wondering if people can explain the difference between the little ‘t’ and the big ‘T’ when referring to tradition and whit it is important???

When talking “conservative” one uses a small ‘t’. When one is talking those who prefer a pre-Vatican II outlook, the “T” is used in Tradition.

I was corrected a while back on another website when a poster thought that I was in an SSPX church, because I called myself a Traditionalist.

 

[system]

Seeks God:

I was wondering if people can explain the difference between the little ‘t’ and the big ‘T’ when referring to tradition and whit it is important???

small t means the rosary ,stations of the cross,novenas , etc.
big T means the ealy church before the accumalation of the bible.

 

[ames61]

I’ve been taught that bit T is any Tradition that is closely connected with doctrine, little t is more like discipline, or things like the rosary as mentioned above.

 

[Scott_Waddell]

Big T Tradition refers to Sacred Tradition. It is the teachings handed down by the apostles and are every bit as authoritative, binding, and infallible as Sacred Scripture. Together, they are the Word of God also known as the Deposit of Faith.

Small t traditions are like the mysteries of the rosary, sacramentals, etc.

Scott

 

[geezerbob]

Tradition (capital T) includes all the teachings and practices handed down from the apostles orally but were never included in the writings which were later canonized as scripture.
Tradition complemtnts rather than contracicts scripture. is not subject to change, and is part of our deposit of faith.

Tradition (small t) are customs which are acquired over time. These will vary from rite to rite, country to country, diocese to diocese, and sometimes even church to church. These customs can and do change from time to time.

 

[rcn]

As can clearly be seen in the responses so far, some use it to distinguish between local custom and “real” Church teaching. (Often, most really don’t know the difference.)

But others seek to play the “small-t / big-T” game as a way of identifying whose faith is more “true”.

I think it’s best not to use the term at all.

 

[Scott_Waddell]

rcn:

As can clearly be seen in the responses so far, some use it to distinguish between local custom and “real” Church teaching. (Often, most really don’t know the difference.)

But others seek to play the “small-t / big-T” game as a way of identifying whose faith is more “true”.

I think it’s best not to use the term at all.

What term should we use for the teachings handed down from the apostles such as the canon of Scripture, the Trinity, etc?

Scott

 

[RocketScientist]

Capitalize a noun when it’s a proper noun, that is, it’s the name of a specific thing. For example, “the white house” means some house that’s white, whereas “the White House” is the name of a particular house. Big-T “Tradition,” a.k.a. “Sacred Tradition”, is the name we Catholics use for the body of traditions which have been handed down to us from the apostles. See geezerbob.

 

[Elzee]

Isn’t it also called ‘dogma’?

 

[Sean_O_L]

Inasmuch as the two “planks” of Catholicism are Scripture AND Tradition - all Catholics are proud to be called Traditionalists; and, of course, include Catholics who attend any approved Catholic liturgy.

On the other hand, SSPX, SSPV, and other “Independent” varieties are rightly known as “traditionalists” - for their “reason for being” is an attachment to forms relating to discipline and/or customs which they “prefer” to the exclusion of normative rites.

It is rather similar to the Moslems who are “traditionalists” locked-in to a 6th century style of living, dressing, etc. So the “traditionalist” are “locked-in” to 16th Century (to pre-Vatican II era) disciplines and customs.

 

[tuopaolo]

Keep in mind that so-called big “T” “Tradition” is ofen in writing not capitalized and written in lower case as imply “tradition.” The same thing with scripture – it is sometimes capitilzed as “Scripture” but is also often in writing left in lower case as “scripture.” So if someone writes tradition with a lower case t, don’t assume that because of that they aren’t referring to sacred tradition.