Tradition is NOT a Bad Word
The word “tradition” stirs up a plethora of negative feelings in many Christian circles.
Some Christians are so opposed to “tradition” that when they hear the word they immediately imagine phrases such as “man-made” or “non Christian.” They usually have what they consider to be a good Biblical reason for feeling this way about tradition; after all, Jesus Himself condemned “traditions.” [Matt. 15:2-6] So did St. Paul in his epistle to the Colossians [2:8]. This should be good enough reason to reject any notion of “tradition” as being a Christian concept.
A careful examination of Scripture, however, does not bear out this response. For example, Jesus did not condemn all tradition; specifically, he condemned the “tradition of the elders,” which refers to first century rabbinic interpretations of the Scriptures. In this particular instance [Matt. 15:2-6], Jesus was criticizing the Rabbinic interpretation of the Bible, which they called “tradition,” and which, in His view, negated of the intent of the Divine Law.
Secondly, St. Paul rejected the more specific concept of “human tradition.” When he wrote to the Church in Colossae [2:8], he was referring to the potential deceit of secular philosophy, which tends to rely upon the capabilities of the human intellect rather than the Divine Revelation. This, too, was called “tradition,” and it was rejected as being contrary to the Faith.
In both of these examples, the reference is to a specific form of “tradition,” i.e., errant religious tradition and mistaken human tradition. Thus, it is not the concept of tradition which is rejected but the nature of the “tradition” to which is being referred.
On the other hand, there is mention of a different sort of tradition in the New Testament, though these references utilize the same Greek word as the texts mentioned above. This tradition is what we call the “Apostolic Tradition.” Three times St. Paul mentioned the word tradition in a way which reveals his belief in an “Apostolic Tradition.”
To the Corinthians [1 Cor. 11:2], he pointed out the importance of maintaining the tradition which HE had delivered to them. This “tradition” included statements about Faith in Christ, understanding the mystery of the Gospel, holding to Christian morality, honoring marriage, avoiding idol worship, etc. These were understood as part of the overall package of believing in Jesus Christ, and he called them “traditions.” Furthermore, because he transmitted them, they are noted as Apostolic traditions. He admonished the Corinthian Christians to “maintain” the traditions which he had delivered to them.
In other words, St. Paul believed that the Christian message was “tradition.” He ordered the Corinthians to hold that message faithfully, and, since he [an apostle] had delivered that tradition to them, it was an Apostolic Tradition.
To the Church in Thessalonica, St. Paul urged a similar message with a few additional points. He called for a firm adherence to the Apostolic Tradition [2 Thess. 2:15] which was transmitted orally AND in written form. Thus, the Apostolic Tradition, as the Bible tells us, is both written AND oral. In other words, the Apostolic Tradition can exist in form outside the written version [New Testament], which in fact it did in the first century [and since then]. In addition, St. Paul also stated [2 Thess. 3:6] that Christians are to avoid any “brother” who does not maintain the Apostolic Tradition. This would suggest that the proper transmission of this “tradition” was a very serious issue, and that Christians were expected to obey its precepts.
Within the Pauline texts to the Corinthians and Thessalonians we glean that the Apostolic Tradition includes all aspects of the Faith, from belief in Jesus, to correct theological definitions, to proper moral beliefs. Since the Tradition is found in both written and oral forms, it is not limited to the New Testament, although the New Testament is a major part of it. Finally, Christians are to avoid those who call themselves Christians, but who do not maintain the Apostolic Tradition.
From the evidence, it is clear that “tradition” is a vital part of the Christian message. Rather than being contrary to the Faith, the whole of the Faith can be said to be contained within that word. There is good reason, then, to embrace, rather than reject, the notion of tradition. If we believe in the “faith once for all delivered to the Saints” [Jude 3], then the word “tradition” will be a part of that belief.