Scripture and Tradition

God has chosen to reveal Himself to man in concrete Words and Deeds. This Revelation is interpreted and passed on to us through Scripture and Tradition.

Scripture Scripture is the inspired record of God’s Revelation in History. Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit. Dual Authorship: God employed human authors to write exactly what He wanted said…no more, no less. God is the primary author of Scripture! This is a mystery Apostolic Tradition has discerned a complete list of 46 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament.

Tradition In order that the full and living Gospel might always be preserved in the Church, the apostles left bishops as their successors. Apostolic Succession ensures that the Sacred Deposit of Faith is transmitted to every generation. The line of Bishops in union with the Popes from Peter to Benedict 16 – Magisterium Those Truths revealed to us by Christ that are necessary for our salvation

Tradition means “what is handed on.” God’s Word was “handed on” through: the oral preaching of the Apostles the communal and worship life of the first Christians anything that contributed to the sanctification of the people Sacred Tradition came to include the writings of the early Church Fathers. These men lived and wrote in the generations after the apostles. They were the recipients of what we call Apostolic Tradition.

“You are Peter and upon this Rock I will build my Church…” Mt 16:19 Tradition helps us truly understand what God is saying in Scripture. Many Protestant denominations proclaim “Sola Scriptura” (by Scripture alone). This is not the Catholic belief because Christ specifically set up the authority of the Church when he commissioned the apostles. “You are Peter and upon this Rock I will build my Church…” Mt 16:19 Besides that, we would not have the Bible if it had not been for tradition! It was under the authority of the Church that the books of the Bible were collected and deemed “inspired and inerrant”. We would not know about God’s plan for our salvation if He did not reveal it to us!!! Written by God through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit Without error in matters concerning our salvation – God wants to reveal TRUTH!!!

How did the Bible come to be? 1. Oral Tradition God’s actions in history are passed on and interpreted by word of mouth from generation to generation. Often when we look carefully at Scripture, we can see little memory devices that helped the designated historian remember the stories. “God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them…” Gen 9:1 “God said to Noah and to his sons with him…” Gen 9:7

Johann Gutenberg The Printing Press 1450 It has only been in the last 500 years of history that the majority of people could read anything… Johann Gutenberg The Printing Press 1450

Practically speaking, it would be very expensive and time consuming to write something down…and that copy might not last very long given the rough conditions of the time. Papyrus – made from reeds in Egypt What was written down was placed on animal skin (normally from sheep skin – vellum), thin sheets of copper or papyrus.

2. The development of written books… In some cases God’s actions became written down and interpreted. This writing down of the “traditioning” process is what we call Scripture. The “traditioning” process is seen clearly in 1 Cor 11. Paul is handing on something that he received from someone else. Process – how it is passed on Content – what is passed on

How did they know what was inspired? Most of the Old Testament was compiled (either orally or in writing) long before Jesus walked the face of the earth. As for the New Testament, we go back to the idea of Tradition. Jesus gave the apostles the skills and the authority to determine what was “inspired” and what was not. 3. Setting the Canon of Scripture The formation of the Bible as we know it today had been going on for a long time before the bishops met at the Council of Trent (1500s) to develop a list of approved books. This list of approved books became known as the Canon of Scripture. The same Spirit that helped write the text now helps us to interpret it!

The Bible is the Church’s book! It came out of the Church’s Tradition!!!