Holy Tradition

Path: camelot.dsccc.com!convex!insosf1.infonet.net!solaris.cc.vt.edu!news.alpha.net!uw m.edu!lll-winken.llnl.gov!venus.sun.com!rutgers!igor.rutgers.edu!christian From: +joseph@sgi50.ctc.com (Norman P. B. Joseph) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: next question: liturgy Date: 15 Mar 1995 01:46:31 -0500 Organization: Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) Lines: 60 Sender: hedrick@farside.rutgers.edu Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu Message-ID: <3k62g7$4q2@farside.rutgers.edu> References: <3k0gur$ru4@farside.rutgers.edu> Reply-To: joseph@ctc.com NNTP-Posting-Host: farside.rutgers.edu

In article <3k0gur$ru4@farside.rutgers.edu>, leh1@lehigh.edu writes:

> another question: why is liturgy/tradition important? to being a Christian, > in particular

Hello again, Lynn,

Holy Tradition is how the apostles and disciples of Christ taught their disciples and their disciples' disciples and so on, even to this day, but especially in the early centuries of Christianity, for centuries before the letters and gospel accounts were collected into the New Testament proper. The apostles speak to this in some of their letters at that time:

So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter. - 2 Thes 2:15

Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. - 2 Thes 3:6

I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you. - 1 Cor 11:2

They describe it as a whole revelation, given in full, and entrusted to their care through the grace and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit:

Beloved, being very eager to write to you of our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. - Jude 1:3

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. - John 16:13

They also made it clear that what they taught was to be distinguished from purely human "traditions":

See to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. - Col 2:8

Faithfulness to this Apostolic Tradition which was "once for all delivered to the saints" is the touchstone of Christian Truth. The faithful Christian will not allow anything to be added to this deposit of faith, since by definition there is nothing lacking in it, nor will they allow anything be taken away from it, since it was delivered whole to us by God. Anything outside this Tradition is not the Apostolic Faith, but "human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ."

So we can see that the role of Tradition is -very- important to being a Christian, and that those who would make light of this view are only trying to substitute their -own- traditions for those of Christ and His Church.

In Christ, -- ~ ~ Norman Joseph, Systems Administrator joseph@ctc.com IC|XC Concurrent Technologies Corporation 814/269.2633 --+-- NI|KA