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ROMAN
CATHOLICISM |
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Roman Catholic
Tradition
by James G.
McCarthy |
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What is the
fundamental reason that Roman Catholicism is what it is? Why does it
differ so significantly from Christianity based solely upon Scripture?
The answer is Tradition. Its role can best be explained by a story.
Imagine for a
moment a person in some remote corner of the earth. He has no knowledge
of Christ, Christian history, or Roman Catholicism. Yet, stirred by the
Holy Spirit, he longs for a knowledge of God. If such a person were
given a Bible, and sincerely began to search for God in its pages, what
would he uncover?
In the four
gospels, our imaginary seeker would find a record of "the exact truth"
(Luke 1:4) about Christ’s life and teaching. As he continued to study
the Book of Acts and the epistles, he would discover a record of the
preaching of the apostles. In a short time, he would have obtained "…the
wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus"
(2 Timothy 3:15).
Assume now
that our solitary seeker, having found Christ and salvation by faith in
Him, continued his study of Scripture. His goal now was to discover all
that he could about how to serve and worship God and how to order his
life. What would he learn?
In the book of
Acts, he would read an inspired history of the first 30 years of the
church. In the letters of Peter, Paul, John, James, and Jude he would
encounter more fully the doctrines of the Christian faith. He would
learn how to conduct himself (1 Timothy 3:15), how to minister to others
(1 Corinthians 12-14), how the early Christians had worshiped (1
Corinthians 11:17-34; 14:26-40), and how local churches were to be
governed (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9). In short, he would find
everything that he needed to know in order to live the Christian life.
This, writes Paul, is the intended purpose of the Bible:
All Scripture is given by
inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may
be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy
3:16-17
Now suppose
this new believer, having learned the basics of the Christian faith, set
out in search of finding other Christians. After many days’ travel, he
enters a city early one Sunday morning and finds at its center a large
Roman Catholic church. He finds an empty pew where he remains for many
hours watching priests celebrate the Mass, hear confessions, and lead in
the praying of the Rosary before a statue of Mary. Then, having learned
all that he could through observation, he asks a priest to explain to
him the basic doctrines of Roman Catholicism. What would our new
believer conclude?
Certainly our
imaginary seeker would find Roman Catholicism very strange. From his
study of Scripture, he would have learned absolutely nothing about
baptismal regeneration and justification, year long programs in
preparation for justification, seven sacraments, sanctifying grace,
transubstantiation, a continuing sacrifice, confession to a priest,
temporal punishment, indulgences, purgatory, merited eternal reward,
priestly ordination, the papacy, ruling bishops, the Magisterium, or
Mary’s Immaculate Conception, Assumption into heaven, co-redemptive
work, and mediation of all grace. Realizing that these beliefs were not
only not taught in Scripture but actually contradicted God’s Word, our
seeker would certainly conclude that whatever he had found, it was not
what he was looking for, and move on.
From the Roman
Catholic Church’s perspective, the judgment of such a person is
meaningless. The man’s catechesis, his instruction in the Catholic
faith, is terribly lacking. "No one can believe alone," says the Church,
"just as no one can live alone" 1.
Regardless of how well he thinks he knows the Scriptures, the man has
heard only part of the story. Specifically, he has no knowledge of
divine revelation passed on as Tradition. He lacks insight and
information necessary to understand Scripture. Consequently, he is
unable to appreciate Roman Catholic beliefs and practices not plainly
found in the Bible. He is also completely ignorant of the authentic
interpretation of revelation assigned to it by God’s Magisterium. The
man has neither the knowledge nor the authority to judge the Church.
This story
presents before us two opposing views as to how the faith received from
Christ is to be understood and practiced. Roman Catholicism teaches that
the Catholic faith is contained in Scripture and Tradition. Together, as
interpreted by the pope and bishops, they are the supreme rule of the
Church. Biblical Christianity holds that the plain teaching of
Scripture, as illuminated by the Holy Spirit, contains all doctrine
essential for salvation and Christian living. It recognizes Scripture
alone as the supreme rule of faith. Though it values the information
that the study of biblical languages, archaeology, history, and early
Christian writers can bring to the study of Scripture, biblical
Christianity rejects placing Tradition alongside Scripture as a rule of
faith.
Tradition
Defined
The difference
between Scripture and Tradition becomes apparent when one understands
what the Roman Catholic Church actually means by Tradition. It is a
difficult concept to grasp, yet one which is essential to an
understanding of Roman Catholicism. Consider first two things that Roman
Catholic Tradition is not.
When the
Church speaks of Tradition, it is not referring to inherited culture or
practices originating from merely human sources or from Church
discipline and policy. Sacred Tradition does not refer to matters such
as priestly celibacy (obligatory since the eleventh century), the
direction in which the priest faces while saying Mass (changed following
Vatican II), or whether girls can serve alongside altar boys (approved
in 1994). These may rightly be called traditions in that they
involve practices that have been handed down from previous
generations, but they are not sacred Tradition, for the Church does not
consider them to have their origin in divine revelation. To distinguish
human traditions from sacred Tradition, Catholic literature generally
capitalizes the latter.
Neither is
Roman Catholic Tradition the conclusions of scholars who have studied
the documents, history, and archaeology of the first centuries in search
of the primitive Christian faith. Tradition is not the writings of early
Christian leaders, ancient liturgies, or even the decrees of synods and
ecumenical councils. These may be partial expressions of or
witnesses to Tradition, but they are not sacred Tradition itself.
So what
exactly is Tradition? Catholic bishops tell us that "Tradition is
the word living continuously in the hearts of the faithful,"2
"the living memorial of God’s Word"3.
Roman Catholic Tradition is not something you can read or even lay your
hands on.
[Tradition] … is not an
inanimate thing passed from hand to hand; it is not, properly
speaking, an assemblage of doctrines and institutions consigned to
books or other monuments…. it must be represented as a current of life
and truth coming from God through Christ and through the Apostles to
the last of the faithful who repeats his creed and learns his
catechism. The Catholic Encyclopedia4
Tradition, as explained by
Catholic scholars, is not contained in books, but in people, in the life
of the Church. It is the life experience of the Catholic
faithful. It is revelation "… written principally in the Church’s heart
rather than in documents and records…."5
Roman Catholicism describes
Tradition as a "living transmission"6 through which "… the
Church, in her doctrine, life and worship, perpetuates and transmits to
every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes"7.
It is the living faith produced by "realities and words that are
being passed on."8
This, explains Catholic scholars, is accomplished in a variety of ways:
The way in which the faith
is transmitted can take almost any form in the Church: the sign of the
cross that a mother traces on the forehead of her child; teaching the
basic prayers of Christianity, especially the "Our Father," in the
home and in religious instruction; living, praying, and singing in the
local congregation, into which the young person grows; Christian
example in everyday life and Christian action even to the point of
martyrdom; the witness given by Christian music (especially hymns and
chorales), by architecture and the plastic arts (especially
representations of the cross, which is considered a privileged
Christian symbol); and, not least, by the liturgy of the Church.
9
Catholic definitions equating
Tradition with the oral teachings of the apostles are misleading. For
example, the Second Vatican Council described Tradition as revelation
that the apostles passed on "…by the spoken word of their preaching, by
the example they gave, by the institutions they established… "10.
In support of this definition, the Council referred to Paul’s
instruction to the Thessalonians:11
So then, brethren, stand
firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word
of mouth or by letter from us. 2 Thessalonians 2:15
In citing this verse, the
Church would have us believe that Roman Catholic Tradition is equivalent
to the Apostle Paul’s oral teachings. This is misleading, however, for,
as we have seen, Roman Catholic Tradition is a far more complex concept.
It is not the direct oral teaching of the apostles as referred to in 2
Thessalonians 2:15. Rather, Roman Catholic Tradition is "a current of
life and truth." 12
It can be as ethereal as an idea that, after having lain dormant for
centuries, can spring to life in modern times through pious
contemplation.
The Assumption
of Mary is one such example. The Church pronounced it a divinely
revealed dogma in 1950. In view of Mary’s sinless perfection, said the
Church, Mary’s body did not undergo decay at the end of her life. God
miraculously took her up to heaven. In the document defining the
Assumption of Mary, Pope Pius XII cited several Scriptures in an attempt
to demonstrate a biblical basis for the doctrine. 13
In doing so, he acknowledged that most of the Scriptures referenced had
been put forth by theologians and preachers who had "…been rather free
in their use of events and expressions taken from Sacred Scripture to
explain their belief in the Assumption."14
The fact of the matter is that none of the Scriptures the Pope cited
said anything about Mary’s Assumption. Only one, Luke 1:28, even refers
to Mary. Nevertheless, the Pope used them anyway. No reasonable
comparison can be drawn between such teachings based on Roman Catholic
Tradition and the Apostle Paul personally and directly instructing the
Thessalonians—the "traditions" of 2 Thessalonians 2:15.
Scripture and
Roman Catholic Tradition are not equals. The Roman Catholic Church
teaches that "…both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored
with equal feelings of devotion and reverence"15.
But the Scriptures are a written record of revelation. They are
tangible, unalterable, and accessible to all. Moreover, they are an
inspired record, "God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16, NIV), the writings of
"…men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Peter 1:21).
Scripture, therefore, is rightly called the Word of God.
Roman Catholic
Tradition, on the other hand, is an amorphous body of beliefs and
practices which the Church claims has been handed down for some 60
generations in "human formulas" 16:
a bishop teaching, a priest delivering a Sunday’s homily, a theologian
writing, a mother reciting prayers with her children, a hymn, a stained
glass window, or the unspoken "spiritual realities"17
shared by the faithful. Though a child could see the difference between
this and Scripture, the Church cannot, or will not.
Adapted from The Gospel
According to Rome (Harvest House Publishers: Eugene, 1995).
1. Catechism of the
Catholic Church, paragraph 166.
2. The German Bishop’s
Conference, The Church’s Confession of Faith (San Francisco, CA:
Ignatius Press, 1987), p. 45, quoting J. A. Mohler. See also the
Second Vatican Council, "Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation,"
no. 8; and the Council of Trent, session 4, "First Decree: Acceptance
of the Sacred Books and Apostolic Traditions."
3. Catechism of the
Catholic Church, paragraph 113.
4. Jean Bainvel, The
Catholic Encyclopedia (New York, NY: Robert Appleton Co., 1912),
"Tradition," vol. 15, p. 9.
5. Catechism of the
Catholic Church, paragraph 133.
6. Catechism of the
Catholic Church, paragraph 78.
7. Second Vatican Council,
"Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation," no. 8.
8. Second Vatican Council,
"Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation," no. 8.
9. The German Bishop’s
Conference, The Church’s Confession of Faith (San Francisco, CA:
Ignatius Press, 1987), p. 46, quoting J. A. Mohler.
10. Second Vatican Council,
"Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation," no. 7.
11. Second Vatican Council,
"Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation," no. 8.
12. Jean Bainvel, The
Catholic Encyclopedia (New York, NY: Robert Appleton Co., 1912),
"Tradition," vol. 15, p. 9.
13. Genesis 3:15; Psalm
131:8; 44:10-14; Song of Solomon 3:6; 4:8; 6:9; 8:5; Isaiah 61:13; Luke
1:28; Romans 5-6; 1 Corinthians 15:21-26, 54-57; Revelation 12.
14. Pope Pius XII,
Munificentissimus Deus, no. 26.
15. Second Vatican Council,
"Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation," no. 9.
16. Jean Bainvel, The
Catholic Encyclopedia (New York, NY: Robert Appleton Co., 1912),
Tradition," vol. 15, p. 11.
17. Second Vatican Council,
"Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation," no. 8.
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