A Debate on the Meaning of “Oral Tradition”
Ron: John, I saw your article on oral tradition. You are perpetuating a common misconception. Sacred Infallible Tradition is not an oral tradition. If it were, then you could quote for me from an infallible oral tradition. You cannot (other than quotes from Scripture), therefore such an infallible oral Tradition does not exist.
Tradition is ‘the deeds wrought by God in the history of salvation.’ Dei Verbum, n. 2. The transmission of Tradition involves words, written and spoken, as well as deeds, but Tradition itself is the deeds of God in salvation history.
See my article on Tradition.
Ron Conte
J. Salza: Ron, the Church does not subscribe to your definition of tradition. You cannot divorce the “transmission” of tradition from tradition itself, since tradition, by its very definition (in Greek, paradosis) means “to hand on.” See the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 81:
“And [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching.”
Further, St. Paul commands us to obey the oral traditions in 2 Thess 2:14 (Douay-Rheims). Since the Scriptures are the living Word of God, this must mean that there are oral traditions for us 21st century Westerners to follow. Otherwise, Paul’s command would be meaningless. Therefore, it is erroneous to claim, as you do, that “an infallible oral tradition does not exist.” If that were true, then God through Paul would not have ordered us to follow oral tradition, for God does not command us to do the impossible.
Ron: John, You are ignoring the definition of Tradition given by Vatican II “the deeds wrought by God in the history of salvation” Dei Verbum, n. 2. Quote to me from this infallible oral tradition.
You cannot because Tradition is the Deeds of God, not the words. {2:14} Therefore, brethren, stand fast: and hold the traditions, which you have learned, whether by word or by our epistle.
He does not say that the traditions are oral, but rather that they are transmitted by the spoken and written word. Tradition is distinct from the transmission of Tradition. But confusing Tradition with its transmission is a common error (which even the Catechism makes).
What you are teaching online, with the claim that it is Church teaching, is a common misunderstanding about Sacred Tradition. You are leading the faithful into an error about an important teaching within the Faith.
Again, e-mail me a quote from an infallible oral tradition. You cannot because if such an infallible oral tradition existed, it could be written down, and they we would have two Bibles (which is not possible).
J. Salza: Ron, you are basing your entire argument on a nebulous statement of Vatican II about tradition, but Vatican II was not issuing a dogmatic definition of tradition. Previous councils and the current Catechism of the Catholic Church have already provided us the definition of Tradition.
However, you have arrogated to yourself the authority to declare that the Catechism of the Catholic Church has made an error. Why don’t you write an article about the Catechism’s erroneous definition of tradition? And include all the councils before Vatican II in your condemnation as well.
You argue that tradition is limited to the “deeds of God.” Yet nowhere does the Church ever say that tradition “is limited to the deeds of God.” Nevertheless, let’s stick with your definition. If tradition is only the “deeds of God,” then what are those “deeds”? Where does the Church give us a list of those “deeds”?
The fact is, if you want to argue that tradition is the “deeds of God,” then one of these “deeds” is God’s transmission of His living Word into written form (Sacred Scripture). If that is true (which it is), then God’s transmission of His Word into unwritten form (Sacred Tradition) is also one of the “deeds of God.” It’s all or nothing. Either God’s word as communicated to us in written and unwritten form is tradition (Greek, paradosis), or it is not.
St. Paul gives us the answer in 2 Thess 2:14. He commands us to hold to the oral and written traditions (that is, whether by word or by epistle). Now, in response to Paul’s clear teaching, you write: “He does not say that the traditions are oral, but rather that they are transmitted by the spoken and written word.” This is a distinction without a difference. Tell me, if there is no “oral tradition,” then what is the “they” in your sentence that is being “transmitted by the spoken word”?
Ron: You are dismissing the insights offered by Vatican II because they disagree with your own understanding.
J. Salza: Quite the contrary, I am actually advancing Vatican II’s definition of tradition which, as Dei Verbum propounds, is the Word of God that has been entrusted by Christ and the Holy Spirit to the apostles and handed down to us. The same document identifies tradition with the transmission of those truths.