Religion: APOSTOLIC TRADITION

Christianity, religion Christianity, Christianity religion. APOSTOLIC TRADITION:

APOSTOLIC TRADITION

“Tradition”* is a dynamic concept and presupposes a double movement, of receiving and transmitting. The apostolic Tradition is the gospel, the word and event of salvation,* entrusted by Jesus to the disciples he had chosen as its witnesses so that they in turn might hand it on with authority* (see Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:21-22). In 1 Cor., the term refers to the teaching Paul transmitted to the church in Corinth (11:2), especially concerning the Lord's supper (11:23) and the event of Christ's death and resurrection (15:3) (see common confession, creeds, eucharist ). Paul, the last to be favoured with an appearance of the risen Christ (15:8), had himself “received” the apostolic witness which he “handed on” to the Corinthians (15:3-7). What Paul received and transmitted was the gospel (15:1); it was also the meaning and manner of celebrating the Lord's supper (11:20,24-26), the central act of the life of the community Paul had founded at Corinth . The context of 1 Cor. 11 shows that the apostolic Tradition has a “centre” – the gospel of the saving passion of the Lord (11:23-26; cf. 15:1-8) – and a broader context of practices which the apostle bases on the mystery of Christ (11:2-16).

The pastoral epistles do not use the terminology of “tradition”, but the idea itself is everywhere implicit. Once again the gospel is the centre of the message (1 Tim. 1:15-18; 3:16-4:6) and connected with it, the context of ecclesial life, though with a new emphasis. False teachings oppose the gospel transmitted by the apostle. This authentic apostolic Tradition is referred to three times as a deposit – that which “has been entrusted” (1 Tim. 6:20; 2 Tim. 1:12,14) – associated with the idea of keeping or guarding, and fairly close to the Jewish idea of tradition (Ceslaus Spicq). But what is transmitted and guarded is, above all, the gospel. The organization of the church and the norms handed down by Paul for this purpose are meaningful only in reference to the transmission of the unique gospel (see church order, church discipline ).