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The Roman Catholic Church says it never changes; yet it invents new doctrines which are contrary to the Bible / Objections to the Magisterium & Sacred Tradition In this section, I shall comment on the verses that are put forward to prove the falsity of Sacred Tradition. 5] 2 Tim. 2:2, "The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." How can this verse be used to validate Roman Catholic Sacred Tradition when its context is that Paul was instructing Timothy to entrust what he said to faithful men who can then teach others? Nothing is there about then transferring that knowledge down an apostolic line with intended apostolic authority. This comment denotes its author misunderstands what Tradition is, but which I have explained in Section I. Since Tradition is the handing on of the Faith, what St. Paul is asking St. Timothy to do is exactly what Sacred Tradition is: passing on Divine Revelation from one generation to the next. This passing on (traditio) is secured by the Apostolic Succession of bishops throughout the ages. This verse also shows Apostolic Succession, since Timothy was made a bishop by St. Paul, an Apostle, who by imposition of hands passed on his authority to Timothy [1], which same authority St. Paul received from St. Peter and the other Apostles, and who is now directing Timothy to follow his example by entrusting Divine Revelation to faithful men, that is, to men who have proven orthodoxy and are learned in the Faith; which same men are able to teach others, or as the Douay-Rheims translates it, are "fit to teach others". St. Paul doesn't tell Timothy to chose any Tom, Dick or Harry for this ministry, but only those men who are proven. And by this we understand that there are no better nor more fit men for preaching than the priests and deacons, which St. Paul himself mentions. Neither Paul nor Timothy were ignorant of what St. Peter later wrote regarding the unlearned and their twisting of Scripture according to private interpretation (which Protestants engage in). [2] Thus St. Paul is really asking St. Timothy to ordain faithful men to preach the Gospel. In this way, St. Paul's authority passes to Timothy and to the other men Timothy appoints. [3] And yet, even if we admit that St. Paul here did not mean ordained clerics, but laymen, this still would not destroy Apostolic Succession or Sacred Tradition because these men would be receiving religious instruction by their bishop, St. Timothy, who was taught and ordained by another bishop, St. Paul, who himself was taught and ordained by another bishop, which was St. Peter based on Galatians 1:18. So, Apostolic Succession has secured the Deposit of Faith which Timothy will expound to the faithful men he is teaching. The Deposit was originally handed on orally, until the Holy Spirit inspired certain men to write down their teachings. This is Sacred Tradition at work: oral and written teachings passed on from one generation to the next. I, today, cannot learn nor teach the Faith unless the Deposit was secured from nigh 2,000 years of Apostolic Succession. The fact that the Gospel has been perfectly preserved by the Church for so long, even after heresies have arisen to rob Her of the truth (including Protestantism), is a sign of Divine Intervention. Only God could keep the Church preaching the Gospel for so long. This is, also, a sign of the Church's Divine Commission, and a proof that She has been founded by Jesus Christ; unlike Protestant sects who, over the years they have existed, have changed their doctrines and swayed to and fro from one fancy to another. 6] 1 Cor. 11:2, "Now I praise you because you remember me in everything, and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you." How can this verse be used to validate Roman Catholic Sacred Tradition when its context is either about avoiding idolatry or the restating the tradition concerning head-coverings, authority, and prayer. There is nothing here about RCC Sacred Tradition where authority and tradition is passed down from apostle to apostle. Let us make a simple exposition of this. 1) If this text refers to avoiding idolatry, that is part of the Sacred Deposit, and thus part of Sacred Tradition. Divine Revelation warns us to stay from idolatry, and the Church warns us against idolatry, and even warns us to be on guard lest, in our piety, we corrupt the simple veneration of the Saints and make it into idolatry. 2) If it is about authority or prayer, they are both part of the Sacred Deposit, and so are part of Sacred Tradition. The Catholic Church has the true authority which Christ has endowed Her with, and the Sacred Scriptures teach us to obey the authorities of the Church, and to be in communion with them. In terms of prayer, there is no greater nor more pleasing prayer that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is the highest prayer the Church can offer to God, the greatest adoration She can render to Him, since the Mass is none other than Christ the Priest offering Himself as a Pure Sacrifice to the Father; the Once-for-all Sacrifice re-presented to the Father on the Altar. 3) If it is about head-coverings for women, the Church has determined that this is a custom, or discipline, which is not part of Sacred Tradition, but only a human tradition that can, and has, been changed as the Church sees fit. [4] Customs and disciplines are merely human traditions, although venerable, which can be changed if required. However, it should be noted that such ancient customs or disciplines should not be suppressed or discontinued except for a very grave pastoral reason. The ceasing of the enforcement of the veiling of women in Church was done, it has to be said, not for any theological or grave pastoral reason, but simply because during the 1960's certain officials of the Church wanted the Church to look more "modern". Ironically, the use of veils for Catholic women is becoming more popular, even amongst young women. Another custom is the use of Latin in the Sacred Liturgy. The Catholic Church is made of various Rites, each having their own language. The largest Rite is the Latin Rite, which, as its name suggests, uses Latin. After the Second Vatican Council, the use of the Latin was (wrongfully and against the Council's intentions) abandoned in favour of purely vernacular liturgies. Again, ironically, more and more Catholics, especially young Catholics, are returning back to exclusive Latin Masses. We have to ask some questions regarding the traditions St. Paul mentions here. 1) Was St. Paul one of the Twelve? No he wasn't. 2) So where did St. Paul learn of the traditions he is handing on? From the original Apostles. 3) Does he mention any specific Apostle? Yes he does. St. Paul tells us in Galatians 1:16-18 that after the Lord appeared to him on the road to Damascus, he fled to Arabia for three years, and afterwards returned to Jerusalem to see Peter for fifteen days. Why? Because he had to have St. Peter, the Pope, confirm his election to the episcopacy [as every bishop does], give him Apostolic Authority, and to instruct him in the Christian faith. Thus, what St. Paul is handing on is none other what he has received from Peter: i.e. Apostolic, or Sacred, Tradition! This is why in 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26, when talking about the Blessed Eucharist, he starts by saying that he has "received of the Lord" what he is handing on to them. Now, Christ Himself did not teach his about the Eucharist directly; rather St. Paul is here saying: What I preach here came from Christ through the Apostles to me, and now I hand it over to you. In this way, Sacred Tradition, that is, the transmission of Revelation, is being fulfilled here. St. Paul wasn't present to witness the Last Supper (or First Mass!), so he clearly received it from the other Apostles, most likely from St. Peter when he visited him for fifteen days. Thus, St. Paul is here handing to the Corinthians the very Tradition he has received from St. Peter and the other Apostles. 7] 2 Thess. 2:15, "So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us." How can this verse be used to validate Roman Catholic Sacred Tradition when its context is about the return of Christ, not about apostolic succession? There is nothing here about RCC Sacred Tradition where authority and tradition is passed down from apostle to apostle. This verse clearly validates Sacred Tradition since St. Paul mentions "the traditions" which the Thessalonians were taught "by word of mouth", that is, oral tradition, "or by letter from us", that is, written tradition. We have to keep reminding ourselves: what is Sacred Tradition? It is the handing on of the Faith in diverse forms: oral, written, liturgical, artistic, etc. St. Paul is referring to two of those modes of tradition: oral and written. And this verse obviously doesn't refer to Apostolic Succession as he is asking the Thessalonians at large to hold the Faith; he is not directing his writing to any specific person. When he writes to St. Timothy or St. Titus, he mentions the Succession. The context here is not about the return of Christ, but of the obtaining of the glory of the Lord [2 Thess. 2:12-14]. He connects the obtaining of the glory of the Lord with keeping the traditions, meaning you cannot receive the former if you don't hold the latter. In fact, in 3:6 of this same letter he says: And we charge you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother walking disorderly, and not according to the tradition which they have received of us. [5] What tradition is this? Non other than the Gospel itself preached by word and letter, and by other diverse means. 8] 2 Thess. 3:6, "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep aloof from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us." How can this verse be used to validate Roman Catholic Sacred Tradition when its context is about working hard and not being idle? There is nothing here about RCC Sacred Tradition where authority and tradition is passed down from apostle to apostle. See Note [5] below that explains how St. Paul used his very actions as a mode for tradition. 9] Matt. 15:4-6, Jesus said, "For God said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,’ and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.’ 5 “But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” 6 he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition." Does this teaching of Jesus speak against tradition in general or a specific kind of tradition? If so, which kind? In order to answer this question, we must first put the above quote into perspective, as it has been isolated from its context. If we put the above quote into context, we immediately understand what Our Lord was condemning. Then came to Him from Jerusalem scribes and Pharisees, saying: Why do Thy disciples transgress the tradition of the ancients? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But He answering, said to them: Why do you also transgress the Commandment of God for your tradition? For God said: Honour thy father and mother: And: He that shall curse father or mother, let him die the death. But you say: Whosoever shall say to father or mother, The gift whatsoever proceedeth from me, shall profit thee. And he shall not honour his father or his mother: and you have made void the Commandment of God for your tradition. Hypocrites, well hath Isaias prophesied of you, saying: This people honoureth Me with their lips: but their heart is far from Me. And in vain do they worship Me, teaching doctrines and commandments of men. [Matt. 15:1-8; Douay-Rheims] Some suitable commentary may help to understand this passage. I quote here from Bishop Challoner's commentary. "The gift": That is, the offering that I shall make to God, shall be instead of that which should be expended for thy profit. This tradition of the Pharisees was calculated to enrich themselves; by exempting children from giving any further assistance to their parents, if they once offered to the temple and the priests, that which should have been the support of their parents. But this was a violation of the law of God, and of nature, which our Saviour here condemns. It becomes evident that Christ was condemning man-made traditions that circumvented the Law of God. Note that Our Lord does not condemn tradition in general, but only those traditions that transgress the Law of God. Naturally, Apostolic Tradition is the very Tradition of Christ Himself, for He commanded the Apostles and their Successors to hand down His Doctrines, and as Challoner above mentions, the Church Herself is so imbued with His Authority, that whenever She establishes a law, such as times and lengths of fastings, this is to be received as if Christ Himself had directly commanded it. Such is the reverence Catholics show to their Holy Mother Church, who Christ Himself has founded to minister to us in His Name. It is naturally evident that some traditions of men are bad, whilst others are good. Sadly, most Protestants cannot tell the difference, and consider all tradition as bad and contrary to the teachings of Scripture, even though they themselves engage in the very tradition they claim to condemn. Many of these same Protestants have problems with Catholic tradition, but have no problem with celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, the handing down of family customs and heirlooms, all of which are man-made traditions. And to say nothing of civil or political traditions, which have been handed down through the centuries! When the United States was founded, did God command that her citizens forever observe the 4th of July as a holiday? Of course not, because such an observance is purely a human tradition that - alas! - even Protestants keep! But, is keeping such a man-made tradition contrary to the Law of God? Many traditions provide stability in an ever-changing world, so long as they are not contrary to the laws laid down by God, whether moral law, natural law, etc. Naturally, if we find something worth handing down, we just tend to do it. I doubt God ever judged anyone damned because they observed some civil holiday, or even some religious holiday like Christmas or Easter. Many Protestants - like the Pharisees of old - are far too scrupulous about the externals of such festivals - such as condemning the use of trees or eggs in these festivals - rather than judging the interior intentions, which is to celebrate the Nativity and Execution of Salvation, respectively. Incidentally, it must be added that the attendance of Church on Sundays was never ordered by God, and was a tradition established by the Apostles. Thus, from a Protestant view, this is a tradition of men, and must therefore be wrong. Yet, most Protestants attend church on Sundays, despite it being a purely human tradition. From a Catholic point of view, we have no problem with this, since the Apostles had Divine Right to establish such a tradition, because they were directly given the authority by Christ to do such a thing, and Christ Himself has, over the centuries, that such a tradition - although established by the Apostles - was actually started by Divine Inspiration, and repeatedly Christ Himself has made it know of His approval of it, and even warns those who break His Holy Day. 10] Mark 7:8-9, "‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’ 8 “Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” " Do you see this verse as a warning about the tradition of men? If so, what are the traditions of men? It is clear that the only traditions of men Christ warns against are those which contradict the laws which God has laid down. The traditions of men are, as the name implies, traditions created by men. In the context of the Church, even traditions that are not directly commanded by God - such as fasting for Lent - and which are the product of the Church's faith, are to be received with reverence, since they are ordained by the Church, who has the right to bind and loose laws upon the faithful. Yet, respecting long established laws, it is usually considered a scandal if centuries old custom is abrogated. Lastly, in the the verse quoted above, Our Lord condemns the Pharisees for claiming their traditions were doctrines from God, rather than affirming that they were merely human. Interestingly, even after all this condemnation, Christ does not deny that the Pharisees have the authority to bind the Jewish people to pious customs. Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, Saying: The scribes and the Pharisees have sitten on the chair of Moses. All things therefore whatsoever they shall say to you, observe and do: but according to their works do ye not; for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy and insupportable burdens, and lay them on men's shoulders; but with a finger of their own they will not move them. [Matt. 23:1-4; Douay-Rheims; Emphasis mine] Some commentary from Fr. Haydock on this passage with help to enlighten our understanding. The Scribes. They, who professed the greatest zeal for the law of Moses, and gloried in being the interpreters of it, sat upon the chair of Moses, succeeded to his authority of governing the people of God, of instructing them in His law, and of disclosing to them His will. Such, therefore, as did not depart from the letter of the law, were called Scribes. But such as professed something higher, and separated themselves from the crowd, as better than the ordinary class of men, were called Pharisees, which signifies, separated. (Origen) --- God preserveth the truth of the Christian religion in the apostolic See of Rome, which in the New Law answers to the chair of Moses, notwithstanding the disedifying conduct of some few of its bishops. Yes, though a traitor, as vile as Judas himself, were a bishop thereof, it would not be prejudicial to the integrity of the faith of God's Church, or to the ready obedience and perfect submission of sincere good Christians, for whom our Lord has made this provision, when he says: do that which they say, but do not as they do. (St. Augustine, Ep. clxv.) 11] Col. 2:8, "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ." Paul warns about the traditions of men. How do you determine the difference between good tradition and bad tradition? Remember, if you say the Church tells you then you are assuming a tradition to validate tradition and that is a fallacious argument. Christ Himself has already defined bad traditions - those that contradict or circumvent the Laws of God. Apostolic Tradition, by the fact that it was founded by Christ as the means of handing on the Deposit of Faith, is per se a good tradition. From that, it doesn't become too difficult to use common sense to determine the difference. Notes:
[1] - 1 Timothy 4:14, 2 Timothy 1:6; The imposition of hands to pass on authority comes from the Patriarchs of old, who imposed their hands upon their sons to pass on to them their authority and the blessing of God. In the Church, this imposition of hands takes on the new meaning of passing the Apostolic Authority from one man to another, as a father to his son. Priests and bishops have their authority passed to them by the imposition of hands by other bishops (who have the fullness of the priesthood). ----------------------------------- [2] - 2 Peter 1:20; 2 Peter 3:15-16. ----------------------------------- [3] - The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament says about this verse: Timothy is the second link in a chain of succession that stretches from the apostles of the first century to the bishops of the present day. Having received Paul's authority and mission, he is charged with passing on both the priestly ministry and the apostolic faith to the next generation. Timothy must transmit these traditions in the same way he received them from Paul: through public instruction, the sacramental imposition of hands, and the witness of his life (1:6, 13-14; 3:10; 1 Tim 5:22; 6:20). ------------------------------------- [4] Inter Insigniores, No 4: Another objection is based upon the transitory character that one claims to see today in some of the prescriptions of Saint Paul concerning women, and upon the difficulties that some aspects of his teaching raise in this regard. But it must be noted that these ordinances, probably inspired by the customs of the period, concern scarcely more than disciplinary practices of minor importance, such as the obligation imposed upon women to wear a veil on their head (1 Cor 11:2-16); such requirements no longer have a normative value. However, the Apostle's forbidding of women to speak in the assemblies (1 Cor 14:34-35; 1 Ti 2:12) is of a different nature, and exegetes define its meaning in this way: Paul in no way opposes the right, which he elsewhere recognises as possessed by women, to prophesy in the assembly (1 Cor 11:15); the prohibition solely concerns the official function of teaching in the Christian assembly. For Saint Paul this prescription is bound up with the divine plan of creation (1 Cor 11:7; Gen 2:18-24): it would be difficult to see in it the expression of a cultural fact. Nor should it be forgotten that we owe to Saint Paul one of the most vigorous texts in the New Testament on the fundamental equality of men and women, as children of God in Christ (Gal 3:28). Therefore there is no reason for accusing him of prejudices against women, when we note the trust that he shows towards them and the collaboration that he asks of them in his apostolate. [Emphasis mine] ------------------------------------- [5] - The Ignatius Commentary says about this verse: The teaching that Paul handed over to his readers, whether in writing or by oral instruction. This was the standard against which doctrinal claim (2:5) and moral behaviour (3:6) were to be measured and judged. Even Paul's personal example was a form of apostolic catechesis (3:7-9; 1 Cor 11:2; 2 Tim 1:13) (CCC 75-76, 82). - The apostles did not hand down everything in writing; many unwritten things were handed down as well, and both written and unwritten are worthy of belief. So let us also regard the tradition of the Church as worthy of belief (St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on 2 Thessalonians 4). St. John Chrysostom's actual quote on 2 Thess. 2:15: Hence it is manifest, that they did not deliver all things by Epistle, but many things also unwritten, and in like manner both the one and the other are worthy of credit. Therefore let us think the Tradition of the Church also worthy of credit. It is a Tradition, seek no farther.
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