My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
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TRADITION IN THE ORTHODOX CHURCH
By George Bebis, Ph.D.
Terminology and Meaning
The term "tradition" comes from the Latin traditio, but the Greek term is parasosis and the verb is paradido. It means giving, offering, delivering, performing charity. In theological terms, it means any teaching or practice which has been transmitted from generation to generation throughout the life of the Church. More exactly, paradosis is the very life of the Holy Trinity as it has been revealed by Christ Himself and testified by the Holy Spirit.
The roots and the foundations of this Sacred Tradition can be found in the Holy Scripture. For it is only in the Holy Scripture that we can see the life the presence of the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Saint John the Evangelist speaks about the manifestation of the Holy Trinity:
"For the Life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us" (1 John 1:2).
The essence of Christian tradition is described by Saint Paul, who writes:
"But now in Christ Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close, by the blood of Christ. For He is peace between us and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, actually destroying in His own person the hostility caused by the rules and decrees of the Law. This was to create one single man in Himself out of the two of them and by restoring peace through the Cross, to unite them both in a single body and reconcile them with God. In His own person He killed the hostility. Through Him, both of us have in one Spirit our way to come to the Father" (Ephesians 2:13-14).
He also makes clear that this Trinitarian doctrine must be accepted by all Christians:
"If any man preach any other gospel to you than you have received (parelavete) let him be condemned" (Galatians 1:8-9).
Speaking about the Holy Eucharist, which is manifestation of the Holy Trinity, he writes:
"For I have received (parelavon) of the Lord that which I also delivered to you" (1 Corinthians 11:23).
The sole source and cause and principle of the Trinitarian unity is the Father Himself (Ephesians 4:4-6).
The Apostolic Tradition
Theologians call this teaching of the Holy Scripture "the Apostolic Tradition." It encompasses what the Apostles lived, saw, witnessed, and later recorded in the books of the New Testament. The bishops and presbyters whom the Apostles appointed as their successors, followed their teaching to the letter. Those who deviated from this Apostolic teaching were cut off from the Church. They were considered heretics and schismatics, for they believed differently from the Apostles and their successors, thus separating themselves from the Church. This brings into focus the Church as the center of unity of all Christians. This is the Ecclesiastical or Ecclesiological characteristic of Holy Tradition. The Church is the image and reflection of the Holy Trinity since the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity live, dwell, and act in the Church. The Father offers His love, the Son offers His obedience, the Holy Spirit His comfort. Only in the historical Church can we see, feel, and live the presence of the Holy Trinity in the world. In describing this reality Saint Paul writes:
"So He came and proclaimed the good news: peace to you who were far off, and peace to those who were nearby; for through Him we both alike have access to the Father in the one Spirit. Thus you are no longer aliens in a foreign land, but fellow-citizens with God's people, members of God's household. You are built upon the foundation laid by the Apostles and Prophets, and Christ Jesus Himself is the cornerstone. In Him, the whole building is bonded together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him, you too are being built with all the rest into a spiritual dwelling of God" (Ephesians 2:17-22).
The Church was established as a historical reality on the day of Pentecost, with the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles (see Acts 2:1-4).
Only in this Church, where the Holy Trinity lives and acts constantly could the teaching of Christ, the very revelation of truth, as received and transmitted by the Apostles, abide and be sustained. Thus Truth in its fullness does not exist outside the Church, for there is neither scripture nor tradition. This is why Saint Paul admonishes the Galatians that even if an angel from heaven preaches another gospel to them, he must be condemned:
"If any man preach any other gospel to you than that you have received (parelavete) let him be condemned" (1:8-9).
And he writes to his disciple Timothy to follow strictly the "precepts of our faith" and the "sound instructions" he received from him and avoid "godless myths" (1 Timothy 4:4-7). He also admonishes the Colossians to avoid "merely human injunctions and teachings" (2:22), and to follow Christ:
"Therefore, since Jesus was delivered to you as Christ and Lord, live your lives in union with Him. Be rooted in Him: be consolidated in the faith you were taught; let your hearts overflow with thankfulness. Be on your guard; do not let your minds be captured by hollow and delusive speculations, based on traditions of man-made teaching and centered on the elemental spirits of the universe and not on Christ. For it is in Christ that the complete being of the Godhead dwells embodied and in Him you have been brought to completion" (Colossians 2:6-8). (Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America)
(To be continued)
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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things! -- Saint John Chrysostom
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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+Father George