Reference: Tradition
American
Col 2:8; Tit 1:14, a doctrine, sentiment, or custom not found in the Bible, but transmitted orally from generation to generation from some presumed inspired authority. In patriarchal times, much that was valuable and obligatory was thus preserved. But tradition has long been superseded by the successive and completed revelations of God's will which form the inspired Scriptures, the only perfect and sufficient rule of belief and practice. With this, even before the time of the Savior, Isa 8:20, all traditions were to be compared, as being of no value if they conflicted with it, added to it, or took from it, Re 22:19. The Jews had numerous unwritten traditions, which they affirmed to have been delivered to Moses on Mount Sinai, and by him transmitted to Joshua, the judges, and the prophets. After their wars with the Romans under Adrian and Severus, in view of their increasing dispersion over the earth, the Jews desired to secure their traditions by committing them to writing. Accordingly Rabbi Judah "the Holy," composed the Mishna, or second law, the most ancient collection of the Hebrew traditions, about A. D. 190-220. To this text two commentaries were afterwards added: the Gemara of Jerusalem, probably about A. D. 370; and the Gemara of Babylon, A. D. 500; forming, with the Mishna, the Talmud of Jerusalem and that of Babylon. The contents of these voluminous works poorly remunerate the student of the laborious task of reading them. Our Savior severely censured the adherents of such legendary follies in his own day, and reproached them with preferring the traditions of the elders to the law of God itself, and superstitiously adhering to vain observances while they neglected the most important duties, Mt 15:1-20; Mr 7:1-13. The traditions of the Romish church, with less apology than the ancient Jews had before the New Testament was written, are still more in conflict with the word of God, and still more deserving of the Savior's condemnation.
In 2Th 2:15; 3:6, "tradition" means inspired instructions from the lips of those who received them from God, and were authorized to dispense them in his name. These apostolic sayings were obligatory only on those who received them as inspired directly from the apostles. Had any of them come down to our times, the only means of endorsing them must be by showing their agreement with the word of God, since inspiration and miracles have ceased.
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for teaching and for testimony?" {surely they [who] speak like this have no dawn}.
Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying, "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat {a meal}." read more. So he answered [and] said to them, "Why do you also break the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'The one who speaks evil of father or mother {must certainly die}.' But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or his mother, "Whatever {benefit you would have received} from me [is] a gift [to God]," need not honor his father,' and you make void the word of God for the sake of your tradition. Hypocrites! Isaiah correctly prophesied about you saying, 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far, far away from me, and they worship me in vain, teaching [as] doctrines the commandments of men.'" And summoning the crowd, he said to them, "Hear and understand: It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth--this defiles a person." Then the disciples came [and] said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended [when they] heard this saying?" And he answered [and] said, "Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. Let them! They are blind guides of the blind. And if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit." But Peter answered [and] said to him, "Explain this parable to us." But he said, "Are you also still without understanding? Do you not understand that everything that enters into the mouth goes into the stomach and is evacuated into the latrine? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these defile the person. For from the heart come evil plans, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, abusive speech. These are the things that defile a person. But eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person!"
And the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered to him. And they saw that some of his disciples were eating their bread with unclean--that is, unwashed--hands. read more. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands {ritually}, [thus] holding fast to the traditions of the elders. And [when they come] from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other [traditions] which they have received [and] hold fast to--[for example,] the washing of cups and pitchers and bronze kettles and dining couches.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with unclean hands?" So he said to them, "Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far, far away from me. And they worship me in vain, teaching [as] doctrines the commandments of men.' Abandoning the commandment of God, you hold fast to the tradition of men." And he said to them, "You splendidly ignore the commandment of God so that you can keep your tradition. For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'The one who speaks evil of father or mother {must certainly die}.' But you say, 'If a man says to his father or to his mother, "Whatever {benefit you would have received} from me [is] corban" (that is, a gift [to God]), you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother, [thus] making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down, and you do many similar [things] such as this."
Beware lest {anyone take you captive} through philosophy and empty deceit, according to {human tradition}, according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ,
So then, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions which you were taught, whether by [spoken] word or by letter from us.
But we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, [that] you keep away from every brother who lives irresponsibly and not according to the tradition that they received from us.
not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of people who turn away from the truth.
And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share of the tree of life and from the holy city that are written in this book.
Easton
any kind of teaching, written or spoken, handed down from generation to generation. In Mr 7:3,9,13; Col 2:8, this word refers to the arbitrary interpretations of the Jews. In 2Th 2:15; 3:6, it is used in a good sense. Peter (1Pe 1:18) uses this word with reference to the degenerate Judaism of the "strangers scattered" whom he addresses (comp. Ac 15:10; Mt 15:2-6; Ga 1:14).
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"Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat {a meal}." So he answered [and] said to them, "Why do you also break the commandment of God because of your tradition? read more. For God said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'The one who speaks evil of father or mother {must certainly die}.' But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or his mother, "Whatever {benefit you would have received} from me [is] a gift [to God]," need not honor his father,' and you make void the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
(For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands {ritually}, [thus] holding fast to the traditions of the elders.
And he said to them, "You splendidly ignore the commandment of God so that you can keep your tradition.
[thus] making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down, and you do many similar [things] such as this."
So now why are you putting God to the test [by] placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?
and was progressing in Judaism beyond many contemporaries in my nation, [because] I was a far more zealous adherent of the traditions handed down by my forefathers.
Beware lest {anyone take you captive} through philosophy and empty deceit, according to {human tradition}, according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ,
So then, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions which you were taught, whether by [spoken] word or by letter from us.
But we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, [that] you keep away from every brother who lives irresponsibly and not according to the tradition that they received from us.
[because you] know that you were redeemed from your futile way of life inherited from your ancestors not with perishable things like silver or gold,
Fausets
Greek paradosis, instructions "delivered" (1Co 15:3) as inspired, whether orally or in writing, by the apostles (2Th 2:15; 3:6,10). The only oral tradition designed by God to be obligatory on the church in all ages was soon committed to writing in the apostolic age, and recognized as inspired by the churches then having the gift of discerning spirits. Only in three passages (1Co 11:2 margin; 2Th 2:15; 3:6) has tradition a good sense; in ten a bad sense, man's uninspired tradition (Mt 15:2-3,6; Mr 7:3,5,8-9,13; Ga 1:14; Col 2:8). Jesus charges the Jews with "making the commandment of God of none effect through your tradition." Hilary the deacon says, "a surfeit to carnal sense is human tradition."
Tradition clogs heavenly perceptions. Paradosis is one of the only two nouns in 2,000 in the Greek Testament which numerically equals 666, the mark of the beast (Re 13:18). Tradition is the grand corrupter of doctrine, as "wealth" (euporia; Ac 19:25, the other equivalent of 666) is of practice. Only those words of the apostles for which they claim inspiration (their words afterward embodied in canonical writing) are inspired, not their every spoken word, e.g. Peter's dissimulation (Ga 2:11-14). Oral inspiration was needed until the canon of the written word was completed. The apostles' and evangelists' inspiration is attested by their miracles; their New Testament Scriptures had the additional test without which even miracles would be inconclusive (De 13:1-6), accordance with the existing Old Testament revelation (Ac 17:11).
When the canon was complete the infallibility was transferred from living men's inspired sayings to the written word, now the sole unerring guide, interpreted by the Holy Spirit; comparison of Scripture with Scripture being the best commentary (1Co 2:12-16; 1Jo 2:20,27; Joh 1:33; 3:34; 15:26; 16:13-14). The most ancient and universal tradition is the all-sufficiency of Scripture for salvation, "that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2Ti 3:15-17). The apostles never appeal to human tradition, always to Scripture (Ac 15:2,15-17; 17:11; 24:14; 1Co 15:3-4). If tradition must be followed, then we ought to follow that oldest tradition which casts away all tradition not in, or provable by, Scripture.
We receive the Christian Lord's day and infant baptism not on the inherent authority of the fathers, but on their testimony as witnesses of facts which give force to the infiltrations of Scripture. Tradition can authenticate a fact, but not establish a doctrine. Paul's tradition in 2Th 2:15 is inspired, and only continued oral in part until the Scripture canon was completed by John; altogether different from Rome's supplementary oral tradition professing to complete the word which is complete, and which we are forbidden to add to, on penalty of God's plagues written therein (Re 22:18). By adding human tradition Rome becomes parent of antichrist. How remarkable it is that from this very chapter (2Th 2:15), denouncing antichrist, she draws her argument for tradition which fosters antichristianity. Because the apostles' oral word, whenever they claim inspiration, was as trustworthy as the written word, it does not follow that the oral word of those neither apostles nor inspired is as trustworthy as the written word of those who were apostles or inspired.
No tradition of the apostles except their written word can be proved genuine on certain evidence. The danger of even a genuine oral tradition (which scarcely any of the so-called traditions are) is illustrated in the "saying" that went abroad among the brethren that John should not die, though Jesus had not said this, but "if I will that he tarry until I come, what is that to thee?" (Joh 21:22-23). We are no more bound to accept the fathers' interpretation (which by the way is the reverse of unanimous; but even suppose it were so) of Scripture, because we accept the New Testament canon on their testimony, than to accept the Jews' interpretation of the Old Testament because we accept the Old Testament canon on their testimony; if we were, we should be as bound to reject Jesus, with the Jews, as to reject primitive Scripture Christianity with the apostate church.
See the Church of England Articles 6, 8, 20, 22-34, on the due and the undue place of tradition in the church. What were once universal traditions (e.g. the epistles for centuries ascribed to 11 popes, from Anacletus, A.D. 101, to Victor I, A.D. 192, now universally admitted to be spurious) are no longer so regarded. Whately likened tradition to the Russian game a number sit in a circle, the first reads a short story in the ear of his next neighbour, he repeats it orally to the next, and so on; the last writes it as it, reaches him; the amusement is, when read and compared with the original story it is found wholly metamorphosed, and hardly recognizable as the same story.
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"If a prophet stands up in your midst or a dreamer of dreams and he gives to you a sign or wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes [about] that he spoke to you, {saying}, 'Let us go after other gods (those whom you have not known), and let us serve them,' read more. you must not listen to the words of that prophet or to that dreamer, for Yahweh your God {is testing you to know whether you love} Yahweh your God with all of your heart and with all [of] your inner self. You shall go after Yahweh your God, and him you shall revere, and his commandment you shall keep, and to his voice you shall listen, and him you shall serve, and to him you shall hold fast. But that prophet or the dreamer of that dream shall be executed, for he spoke falsely about Yahweh your God, the [one] bringing you out from the land of Egypt and the [one] redeeming you from the house of slavery, in order to seduce you from the way that Yahweh your God commanded you to go in it; so [in this way] you shall purge the evil from your midst. "If your brother, the son of your mother or your son or your daughter {or your wife whom you embrace} or {your intimate friend} in secrecy {says}, 'Let us go and let us serve other gods!' [gods] that you and your ancestors have not known,
But if you report this business of ours, we will be released from your oath that you made us swear."
"Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat {a meal}." So he answered [and] said to them, "Why do you also break the commandment of God because of your tradition?
need not honor his father,' and you make void the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
(For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands {ritually}, [thus] holding fast to the traditions of the elders.
And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with unclean hands?"
Abandoning the commandment of God, you hold fast to the tradition of men." And he said to them, "You splendidly ignore the commandment of God so that you can keep your tradition.
[thus] making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down, and you do many similar [things] such as this."
And I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water, that one said to me, '[The one] upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon him--this one is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'
For [the one] whom God sent speaks the words of God, for he does not give the Spirit by measure.
"When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father--the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father--that one will testify about me.
But when he--the Spirit of truth--comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak from himself, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will proclaim to you the things to come. He will glorify me, because he will take from what [is] mine and will proclaim [it] to you.
Jesus said to him, "If I want him to remain until I come, what [is that] to you? You follow me!" So this saying went out to the brothers that that disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but "If I want him to remain until I come, what [is that] to you?"
And [after] there was no little strife and debate by Paul and Barnabas against them, they appointed Paul and Barnabas and some others from among them to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem concerning this issue.
And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: 'After these [things] I will return and build up again the tent of David that has fallen, and the [parts] of it that had been torn down I will build up again and will restore it, read more. so that the rest of humanity may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles {who are called by my name}, says the Lord, who makes these [things]
Now these were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica. {They} accepted the message with all eagerness, examining the scriptures every day [to see] if these [things] were so.
Now these were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica. {They} accepted the message with all eagerness, examining the scriptures every day [to see] if these [things] were so.
{These} he gathered together, and the workers occupied with such things, [and] said, "Men, you know that from this business {we get our prosperity},
But I do confess this to you, that according to the Way (which they call a sect), so I worship the God of our fathers, believing all things [that are] in accordance with the law and that are written in the prophets,
Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who [is] from God, in order that we may know the things freely given to us by God, [things] which we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in [words] taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual [things] to spiritual [people]. read more. But the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to understand [them], because they are spiritually discerned. Now the spiritual [person] discerns all [things], but he himself is judged by no one. "For who has known the mind of the Lord; who has advised him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
Now I praise you that you remember me [in] all [things], and just as I handed over to you the traditions, you hold fast to [them].
For I passed on to you {as of first importance} what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures,
and was progressing in Judaism beyond many contemporaries in my nation, [because] I was a far more zealous adherent of the traditions handed down by my forefathers.
But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed [him] to his face, because he was condemned. For before certain people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles, but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, [because he] was afraid of those [who were] of the circumcision, read more. and the rest of the Jews also joined in [this] hypocrisy with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with them in [their] hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not being straightforward with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of [them] all, "If you, [although you] are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you try to compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?"
Beware lest {anyone take you captive} through philosophy and empty deceit, according to {human tradition}, according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ,
So then, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions which you were taught, whether by [spoken] word or by letter from us.
So then, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions which you were taught, whether by [spoken] word or by letter from us.
So then, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions which you were taught, whether by [spoken] word or by letter from us.
So then, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions which you were taught, whether by [spoken] word or by letter from us.
But we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, [that] you keep away from every brother who lives irresponsibly and not according to the tradition that they received from us.
But we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, [that] you keep away from every brother who lives irresponsibly and not according to the tradition that they received from us.
For even when we were with you, we used to command this to you: that if anyone does not want to work, neither should he eat.
and that from childhood you have known the holy writings that are able [to make] you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture [is] inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, read more. in order that the person of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
Here is wisdom: the one who has understanding, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number, and his number [is] six hundred sixty-six.
I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues written in this book.
Hastings
Morish
?????????. This may be described as that which is handed down as oral teaching. It may be from God, as in 2Th 2:15; 3:6; and 1Co 11:2 (where it is translated 'ordinance'), instruction handed down before the word of God was complete. Or it may be from man, as was the tradition of the elders of Israel, which was strongly denounced by the Lord, and declared to be a subverting of the commandments of God. Mt 15:2-6; Mr 7:3-13; Ga 1:14. In Col 2:8 it is the mere teaching of the moralists, of which much has survived to the present day. What man institutes, man holds to most tenaciously.
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"Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat {a meal}." So he answered [and] said to them, "Why do you also break the commandment of God because of your tradition? read more. For God said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'The one who speaks evil of father or mother {must certainly die}.' But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or his mother, "Whatever {benefit you would have received} from me [is] a gift [to God]," need not honor his father,' and you make void the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
(For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands {ritually}, [thus] holding fast to the traditions of the elders. And [when they come] from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other [traditions] which they have received [and] hold fast to--[for example,] the washing of cups and pitchers and bronze kettles and dining couches.) read more. And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with unclean hands?" So he said to them, "Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far, far away from me. And they worship me in vain, teaching [as] doctrines the commandments of men.' Abandoning the commandment of God, you hold fast to the tradition of men." And he said to them, "You splendidly ignore the commandment of God so that you can keep your tradition. For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'The one who speaks evil of father or mother {must certainly die}.' But you say, 'If a man says to his father or to his mother, "Whatever {benefit you would have received} from me [is] corban" (that is, a gift [to God]), you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother, [thus] making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down, and you do many similar [things] such as this."
Now I praise you that you remember me [in] all [things], and just as I handed over to you the traditions, you hold fast to [them].
and was progressing in Judaism beyond many contemporaries in my nation, [because] I was a far more zealous adherent of the traditions handed down by my forefathers.
Beware lest {anyone take you captive} through philosophy and empty deceit, according to {human tradition}, according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ,
So then, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions which you were taught, whether by [spoken] word or by letter from us.
But we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, [that] you keep away from every brother who lives irresponsibly and not according to the tradition that they received from us.
Watsons
TRADITION. See CABBALA.