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 But tradition has long been superseded by the successive and completed revelations of God's will which form the inspired Scriptures, the only perfect and sufficient rule of belief and practice.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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Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees who were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? read more. For they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answering said, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God thro' your tradition? For God commanded, Honour thy father and mother: and He that revileth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest have been profited by me: Let him not honour his father or his mother. Thus have ye made void the command of God thro' your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophecy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh to me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. And calling the multitudes he said to them, Hear and understand. Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth the man, but what cometh out of the mouth, this defileth the man. Then came his disciples and said to him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees, hearing this saying, were offended? He answered and said, Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they are blind leaders of the blind: but if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a ditch. Then answered Peter and said to him, Declare to us this parable. And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand, that whatever entereth into the mouth, goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the vault? But those things which proceed out of the mouth, come out of the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, railings. These are the things which defile a man; but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
Then come together to him the Pharisees and certain of the scribes, who came from Jerusalem. And they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, unwashen hands. read more. Now the Pharisees and all the Jews, except they wash their hands to the wrist, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And coming from the market, unless they wash, they eat not: and many other things there are which they have received to hold, the washings of cups and pots and brasen vessels and couches. Then the Pharisees ask him, Why walk not thy disciples, according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with defiled hands? He answering said to them, Well hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For leaving the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said to them, Full well ye abolish the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother, and, Whoso revileth father or mother, he shall surely die. But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest have been profited by me: he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Abrogating the word of God by your traditions which ye have delivered: and many such like things ye do.
Beware lest any man make a prey of you through philosophy and empty deceit, after the traditions of men, after the rudiments of this world, and not after Christ.
Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions, which ye have been taught, whether by word, or by our Epistle.
Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received of us.
Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part of the tree of life, and the holy city, which 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 thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answering said, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God thro' your tradition? read more. For God commanded, Honour thy father and mother: and He that revileth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest have been profited by me: Let him not honour his father or his mother. Thus have ye made void the command of God thro' your tradition.
Now the Pharisees and all the Jews, except they wash their hands to the wrist, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
And he said to them, Full well ye abolish the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
Abrogating the word of God by your traditions which ye have delivered: and many such like things ye do.
Now therefore why endeavour ye to put a yoke on the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
And I profited in the Jewish religion above many of my years among my countrymen, being more abundantly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.
Beware lest any man make a prey of you through philosophy and empty deceit, after the traditions of men, after the rudiments of this world, and not after Christ.
Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions, which ye have been taught, whether by word, or by our Epistle.
Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received of us.
Seeing ye know ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation delivered by tradition from your fathers,
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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Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answering said, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God thro' your tradition?
Let him not honour his father or his mother. Thus have ye made void the command of God thro' your tradition.
Now the Pharisees and all the Jews, except they wash their hands to the wrist, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
Then the Pharisees ask him, Why walk not thy disciples, according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with defiled hands?
For leaving the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said to them, Full well ye abolish the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
Abrogating the word of God by your traditions which ye have delivered: and many such like things ye do.
And I knew him not, but he that sent me to baptize with water, he had said to me, On whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and abiding on him, this is he who baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
For he whom God hath sent, speaketh the words of God; for God giveth not him the Spirit by measure.
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.
But when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak of himself: but whatsoever he shall hear, he will speak; and he will shew you things to come. He will glorify me; for he will take of mine, and shew it you.
Jesus saith to him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is it to thee? Follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him, That he should not die: but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is it to thee?
When therefore Paul and Barnabas had had no small contention and debate with them, they determined, that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them, should go up to the apostles and elders at Jerusalem about this question.
And to this agree the words of the prophets, as it is written, After this I will return and build again the fallen tabernacle of David; I will build again the ruins thereof, read more. and will set it up, That the residue of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles on whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doth these things.
These were more ingenuous than those of Thessalonica, receiving the word with all readiness of mind, and daily searching the scriptures, whether those things were so?
These were more ingenuous than those of Thessalonica, receiving the word with all readiness of mind, and daily searching the scriptures, whether those things were so?
Whom having gathered together, with the workmen employed in such things, he said, Sirs, ye know, that our maintenance arises from this occupation.
that after the way, which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we may know the things which are freely given to us of God. Which also we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Holy Spirit, explaining spiritual things by spiritual words. read more. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit; for they are foolishness to him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But the spiritual man discerneth all things, while he himself is discerned by no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the orders, as I delivered them to you.
For I delivered to you first, that which I also received, That Christ died for our sins,
And I profited in the Jewish religion above many of my years among my countrymen, being more abundantly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.
But when Peter came to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be condemned. For before certain men came from James, he ate with the Gentiles; but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those of the circumcision. read more. And the other Jews also dissembled with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their dissimulation. But when I saw, that they walked not uprightly, according to the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, If thou being a Jew, livest after the manner of the Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to judaize?
Beware lest any man make a prey of you through philosophy and empty deceit, after the traditions of men, after the rudiments of this world, and not after Christ.
Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions, which ye have been taught, whether by word, or by our Epistle.
Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions, which ye have been taught, whether by word, or by our Epistle.
Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions, which ye have been taught, whether by word, or by our Epistle.
Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions, which ye have been taught, whether by word, or by our Epistle.
Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received of us.
Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received of us.
For when we were with you, this we commanded you, If any will not work, neither let him eat.
And that from an infant thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, thro' faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; read more. That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Here is the wisdom. Let him that hath an understanding count the number of the wild beast: for it is the number of a man: and his number is six hundred sixty six.
I testify to every one that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man add to them, God shall add to him the plagues that are 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 thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answering said, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God thro' your tradition? read more. For God commanded, Honour thy father and mother: and He that revileth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest have been profited by me: Let him not honour his father or his mother. Thus have ye made void the command of God thro' your tradition.
Now the Pharisees and all the Jews, except they wash their hands to the wrist, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And coming from the market, unless they wash, they eat not: and many other things there are which they have received to hold, the washings of cups and pots and brasen vessels and couches. read more. Then the Pharisees ask him, Why walk not thy disciples, according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with defiled hands? He answering said to them, Well hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For leaving the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said to them, Full well ye abolish the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother, and, Whoso revileth father or mother, he shall surely die. But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest have been profited by me: he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Abrogating the word of God by your traditions which ye have delivered: and many such like things ye do.
Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the orders, as I delivered them to you.
And I profited in the Jewish religion above many of my years among my countrymen, being more abundantly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.
Beware lest any man make a prey of you through philosophy and empty deceit, after the traditions of men, after the rudiments of this world, and not after Christ.
Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions, which ye have been taught, whether by word, or by our Epistle.
Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received of us.
Watsons
TRADITION. See CABBALA.