Session 14 - Holy Tradition Part 1 (Sacred Scripture, Decisions of the Ecumenical Councils and the Canons)

Previously we studied the Creed because it contains a concise statement of what we believe to be true., as set forth by the Church with the Guidance of the Holy Spirit  at the Ecumenical Councils.  We concluded that it is important that we remember that the Church has some important teachings which are not optional equipment, but form the very essence of the Faith. They are important matters. The understanding that God is a Trinity of persons is essential, and any religion or sect that does not believe in the Trinity, are not worshipping the one True God. They may be nice people or not, it does not matter. By  bearing the name Orthodox, we have a responsibility to know and believe the Truth, which has been preserved in the Church throughout the centuries , safeguarded  by the witness and blood of the Holy Martyrs 

With this in mind, we will now discuss Holy Tradition which is living expression of these sacred truths, that have been revealed to us  by the Grace of the Holy Spirit.  

.   Specifically we will be discussing seven aspects of Holy Tradition:

1. What is Holy Tradition
2. Sacred Scripture
3. Decisions of the Ecumenical Councils and the Canons
4. Writings and Witness of the Saints
5. Church Architecture/Iconography
6. Liturgical Life/ The Church Calendar / The Church Year -
7. Fasting, Almsgiving & Ascetical Labors

In this session we will discuss the first four:  What is Holy Tradition, Sacred Scripture, The decisions of the Ecumenical Councils and the Canons and the writings and witness of the saints.   

1. What is Holy Tradition?

One of the  characteristics that is noteworthy of  the  Orthodox Church is its changelessness. On the lighter side, it reminds me of a joke I once heard which goes like this  “How many Orthodox does it take to change a light bulb?   And the answer is  “Change?” This joke points out something important about the Faith.   In Orthodoxy we have a  loyalty to the past, and we see ourselves today  as being in living continuity with the early Church – we are not a new Church, we are the same church, the original church, the church established by Christ and set in place by the Apostles. This idea of living continuity may be summed up in one word: Tradition. As St. John of Damascus says, We do not change the everlasting boundaries which our fathers have set, but we keep the Tradition, just as we received it [On the Holy Icons, II, 12].

The very word tradtion means  that which is "passed on" and "given over" from one to another. Holy Tradition is, therefore, that which is passed on and given over within the Church from the time of Christ's apostles right down to the present day.

 To an Orthodox Christian, Tradition means the Holy Bible; it means the Creed; it means the decisions of the  Seven Ecumenical Councils and the writings of the Fathers; it means the Canons, the Service Books, the Holy Icons, etc.  Put another way, holy tradition encompasses doctrine,  how the church is governed, worship and art and in short everything which Orthodoxy has lived  her entire life.  It is important that we understand that as Orthodox, we consider the  Holy Bible to be a part of Holy Tradition, and  not separate from it.  This is what many  Protestant denominations claim – this is why they will only accept what is found in the Bible to be true and therefore reject our traditions of worship, dogmas and other aspects of  Holy Tradition. We understand the truth that  the Holy Bible exists and found its formulation within the life of the Church.

As Orthodox, however, while giving it due respect, we realize that not everything received from the past is of equal value. The Holy Scriptures, the Creed and the dogmatic and doctrinal definitions of the Ecumenical Councils hold the  first place in Holy Tradition and cannot be discarded or revised. The other parts of Holy Tradition are not placed on an equal level, nor do they possess the same authority as the above. The decrees of the Councils since the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787) obviously do not stand on the same level as the Nicene Creed, nor do the writings of, for example, of  the  Byzantine era theologians of the Church, hold equal rank with St. John's Gospel.

Orthodox loyalty to Tradition [the things of the past] is not something mechanical or lifeless, however. Tradition is a personal encounter with Christ in the Holy Spirit, as Bishop Kallistos Ware a prominent Orthodox Theologian of the 20^th century has written.  Tradition is not only kept by the Church it lives in the Church, it is the life of the Holy Spirit in the Church [The Orthodox Church, p.206]. Thus Tradition must be seen and experienced from within. Tradition is a living experience of the Holy Spirit  in the present. While inwardly unchanging (since God does not change), Tradition constantly takes on new forms, adding to the old forms, but not replacing it. 

Our Lord tells us that when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth (John 16:13) and this promise forms the basis of Orthodox respect for Holy Tradition.  I would like to now quote From Fr. George Florovsky,  who wrote  very beautifully and clearly about this point.  Fr. George writes  “Tradition is the witness of the  Holy Spirit; the Spirit's unceasing revelation and preaching of good things.... To accept and understand Tradition we must live within the Church, we must be conscious of the grace-giving presence of the Lord in it; we must feel the breath of the Holy [Spirit] in it.... Tradition is not only a protective, conservative principle; it is, primarily, the principle of growth and regeneration.... Tradition is the constant abiding of the Spirit and not only the memory of words.”

2. Sacred Scripture – I will not go into any detail on this topic since we spoke about it earlier this year. Suffice it to say, Holy Scripture was first orally preserved by the Old Testament prophets, and people of Israel and the Holy Apostles and Evangelists. Later they were written down and the Church in council decided which writings were to be included in the Holy Bible – we believe they were guided by the Holy Spirit. This is why the Gnostic gospels and other writings that are getting a lot of press today were not put into the Bible, because they do not reflect the Truth of Christ and do not express the mind of the Church.  
   
   
3. Decisions of the Ecumenical councils.

Earlier this year we discussed as part of  Church History the Seven Ecumenical or General Councils of the Church which were called by the Byzantine Emperors to deal with heresies or false teachings and matters of church discipline.  Suffice it to say, these decision shaped our present dogmatic teachings and formed the basis of what is known as Canon Law in the Church.  The word canon is from the greek word kanon which means rule. They are rules or guidelines for the church to follow. Contained within Canon law are the qualifications for Bishops and Priests, how to discipline the same if they fall away from the Church, as well as pastoral matters such as marriage and divorce, how to apply penance in the Church when someone has committed a serious sin and the list goes on.  These rules are applied with pastoral prudence not to punish, but to heal and maintain discipline and order in the Church.

4. Writings and Witness of the Fathers and Saints of the Church.

An important component of Holy Tradition is the writings and witness of the Saints.  Understanding as I said before, that Holy Tradition is  a personal encounter with Christ in the Holy Spirit,  it is natural that we turn to those in the Church who have been glorified  as saints, as those who acquired as much as humanly possible the mind of Christ . By studying their lives, we can learn much  about how to live as faithful Orthodox Christians, and be victorious over sin and achieve eternal salvation.  The saints of the Church, while of one mind, never-the-less, had different life experiences and different personal gifts. With the number and variety of the saints, there is one or many that share our own personal strengths and weaknesses that we can learn from and seek their spiritual guidance and intercession.  There are different types of saints;   martyrs, who gave their life in defense of the faith;  wonderworkers such as St. Nicholas who performed great miracles;  ascetic saints – monks and nuns who acquired salvation through strict fasting and prayer, Confessors of the Faith who fearlessly preached the gospel in hostile times,  Prophets who spoke in the  name of Christ, Apostles who labored to establish and build up the church, and the list goes one.   One is not made a saint in the Orthodox church,  rather the Church recognizes and proclaims one to be a saint in light of their life accomplishments and miracles which have come about through  their intercession.  This is the process of canonization – it follows a local veneration or awareness of a person’s holiness.