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To: Mrs. Don-o; metmom; MHGinTN; aMorePerfectUnion; infool7; boatbums
Tradition ("big T Tradition," from the Apostles, which Paul insists on repeatedly)

IIRC, tradition is discussed 13 times in the NT.

Jesus spoke only in negative terms of the tradition of the Pharisees. He was not a big fan of things "handed down".

Of the times used by Paul...

1 Corinthians 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.

Galatians 1:14 and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.

Colossians 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.

2 Thessalonians 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.; 3:16 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us.

As in all cases, context is the key to properly understanding how these are used.

If you're saying Paul's positive use of tradition in two places is what "Paul insists on repeatedly" then you've got a lot more explaining to do.

If anything, the NT seems to be against the "Traditions" of men. That puts a lot of Roman Catholic dogma in the cross hairs.

Now, what is incumbent upon Roman Catholicism is to explain exactly what these traditions are in 1 Corinthians and 2 Thessalonians 2:15 as 2 TH 3:6 are pretty clear.

You're going to have to offer up some very convincing proof to try and equate all of Roman Catholic dogma with Paul or any of the other disciples.

547 posted on 06/03/2019 3:57:44 PM PDT by ealgeone
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To: ealgeone

No one knows which traditions Paul meant, but hey, it’s a blank check for anything!!!


552 posted on 06/03/2019 4:28:04 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion
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To: ealgeone
Please be aware of the distinction between small-t tradition like "We bless wedding rings" and Big-T traditions like:

"The authors of the four Gospels were Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John."

I recommend you try to learn a little bit on your own about Tradition in order to get a coherent sense of the whole thing, rather than pecking away like a bird picking up garbled and fragmentary statements.

Would you like a few recommendations for reading? I could try to find the best readings on, for instance, the Ante-Nicene Fathers.


The "distinctives" of Catholicism all have their origins in not merely "human," but Sacred (called "Apostolic") Tradition since these things are rooted in the Apostolic Era -- the Apostles themselves, and the first and second generation of Christians taught personally by them.


That constitutes a preliminary outline of what comprises capital-T Tradition.
570 posted on 06/03/2019 6:46:35 PM PDT by Mrs. Don-o ("Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." - Gustav Mahler)
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