[jjotto]

The bit about why Jews rely on an explicit history handed down from identifiable teacher to identifiable student is the same reasoning for Church tradition.

Indeed. The alternative seems to be everybody making up stuff on their own and calling it 'Holy Spirit'.

[Cronos]

True — that is why the Aaronic line of priests was inaugurated — individual aaronics may have been bad or even evil, but the line was pure as ordained by God.