On Orthodoxy and Catholicism:
Please allow me to provide some needed background.
First, the obvious: everything that's in big-T tradition is the common patrimony of both the Orthodox and the Catholics, since the Orthodox WERE Catholics --- and the Catholics WERE Orthodox (that is a paradoxical way of saying, we were all in communion with each other) --- for a millennium.
(Note: You seem to have the Byzantines mixed with the Orthodox. Byzantines are now Catholics, Orthodox are not. In any case, the whole lot of us were together for 1000 years.)
The constitutive elements of Big-T Tradition are the same in Greek and Latin, East and West.
The main elements of Apostolic Tradition are these:
- Of first importance: the writing, transmission, and Canon of the Scriptures themselves
- Apostolic Succession and hierarchical structure (Bishops, Priests, Deacons)
- Liturgical prayer, esp. the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass/Divine Liturgy and Eucharistic realism
- Spiritual life nourished by the Sacraments
- Ceaseless mutual sharing of spiritual goods in the Communion of Saints. Another way to say that is, the constant and necessary interdependence of the members of the Mystical Body of Christ
- Honoring of the Saints and of Mary, benefiting from their intercession (see "Mystical Body of Christ")
- Our own constant intercession benefiting the living and the dead (see "Mystical Body of Christ"!)
- Incarnational/Sacramental view of reality
- Confidence in the Holy Spirit's guidance of the Church (as guaranteed by the promise of Christ) and thus the authority and holiness of her official doctrines
That constitutes a preliminary outline of what comprises capital-T Tradition.
Keep in mind that the early creeds and synods, and the Nicene Council, historically *preceded* the canon of Scripture.
Read that again: the creeds preceded the canon of Scripture.
Do you understand what that means? It means the canon was formed based on what the Church already believed in her creeds: these creeds provided the criteria which tested and verified the authenticity of various purported Scriptures (and not vice-versa).
Therefore to accept Scripture is to accept Tradition.
Hit the delete button on Tradition, and Scripture disappears from your screen.
The creeds are a good way to "see" the content. Orthodoxy and Catholicism have the Creeds (Apostles Creed, Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, Athanasian Creed) in common, as well as the first seven Ecumenical Councils and all the Fathers of the Church from the first millennium of Christianity.
As for Immaculate Conception: consider Mary as Immaculata and as Panagia. Different languages, similar devotion. I see here convergence, not basic disagreement.
There. That's a start. Read that again: the creeds preceded the canon of Scripture. Do you understand what that means? It means the canon was formed based on what the Church already believed in her creeds: these creeds provided the criteria which tested and verified the authenticity of various purported Scriptures (and not vice-versa).
Not for Roman Catholicism. Their Canon was formalized at Trent.
I refer you back to my #24 post for the time frames of the various books of the NT.
They were in place before Nicea (325)....presuming you're referencing the 325 version of the Creed and not the 381 version of the Creed.
The Creeds reflect what was believed by the early church. It is not Scripture.
Do you understand what that means? It means the canon was formed based on what the Church already believed in her creeds: these creeds provided the criteria which tested and verified the authenticity of various purported Scriptures (and not vice-versa). I know exactly what it means. It means the Catholic church's entire foundation if its very own traditions NOT Scripture, as some Catholics claim.
It means that the Catholic church makes Scripture subservient to the Catholic church instead of it being the true and living word of God, able to stand on its own.
Therefore to accept Scripture is to accept Tradition.
Nonsense. RF rules prevent me from stating what that statement truly is, but it is complete and unadulterated garbage.
Hit the delete button on Tradition, and Scripture disappears from your screen.
Jesus didn't think so. He condemned tradition in the strongest terms and appealed to Scripture constantly. HE thought it was above tradition.
Matthew 15:1-9 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them,
“And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
Mark 7:1-13 Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches. And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?”
And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,“‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”
And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God) then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”
By your statement, you have just told us that the Catholic church has made null the Word of God, Scripture, by the traditions of man.
The Catholic church has done the very thing that Jesus condemned that the pharisees were doing.
It's absolutely appalling.