Book Four: On the Unwritten Word of God
Chapter Six: The Same is Shown by the Testimonies of the Pontiffs and the Councils
To the places from Scripture we will add some few testimonies from the ancient holy Pontiffs and Councils. And first St. Fabian, Pope and martyr, in epist.2 to the Bishops of the East, after teaching that the sacred chrism is to be renewed each year, subjoined as follows, “We received this from the holy Apostles and their successors, and we command you to keep it.” So Fabian. And to be sure we read nothing about renewing the chrism in the sacred letters.
St. Innocent I in epist.1 to Decentius says, “If the priests of the Lord wish to keep the ecclesiastical institutes as they are handed on by the Apostles, there should be no variety in these orders and consecrations.” So Innocent. Here he is dealing with unwritten traditions, and especially in ch.3 when he teaches that confirmation is also to be conferred on children, and by the Bishop alone and under a certain form of words. And he so testifies that these sort of unwritten traditions are Apostolic that he did not wish even in this letter to write down the form of words. “The words,” he says, “I cannot say, lest I seem to provide more than responds to the consultation.”
St. Leo I in his sermon on Lent says, “Let the Apostolic institution of the forty day fast be fulfilled.” And in sermon 2 on the fast of Pentecost, “One must not doubt, most beloved, that every Christian observance of education is divine, and that whatever has been received by the Church as a custom of devotion proceeds from Apostolic tradition and the teaching of the Holy Spirit.” See also sermons 8 and 9 about the fast of the seventh month.
Already indeed the most ancient and famous first Council of Nicea condemned from unwritten doctrine the heresy of Arius, as is expressively testified by Theodoret Hist. bk.1 ch.8. For although certain Scriptues could be brought against Arius, yet because Arius also professed the Scriptures, they condemned him from an unwritten doctrine, but one handed down by the hands of the Fathers to their successors in the Church.
The second Council of Nicea act.6 vol.4 says, “But that the veneration of images has been handed on to us from the times of the Apostles, along with many other things that are observed in the Church without Scripture, is handed on extensively in the histories.” And act.7 near the end it has the following, “If anyone does not care for the tradition of the Church, whether getting its force from writing or custom, let him be anathema.” The same is found in the eighth General Council act.8. And after the final act can.1, the Fathers profess that they will keep all the traditions, not only Apostolic but also Ecclesiastical. From which it should not seem remarkable to the Lutherans if any other such thing is taught by the Council of Trent sess.4, for it established nothing new.
Robert Bellarmine’s: Controversies of the Christian Faith – Volume 1: On the Word of God — HOME