Book Four: On the Unwritten Word of God

Chapter Two: What and How Multiple Tradition is

The name of tradition is a general one, and signifies any doctrine whether written or unwritten that is communicated from one to another, Exodus ch.17, “Write this for a memorial in a book, and hand it on in the ears of Joshua.” Acts ch.6, the written law of Moses is called tradition, “We heard him say that Jesus will destroy this place and will change the traditions which Moses handed on to us.” And I Corinthians ch.11, “For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you.” Tradition is called doctrine expounded viva voce, and II Thessalonians ch.2, “Hold the traditions which you have received, whether by speech or by letter.”

But although the name of tradition is general, yet this very name is adapted by theologians to signify only unwritten doctrine. Thus Irenaeus bk.3 ch.2, “It happens,” he said, “that they agree neither in Scriptures nor in traditions.” Tertullian in his book on the Crown of the Soldier, “If you ask me to read,” he says, you will find no Scripture, tradition is the author extended to you.” And Cyprian bk.2 epist.3, “May you know we are advised that in offering the chalice of the Lord the tradition of the Lord is kept, that the chalice, which is offered in commemoration of him, is offered mixed with wine.” This place Chemnitz falsely explains of written tradition, for nowhere in the whole Gospel or the epistles of the Apostles is it written that the chalice mixed with wine, that is, wine and water are offered. In the same way almost all the ancients use the name of tradition for unwritten doctrine, and we will use the name in this way from now on.

Now the doctrine is called unwritten, not which is nowhere written, but which is not written by the first author. Let the baptism of infants be an example. That infants should be baptized is called an unwritten Apostolic tradition, although it is written in the books of almost all the Fathers.

But there is a double division of traditions; the first is taken from the authors of traditions; the second from the matter. The first is divided into divine, Apostolic, and Ecclesiastical traditions. Those are called divine which were received from Christ himself teaching the Apostles, and are nowhere found in the divine letters; such are what pertains to the matter and form of the sacraments; for we have little about this in the divine letters and yet it is certain that the essence of the sacraments could only have been instituted by Christ. For which reason the Apostle in I Corinthians ch.11, speaking of the sacrament of the Eucharist, said, “I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you.”

Those traditions are properly called Apostolic which were instituted by the Apostles, not however without the assistance of the Holy Spirit, and nevertheless they are not extant written down in their epistles; of this sort is the fast of Lent, and of the four times, and many other things about which more hereafter. Yet sometimes divine traditions are wont also to be called Apostolic, and Apostolic traditions divine. Divine traditions are called Apostolic, not because they were instituted by the Apostles, but because they were first handed on to the Church by them, since they themselves had separately received them from Christ; and Apostolic traditions are called divine, not because God immediately instituted them, but because the Apostles instituted them not without the spirit of God. In this way all the epistles of the Apostles are called divine and Apostolic writings, even if certain things in them are divine precepts and certain are properly Apostolic, as is plain from that verse of I Corinthians ch.7, “I do not command, but the Lord,” and later, “I say, not the Lord.”

Traditions are properly called Ecclesiastical which are certain ancient customs begun either by prelates or by people, which little by little with the tacit consent of the people obtained the force of law. And indeed divine traditions have the same force as divine precepts, or divine things written in the Gospels; and likewise unwritten Apostolic traditions have the same force as Apostolic written traditions, as is asserted in the Council of Trent sess.4, and the reason is manifest: for the word of God is not such as it is, nor does it have any authority, because it is written on parchments, but because it proceeded from God either immediately, as the words of the Lord, or mediately through the Apostles, as is a decree of the Apostles, Acts ch.15. Nor do the heretics deny this, nor can they; for as we will say later, the question is not how much force there is in divine or Apostolic tradition, but whether any tradition is truly divine or Apostolic.

But Ecclesiastical traditions have the same force as written decrees and constitutions of the Church; for also in a civil Republic there is the same force in approved customs as in written laws, as is plain from dist.1 canon. dustom, and bk. diuturna, ff. on laws.

The second division of traditions is according to matter, into traditions about faith and traditions about morals; which again are either perpetual or temporal, and either universal or particular, and either necessary or free. A tradition about faith is that Blessed Mary was always a virgin, that there are only four Gospels, etc. A tradition pertaining to morals is that the sign of the cross is to be marked on the forehead, that there should be fasting on certain days, or feasts should be celebrated etc.

A tradition is perpetual that is instituted to be always kept, up to the end of the world, as in the examples given. A tradition is temporal that is instituted for a certain time, as the observation of certain ceremonial laws, which were to be kept up to the full promulgation of the Gospel, so that the Church might more easily coalesce from Jews and Gentiles.

A tradition is universal that is handed on to be kept by the whole Church, such as is the observation of Easter, of Pentecost, and the like great feasts, as Blessed Augustine teaches in epist.118. A tradition is particular that is handed to only one or several Churches, such as in the time of Augustine was the fast of the Sabbath, which Peter handed on to the Roman Church, and it was kept by it alone and by certain others, as Augustine teaches epist.86 to Casulanus.

A tradition is necessary that is handed on in the form of a precept, as the celebration of Easter on the Lord’s day after the fourteenth moon of March. A tradition is free that is handed on in the form of a counsel, as the sprinkling of lustral water and the like.

Robert Bellarmine’s: Controversies of the Christian Faith – Volume 1: On the Word of God — HOME