Scripture and Tradition

Jesus did not write a book. He preached, healed, gathered disciples, died and rose, and then sent his apostles to proclaim what they had seen. Some of what they handed on was later written down, and became the New Testament. The Catholic Church teaches that the word of God reaches us through both: through Sacred Scripture and through Sacred Tradition, two streams from one source. This page explains what that means, what it does not mean, and how it differs from the view many other Christians hold.

One source, two ways of handing on

Christ commanded his apostles to preach the Gospel to all (CCC 75). They did it in two ways. They handed it on orally, by their preaching, their example and the practices they established, and in writing, by the books they and their companions composed under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (CCC 76). St Paul gives a glimpse of both at once:

So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.

— 2 Thessalonians 2:15

The apostles left bishops as their successors, so that the Gospel would be kept whole and alive in the Church (CCC 77). This living handing-on, carried out in the Holy Spirit, is what the Church calls Tradition, from the Latin for "handing over" (CCC 78).

Scripture and Tradition are not two separate revelations. They flow from the same divine wellspring and move toward the same goal (CCC 80; Dei Verbum 9). Together they form a single sacred deposit of the word of God, entrusted to the whole Church (CCC 84, 97; Dei Verbum 10). The Church therefore receives and honours both with the same reverence (CCC 82).

What Tradition is, and what it is not

The word "tradition" is used loosely, so the Catechism makes a careful distinction (CCC 83).

Apostolic Tradition, with a capital T, is what the apostles received from Jesus' teaching and example and from the Holy Spirit, and passed on. It is not a collection of secret teachings or of things that are simply old. It is the Church's whole life of faith: what she believes, how she worships, how she prays. One clear example: it was by apostolic Tradition that the Church recognised which books belong in the Bible at all (CCC 120).

Ecclesial traditions, with a small t, are the many customs that have grown up in particular places and times: forms of devotion, rules of discipline, liturgical habits, local feasts. They can be good and beautiful, and they are often worth keeping. But they can be adapted, changed or even dropped, under the guidance of the Church's teaching office. Friday abstinence rules or the language of the Mass are of this kind.

Tradition also does not add new revelation. Public revelation was completed in Christ (CCC 66). What grows over time is the Church's understanding of what she has received (CCC 94), as a seed grows into a tree without becoming a different plant.

The Magisterium: servant of the word

Someone has to say, when it matters, what the word of God means. The Church calls this task the Magisterium, from the Latin for "teacher": the teaching office of the bishops in communion with the pope, the successor of Peter (CCC 85).

The Catechism is firm about its place: the Magisterium is "not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant" (CCC 86). It teaches only what has been handed on. It listens to the word devoutly, guards it faithfully and explains it carefully, drawing everything it proposes for belief from this one deposit of faith (CCC 86). Christ's promise to the apostles stands behind it, that whoever hears them hears him (Luke 10:16; CCC 87).

Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium are so joined, the Church teaches, that none stands without the others, and together, under the one Holy Spirit, they serve the salvation of souls (CCC 95).

How this differs from "Scripture alone"

Many Protestant Christians hold the principle known as sola scriptura, "Scripture alone", which comes from the Reformers of the sixteenth century. In its classic form it holds that Scripture is the only infallible rule of faith, and that every teaching of the Church must be tested against it.

It is worth being fair about what this does and does not mean. Most Protestant traditions do not reject tradition outright. Many confess the ancient creeds, honour the early councils and read the Church Fathers with gratitude. The real difference lies in authority: whether the Church's living Tradition and teaching office carry an authority alongside Scripture, and who has the final word in interpreting it.

The Catholic answer is that Scripture never comes to us alone. It was written within the Church, recognised by the Church, and proclaimed in the Church's worship before it was ever bound into one book. To read it within that living Tradition is not to set something above the Bible, but to read the Bible where it was born.

What Christians share

This difference matters, but it should not hide how much Christians hold in common. The Church recognises that many gifts of God are found outside her visible boundaries, beginning with the written word of God itself, along with the life of grace and faith, hope and charity (CCC 819). Christians who are baptised and believe in Christ are truly brothers and sisters in the Lord (CCC 818). Catholics and other Christians revere the Scriptures as inspired, pray the same psalms, confess the Trinity, and look to the same Lord. That shared love of the word is a good place to begin any conversation.

Going deeper

• How Catholics read the Bible: reading Scripture within the Church.
• The canon of Scripture: how the list of books was recognised.
• What the Catechism is: the Church's summary of what she has received.
• Read next in the Catechism: CCC 74–100.