Some Traditions Must Be Handed Down, Others May

I've been writing about tradition, the Great Tradition, i.e. the Gospel and traditions in the Lutheran Church. Before proceeding I want to define again what I mean by the word tradition.

English dictionaries normally define tradition as a noun with several meanings.

1. An inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (as a religious practice or a social custom)
2. The handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth, by example or other methods, from one generation to another with or without written instruction
3. Cultural continuity in social attitudes, customs, and institutions
4. Characteristic manner, method, or style.

I'm focusing on the second meaning, the one about handing down information, beliefs and customs from one generation to another by various methods. What I really want to do is to sort out the difference between what information and beliefs must be handed down and what may be handed down. While we're at it, let us also remember that in this matter of handing down information and beliefs, it isn't only what we say, it's alsohow we say it and even where.

We all have traditions. My wife taught our daughter to bake cookies by bringing her into the kitchen to play with the dough, cut out the cookies and bake when she was a little child. When she grew up, got married and gave birth to her own daughter, she passed on the same tradition to her daughter. Now every Christmas when grandmother, daughter and granddaughter get together it has become their tradition to go to the kitchen to create, bake and decorate Christmas cookies. Our family also has an equally significant tradition about decorating Easter eggs.

I've already written about the traditions to the Lutheran branch of the Christian Church, using the same definition. The church has some teachings she must pass down to the next generation. For instance, she must pass on the teachings of God's Word and she must pass on the practices based upon that Word of God. Examples include the teaching and practice of celebrating the Lord's Supper. Likewise the church must teach that Jesus is the Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from all eternity and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary who suffered on the cross under Pontius Pilate, died and rose again on the third day.

However, certain other customs, methods and styles of teaching and worship may and do vary from place to place and from one culture to another. They are in the may category of traditions. For instance, consider that we may celebrate the day of Jesus' birth on January 6 instead of December 25, because in truth we do not know for certain when he was born. Eastern branches of the church to this very day hold to January 6 as the day while western churches call that day Epiphany and recall the coming of the Wise Men on it.

Most wedding ceremonies fall into the same category. The wedding candle, for instance, is a very new tradition that arose sometime in the 20^th century. The exchanging of rings is older, but is also another may tradition—except for Roman Catholics. Wedding bands go on the third finger of the left hand because from ancient days people believed that the "vein of love" that runs directly to the heart is in the third finger of the left hand. After the days of the Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church called an ecumenical council that met for nearly all of the twenty years between 1545 and 1563 in the northern Italian city of Trent to deal with the issues raised in the Reformation. The Council of Trent decreed that wedding rings must be used in the sacrament of marriage. Non-Catholics do not consider marriage a sacrament. Consequently they continue to view the rings as an option, a may. A couple is married, rings or not.

There are other musts and other mays. Make up your own list. There are some traditions you must accept if you are a Christian. There are others you may or may not. We need to keep in mind the differences. I'll say more about this next time.

Biblical Meanings of Tradition

In my earlier discussions of traditions I pursued the origin of the word sacrament. I  used it to emphasize how important it is to use words correctly. We move back now to our original discussion of tradition and the Great Tradition.


The New Testament Greek word we've often translated into our Bibles with the English word tradition originally meant to betray or deliver up someone. For instance, Judas betrayed Jesus to the High Priests. Pilate delivered Jesus up to the will of the mob. Paul was delivered into the hands of Romans. And Jesus gave himself for you and for me.


The verb was also used as a technical term among the Jews, referring to customs handed down. However, their customs often went beyond the direct teachings of the Torah. For instance, when Jesus and his disciples were accused of not washing their hands according to the Jewish tradition of the elders, Jesus replied, "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions" (Mark 7:1-9). After Jesus' resurrection and return to heaven, the deacon Stephen was accused of changing the customs (traditions) Moses had supposedly handed down to them (Acts 6:9-15). That finally led to his being stoned to death for heresy and false teaching.


Speaking of traditions, did you know that the Hebrew text of the Old Testament has certain fixed traditional divisions, pronunciations and modes of public recitation that have been handed down to us. Hebrew was actually the first classical language to have that done to it. These punctuations and divisions are called the Masorah or traditions; from the Hebrew word Masar, 'to hand down.' Some Jewish scholars propose that the nounMasorah is really from the Hebrew verb Asar, 'to bind or fetter,' suggesting that these same detailed instructions about the text are bound to it. They are traditions that must be handed down.


Christians inherited the work done by these Masoretes, who were Aramaic speaking Jews of Babylon and Palestine, living between 700 and 900 A.D.  The work they produced is called the Masoretic text. We have retained these traditional chapters and verses also in our English translations, but they are traditions, not revelation.


Some have considered that some of those traditions may be mistaken and thus lead to a change in the way one might understand a given Bible passage. To get into that, however, will take us far afield in our discussion. Let us rather talk about the Greek New Testament and where the Greek noun for our English word tradition refers to the content of what is transmitted, not merely to the letters, punctuation and acts of transmitting the content.
For instance, Paul starts his letter to the Galatians by saying that he was once extremely zealous for the traditions of his fathers, but that all changed when God called him by his grace and revealed Jesus to him so that he might preach the gospel among the Gentiles (Galatians 1:14). In this context the Apostle is speaking about the things he used to do, like tithing, washing his hands, observing Sabbath, certain festivals and so forth. However, after his conversion, when he got into the mission field, he was concerned not about the outward acts and words themselves, but rather what they conveyed, namely the teachings.


In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul commends them for holding to the teachings, just as he had passed them on (1 Corinthians 11:2). His word for teachings is the same Greek word translated in his other letters as traditions. In this same verse the verb for pass on is the verbal form of the noun translated as either teaching or tradition. In the same chapter Paul says he is handing down or passing on to them what he received from the Lord about the Lord's Supper. A little later Paul uses the same verb when he speaks about how he handed down to them what he received about Christ's death and resurrection. Again, Paul warns the Colossians to beware lest they be cheated through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, rather than the gospel (Colossians 2:8).


The gospel is the good news about Jesus, and that is what is to be handed down. It is the Great Tradition. As we hand down the teachings (traditions) about Jesus, his life, death and resurrection and all that he taught us, the Holy Spirit teaches us to believe in Jesus. Jesus himself promised to send the Spirit of truth, who goes out from the Father. This Spirit, Jesus said, would bring glory to him by taking what is his and making it known to his disciples (John 14-16). Next time I'll tie together all these teachings about tradition and traditions in the Church.