Oral Tradition Is Not Divine Revelation

[kafka]

Oral tradition is not a Divine Revelation, it is rather one of many means of transmitting Divine Revelation.

What is Divine Revelation? Dei Verbum, n. 2:

"This plan of revelation is realized by deeds and words having in inner unity: the deeds wrought by God in the history of salvation manifest and confirm the teaching and realities signified by the words, while the words proclaim the deeds and clarify the mystery contained in them."

Divine Revelation is the deeds wrought by God in salvation history and the words written by God with the help of men. So Divine Revelation is basically summed up as everything God does and says (in the form of writing) in the world. What God says in the form of writing signifies, reflects, clarifies and further expresses what God does. The deeds wrought by God are unwritten truths of Divine Revelation, which I think is the proper name for Sacred Tradition. The words written by God are truths expressed in the form of writing under God's inspiration with the help of men, which we call Sacred Scripture.

The truths of God's deeds and words are transmitted from generation to generation primarily by means of the deeds of countless Catholic Christians, and secondarily by the words (oral and written) of countless Catholic Christians. The transmission of Divine Revelation is a reflection of the twofold distinction of how God reveals Himself.

Take the example of Jesus Christ establishing Peter as Head of the Church. We believe that Jesus is God and that he did something unique, namely made Peter the first Pope, and Head of his Body the Church, on earth. This is further expressed and clarified in the Gospel of Matthew:

{16:18} And I say to you, that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.

Matthew wrote the Gospel some years after Jesus ascended into Heaven, so how was the reality of this deed of Christ passed down before Matthew under the inspiration of God recorded this event? It was primarily passed down by the example or deeds of the early Christians who believed Jesus made Peter the Head. The early Christians allowed themselves to be lead by Peter. They treated Peter as the leader. These are acts of the early Christians and this was the primary way in which the truth of the Papacy was transmitted. Secondarily, the early Christians taught others orally and in written form, that Jesus made Peter the Head of the Church on earth. And this twofold transmission of Catholics being led by the Pope and telling other that the Pope is Peter's successor is continaully being transmitted by millions and millions of Catholics through the years to this very day.

Yet without the act of Jesus establishing Peter as the Head, the tranmission of this truth would have no meaning whatsoever, the transmission would not even exist, therefore the example and words (oral and written) of Catholics is not the actual Divine Revelation, it is rather distinct, it is of a different nature in relation with the deed of Jesus. It is a means of transmitting the deed of Jesus. The transmission is based in the Divine Revelation; it is not the Divine Revelation itself.

The Gospel of Matthew and all New Testament writings were unique in the sense that they were written transmissions of the life and works of Jesus and other Divine events of the early Church (e.g. Pentecost), under the inspiration of God. The writings of the New Testament authors were inspired by God, therefore these unique writings transcend from a tranmission common to all Christians, to a Divine Revelation. The nature of these writings are transfigured to a Divine Revelation by virtue of inspiration, therefore they are in one sense transmissions, while in a fuller sense they are a Divine Revelation, we call Sacred Scripture, the second font of Divine Revelation, the second pillar of truth for the holy Catholic Church.

So a Protestant who rejects the Papacy is not rejecting oral tradition, he is rejecting what God did as well as what God said in written form about what He did, (establish a head for the Church). The act of Faith is ordered toward God, who is the doer and writer of Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, not the transmission of what God does and says, by means of what men do and say. The act of Faith cannot be ordered toward a means, it is ordered toward the ultimate end, God, who does and says in the One Divine Eternal Act which He is.

Protestants reject the transmission of the truth of the Papacy by extension. If they cooperated with grace and believed Jesus made the Papacy, they would as a consequence, accept the transmission of the truth of the Papacy, and begin transmitting it themselves.

Divine Revelation:

Sacred Tradition, what God does, the deeds wrought by God in salvation history.
Sacred Scripture, what God says, the words written by God with the help of men by virtue of the unique gift of inspiration.

Transmission of Divine Revelation, also known as Living Tradition and Living Scripture: the countless deeds and words (oral and written) of all Catholic Christians or any men of any religion, of all times, which authentically express the truths of God's deeds and words. For example:

"the imitation of Christ by the Apostles, Mary, the first disciples, and the early Church
the imitation of Christ by any and all persons and groups throughout Church history
the words, written and spoken, of early Church fathers and the example of their lives
the words and examples of the Saints, Blesseds, and Venerables
the words and examples of the Popes, Bishops, priests, deacons, religious, and martyrs
the use of the Magisterium to keep the truths of the faith from error, omission, and imperfection
a parent who teaches the faith to a child
a teacher who teaches the faith to a student
a person who acts with true mercy toward another person
acts of true self-sacrifice, which are humble reflections of Christ on the Cross
acts of true spiritual love, faith, and hope, as well as the other virtues
a Protestant who reads the Bible and then puts it into practice in their life
a Catholic who accepts the teaching of the Magisterium and acts accordingly
a Jew who continues to live according to the teachings of Old Testament times
a Muslim who prays five times a day because he continues to believe in the one true God
an atheist who, despite lack of belief in God, lives a live of true love for others
a heretic who, despite a lack of the fullness of faith, suffers persecution for the faith
a schismatic who, despite unwisely breaking away from the Church, continues to live the faith
an author or speaker who clarifies the teachings of the faith, so that persons can live more like Christ" (list taken from Conte, New Insights into Sacred Tradition)

Edited November 6, 2010 by kafka

[kafka]

edited a few times for the sake of clarity.