The Tradition of Scripture

I'd wager the average Evangelical Protestant knows the content of his or her Bible far, far better than do John or Mary Catholic. Why is this (the former), & why is this (the latter)?

Well, from my Catholic point of view, besides general acceptance of the doctrine of the Trinity espoused in the Apostle's Creed, the biggest piece of vestigae ecclesia that Protestants retain is the Scriptures, or rather, some of the Scriptures. Unfortunately, Jesus did not establish a list of writings to ensure his teaching abides among his followers, but he did establish a Church. This Church, then, accepted what had been handed on to them in the way of sacred writings of the Old Covenant, & proceeded to write additional material & collect various apostolic letters to form the sacred writings of the New Covenant.

Why I am I writing this? Well, it's vitally important to know & understand that 1) the Church preached the Gospel & established churches throughout the Near East & the Mediterranean basin long before any New Testament writings were penned, & 2) the New Testament writings were written by the Church for the Church.

Taken these 2 ideas together, we can say that the Bible contains the Gospel, but the Gospel is not wholly contained in or constrained by the Bible. It is a part of what was handed on "either by word or by letter." You may know that "to hand on" in Latin is "tradere", from which we have the word "tradition". It also means that the apostolic preachers & their successors passed on everything they had received, some of which they later found useful to put into written form. Being from the start a missionary faith, Christians prefered the small-format codex to keep the Scriptures portable, rather than the large scrolls that resided in synagogues. It also fit the nature of their somewhat secretive character in the early days, especially when persecutions were rampant.

My point is that the fullness of the Faith resides in sacred Tradition, received from Christ by the Apostles & handed on to their successors. Sadly, in rejecting Holy Mother Church, Protestants have sawn off the branch on which they sit from the tree. While I do not doubt their zeal, sincerity, or even their desire for truth & love for the Lord, what I do doubt is any particular interpretation of any particular group or person, & the doctrinal & ministerial positions that arise from them. Protestants cling to the letter of Scripture, repeating & memorizing, but without any way of knowing whether an interpretation is valid or inspired, or if it is simply human. To paraphrase then-Cardinal Ratzinger, we must not imprison the Word of God in the text.

The Scriptures are fantastically varied & complex, as you would expect of a document assembled piece by piece by various groups over a period of about 1,300 years. Can anyone now really just pick up a Bible, read it cover to cover, & have a clear & full understanding of everything it contains? Well, I imagine such a person would gain a great deal, but more than likely, would come away with far more questions than answers. And what if more than one meaning arises, either in the same inquisitor or among different parties? Further, why would one believe anything written in the Bible if it had either no idea or a faulty idea of how the Scriptures came to be in the first place, what they were intended for.

The Church, in her divinely-guided wisdom, reserves to herself the judgment on what are appropriate interpretations of Scripture & which are not. Those holding the office of discernment don't do this arbitrarily according to their own wishes, but look deep into the Tradition - what the Fathers, Doctors, Councils, saints, popes, & theologians have proposed throughout the ages & what the Spirit of God may be whispering to the Church now. She reflects on her own practice of worship. She prays for the guidance of the Spirit that was promised her. Here she finds the meanings; everything else is just some man's opinion. It is only within the bosom of the Church that anyone can ever hope to find these truths of Scripture, as well. One cannot claim to know & love Christ whilst kicking his beloved bride in the teeth.

Still, the Church has always realized that Tradition lives. It works itself out in the life of the Church, in the lives of the faithful, & on the battlefields where souls are won & lost. She can never know the entirety of the meanings of Scripture, because as the Word of God, it is beyond the view permitted her by God. Still, she recognizes the Truth when she sees him, as surely as a bride knows her groom.

So, the Church continues to ponder the Scriptures & is continuously taught by her Lord. What she learns, she puts into practice. The Church feeds her faithful through both the Word & the sacraments, ultimately with the Body & Blood of the Lord Jesus himself in the Eucharist. Everything necessary for salvation is contained here. She is not hoarding the treasures of the Scriptures, but reveals them throughout the liturgy on behalf of the faithful. The Church knows the power of the Bible, & how easily human pride can twist its writings to one's own destruction & that of others. It is a not gift to be cheaply & carelessly strewn about, but lovingly & carefully revealed. This is why Catholics often do not know the Bible well, but can know the Faith very well. They hear vast swaths of the Scriptures proclaimed throughout their lifetimes in the Church's liturgy, with - God willing - faithful exposition of them by the Church's ministers leading them deeper into God's truth, leading them toward holiness & salvation.

Yes, individuals both laos & cleros may study the Scriptures & related topics to uncover amazing things - the Church strongly encourages this - but it can only be fruitfully done within the bosom of the Church, according its precepts & in its own time. I believe it was St. Pope Pius X that said that Catholics did not need to study the Bible, because everything needed for salvation was to found in the Church, though he added that it may be beneficial to do so. Nevertheless, it is an exercise of our baptismal office to ponder the Word of God in prayer in order to become more like him & to bring others to him, as well.

I sincerely hope that one day all faithful Catholics will well know the Scriptures & that our Protestant brothers will quit their protest & return to the arms of the Church, for ultimately in denying her, they only protest Christ himself. In order to guide the faithful in the right understanding of the Scriptures, the Pontifical Bible Commission periodically meets to inquire into some aspect of the Scriptures, often selecting topics that cut to the root of thorny issues that separate the Church from other Christian groups. The current topic is: Inspiration & Truth of the Bible. I look forward with great anticipation to the publishing of the findings.