Scripture and Tradition

By Auxentios of Photiki and Chrysostomos II of Cyprus

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0911165045
• ISBN13: 9780911165043
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Center for Traditionalist Orthodox Studies
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.3" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

No Conflict Between Scripture and Tradition.

_Scripture and Tradition_ is a short book containing a series of essays by two "Old Calendarist" Bishops regarding the relationship between the Bible and Church Tradition. The Books contained in the Bible are a compilation of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Deuterocanonical Books and the New Testament. According to tradition, seventy-two elders from Jerusalem translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek for the ruler of Alexandria and the large Jewish community residing there several centuries before Christ. The Greek Bible, known as the Septuagint, (the LXX or "Book of Seventy") later became the official Scripture quoted by the early Church and in the writings of the New Testament. The official canon of the New Testament was not officially formalized until the fourth century, with disputes arising over different books and epistles. A number of books entered the canon of the Septuagint, which were not originally written in Hebrew. These became known as the Deuterocanonical Books, or "Apocrypha" (hidden) to Protestants. The Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Nestorian and Ethiopian Churches all have different versions of the Old Testament, depending on which books are included and excluded. All Churches have the same New Testament except for a small Syrian sect that rejected some of the Catholic (addressed to the Church in general) letters.The authors also write about the concept of Tradition in the Eastern Orthodox Church and how it differs from the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches. The Orthodox take a considerable amount of heat because of their position that the Scripture is essentially the same as Tradition. The canon was formed gradually by the Consensus Patrum or "Mind of the Fathers," divinely guided by the Holy Spirit in the Tradition of Christ's Apostles. Scripture and Tradition are inseparable in the liturgy, theology, teaching, mysticism, and experience of the Eastern Church. If it were not for Tradition teaching the doctrine of the inspiration and infallibility of the Scripture, it would not be held to be the infallible "Word of God" by millions today. The Catholic Church expounds a doctrine of the "magisterium," or teaching authority of the church, given official embodiment as the Roman Pontiff. This is a dangerous position to hold because it fosters a top-down mentality and allows for suspect doctrines to be imposed by Papal mandate on the church. The Protestant doctrine of "sola scriptura" negates Tradition and attempts to set up its own ahistorical theological setup based on personal interpretations of the Bible. Personal interpretation of Scripture is a major factor behind schism and even heresy since the dawn of Christianity. The Bishops cite and examine briefly several major theological writers in Orthodox theological issues including Yannaras, Stephanou, Pomazansky, Galvin, Bulgakov, Bebis, and Florovsky. In conclusion, the Bishops also mention another important point, citing Archiman