Why Biblically-sound Theology Matters: Sacred Scripture + Sacred Tradition

Many academic scholars, theologians and religious laity alike have surmised that the Gospel of Mark is the earliest Gospel to be written of the Big Four, possibly dating from anywhere shortly after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem (circa 70 A.D.) to as early back as 55 A.D (anywhere from between 54-56 A.D., to be more exact)., a mere 22 years after the Death, Resurrection and Heavenly Ascension of Our Lord.

So for at least 22 years between the Messiah’s reunion with Our Father in Heaven and the completed written papyrus of Mark’s Gospel, there had been no inscribed Sacred Scripture to be used by the disciples of the Son of Man to preach the Good News/Saving Grace (Who is Christ Jesus) to all who are willing and desperate to receive of Him.

So how is it then that the Apostles were nevertheless still able to preach (about) the Word of God Himself to men and women, Gentiles and Jews alike, without having in their possession, well, the written Word of God? (or more specifically, manuscripts of the New Testament)

Why, it was through oral/Sacred Tradition of course!

Jesus had commanded that those who hear the teachings of Christ via the mouths of the Apostles hears Him, and those who reject their words reject Him (Gospel of Saint Luke the Evangelist, 10:16) – “for faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). Saint Paul reaffirms this by in his letter/epistle to the Thessalonians, whereby when one receives the Word of God which (s)he had heard from the apostles, (s)he accepts it as not merely the words of that which had been uttered by mere mortal men, but the unfiltered and unadulterated Word of God.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

Saint Paul went on to further instruct the faithful in Christ Jesus to ‘hold fast the form of sound words which had been heard from his lips, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus’, (2 Timothy 1:13) and to spread word of said teachings of Christ to all who are willing to hear of them and receive Him in the manner of oral tradition (2 Timothy 2:2). Saint Paul also wrote that either via his or the verbal preaching of other apostles, the Corinthians were nevertheless delivered from their sins and transgressions in the same manner that he (Paul) was delivered as well (1 Corinthians 15:3, 11).

One may counter then at this point, that what Saint Paul was actually conveying in his letters/epistles to Timothy and to the Romans was merely in relation to the oral/verbal expression and conveyance of all that would later be inscribed into Sacred Scripture/New Testament, and not Tradition in addition to what was written in the Bible which handed down generations upon generation orally.

However, a closer inspection as to the other writings of Saint Paul clearly indicate that he (Paul) was explicitly referring Sacred Tradition which lie outside the purview of that of the written Word of God; traditions which Sacred Scripture had made no mention of, but nonetheless are of equal significance and Biblical authority as that of the latter.

Look no further than to Saint Paul’s second letter/epistle to the Thessalonians, where he had commanded the aforementioned faithful to ‘keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that they received from the apostles themselves’ (2 Thessalonians 3:6) and to ‘stand fast and hold the traditions which they had been taught, whether by word (of mouth) or epistle’ (2 Thessalonians 2:15). Or one could turn to his first letter/epistle to the people of Corinth, whereby they were praised by Saint Paul for their remembrance of him in all things and for keeping the ordinances/traditions that had been delivered to them by him (1 Corinthians 11:2)

Moreover, we know from John’s Gospel that not all manner of things (including what He had taught and ministered unto the Apostles) had been written down, for ‘the world itself could not contain the books that would be written’ of all of His sayings and doings (Gospel of Saint John the Evangelist, 21:25).

Thus, with infallible and inerrant Sacred Scripture on one hand complemented with the sanctified and consecrated Sacred Tradition on the other, how then should we as fellow adopted children of God and brethren-in-Christ proceed about rightly interpreting the former in perfect harmony and synchronicity with the latter? Correspondingly, how can the latter be put into practice/exercised in accordance with the former without even remotely bordering close to the realm of objectively incompatible and abominable heretical and blasphemous beliefs?

While we can pray and call upon the Holy Spirit of the Lord our God within and/or to be breathed onto us to aid in illuminating and enlightening our comprehension of the written Word, to whom else shall we similarly turn to have our understanding of oral traditions be rendered crystal clear?

This, my fellow brothers and sisters, is precisely where (and when) the need for a Magisterium arises and comes into play.

The Magisterium is none other than the ‘church/house of the living God’ which is the ‘pillar and ground of the truth’ (1 Timothy 3:15) and which comprises of those commanded by Our Lord (prior to His Ascension) to teach and minister unto all nations; to baptize them ‘in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit/Ghost’, and to have them ‘observe all things whatsoever which had been commanded unto the Apostles by Christ’ (Gospel of Saint Matthew the Evangelist, 28:19-20).

The Magisterium is the Church which is ‘built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ Himself being its chief corner stone’ (Ephesians 2:20). It is a church headed by one who has been handed ‘the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven’ by the Lord Himself (Gospel of Saint Matthew the Evangelist, 16:18); the earthly shepherd who tends to the spiritual needs of the sheep (Gospel of Saint John the Evangelist, 21:15-17, 1 Peter 5:1-4) in place of the Good Shepherd (Gospel of Saint John the Evangelist, 10:16).

The Magisterium is the Church founded by Christ which had been entrusted unto the care of Saint Peter; a church which continues to live on by means of apostolic succession as the gates of Hell itself could not prevail against it (Gospel of Saint Matthew the Evangelist, 16:18).

Hence then brethren, do ask of yourselves as to which of these institutions among all who profess to be His Bride and Body, fit the aforementioned descriptions of a Church which actively aims to bring forth all nations under one all-encompassing universal fold headed by an earthly shepherd in the stead of the Good Shepherd; the Biblical precedent for the powers and authorities possessed by said earthly shepherd being traced all the way back to Saint Peter?