Jesus did not write a book. He formed apostles and sent them to preach. Because God wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, He made sure His Revelation would be handed on, complete and alive, to every generation. This handing on is called Tradition, from the Latin tradere, “to hand over.”
Revelation is handed on in two ways, like two streams flowing from one spring:
- Sacred Scripture: the word of God put down in writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
- Sacred Tradition: the living handing on of the apostles' teaching through the Church's life, worship and teaching, including what was never written down.
Tradition came first. The Church preached and celebrated the Eucharist for decades before the New Testament was written, and it was the Church, guided by the Spirit, that recognized which books belong in the Bible. Saint Paul told the Thessalonians to hold fast to the traditions they had been taught, “either by word of mouth or by letter.”
Sacred Tradition, with a capital T, is different from traditions with a small t. Customs such as fish on Fridays, Advent wreaths or particular hymns are good traditions, but they can change. Sacred Tradition, such as the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist or the Trinity, belongs to the deposit of faith and never changes, though the Church's understanding of it deepens over time.
Who interprets Scripture and Tradition? Jesus entrusted that task to the apostles and their successors, the bishops in communion with the Pope. This teaching office is called the Magisterium. It is not above the word of God but serves it, teaching only what has been handed on. Without it, every person would read the Bible their own way, and Christians would split into ever more groups.
Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium work together like the legs of a three-legged stool: take one away and the stool falls over. Together, under the action of the Holy Spirit, they keep the faith of the apostles alive and whole for us today.