Sacred Tradition (Ref Navarre Bible)

(Ref: Navarre Bible Thessalonians and the Pastoral Epistles)


Protestant: Everything outside the Bible is a lie. Trash.

Catholic: Is it? To find out, let’s go to Timothy. Paul addressed the letter to Timothy in Timothy’s capacity as the minister of the Christian church in Ephesus. Ephesus was a fairly well- established church , but one that was beset with difficulties typical of a young church, chiefly, the teachings being spread by certain teachers. These false teachers seem to have been Jewish Christians retaining their Jewish biases.

Like Titus in Crete, Paul thinks that Timothy has to be forewarned, to ensure that the correct teaching be strictly preserved and adhered to. These “myths,” of which Paul speaks against, are probably legends about patriarchs and other Biblical heroes, and “genealogies” genealogies popular in certain rabbinical schools.

In 1 Tim 6:20 Paul implores Timothy: “O Timothy guard what has been entrusted to you .” The Greek word Paul uses and which translates to “what has been entrusted to you” is “paratheke,” meaning “deposit.”

In Roman law, a “deposit” was something entrusted to someone who was then obligated to protect it so that the same might be returned to its owner on demand; usually, it concerns a deposit of money or some other form of property.
So we now ask: what was this “deposit” that Paul was so concerned about? Was it money? Property?

2 Tim 1:8-14 tells us what this “deposit” is: it is the body of doctrine concerning the teaching s of Christ handed down from Christ to the Apostles, and tightly guarded by them to preserve its integrity. It’s the Gospel, the Good News of which you’re so jubilant about ( v. 8, v.11), the truth that no less than the Holy Spirit has entrusted (v.14).

Paul might be thought of as saying it this way: “He himself who has entrusted the deposit to me knows how to keep it intact. I suffer as may be to ensure that this treasure is not snatched away from me. I do not try to escape whatever evils I have to undergo; I am happy as long as the deposit is intact.”

[ It seems Paul is concerned that his being in prison might result in a slackening of Christian fervor for the truth.]

Thes 3:6 confirms this, but refers to it as “tradition”: Christian teaching Paul himself received and which he preached to others. Paul speaks of it again in 1 Cor 11:23: “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you. . .”. And yet again in 1 Cor 15:1-3: “ Now I would remind you, brethren, in what terms I preached to you the gospel, which you received, on which you stand, by which you are saved , if you hold it fast, UNLESS YOU BELIEVED IN VAIN [emphasis mine]. For I delivered to you as of first importance, what I also received . . .”

Protestants would probably chorus: “But of course, all these verses speak of what I have been talking about all along—Bible alone.”

Well, maybe, except that 2 Thes 2:15 is very clear: “So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth [emphasis mine] or by letter.” The Bible would easily pass the “letter” half, but it will not pass the “word of mouth” half. Only Sacred Tradition will.

Let me leave Protestants this question: What, according to Paul, is the pillar and bulwark of the truth? Is it the Bible? Sorry, but it’s the Church (1 Tim 3:15), the same Church which is telling you now about the Sacred Tradition which you scoff at.