Catholic Apologetics on Catholic Truth - Tradition
1. The Catholic Church places human traditions on the same level as Scripture.
St. John, in the last verse of his Gospel, tells us that not all is written in the
Scriptures. The Catholic Church relies upon divinely guaranteed tradition as a source of
doctrine, not upon merely human tradition. This divine tradition is the teaching of
Christ, which He gave orally to the Apostles and which the Apostles handed down in the
Church, although not written in the pages of the New Testament. Christ sent His Apostles to teach all things that He had taught them. St. John says that not all is written in Scripture. If all is to be taught, and all is not written in Scripture, part of Christian doctrine must be elsewhere. Where? St. Paul answers that question clearly in 2 Thessalonians 2:15, "Stand firm, then, brothers, and keep the traditions that we taught you, whether by word of mouth or by letter." and also in 2 Timothy 1:13, "Keep as your pattern the sound teaching you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." All Christians from the very beginning believed that Christian revelation was contained not only in Scripture, but also in tradition. Acts 2:42 says "These remained faithful to the teaching of the Apostles". Those who refuse tradition no longer have the complete doctrine of Christ.
2. In John 5:39 Christ clearly gave us the command to search the Scriptures.
Jesus said this as a retort, not a command. You cannot turn a particular rebuke into a
universal law. If this were a universal law it would have been impossible to fulfill by
the vast majority during the 14 centuries prior to the invention of the printing press. Look at the context. The Jews, who boasted of their fidelity to the Mosaic Law, would not believe in Christ (much like Protestants refuse to believe in the Catholic Church, which is the Body of Christ). Christ challenged them to "study the Scriptures, believing that in them you have eternal life; now these same Scriptures testify to me, and yet you refuse to come to me for life!" And even if this were a direct command to search Scripture it doesn't say anything about ignoring Tradition.
3. The Catholic Church speaks of its authority and the weight of tradition, but I have been taught that Scripture is the only rule of faith.
Unfortunately you have been taught wrongly. As mentioned before, the last verse of St. John's Gospel tells us that not all concerning our Lord's work is contained in Scripture (see number 1). St. Paul tells us repeatedly that many may be able to cite hundreds of texts yet not know Christian doctrine (such as those who quote Scripture in an attempt to discredit Catholic doctrine). Scripture tells us very clearly that the Catholic Church, that Church which Christ sent to teach all nations and which He commanded men to hear and obey, is the rule of faith. Anyone who believes that Scripture is their only guide ends by believing in their own mistaken interpretations of the Bible, and that means they end by believing in themselves. The following is taken from "Where is that in the Bible" by Patrick Madrid:
Let's say someone wrote these words 100 years ago:
I never said you stole money.
Anyone you asked would say they understood the meaning of that short, six word sentence. But do they? Do they really understand what meaning the writer intended 100 years ago?
The writer of that sentence might have meant "I never said you stole money", implying someone else said it.
Or perhaps he meant "I never said you stole money." He thought it, he suspected it, but he never said it.
Or maybe "I never said you stole money." He said your neighbor stole it.
Or, "I never said you stole money." He means that you lost it, or squandered it, or did something else with it that he didn't approve of, but you didn't steal it.
Or, "I never said you stole money." Maybe you stole his horse, or shoes, not his money.
This shows how easy it is to derive several legitimate but very different meanings from this short, six word sentence. Think how easily the Bible can be misinterpreted. We can't just assume we have the correct understanding of Scripture. We need an authority to guide us, and the only true authority on the Bible is the Catholic Church.
4. Acts 17:11 says the early Christians searched the scriptures daily.
This is true. They first received the true doctrine from the teaching Church, and then merely checked it in the Scriptures. That is the corrrect procedure, and Catholics today should do the same. But the Protestant way is not to be taught by the Church and then verify, but to try to make out your own religion from the Bible with an untrained mind and by private interpretation, which Scripture itself forbids.
5. St. Peter, in 1 Peter 1:18, condemns tradition: "You were not redeemed by your vain
coversation of the tradition of your fathers."
Read it again carefully. This is not a condemnation of Christian traditions, but of doctrines held by those to whom St. Peter wrote which were handed on to them by merely human traditions from their fathers. Our Lord Himself comdemned these same traditions in Matthew 15:3.
6. The Catholic Church keeps insisting not only upon tradition, but also upon its teaching
authority. Why follow her interpretations?
Because we cannot safely follow the interpretations given by anyone else. All guides except the Catholic Church confess to be fallible. The Catholic Church alone claims infallibility and can prove her claim. Catholics prefer to follow so sure a guide.
7. 2 Timothy 3:16 says "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for intruction in righteousness."
This is very true, but this does not discredit tradition. It does not say "...and it
alone is profitable for doctrine...". Read 2 Timothy 1:13 "Keep as your pattern the sound teaching you have heard from me..." Teachings that are passed on by word of mouth are also known as traditions.
8. In Matthew 15:3 Jesus says "Why do you transgress the commandment of God for your tradition?" And later in Matthew 15:6-9 "Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."
Jesus called this their tradition. He was condemning their erroneous and merely human tradition, not the right tradition to which, according to St. Paul, we must hold fast. These texts, and the corresponding texts in Mark 7:8-9 and 13, are quoted merely because they contain the word "tradition", without any appreciation of its true sense. If you read Scripture carefully and honestly you will find that all Scripture texts that speak against tradition are speaking against merely human traditions. The traditions of the Catholic Church are not merely human, they came from Christ Himself.
SOURCES
Jerusalem Bible
Catholic Dictionary
Handbook of Christian Apologetics
Bible Quizzes to a Street Preacher
True Church Quizzes to a Street Preacher
Where Is That In The Bible, by Patrick Madrid