| rdfs:comment | - Sacred Tradition or Holy Tradition is a technical theological term used in some Christian traditions, primarily in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox traditions, to refer to the fundamental basis of church authority. The term "deposit of faith" refers to the entirety of Jesus Christ's revelation, and is passed forward to successive generations in two different forms, Sacred Scripture (the Bible) and Sacred Tradition (apostolic succession).
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| abstract | - Sacred Tradition or Holy Tradition is a technical theological term used in some Christian traditions, primarily in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox traditions, to refer to the fundamental basis of church authority. The word "tradition" is taken from the Latin 'trado, tradere' meaning to hand over, to deliver, or to bequeath. The teachings of Scripture are written down in the Bible, and are handed on, not only in writing, but also in the lives of those who live according to its teachings. The teachings of Tradition are not written down, but are lived and are handed on by the lives of those who lived according to its teachings, according to the example of Christ and the Apostles (1 Corinthians 11:2, 2 Thessalonians 2:15). This perpetual handing on of the teachings of Tradition is called a living Tradition; it is the transmission of the teachings of Tradition from one generation to the next. The term "deposit of faith" refers to the entirety of Jesus Christ's revelation, and is passed forward to successive generations in two different forms, Sacred Scripture (the Bible) and Sacred Tradition (apostolic succession). In the theology of these churches, Sacred Scripture, is the written part of this larger tradition, recording (albeit sometimes through the work of individual authors) the community's experience of God or more specifically of Jesus Christ. Hence the Bible must be interpreted within the context of Sacred Tradition and within the community of the church. Sacred Tradition, and thus Sacred Scripture as well, are "inspired," another technical theological term indicating that they contain and communicate the truths of faith and morals God intended to make known for mankind's salvation. This is in contrast to many Protestant traditions, which believe that the Bible alone is a sufficient basis for all Christian teaching (a position known as Sola Scriptura) and that an individual Christian alone can interpret the Bible- and it is always open to interpretation. In the English language, "Sacred Tradition" is more likely to be used in reference to Roman Catholicism and "Holy Tradition" in reference to Eastern Orthodoxy, although the two terms are interchangeable in meaning.
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