Tradition

Abstract

This chapter deals with the Scripture-Tradition relationship within Eastern Orthodoxy in comparison to the other two branches of Christianity. First, there is “Scripture and Tradition”— as espoused in older Roman Catholic sources. Second, there is “Scripture alone” (sola scriptura), defining Protestantism since the time of Luther. And third, there is the old patristic view, well anchored in the apostolic tradition and shooting its twigs in today’s Eastern Orthodoxy, which might be encapsulated in the phrase, “Scripture (with)in Tradition.” Eastern Orthodoxy emphasizes the centrality of Scripture within the Tradition, while holding a dynamic view on the latter. “Rule of Faith” (regula fidei) as the norm of right interpretation of Scripture was born during the second century. In response to heresies, the early Church appealed to Tradition to uncover the “perspective” (hypothesis) and the “unifying purpose” (skopos) of the Scripture as a whole.