In article , Gary says...
>
>
>"Stephen M. Adams" wrote in message
>news:180.19.13.05.754040000@srcbs.org...

>> Except that the Scripture itself says that the *oral* teachings are
>> not only valid, but gives them primacy AND insists that they be passed
>> on. THAT is what Holy Tradition is (in brief, anyway).
>>
>
>The dawn has come!
>
>What Matthew and Steve are saying is that ORAL teachings are
>primary [they have the PRIMACY], (by them only can the
>written Scripture be understood correctly), and further
>(what just dawned on me) is that this ORAL
>teaching (only by which a correct understanding of the rest of
>Scripture is possible) are the "Holy Tradition" which is found ONLY
>in the Orthodox Church!

I think Steve was getting a little carried away by the rhetoric in the thread
and compressed his thought too briefly. But of course, he will have to speak for
himself.

But what I do distinctly remember Bishop Kallistos Ware saying (somewhere in one
of his books, I can't remember which) is that Holy Tradition is BOTH written AND
oral. And this is only to be expected, since what is now written was formerly
available only in oral teaching. It is only as time went on that these things
progressively came to be recorded.


>Boy have I been dense!

Confession is good for the soul, isn't it?

>Thus the ONLY way to understand the Scripture correctly is to
>submit to the Orthodox Church and their teachings.

That part is absolutely correct.

>I presume that Steve and Matthew will correct me if I have
>come to a wrong conclusion on this matter.

On your final conclusion, that one must submit to the Orthodox Church to
understand Scripture correctly, you are correct. As one of the Western Fathers
said, "you cannot have God for your Father unless you have the Church for your
mother".

But don't think it stops there. A full and correct understanding of Scripture
will not magically land on you the moment you join the Church. It will only come
as the fruit of long ascetic effort. That is why, alas, even from people who
have been in the Orthodox Church for a long time you will hear some very
doubtful interpretations of Scripture.

Now to reconcile what Ware says with what Steve said, I suggest that you
consider Steve's words about 'primacy' to apply to what _Scripture_ says about
the Tradition _at that time_. For at that time, the Tradition really was
predominantly oral. Why, the New Testament was still being written. But don't
apply it without modification to today, when so much more has been written down.

But again, Steve will have to speak for himself.


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