Sacred Tradition Interpreting Scripture, Is all Tradition and Religion bad?

Sacred Tradition and the Interpretation of Scripture 

There is a pattern in this blog to quote the earliest Christian writings of the Church Fathers/Early Church Councils and then the Scriptures.  There is a reason for doing this, to provide the theological lens that is closest to Christ and His Apostles and what the Catholic, Orthodox, some Anglican, Coptic Churches, and Apostolic Churches still believe and teach after 2000 years.  Scripture was birthed from the Sacred Tradition of the Early Church Fathers, Biblical authors,  and Early Church Councils, not traditions of men.  We wouldn't have the Bible without the Lord's hand and these components.

Repeatedly throughout this blog, I remind  the reader that the theological lens of the Early Church was essentially united in doctrine for the first 1500 years, and the same is still true today within Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism and between the two essentially.  There were certainly disagreements in the Early Church, but the first 800 years agreed enough to write (before 400 AD), canonize the Bible, and then establish Church doctrine (by 800 AD) with God's Divine guidance.  The large range of beliefs we see in the many Protestant denominations and Churches we have today historically stem from the wide varying views of the Protestant Reformers who sharply disagreed and parted ways over their disagreements in many cases.  This was not true of the the Church Fathers who still disagreed some but were required to come together in unity and mind which Scripture itself tells us to do.  

After returning to Anglicanism, I realized that there was too much in the Bible left up to my own interpretation without the interpretation of those collectively who wrote and canonized the Bible with God's help over centuries. This is what lead to my search of the Church Fathers as a whole and ultimately to my conversion to Catholicism through the Anglican Ordinariate; I needed answers for the great mysteries of Biblical doctrine that I had been trying to understand on my own for years. Under the upcoming section of Primacy of Peter and Protestant dialogue, we will explore this in greater detail and why the Pope cannot change the Church's teaching on essential matters, especially without the Magisterium.   There are dogmas in the Roman Catholic Church that can never be changed.
  
Please note that I appreciate many good things out of Protestantism like the entire Graham family and certain ministry efforts, but as far as the interpretation of the more difficult Biblical passages, I needed help to understand Scripture that didn't come from my own theological lens or a modern-day  theologian who might disagree with another modern-day theologian.   The various Protestant denominations as a whole are primarily in disagreement over what the Bible says and why there are so many equaling 30,000.  When I realized that the Bible itself tells me not to interpret Scripture for myself, that is when I surrendered my own will to the teachings of the Church Fathers which are the foundation of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church.  Since the two haven't changed their teachings much in 2000 years, and Scripture was packaged by them together, I figured that they by the authority of the Church Fathers have right to interpret the Bible, not me. Thankfully, the Roman Catholic Church has a special place for Anglicans as they did historically.  

Is all tradition and religion bad or only man-made, or are there some traditions and religion God commands us to follow? Is one meant to totally interpret Scripture by his/herself?  I have found in my five -year study of the Early Church, it is impossible to understand the revelation of Scripture without historical context/Sacred Tradition, especially coming from two very different Church backgrounds, Episcopalian/Anglican and Baptist.   

Jesus did not hand His apostles a closed cannon of Scripture right before He ascended into Heaven.    Jesus gave His Apostles the authority to start the Church.

Please watch the Origin of the Bible if you haven't already by Dr. Brant Pitre, a Catholic Bible scholar.  Although the books of the Apocrypha were debated, they were always in the Bible and even part of Martin Luther's Bible. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k0UV2Zi5X0&t=72s

Do Scripture and Sacred Tradition ever conflict?--Catholic Answers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9DXRIwB_Ks

   

                         ----Quotes from a small fraction of the Early Church Fathers and Councils----

Justin Martyr [103-176] First Apology Ch 10

But we have received by tradition that God does not need the material offerings which men can give, seeing, indeed, that He Himself is the provider of all things.

Irenaeus of Lyons Against Heresies Book 5 ch 20.1 (120-180 ad)
But the path of those belonging to the Church circumscribes the whole world, as possessing the sure tradition from the apostles.

Irenaeus of Lyons Against Heresies Book 3 ch 21.3 (120-180 ad)
for our Lord was been about the forty-first year of the reign of Augustus; but Ptolemy was much earlier, under whom the Scriptures were interpreted; -- [since these things are so, I say,] truly these men are proved to be impudent and presumptuous, who would now show a desire to make different translations, when we refute them out of these Scriptures, and shut them up to a belief in the advent of the Son of God. But our faith is stedfast, unfeigned, and the only true one, having clear proof from these Scriptures, which were interpreted in the way I have related; and the preaching of the Church is without interpolation. For the apostles, since they are of more ancient date than all these [heretics], agree with this aforesaid translation; and the translation harmonizes with the tradition of the apostles. For Peter, and John, and Matthew, and Paul, and the rest successively, as well as their followers, did set forth all prophetical

Irenaeus of Lyons Book 2 ch 9 (120-180 ad)
For even creation reveals Him who formed it, and the very work made suggests Him who made it, and the world manifests Him who ordered it. The Catholic Church, moreover, through the whole world, has received this tradition from the apostles.

Irenaeus of Lyons Adversus Haereses Book III Ch 2.2 [120-180 AD]
 But, again, when we refer them to that tradition which originates from the apostles, [and] which is preserved by means of the succession of presbyters in the Churches, they object to tradition, saying that they themselves are wiser not merely than the presbyters, but even than the apostles, because they have discovered the unadulterated truth. 

Irenaeus of Lyons Adversus Haereses book 3 ch 3.3 [120-180 AD]
….Church founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul; as also means of the successions of the bishops. For it is a matter of necessity that every Church should agree with this Church, on account of its preeminent authority -- that is, the faithful everywhere -- inasmuch as the Apostolic Tradition has been preserved continuously by those who are everywhere. The blessed apostles, then, having founded and built up the Church, committed into the hands of Linus the office of the episcopate. Of this Linus, Paul makes mention in the Epistles to Timothy. To him succeeded Anacletus; and after him, in the third place from the apostles, Clement was allotted the bishopric.…To this Clement there succeeded Evaristus. Alexander followed Evaristus; then, sixth from the apostles, Sixtus was appointed; after him, Telephorus, who was gloriously martyred; then Hyginus; after him, Pius; then after him, Anicetus. Sorer having succeeded Anicetus, Eleutherius does now, in the twelfth place from the apostles, hold the inheritance of the episcopate. In this order, and by this succession, the ecclesiastical tradition from the apostles, and the preaching of the truth, have come down to us. 

Irenaeus of Lyons Adversus Haereses Book III Ch 4.1-2 [120-180 AD]
The truth is to be found nowhere else but in the Catholic Church, the sole depository of apostolical doctrine. Heresies are of recent formation, and cannot trace their origin up to the apostles.
"That is why it is surely necessary to avoid them [heretics], while cherishing with the utmost diligence the things pertaining to the Church, and to lay hold of the tradition of truth. . . . What if the apostles had not in fact left writings to us? Would it not be necessary to follow the order of tradition, which was handed down to those to whom they entrusted the churches?" (ibid., 3:4:1).  2. To which course many nations of those barbarians who believe in Christ do assent, having salvation written in their hearts by the Spirit, without paper or ink, and, carefully preserving the ancient tradition, believing in one God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and all things therein, by means of Christ Jesus, the Son of God; who, because of His surpassing love towards His creation, condescended to be born of the virgin, He Himself uniting man through Himself to God, and having suffered under Pontius Pilate, and rising again, and having been received up in splendour, shall come in glory, the Saviour of those who are saved, and the Judge of those who are judged, and sending into eternal fire those who transform the truth, and despise His Father and His advent. Those who, in the absence of written documents, have believed this faith, are barbarians, so far as regards our language; but as regards doctrine, manner, and tenor of life, they are, because of faith, very wise indeed; and they do please God, ordering their conversation in all righteousness, chastity, and wisdom. If any one were to preach to these men the inventions of the heretics, speaking to them in their own language, they would at once stop their ears, and flee as far off as possible, not enduring even to listen to the blasphemous address. Thus, by means of that ancient tradition of the apostles, they do not suffer their mind to conceive anything of the [doctrines suggested by the] portentous language of these teachers, among whom neither Church nor doctrine has ever been established. 

Tertullian Prescription Against Heretics ch 21 (160- 240 ad)
All doctrine true which comes through the Church from the apostles, who were taught by God through Christ. All opinion which has no such divine origin and apostolic tradition to show, is ipso facto false. From this, therefore, do we draw up our rule. Since the Lord Jesus Christ sent the apostles to preach, (our rule is) that no others ought to be received as preachers than those whom Christ appointed; for "no man knoweth the Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him." Nor does the Son seem to have revealed Him to any other than the apostles, whom He sent forth to preach--that, of course, which He revealed to them. Now, what that was which they preached--in other words, what it was which Christ revealed to them--can, as I must here likewise prescribe, properly be proved in no other way than by those very churches which the apostles rounded in person, by declaring the gospel to them directly themselves, both rivet race, as the phrase is, and subsequently by their epistles. If, then, these things are so, it is in the same degree manifest that all doctrine which agrees with the apostolic churches--those moulds and original sources of the faith must be reckoned for truth, as undoubtedly containing that which the (said) churches received from the apostles, the apostles from Christ, Christ from God. Whereas all doctrine must be prejudged as false which savours of contrariety to the truth of the churches and apostles of Christ and God. It remains, then, that we demonstrate whether this doctrine of ours, of which we have now given the rule, has its origin in the tradition of the apostles, and whether all other doctrines do not ipso facto proceed from falsehood. We hold communion with the apostolic churches because our doctrine is in no respect different from theirs. This is our witness of truth.

Cyprian of Carthage epistle 62 par 1 (200-270ad) 
Although I know, dearest brother, that very many of the bishops who are set over the churches of the Lord by divine condescension, throughout the whole world, maintain the plan of evangelical truth, and of the tradition of the Lord, and do not by human and novel institution depart from that which Christ our Master both prescribed and did; yet since some, either by ignorance or simplicity in sanctifying the cup of the Lord, and in ministering to the people, do not do that which Jesus Christ, our Lord and God, the founder and teacher of this sacrifice, did and taught.

Novatian Treatise Concerning the Trinity ch 30 (220- 270ad)
But because heretics, ever struggling against the truth, are accustomed to prolong the controversy of pure tradition and Catholic faith, being offended against Christ; because He is, moreover, asserted to be God by the Scriptures also, and this is believed to be so by us; we must rightly--that every heretical calumny may be removed from our faith--contend, concerning the fact that Christ is God also.

2 Thessalonians 2:14-16  (ESV)

¹⁴ To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵ So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

1 Corinthians 11:1-4  (ESV)

11 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

2 Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. 3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife[a] is her husband,[b] and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head.

2 Thessalonians 3:3-8

6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you.

John 21:24-28

24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. 25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

2 Peter 1:20-21

20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 3:16-18

There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.

                                           



a video about "Sola Scriptura" from a Catholic perspective
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g72zamBPFk

Catechism of the Catholic Church on Aspotolic/Sacred Tradition
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s1c2a2.htm 

Orthodox view of Apostolic/Sacred Tradition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMIdVntKr8c