Tradition

Dictionary of Biblical Words:

This was very plentiful among the Jews, the written law being supplemented by the oral (or spoken) law, which consisted in the tradition of the elders handed down from generation to generation. It often made the word of God void by limiting it or adding to it. This the Lord pointed out again and again Matt. 15, Mark 7). It is to be feared that even now tradition and the law of precedent has not wholly ceased to govern and guide the church of God, instead of the word alone.

Concise Bible Dictionary:

This may be described as that which is handed down as oral teaching. It may be from God, as in 2 Thessalonians 2:1515Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. (2 Thessalonians 2:15); 2 Thessalonians 3:66Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. (2 Thessalonians 3:6); and 1 Corinthians 11:22Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. (1 Corinthians 11:2) (where it is translated “ordinance”), instruction handed down before the word of God was complete. Or it may be from man, as was the tradition of the elders of Israel, which was strongly denounced by the Lord, and declared to be a subverting of the commandments of God (Matt. 15:2-62Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. 3But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? 4For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. 5But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; 6And honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. (Matthew 15:2‑6); Mark 7:3-133For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. 4And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brazen vessels, and of tables. 5Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? 6He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 10For Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: 11But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. 12And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; 13Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. (Mark 7:3‑13); Gal. 1:1414And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. (Galatians 1:14)). In Colossians 2:88Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. (Colossians 2:8) it is the mere teaching of the moralists, of which much has survived to the present day. What man institutes, man holds to most tenaciously.

Bible Handbook:

The references to tradition in the Scriptures demand our attention. It is clear that the Lord when on earth had to encounter and to condemn the traditions held by the rulers.
That they held the traditions as binding is obvious. There “came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do Thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread” (Matt. 15:1-21Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, 2Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. (Matthew 15:1‑2)). The question is put in precisely the same way as if the disciples had broken the law.
It is pretended that much of the tradition was received by Moses on the mount; that it was not written down, but was committed orally to Joshua; that Joshua delivered it to seventy elders, and they committed it to the great synagogue; and these handed it down to the Rabbins. It is called in Scripture the tradition of the fathers as well as of the elders (1 Pet. 1:1818Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; (1 Peter 1:18)).
Another part of the oral law, as it is called, are canons made by the learned heads of the Sanhedrim, explaining the law, and acting as ‘fences’ to prevent the law from being broken by ignorance or cunning.
This latter division was often added to, as occasion required. It was also often modified, when circumstances seemed to make its strictness impracticable.
Thus the oral law was not all equally binding, though it is often spoken of as if it were. That held to be handed down from Moses was called the Halacha, or ‘rule,’ and must be obeyed. The other part was called Hagada, or ‘what is said’; and, though to be received with the greatest respect, it often contains the judgments of learned Rabbins, differing widely one from another.
It is certain that this latter division has been largely added to since the time of the Lord on earth: how much of it then existed is not known.
Nor do we know what changes have taken place in the whole of this oral law since that date. For centuries it was not allowed to be written: it must be handed down by the memories of the learned. It is believed to have been first committed to writing in the last half of the fourth century. The first printed edition of the Babylonian Talmud in 1520-23, filled 12 vols. folio.
On looking at the oral law as contained in the Talmud or Mishna, one cannot but be struck with its minute detail and frivolous trifling; precisely as our Lord said to the scribes and Pharisees, “Ye blind guides, which strain at [or, out] a gnat, and swallow a camel” (Matt. 23:2424Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. (Matthew 23:24)).
And some of it actually violated the law, as the Lord shews by their tradition as to the relation of children to parents. The law said, “Honour thy father and thy mother,” but they had a tradition that a son might say, “It is Corban,” respecting whatsoever his parents might be profited by him; and he would not be suffered to do anything more for father or mother. Thus they made the commandment of God of no effect by their tradition (Matt. 15:3-63But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? 4For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. 5But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; 6And honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. (Matthew 15:3‑6); Mark 7:1111But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. (Mark 7:11)) Corbin is a Hebrew word, and is very often translated in the Old Testament by ‘offering.’ It is a gift to God. The tradition allowed a child to say his property or income was dedicated to God, and he would then be free from helping his needy parents: as people now give their property to the church, instead of thinking of those who have a natural claim on them..
Surely the bringing in of tradition was a cunning work of Satan. It would have shocked the sensibilities of many a Jew to call in question any part of the law as given by Moses; and yet they were led to acknowledge that there was another law equally binding on them, which, in many ways, diverted their attention from the true law, occupied them with trivial details (as the washing before eating), corrupted their judgment, and in some things led them to break the law, which they were zealously professing to keep all the while.
Our Lord could not let such a state of things exist around Him without thoroughly exposing its folly and evil, and this He did with the most withering rebuke.
Paul has not hesitated to tell us that, when he was persecuting and wasting the church of God, he was more exceedingly zealous than others of the traditions of his fathers (Gal. 1:1414And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. (Galatians 1:14)).
Peter also, in writing to believing Jews scattered abroad, reminds them that they had been redeemed from their ‘vain conversation’ (or manner of life) received by tradition from their fathers (1 Peter 1:1818Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; (1 Peter 1:18)).
It may interest the reader to know that the devout Jews of the present day still hold the oral law to be binding upon them. In 1845, because some of their brethren began to doubt of ‘the divinity of the oral law,’ which apparently they had never seen, ‘Eighteen Treatises from the Mishna’ were translated into English. (Sherwood, Gilbert, & Piper, London.) “There can be no doubt,” say the translators, “that the Israelite, who believes in the divinity of an oral law — who thinks the salvation of his soul depends on such belief — but to whom the Mishna in the Hebrew is a sealed book — there can be no doubt that to such a man, if he be rational as well as pious, the present translation must be highly acceptable, as mere belief in the contents of a book not understood can confer no claim to heavenly reward.  ... We find the holy pages of the Pentateuch, the Prophets, and the Hagiography [sacred writings] open for his instruction, comfort, and consolation; and the same free access should be given to pages containing so large a portion of the oral law, which also claims a divine origin.”
But a Jew would perhaps retort that ‘tradition’ is also held among Christians, and is indeed enforced in the New Testament.
Paul also instructed Timothy: “The things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:22And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2:2)).
When these things were written, the Word of God was not completed; and the epistles that had been written were in manuscript, and perhaps not more than one copy of each existed at any of the assemblies, so that the saints were taught the Scriptures by hearing them read, and not by reading them. Paul, in more than one place, enjoins that the epistles should be read to the assemblies (Col. 4:1616And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. (Colossians 4:16); 1 Thess. 5:2727I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. (1 Thessalonians 5:27)), and Timothy is exhorted to “give attendance to reading,” which, being placed with exhortation and doctrine (or teaching) seems to imply public reading.
When the Word of God was complete there was no further need of any tradition. It declares itself to be “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16-1716All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:16‑17)). There is no room for any tradition: all that is needed is to be found in what is written — written by inspiration of God. A solemn warning is given against adding to or taking from “the words of the book of this prophecy” (Rev. 22:18-1918For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (Revelation 22:18‑19)), as there was also a warning against adding to or taking from the law (Deut. 4:22Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. (Deuteronomy 4:2); see also Prov. 30:5-65Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 6Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. (Proverbs 30:5‑6)). The Jews did this, and are still doing it to their own condemnation.
A corrupt church, alas! is also doing it to its own destruction. The second Nicene Council (A.D. 787) pronounced its anathema on any who should dare to reject the tradition of the church, be it oral or written. The Council of Trent also, in A.D. 1549, declared that the interpretation of Scripture had to be regulated by tradition. May God enable us to cling tenaciously to the Bible — all the Bible — the Bible only.

From Manners and Customs of the Bible:

Lightfoot (Horae Hebraicae, on verse 2) gives a number of curious illustrations from the old Talmudical writers, showing the value which they set on traditions: “The words of the scribes are lovely, above the words of the law; for the words of the law are weighty and light, but the words of the scribes are all weighty.” “The words of the elders are weightier than the words of the prophets.” “A prophet and an elder, to what are they likened? To a king sending two of his servants into a province. Of one he writes thus: Unless he shows you my seal, believe him not; of the other thus: Although he shows you not my seal, yet believe him. Thus it is written of the prophet. He shall show thee a sign or a miracle; but the elders thus: According to the law which they shall teach thee.”

Related Books and Articles:

672. Tradition
Narrator: Chris Genthree
Duration: 1min