1 - What Is Tradition?

Summary

The opening chapter sets out the various meanings of tradition that are commonly used. These include at least three that the study will consider. First, there is the sense of tradition as a historical trajectory. In this meaning, one might speak of the Augustinian tradition, or the exegetical tradition of interpreting a particular passage. One might argue about details of this, but the sources and evidence would be open to all observers. Second, there is the sense of tradition as the Catholic magisterial tradition as defined by the ecclesiastical hierarchy. This sense of tradition did not accept that those outside certain circles could truly know what was in the tradition – the material handed down was not written. Finally, the modern world has seen an enormous growth in the sense of tradition as considered by philosophical hermeneutics. This sense argued that any act of understanding or interpretation necessarily stood within a stream of tradition that made sense of the foreground structures that allowed sense to be made of reality. The era of the Reformations was heir to a rich landscape of considerations of both the historical trajectory and ecclesiastical hierarchical claims. Their struggles within that historical context necessitate this study.