Scripture and Sacred Tradition

As Catholics, we believe that Scripture and Sacred Tradition make up our "rule of faiath". We believe that Sacred Tradition is the oral teaching of Jesus Christ handed down to his apostles, who in turn handed it down to the disciples, ( the early Church fathers ), and then down generation to generation to us. For almost 400 years there was no written New Testament to read. All of the apostles and disciples taught orally for the first 400 years. What was written down in epistles and gospels was not widely available and it wasn't part of the Bible until 397 AD. The Church determined the very books of the Bible and therefore Sacred Tradition and authority were necessary for us to even have a Bible today.

Sacred Tradition does not refer to practices and customs, such as the language of the Mass, kneeling or standing for Holy Communion, eating or not eating meat on Friday, ect. It is the oral teaching of Jesus taught by the apostles.

Sacred Scripture does condemn in many places the traditions of man (such as Jewish not healing on the Sabbath, hoarding money, not helping Samaritans, ect.), but those have nothing to do with the traditions Paul was speaking of the the following verses:

             "I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you.".(1 Cor. 11:2)
             "So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter."(2 Thessalonians 2:15)
             "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us." ( 2 Thessalonians 3:6)

It is a mistake to limit "Christ's word" to the written word only or to suggest that all his teachings were reduced to writing. The Bible nowhere supports either notion. The idea of sola scriptura (The Bible alone) is nowhere to be found in the Bible.

In Matthew 15:6-9 Jesus was not condemning all traditions. He condemned only erroneous traditons, whether doctrines or practices, that undermined Christian truths. The rest of the traditions, as the apostles taught, were to be obeyed.