My understanding is that Catholics (in contrast to sola scriptura) hold to 3 pillars of truth: Scripture, Holy Tradition, and the Magisterium of the Church.
My understanding is that Holy Tradition (both for Catholics and Eastern Orthodox) refers to a body of teaching taught by Christ to the Apostles and that has been passed down in the Church from one generation to the next and preserved without addition or subtraction.
This implies that it is a finite body of teaching, and the Church knows the contents, knows what is and what is not a part of it. This knowledge of the contents, because it is carefully protected and handed down, can be communicated. (Presumably, if the Church wanted, it could be written down in a book (or audio-recording) and the Church could declare that this book, no more and no less, is the content of Holy Tradition?) Has the Catholic Church communicated this knowledge publicly? Is this public knowledge? If so I'm interested in knowing what is the contents.
Or is some of it secret, not known publicly? This could be on different levels. For example, a doctrine could be publicly known but whether the doctrine is part of Holy Tradition could still be a Church secret. If the knowledge of the contents is partly secret, then what is the part that is publicly known? What is the exact contents of that part?
I'm also curious about the process of transmission. It seems at least some person or persons, at any given time, know the exact contents, assuming it, including its bounds, is being carefully preserved. Is this the bishops? So is it that when someone is ordained as a bishop, then an older bishop sits them down and has them commit to memory (orally) the Holy Tradition, and reminds them of the importance of remembering that this and this alone is Holy Tradition? Or something like that?
My understanding is that Holy Tradition (both for Catholics and Eastern Orthodox) refers to a body of teaching taught by Christ to the Apostles and that has been passed down in the Church from one generation to the next and preserved without addition or subtraction.
This implies that it is a finite body of teaching, and the Church knows the contents, knows what is and what is not a part of it. This knowledge of the contents, because it is carefully protected and handed down, can be communicated. (Presumably, if the Church wanted, it could be written down in a book (or audio-recording) and the Church could declare that this book, no more and no less, is the content of Holy Tradition?) Has the Catholic Church communicated this knowledge publicly? Is this public knowledge? If so I'm interested in knowing what is the contents.
Or is some of it secret, not known publicly? This could be on different levels. For example, a doctrine could be publicly known but whether the doctrine is part of Holy Tradition could still be a Church secret. If the knowledge of the contents is partly secret, then what is the part that is publicly known? What is the exact contents of that part?
I'm also curious about the process of transmission. It seems at least some person or persons, at any given time, know the exact contents, assuming it, including its bounds, is being carefully preserved. Is this the bishops? So is it that when someone is ordained as a bishop, then an older bishop sits them down and has them commit to memory (orally) the Holy Tradition, and reminds them of the importance of remembering that this and this alone is Holy Tradition? Or something like that?
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