Sacred Tradition and Ecumenical Councils are authoritative alongside Scripture
Eastern Catholic theology holds that divine revelation is transmitted through both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, which together form one deposit of faith entrusted to the Church. Tradition includes the teachings of the Ecumenical Councils, the consensus of the Holy Fathers (patristic writings), the canons of the Church, the liturgical texts, and the ongoing life of faith in the Holy Spirit.
For Eastern Catholics, the seven Ecumenical Councils (Nicaea I through Nicaea II) hold particular authority. The Eastern tradition gives special weight to the patristic consensus and to the living Tradition expressed in the Divine Liturgy ('Lex orandi, lex credendi'—the rule of prayer is the rule of belief). No private revelations, however significant, are placed on the level of Scripture and the binding Tradition of the Church.
Key Distinctions
- Current revelation:
- Sacred Tradition co-authoritative — the living tradition of the Church carries revelation
- Prophetic gifts today:
- charisms present in the Church; institutionally ordered
- Tradition authority:
- Scripture and Sacred Tradition are co-equal sources of revelation
Scripture References
Sources
- Vatican II, Dei Verbum (1965), §§7–10
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, §§74–100
- Vatican II, Orientalium Ecclesiarum (1964), §1
- Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO, 1990)