Apostolic tradition

Apostolic tradition is Christian teaching and practice understood as handed down from the apostles through the church. It encompasses beliefs, worship, and forms of ecclesial life preserved and interpreted across generations.

Apostolic succession: The continuity of church ministry through the transmission of authority from the apostles to later bishops. It connects the apostles’ ministry with the church’s continuing authority to preserve and teach tradition.
Sola scriptura: The Protestant principle that Scripture is the church’s sole infallible rule of faith and practice. It challenges claims that unwritten church tradition has independent binding authority.
Didache: An early Christian manual of moral instruction, baptism, fasting, prayer, and church order. Its guidance preserves practices associated with early Christian communities.
Nicene Creed: A Christian creed formulated at the councils of Nicaea and Constantinople to express core Trinitarian belief. Its authority is widely grounded in the church’s reception of inherited apostolic faith.
Deposit of faith: The body of divine revelation entrusted to the church and transmitted through Scripture and tradition. It names the content that apostolic tradition is understood to preserve.
Prima scriptura: The view that Scripture is the highest authority while other sources may also guide Christian belief. It offers a mediating account of Scripture and tradition in some Protestant communities.
Ignatius of Antioch: An early second-century Christian bishop and writer whose letters stress church unity and episcopal leadership. His letters show early appeals to bishops and communal continuity.
Ecumenical council: A council of church leaders whose decisions are received as authoritative across a broad Christian communion. Councils have articulated and defended teachings presented as continuous with apostolic faith.
Oral tradition: The transmission of knowledge through spoken teaching and practice rather than written texts. Early Christian teachings circulated orally before and alongside their preservation in texts.
Sacred Tradition: In Catholic theology, the living transmission of the Gospel through the church, distinct from but inseparable from Scripture. Catholic theology treats this tradition as a source of revelation alongside Scripture.

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