Holy Tradition

Tradition is not dusty custom. It is the living memory of the Church — the Holy Spirit carrying the life of Christ through every generation.

What Tradition includes

• Holy Scripture — the written core, received and canonized by the Church
• The Divine Liturgy and all liturgical services
• The Ecumenical Councils and their dogmatic definitions
• The Nicene Creed
• The Church Fathers — East and West, ancient and recent
• Holy Icons — theology in line and color
• The Lives of the Saints — the Gospel lived out
• Canon Law — the Church's pastoral wisdom

Scripture within Tradition

The Orthodox Church does not read the Bible against Tradition, because the Bible is itself the most precious part of Tradition. The same Spirit that inspired the Scriptures also preserves their right reading in the Church.

"Stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle." — 2 Thessalonians 2:15