While preparing a sermon on I Cor. 11, I ran across this comment by Matthew Poole on verse 2 and had to pass it on:
The apostle doth not command them to keep any traditions, which others should to the end of the world deliver to them, he only praiseth them for keeping those which he had delivered. There is a great question betwixt us and the papists, about the obligation that lieth upon Christians to observe unwritten traditions; that is, such rites and observances as they tell us were apostolical, and the traditions of the primitive church, though they can show us no Scripture for them; but no Christian disputes his obligation to keep apostolical traditions; only we are at a loss to know how to prove those traditions apostolical, of which we find nothing in the writing of the apostles: it is praiseworthy to keep apostolical traditions; but for others, or such as do not appear to us to be so, it is but a work of supererogation: where hath God required any such thing at peoples' hands?
I will make this comment: several of the first generation fathers knew the apostles and speak of traditions that were already in place (e.g., the office of bishop). I believe we can safely say that these traditions are apostolic. However, their words concerning these traditions are not binding simply because they are not Scripture; the unique authority of Scripture must be preserved in this matter.
The apostle doth not command them to keep any traditions, which others should to the end of the world deliver to them, he only praiseth them for keeping those which he had delivered. There is a great question betwixt us and the papists, about the obligation that lieth upon Christians to observe unwritten traditions; that is, such rites and observances as they tell us were apostolical, and the traditions of the primitive church, though they can show us no Scripture for them; but no Christian disputes his obligation to keep apostolical traditions; only we are at a loss to know how to prove those traditions apostolical, of which we find nothing in the writing of the apostles: it is praiseworthy to keep apostolical traditions; but for others, or such as do not appear to us to be so, it is but a work of supererogation: where hath God required any such thing at peoples' hands?
I will make this comment: several of the first generation fathers knew the apostles and speak of traditions that were already in place (e.g., the office of bishop). I believe we can safely say that these traditions are apostolic. However, their words concerning these traditions are not binding simply because they are not Scripture; the unique authority of Scripture must be preserved in this matter.
Comments
St. Paul himself admonishes St. Timothy to hand on to others the teachings he has received from the apostle. Its a clear indication that St. Paul expected these "handings on" to be followed.