Journal: Tyndale Bulletin
Volume: TYNBUL 04:1 (NA 1958)
Article: The Spirit And Tradition
Author: D. J. S. Lane

TynBul 4:1 (1958) p. 1

The Spirit And Tradition

D. J. S. Lane

The first references to tradition in the Scriptures occur in the Gospels. They refer to what is called ‘the traditions of the elders ‘, and the references are anything but favourable towards them. Matthew and Mark have parallel accounts of our Lord’s dealing with the old traditions of the Rabbis connected with the washing of hands before meals, the relevant passages being Matthew 15:1-14 and Mark 7:3ff. We do not have to consider the passages in detail for the purposes of this paper, but it is sufficient to observe that whereas the disciples were transgressing the tradition of the elders, the Pharisees and scribes in their practices were transgressing the commandment of God. God had said, ‘Honour thy father and mother,’ but the Jews said that ‘. . . he shall not honour his father and mother ‘.

The important words for our purposes are ‘the commandment of God’ and ‘God said’. The condemnation which our Lord expressed towards the Pharisees was because they were adding the opinions of sinful men to the divinely-ordained Word, through which God Himself spoke to them. Through their tradition they were removing the authority (kurosate removing the kuros) and setting aside (athetein ) the Word of God.

When we look further back into this distinction between the words of the Pharisees and the Word of God, we find that what made the Old Testament the Word of God was the fact that the Holy Spirit was instrumental in causing it to be written. The New Testament is very strong on this. The Epistle to the Hebrews often ascribes the authorship of some passage of the Old Testament to the Holy Spirit Himself, and by using the present tense of the verb implies that He continually speaks to every generation through that passage; e.g. 3:7: ‘The Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice . . . ‘, 10:15: ‘The Holy Ghost also is a witness to us . . . ‘, referring to the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31:Mark combines the human author and the Holy Spirit in 12:36 (RV): ‘David . . . said in the Holy Spirit . . . ‘The same combination occurs in Paul’s speaking to the Jews in Rome in Acts 28:26 (RV) . ‘Well spake the Holy Ghost by Isaiah the prophet . . . ‘. and in Peter’s speech to the disciples about a successor to Judas, ‘. . . the scripture . . which the Holy Ghost spake before by the mouth of David.’ 2 Peter 1:21 confirms this vi...