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The Binding Force of Tradition
A study of the object and nature of Sacred Tradition and the moral requirement of Catholics to accept the Sacred tradition.
63 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 11, 2013
243 people are currently reading
247 people want to read
About the author
Chad A. Ripperger
21 books129 followersChad Alec Ripperger, F.S.S.P. is an American Catholic priest, theologian, philosopher and exorcist. He is well known among Traditionalist Catholic circles and has given numerous talks around the country on various religious topics. Many of these are available for viewing on YouTube.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 14, 2017
Just finished this recently. Fr. Ripperger's work in Sensus Traditionis got me to his books and this is the first I've tackled. And it's very short...I don't have it in front of me, but I'm guessing 40 pages max. However, it is extremely clear, coherent and compelling argument for "the Tradition" with a capital T and how it compels the Christian to bind oneself to it. There is a section on the types of traditions that really casts light that there is a spectrum in place to evaluate A Tradition and that it is not a monolith. I read it in two nights dedicating about 2 to 3 hours of reading per session. The nature of his writing--it's philosophy and theology, it is not "twee" or "quaint" as much current writing in religion is in any stretch of the imagination--this is a serious work of a Ph.D. in Philosophy. But, it's not a word jumbled Zizekmess. It's clear, readable, and instructive at nearly all levels of education. I recommend it MOST HIGHLY.
September 13, 2017
I assign this book for my MA course in Fundamental Theology. It is an excellent resource that establishes the true nature of tradition and of the rule of faith. Especially helpful for understanding the rare conditions when members of the Magisterium can teach error and what to do when that happens; read this book along with Fr. Ripperger's book "Magisterial Authority" which spells out the principles for resolving apparent or real conflicts between magisterial teachings.
May 22, 2023
Excellent read, as always.
May 28, 2020
Hold into Traditions
A very concise treatise of why we need to accept the Traditions of the Church passed on from our fathers under pain of sin. Thought-provoking. Hope more people will begin rediscovering the forgotten Traditions and make the Church great again.
A very concise treatise of why we need to accept the Traditions of the Church passed on from our fathers under pain of sin. Thought-provoking. Hope more people will begin rediscovering the forgotten Traditions and make the Church great again.
November 30, 2019
With Thomistic precision Fr. Ripperger makes clear distinctions on what precisely is the rule of faith, the rule to which the faithful owe obedience. A must have for every student of theology. If you don't know and understand the truth of the faith outlined in this little booklet you are not properly equipped as a Catholic theologian or catechist.
January 21, 2026
A short, concise, and compelling treatise on the divine tradition(s) of the Church. Fr. Ripperger does a solid job of laying out his arguments and explaining them in a way that is genuinely thought‑provoking. His clarity makes the subject approachable without watering it down.
I’ll just come out and say it: I grew up always attending the Novus Ordo Mass. Even so, I can understand—and at times even sympathize with—some of the critiques surrounding Vatican II. This is also where my hesitation comes in. Technically, even though I truly agree with the topic under discussion, the presentation is still fairly one‑sided. Yes, tradition is tradition, and there absolutely needs to be more reverence restored in that respect. Yet at the same time, the Church has developed over the centuries, and that organic growth deserves acknowledgment as well. Because the book leans heavily toward one perspective without fully engaging that broader historical development, I can’t quite give it a full five stars.
I’ll just come out and say it: I grew up always attending the Novus Ordo Mass. Even so, I can understand—and at times even sympathize with—some of the critiques surrounding Vatican II. This is also where my hesitation comes in. Technically, even though I truly agree with the topic under discussion, the presentation is still fairly one‑sided. Yes, tradition is tradition, and there absolutely needs to be more reverence restored in that respect. Yet at the same time, the Church has developed over the centuries, and that organic growth deserves acknowledgment as well. Because the book leans heavily toward one perspective without fully engaging that broader historical development, I can’t quite give it a full five stars.
September 14, 2021
This was an extremely short book, and even shorter than expected because at the 70-some percent mark, it began running footnotes. It was excellent Father Ripperger writing, but there was no major content point that I have never seen him cover elsewhere. This book was referenced so often in another of his books that I thought that I had missed out by never having read this one. That didn’t turn out to be the case. But since his work is so dense and rich, it warrants review, and so I am glad that I bought it, and would recommend it.
June 12, 2020
Revealing
Father Chad demonstrates how important tradition is and how little subtle errors that reject tradition end up in a shipwreck of the faith. This book is well worth reading and I think I might use it as a study in Tradition in my Parish. As a deacon, I really appreciate his insights and expertise.
Father Chad demonstrates how important tradition is and how little subtle errors that reject tradition end up in a shipwreck of the faith. This book is well worth reading and I think I might use it as a study in Tradition in my Parish. As a deacon, I really appreciate his insights and expertise.
June 14, 2018
Why does tradition matter?
This short work gives reasons for why Tradition matters to the Church. It quickly but thoroughly builds logical and theological principles and foundations which form solid arguments for the necessity of tradition.
This short work gives reasons for why Tradition matters to the Church. It quickly but thoroughly builds logical and theological principles and foundations which form solid arguments for the necessity of tradition.
March 20, 2024
"...the lay faithful have a right to expect as well as to demand that the leaders of the Church adhere perfectly to the tradition."
'nuff said!
'nuff said!
November 17, 2024
Clear argument for binding force of tradition especially with respect to the Hegelian aspects of modern man and post Vatican II.
July 19, 2022
Tradition (or Traditions) are a form of divine revelation, encoded into the life of the Church. They exist alongside Scripture, but are not less authoritative. This view of Tradition is important because it solves a problem which arises when people claim that Revelation is only in Scripture. The problem is that Scripture does not contain a list of its contents, so which bible is the “real” bible. This question is important to resolve but it is impossible to answer from a Sola Scriptura viewing. Another access to Revelation is required, and that is provided by Tradition.
The book makes a detailed case that Tradition has a ‘binding force’ doctrinally and practically. And, quoting St Robert Bellarmine, Church leaders sin if they alter or refuse to pass on what they have received (43%).
The backdrop of these reflections is the Second Vatican Council (1965) and the forces of change which it unleashed upon the Catholic Church. By 1980, very little of the liturgical or devotional Tradition survived to be passed on to future generations. The question posed by the book, although not explicitly charged against the hierarchy, is have they sinned against their responsibilities to the Tradition.
This is a good question, but there is an important issue to resolve before it can be answered. There is a difference between a Divine Tradition and a human custom which has been handed on. An example of this is the ancient practice of women covering their heads in Church. It has existed since the Apostolic times, but is it a divinely mandated Tradition, or just a long enduring human custom?
The Church’s practice suggests the latter, otherwise it has sinned in making it optional for women.
The underlying question is how should people tell the difference between Tradition and custom. The book implies that everything should be treasured so as not to inadvertently lose a Tradition.
That is one approach, but it risks falling into the fallacy of traditionalising, which can present an irrational block upon reflection. That’s why it is generally recorded as a ‘fallacy’. Of course there is the other extreme too, which is the quest for novelty, and that is just as deleterious.
Good thinking, and thus a right balancing of faith and reason, requires a balancing of traditionalising against novelty-ising. These are issues of rationality, as much as they are questions of theology, and so they need exploring in both ways. The theological issues are the focus in the text, and so the wider issues are hinted at, but not drawn out explicitly and given the evaluation that they need.
Overall this is a straightforward text which should be accessible to readers of all backgrounds, although it is mainly focused upon doctrinal issues of interest to Roman Catholics.
The book makes a detailed case that Tradition has a ‘binding force’ doctrinally and practically. And, quoting St Robert Bellarmine, Church leaders sin if they alter or refuse to pass on what they have received (43%).
The backdrop of these reflections is the Second Vatican Council (1965) and the forces of change which it unleashed upon the Catholic Church. By 1980, very little of the liturgical or devotional Tradition survived to be passed on to future generations. The question posed by the book, although not explicitly charged against the hierarchy, is have they sinned against their responsibilities to the Tradition.
This is a good question, but there is an important issue to resolve before it can be answered. There is a difference between a Divine Tradition and a human custom which has been handed on. An example of this is the ancient practice of women covering their heads in Church. It has existed since the Apostolic times, but is it a divinely mandated Tradition, or just a long enduring human custom?
The Church’s practice suggests the latter, otherwise it has sinned in making it optional for women.
The underlying question is how should people tell the difference between Tradition and custom. The book implies that everything should be treasured so as not to inadvertently lose a Tradition.
That is one approach, but it risks falling into the fallacy of traditionalising, which can present an irrational block upon reflection. That’s why it is generally recorded as a ‘fallacy’. Of course there is the other extreme too, which is the quest for novelty, and that is just as deleterious.
Good thinking, and thus a right balancing of faith and reason, requires a balancing of traditionalising against novelty-ising. These are issues of rationality, as much as they are questions of theology, and so they need exploring in both ways. The theological issues are the focus in the text, and so the wider issues are hinted at, but not drawn out explicitly and given the evaluation that they need.
Overall this is a straightforward text which should be accessible to readers of all backgrounds, although it is mainly focused upon doctrinal issues of interest to Roman Catholics.
October 23, 2023
🖋️ Well-made points that explain faith, dogma, and tradition. I enjoyed reading this work.
🏮 Kindle Unlimited.
🔲 Excerpts of note:
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🏮 Kindle Unlimited.
🔲 Excerpts of note:
🔹Sacred Tradition essentially is the Church’s Magisterium, throughout history, fleshing out the Divine Revelation which ended with the death of the last Apostle.
🔸When a person does not accept the Sacred Tradition which is passed to him or does not pass on what has been entrusted to him, he sins against the virtue of faith.
🔹A rule of faith must be accessible to the general run of men since one must conform to it in order to be saved. Historically, many could not read; many do not have the leisure, i.e. the time, for the study of sacred Scripture, yet everyone can hear the preaching of the Church.
🔸Because so many of the traditions have been changed within the Church, we now have generations that lack virtually any knowledge of the tradition or any concept that the tradition morally binds them. This is an injustice against the two generations that have been robbed of the Church’s doctrinal, moral and disciplinary patrimony. In the last 45 years, the injustice is not just in the fact that they were robbed of these things being passed to them but even more so in the fact that they have been convinced that they do not need them.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews