Church authority

Sacred Tradition, or Holy Tradition, is a theological term used in some Christian traditions, primarily those claiming apostolic succession such as the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Assyrian, and Anglican traditions, to refer to the foundation of the doctrinal and spiritual authority of the Christian Church and of the Bible.

The word "tradition" is taken from the Latin trado, tradere, meaning "to hand over, to deliver, to bequeath". The teachings of Jesus Christ and the holy Apostles are preserved in writing in the Scriptures as well as word of mouth and are handed on. This perpetual handing on of the Tradition is called the Living Tradition; it is the faithful and constant transmission of the teachings of the Apostles from one generation to the next. That "includes everything which contributes towards the sanctity of life and increase in faith of the People of God; and so the Church, in her teaching, life and worship [the Creeds, the Sacraments, the Magisterium, and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass], perpetuates and hands on to all generations all that she herself is, all that she believes." The Deposit of Faith (Latin: fidei depositum) refers to the entirety of Divine revelation. And there is, according to Roman Catholic theology, two sources of Revelation which constitute a single Deposit of Faith, meaning that the entirety of Divine Revelation and the Deposit of Faith is transmitted to successive generations in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition (through the teaching authority and interpretation of the Church's Magisterium (which consists of the Church's bishops, in union with the Pope), typically proceeding synods and ecumenical councils).

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