Saints LightScripture, Tradition and the Magisterium
God hands on his Word through Scripture and Tradition together, and the Magisterium, serving that Word, interprets it faithfully for the whole Church.
What this lesson teaches
- Sacred Tradition is the apostles' teaching handed on; Sacred Scripture is that Word written under inspiration.
- Dei Verbum 9 and 10 teach that Scripture and Tradition form one deposit of faith, received with equal reverence.
- The Magisterium interprets the Word authentically, but it serves the Word and is not above it.
- Lowercase traditions are customs that can change; Sacred Tradition does not.
Catechism paragraphs this lesson cites
- CCC 80-82
- CCC 84
- CCC 85-86
- CCC 95
CCC means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Saints Light teaches it in its own words and never quotes it. Look up any paragraph in a printed copy or at vatican.va. See every lesson by paragraph in the Catechism index.
Scripture read in this lesson: 2 Thessalonians 2:14 (2:15 in most modern Bibles); 1 Timothy 3:15; Luke 10:16.
A sample question from this lesson
According to Dei Verbum 10, what is the Magisterium's relationship to the Word of God?
- It is above the Word of God and can change it
- It replaced Scripture after the apostles died
- It only translates the Bible into new languages
- It serves the Word, teaching only what has been handed on
Show the answer
It serves the Word, teaching only what has been handed on. Dei Verbum 10, summarized in the lesson, says the Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God but is its servant (CCC 86).
The lesson in the app has three questions, each with an explanation.
Words to know
- Sacred Tradition
- The living handing on of the apostles' teaching, by word and practice, under the Holy Spirit.
- Magisterium
- The teaching office of the Church: the bishops in communion with the Pope.
- Deposit of faith
- The whole of what God has revealed, contained in Scripture and Tradition and entrusted to the Church.
More terms in the Catholic glossary. More passages in the Scripture index.
Read the full lesson in the app
"Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium" is lesson 3 of The Bible, the Catholic Way. In Saints Light you get the whole teaching, the Scripture quoted in full, all three questions and a step to live it this week.
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