The Old Testament as tradition

Abstract

For evangelicals the term tradition has negative connotations. Part of our Reformation heritage is a negative view of the Roman Catholic emphasis on ecclesiastical tradition. This ‘'view can, for example, be seen in Calvin’s Institutes (4.10.18): ‘For this reason we freely inveigh against the tyranny of human traditions which is haughtily obtruded upon us in the name of the Church.’ The negative connotations are a result also of the emphasis on the history of tradition in modem critical study of the Old Testament because of its rejection of the inspiration of the Bible. This negative view needs reevaluation. The Old Testament is built on many traditions. God even commanded his people to instruct the next generations-and this instruction entailed handling traditions down to posterity. An example of this command can be found in Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (GNB): ‘Never forget these commandments that I am giving you today. Teach them to your children. Repeat them when you are away, when you are resting and when you are working’. Deuteronomy 31 stipulates that the law must be read publicly every seventh year and that everybody-men, women, children and foreignersmust be present to listen to the law in order to learn how to honour the Lord. These references demonstrate that tradition played a role in Old Testament times. It also played a role in the formation of the Old Testament. In this paper tradition and its function in the Old Testament will be discussed, followed by a discussion of two representative examples (from Hosea and Chronicles) and concluding remarks.