CONCLUSIONS
The
study of tradition as the context for Biblical interpretation is particularly
useful for a Protestant in search for a better hermeneutical model than that
inherited and Orthodox theology is a the proper place to start such a research,
because of the prominent role it gives to tradition.
Our study has shown that we cannot correctly assess the relationship
between Scripture and tradition in Orthodox thinking if we isolate them from the
comprehensive system of interconnected concepts they are part of.
Scripture, Tradition and Church form, in Orthodox dogmatics, a sort of
"trinity" in which different roles and functions are assigned to them
by various authors. Most Orthodox authors consider the Church as being
preeminent and Scripture having authority over tradition, although there is less
unity on the second point than on the first.
Tradition is understood by the Orthodox first of all as a hermeneutical
principle, although it is seen as being much more than that - the life of the
Spirit manifested in history in the Christian community.
From the point of view of the model proposed by Jaroslav Pelikan,
Orthodox theology rejects the concept of tradition seen as a token and considers
that tradition is better represented by the concept of tradition seen as an
icon, although all along history Orthodoxy has been confronted with a corruption
of this concept into an idolatrous form, in which tradition does not lead people
beyond it, but becomes stale traditionalism.
The perichoretic model of the relationship between Scripture, tradition
and the Church, formulated by Dumitru Staniloae, seems to be the most balanced
solution to our problem and could be a profitable ground for future research.
It is possible that in time the new interest for Biblical studies
manifested in Orthodox theological and popular circles will bring new
perspectives and will stimulate new developments in the area of the dynamics
between Scripture and tradition.