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Book Review: Living the Tradition

July 9th, 2007 at 08:06pm Albert McIlhenny

Living Tradition: Orthodox Witness in the Contemporary World – John Meyendorff St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press (March 1997) Topic: Bibliology, Hermeneutics, & Exegesis; Eastern Christianity Summary: Collected essays on the role of tradition in the Orthodox faith Rating:

Of all the Churches that hold a special place for its tradition, none so thoroughly has it as part of its very essence as the Eastern Orthodox. The often used explanation of tradition as the life of the Church takes on a special meaning in Orthodoxy as the faith of the Eastern Churches make no sense apart from this tradition.

John Meyendorff had long been one of the greatest commentators on the nature of the faith of the Christian East and its tradition. In Living Tradition, a collection of his essays (some revised) on the Orthodox tradtion are gathered in a single volume and form a wonderful tool for gaining insight to the Eastern understanding of the place of tradition in faith and practice. As Meyendorff explains, tradition is not so much a separate source of revelation apart from Holy Scripture as the context that is presupposed by the existence of Holy Scripture and in which the texts of Holy Scripture are given their proper understanding. Without the background provided by this tradition, Meyendorff contends, one cannot read Holy Scripture and truly understand it.

The topics covered in the essays range over a wide array of topics – some of which one might think have little to do with the question of tradition. Yet Meyendorff demonstrates how the connection is made for the Orthodox as the tradition permeates every aspect of their faith and practice. Each essay may be read separately, but together they provide a panorama of the Orthodox understanding of the Christian walk and the entire fabric is best understood when taken as a whole.

For Western Christians, the thing that may be most disconcerting is that Meyendorff spends little time on the question of foundations. For Western Christians, this is the bedrock question in the relationship between Holy Scripture and tradition. For the Christian East, this is an unhealthy Western preoccupation that seeks to force the faith into a quasi-mathematical framework. The Orthodox see the Christian faith more holistically with the question of provdiing a systematic framework seen as a diversion and perhaps a distortion.

In Living Tradition, Meyendorff has provided a powerful case for the Eastern approach to tradition. While not an apologia or a direct refutation to other views, the clear and often quite intuitive understanding places us in direct contact with the mind of the Orthodox that is often muddled in the hands of less skillful writers. Taken as a whole, this excellent collection of essays is a triumph.

Entry Filed under: Bibliology, Hermeneutics, & Exegesis, Eastern Christianity, Essential Books, Meyendorff, John