Purity and Plenitude: Evangelical Reflections on Congar's Tradition and Traditions

  Congar's Tradition and Traditions is a profound and joyous account of tradition which succeeds in considering tradition as a theological and ecclesial reality. Until the Gregorian reform, on Congar's telling, tradition was understood as an aspect of salvation history, bound up with both scripture and church, and so as a living voice. The relegation of tradition to the maintenance of things once spoken has its final working out in the Reformation, but began earlier. Congar wishes to return to the earlier position, and so argues passionately for a recovery of proper relationships between scripture, tradition and church. Congar's points are profound and important, but a Reformed response, whilst appreciating much good in what he says, will be forced to ask some questions also, notably insisting that in affirming the church's relatedness to Christ, and tradition's relatedness to scripture, the freedom and Lordship of Christ and the freedom and authority of scripture should not be lost.