16-6-2 The Rise of Traditions

We have said that Christianity began without any cultus, without the usual rituals of festivals, musical performances, dances, pilgrimages, inscriptions etc. And yet we have seen that a healthy community identity arose, with the specific ‘in-house’ usage of terms like ekklesia, Chrestos, etc. The hard boundaries of the community against the world led to a healthy and strong sense of identity with each other. And inevitably some traditions developed which served to strengthen the community. The following are examples of traditions which developed in the early church:

- It seems that hymns developed, fragments of which are found in the poems of 2 Cor. 1:3-7; Eph. 1:13,14; 5:14; Phil. 2:6-12; Col. 1:15-20; 1 Tim. 3:16; 1 Pet. 2:4.

- There are also other standard acclamations or doxologies which may reflect common phrases used in prayers throughout the early brotherhood- just as there are certain phrases used in prayers throughout the world today. “Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” is an acclamation that crops in up in some form or other in 1 Cor. 15:57; Rom. 6:17; 7:25; 2 Cor. 2:14; 8:16; 9:15. Likewise “God…to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Gal. 3:15; Rom. 11:36; 16:27; Eph. 3:21; 2 Tim. 4:18; 1 Tim. 1:17).

- “A holy kiss” seems to have been the way of concluding a meeting, in the same way as Paul ends some of his letters with this (1 Thess. 5:26; Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; 1 Pet. 5:14).

- I have wondered, and it’s no more than me wondering, whether it could be that Rom. 10:9,13; Acts 22:16 and the other references to calling on the name of the Lord at baptism imply that the candidate for baptism made the statement “Jesus is Lord!” after their confession of faith or just before their immersion, and then they shouted the word “Abba! Father!” as they came out of the water, indicating their adoption as a child of God (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6).  

But over time, these healthy signs of group identity became rituals and traditions which were insisted on, codified and formalized. And this gave way eventually to the abuses of the orthodox churches.