HOW DID GOD REVEAL HIS WORD?

From the beginning of the book of Genesis, we encounter numerous expressions that declare, “Then God said.” These examples are indeed the best testimonies to the truth that from the beginning, God chose to communicate orally.

Furthermore, the first communication of God with the human beings (Adam and Eve) was also made by the oral word (Genesis 3:9-13). The preference for the oral word was continued in the later centuries, when God decided to communicate with people through the Patriarchs and Prophets.

Finally, we humans, too, from the time of the Bible until nowadays, learn to communicate with each other through spoken words, and only later do we learn to read and write. Thus, it is evident that the oral word is the primary way of communication not only for God but also for man.

IS THE ADVANTAGE OF THE ORAL WORD EVIDENT IN THE NEW COVENANT?

In the New Covenant, the Lord taught and preached His doctrine verbally. He did not talk to people in a complex manner but in a simple yet authoritative way. “

It is fair to indicate that Jesus was not unaware of the written word; he read and quoted from the Prophets (John 7:15) and knew how to write, since he was writing on the ground when Jews brought to Him the woman who was caught in adultery (John 8:5-7). However, this indication is the only time recorded in the Bible.

Apostle Paul, who was an expert of the written word and whose writings influenced the whole world, often preferred to preach in a person (Romans 1:10-14, II Corinthians 13:2, etc), since the contact created by the verbal word (the different intonation of the speech, eye contacts, the trustworthy attitude, etc.) have more substantial impact on a human being.  The Apostle explicitly indicated that the true and living Word of God is different than the vain human words and has power in it (I Corinthians 4:19-20) as: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12).

Hence, let us not forget that “faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE HOLY ORAL TRADITION IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH?

The early Church was established orally, as the written Books were almost absent in the life of the first Church. The ones that were in existence were few in number.

It is hard for contemporary Christians to imagine a Church or even a Christian family without Holy Scriptures; however, it was the case for the early Church, as the Books were expensive and time-consuming to copy. In order to copy a Book (Gospels, Epistles of St. Paul, etc.), Christians have had to have the parchments made by hundreds or thousands of animals, a price that was hard to afford.

The urgent necessity of the Scriptures is also confirmed by the request of Apostle Paul: “ From this request, it is evident that even the major Churches like Rome (most of the scholars say that the letters addressed to Timothy were written in Rome) were lacking the Books, especially the parchments. The indication of the significance of the parchments reveals the importance of the Christian literature, as it is known that Christians were the first to replace papyrus with parchment. 

HOW DID THE ORIGINAL CHURCH EVOLVE AND EXPAND?

In order to answer this question, we prefer to quote the Scripture once again. In his letter addressed to Timothy, Apostle Paul commands saying։ “And what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2). Timothy's teaching did not spread by the written word since we do not have any canonical writing in the Bible indicating his authorship. However, we are convinced that he did orally preach the word of God and established new Churches.

In fact, this commandment reveals the model of gradual evolution of the Christian Churches.

The preference for the Holy Oral Traditions is also seen in the subsequent centuries of the Early Church and can be traced in the writings of the Church fathers.  St. Cyril of Jerusalem (5century AD) wrote:  “This summary I wish you both to commit to memory when I recite it and to rehearse it with all diligence among yourself, not writing it out on paper, but engraving it by the memory upon your heart”