In the fourth chapter Rama Coomaraswamy establishes the orthodox definition of "Tradition," deconstructing the semantic innovations of the modernists. The author demonstrates that Tradition is not a "museum of dead customs" nor a "dialectical evolution," as the theologians of the new religion claim, but rather the immaculate and immutable transmission of Divine Revelation. The author maintains that the post-conciliar Church, by breaking with Tradition, has broken with Christ Himself.
📜 The Immutable Nature of Divine Tradition
The chapter begins with the etymological and theological definition: Tradition simply means "that which is handed down." The author emphasizes the fundamental dogma that "Christian Revelation was completed with the death of the last Apostle" (p. 62). Thus, there is no "continuous" or "evolving" revelation, a heresy dear to the modernists of Vatican II. The traditional truth was entrusted to the Church as a deposit that she would carefully guard and transmit as she received it, without adding or taking anything away (p. 62).
Coomaraswamy cites the Council of Trent (Session IV) to invalidate any claim to novelty: saving truth is contained "in written books and unwritten traditions which, received by the Apostles from the mouth of Christ Himself, or dictated by the Holy Spirit, have come down to us transmitted as if from hand to hand" (p. 63). Accordingly, the Church of All Time casts anathema on whoever consciously despises these traditions. Consequently, the idea that the Church can "create" new truths or "adapt" the faith to modern times is characterized as a direct apostasy.
⚖️ The Distinction Between Divine and Ecclesiastical Tradition
The author makes the necessary theological distinction between Divine Tradition (immutable, coming from Christ and the Apostles) and Ecclesiastical Tradition (precepts and customs established by the Church over the centuries). However, Coomaraswamy warns against the liberal contempt for ecclesiastical traditions. Although theoretically modifiable by supreme authority, they deserve the "greatest veneration," and changing them lightly is an act of impiety. In this sense, he quotes St. Peter Damian, who states that it is unlawful to alter the established customs of the Church, exhorting not to remove the ancient landmarks set by the Fathers (p. 66).
The author observes that the Conciliar Church, in its revolutionary fury, failed to distinguish between the divine and the human, throwing both into the fire of "modernity." He further points out that there is not a single Church Father, saint, or Doctor, nor a single Pope prior to the present era, who despised or attempted to change the Ecclesiastical Traditions (p. 67). The rupture, therefore, is total.
🕯️ The Liturgy as an Organ of Tradition
A crucial point addressed is that Tradition is not just abstract doctrine, but concrete life manifested, above all, in the Liturgy. The Traditional Mass (Tridentine) is described as "the most important organ of the Ordinary Magisterium of the Church" (quoting Pius XI, p. 68). The liturgy contains parts of divine, apostolic, and ecclesiastical origin, organically fused over the centuries.
For this reason, the attack on the Traditional Mass is a direct attack on Tradition and on the Holy Spirit Himself who formed it. Coomaraswamy denounces that the new church has replaced sacred rites with "human creations" modeled after heterodox parameters. He quotes Dom Guéranger, explaining that the apostolic liturgy lies entirely outside of Scripture and belongs to the domain of Tradition (p. 69). By fabricating a new liturgy (Novus Ordo), the conciliar church cut its apostolic roots.
🛡️ The New Church's War Against Tradition
The author exposes the hypocrisy of the post-conciliar hierarchy. While the previous Magisterium acted as the "official organ of Tradition," the new magisterium acts as an organ of the Revolution. The author quotes St. Pius X's encyclical Pascendi to describe the modernist tactic of "using all their ingenuity in an effort to weaken the force and falsify the character of Tradition" (p. 71).
The clear proof of betrayal is presented in the words of Paul VI himself. While previous Popes swore to preserve tradition, Paul VI declared it necessary to welcome with humility what is innovative, breaking with the attachment to the immutable traditions of the Church (p. 67). Coomaraswamy comments bitingly: "Judas could not have said it better."
⚔️ Conclusion: Resistance as a Duty of Faith
The chapter concludes that the "New Church" represents an apocalyptic rupture, as it abandoned the "tree" of Tradition to plant a humanist weed. If the post-conciliar Church teaches falsely and replaces sacred customs with secular novelties, it follows the footsteps of Luther and Cranmer, not those of Christ.
For the faithful Catholic, the only option is resistance. The author evokes St. Vincent of Lerins: in the face of a new doctrine that contaminates the Church, one must "adhere to antiquity" (p. 72). Tradition is the "Rule of Faith." Coomaraswamy ends with an ultimatum: to separate the Church from her traditions is to break her unity. To claim we are anything other than traditional Catholics is to claim we are not Catholics at all (p. 73). The Conciliar Church, by hating Tradition, reveals itself as a cruel stepmother, and the faithful have a duty to ask, following the criterion of St. John Chrysostom: "Is it Tradition? If it is, ask no more"; if it is not, it must be rejected.
📚 Bibliographical Reference:
COOMARASWAMY, Rama P. The Destruction of the Christian Tradition: Updated and Revised. Bloomington: World Wisdom, 2006.
📜 The Immutable Nature of Divine Tradition
The chapter begins with the etymological and theological definition: Tradition simply means "that which is handed down." The author emphasizes the fundamental dogma that "Christian Revelation was completed with the death of the last Apostle" (p. 62). Thus, there is no "continuous" or "evolving" revelation, a heresy dear to the modernists of Vatican II. The traditional truth was entrusted to the Church as a deposit that she would carefully guard and transmit as she received it, without adding or taking anything away (p. 62).
Coomaraswamy cites the Council of Trent (Session IV) to invalidate any claim to novelty: saving truth is contained "in written books and unwritten traditions which, received by the Apostles from the mouth of Christ Himself, or dictated by the Holy Spirit, have come down to us transmitted as if from hand to hand" (p. 63). Accordingly, the Church of All Time casts anathema on whoever consciously despises these traditions. Consequently, the idea that the Church can "create" new truths or "adapt" the faith to modern times is characterized as a direct apostasy.
⚖️ The Distinction Between Divine and Ecclesiastical Tradition
The author makes the necessary theological distinction between Divine Tradition (immutable, coming from Christ and the Apostles) and Ecclesiastical Tradition (precepts and customs established by the Church over the centuries). However, Coomaraswamy warns against the liberal contempt for ecclesiastical traditions. Although theoretically modifiable by supreme authority, they deserve the "greatest veneration," and changing them lightly is an act of impiety. In this sense, he quotes St. Peter Damian, who states that it is unlawful to alter the established customs of the Church, exhorting not to remove the ancient landmarks set by the Fathers (p. 66).
The author observes that the Conciliar Church, in its revolutionary fury, failed to distinguish between the divine and the human, throwing both into the fire of "modernity." He further points out that there is not a single Church Father, saint, or Doctor, nor a single Pope prior to the present era, who despised or attempted to change the Ecclesiastical Traditions (p. 67). The rupture, therefore, is total.
🕯️ The Liturgy as an Organ of Tradition
A crucial point addressed is that Tradition is not just abstract doctrine, but concrete life manifested, above all, in the Liturgy. The Traditional Mass (Tridentine) is described as "the most important organ of the Ordinary Magisterium of the Church" (quoting Pius XI, p. 68). The liturgy contains parts of divine, apostolic, and ecclesiastical origin, organically fused over the centuries.
For this reason, the attack on the Traditional Mass is a direct attack on Tradition and on the Holy Spirit Himself who formed it. Coomaraswamy denounces that the new church has replaced sacred rites with "human creations" modeled after heterodox parameters. He quotes Dom Guéranger, explaining that the apostolic liturgy lies entirely outside of Scripture and belongs to the domain of Tradition (p. 69). By fabricating a new liturgy (Novus Ordo), the conciliar church cut its apostolic roots.
🛡️ The New Church's War Against Tradition
The author exposes the hypocrisy of the post-conciliar hierarchy. While the previous Magisterium acted as the "official organ of Tradition," the new magisterium acts as an organ of the Revolution. The author quotes St. Pius X's encyclical Pascendi to describe the modernist tactic of "using all their ingenuity in an effort to weaken the force and falsify the character of Tradition" (p. 71).
The clear proof of betrayal is presented in the words of Paul VI himself. While previous Popes swore to preserve tradition, Paul VI declared it necessary to welcome with humility what is innovative, breaking with the attachment to the immutable traditions of the Church (p. 67). Coomaraswamy comments bitingly: "Judas could not have said it better."
⚔️ Conclusion: Resistance as a Duty of Faith
The chapter concludes that the "New Church" represents an apocalyptic rupture, as it abandoned the "tree" of Tradition to plant a humanist weed. If the post-conciliar Church teaches falsely and replaces sacred customs with secular novelties, it follows the footsteps of Luther and Cranmer, not those of Christ.
For the faithful Catholic, the only option is resistance. The author evokes St. Vincent of Lerins: in the face of a new doctrine that contaminates the Church, one must "adhere to antiquity" (p. 72). Tradition is the "Rule of Faith." Coomaraswamy ends with an ultimatum: to separate the Church from her traditions is to break her unity. To claim we are anything other than traditional Catholics is to claim we are not Catholics at all (p. 73). The Conciliar Church, by hating Tradition, reveals itself as a cruel stepmother, and the faithful have a duty to ask, following the criterion of St. John Chrysostom: "Is it Tradition? If it is, ask no more"; if it is not, it must be rejected.
📚 Bibliographical Reference:
COOMARASWAMY, Rama P. The Destruction of the Christian Tradition: Updated and Revised. Bloomington: World Wisdom, 2006.