Page 75 - THE ARMENIAN CHURCH_Neat

ESSENTIALS OF FAITH

The faith of the church is transmitted
through and preserved by the Holy Tradi-
tion. The Bible, the traditions of the early
church, the liturgy, the doctrine, the teach-
ings of ecumenical councils, and the writings
of church fathers together constitute the
Holy Tradition of the church. Therefore, the
Holy Tradition embraces and expresses the
wholeness of the church in all its aspects,
dimensions, and manifestations, and ensures
its continuity in time and space, ad intra
and ad extra. There is a qualitative difference
between Tradition and traditions: while
Tradition points to the core values of the
Christian faith, traditions are local customs
and are changeable. The Bible is the heart of
the Holy Tradition and the doctrine, which
contains and defines the fundamental truths
of the Christian faith, occupies a special
place within the Holy Tradition. Theology is
the mind of the church; it functions within
the Holy Tradition and responds, on the
basis of the essentials of Christian faith, to
the changing realities of time and envi-
ronment. Dynamic interaction between faith
and reason, history and context, local and
global is of critical importance in shaping