The Argument from Tradition in Catholic (Moral) Theology

Abstract

The author asks how the argument from tradition should be constructed in Catholic moral theology. He traces the different ways the question has been dealt with in recent history, from the medieval model of Aquinas, to the Manuals of the post-Tridentine Neo-Scholastic model, to the models following on from Vatican II. He lays down the fundamental criteria which must be met for something to be received into Tradition, and argues for a sacramental-teleological model to meet the needs of the Church today.