434

Vincent of Lérins: Tradition as What Has Been Believed "Everywhere, Always and by All"

In the Commonitorium (434), Vincent of Lérins defends traditional teachings against unnamed "innovators," who according to González and Pelikan are Augustine and his disciples with their doctrine of predestination. Scripture is the primary source of true doctrine, but it can be interpreted in different ways, so tradition serves as the means of determining what to believe: what has been believed everywhere, always and by all. According to Hall, Vincent wrote that the substance of doctrine is unchanging while the clarity and precision of its expression increase. Pelikan sees in this rule an affirmation of the authority of tradition by three criteria – universality, antiquity and consent.