British Antiochian Orthodox Deanery Tradition and Culture Having heard a lecture on the early church by Dr. Ken Parry at the University of Manchester when he expressed his mews of tradition, written and unwritten, I wanted to explore the meaning and definition of the concept of Tradition and how we are affected by it in our forms of worship. The book 'Orthodox Christianity and the English Tradition written by Fr. Andrew Phillips expresses views on this subject and how returning to Orthodoxy in England can be entirely consistent with our culture and tradition. The Chambers Etymological Dictionary defines tradition as the handing down of opinions or practices to posterity - unwritten.
Culture comes from the Latin colo, cultas - to till, to worship.
It must follow therefore that, in a particular culture, religion is traditionally related to education. Learning takes place initially within the family unit and proceeds to a wider interaction with the community or society in which we live. The Church formed a very important, indeed an integral part, in that learning process in the past. The true catholicity of the faith embraced all people in all parts of the Christian world. It was truly a way of life.