Matthew 15 English Standard Version
1Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2“Why do your disciples break the tradition [παράδοσις] of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” 3He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 5But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,”a 6he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. 7You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
“‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 9in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
Jesus clearly distinguished the commandments of God and the commandments of men. The latter belongs to untrustworthy human tradition. Yet Paul wrote in
2 Thessalonians 2:15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions [παράδοσις] that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.
Was Paul not aware of this negative connotation associated with the word παράδοσις? Why didn't he use another synonym?