Tradition, is the history of the Spirit at work in the history of the Church through the mediation of the apostles and their successors, in faithful continuity with the experience at its origins.
Pope St. Clement of Rome made this clear toward the end of the first century. “The apostles,” he wrote, “proclaimed the Gospel to us and were sent by our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was sent by God. Christ, therefore, comes from God and the apostles come from Christ: Both proceed in an orderly way from God’s will. …Our apostles knew through our Lord Jesus Christ that disputes would arise regarding the office of bishop. Therefore, perfectly foreseeing the future, they established who were their chosen ones and ordained them so that at the time of their death other men of proven virtue would assume their service” (Ad Corinthios, 42.44)
Pope St. Clement was a disciple of St. Peter. The full letter to the Corinthians can be read here:
http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1010.htm
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