Abstract
The article The Aspects of Collective Memory and the Formation of the Tradition. The Christian Perspective deals with the theory of social and collective memory, especially in European academic context.
It focuses on the authors who are considered the founders of this field as Maurice Halbwachs, Jan Assmann and Jan Vansina. The study underlines their contribution that can be used in the field of New Testament Studies particularly in the formation of the tradition.
Collective memory is an essential part of collective identity because the knowledge of what happened in the past and the interpretation of past events are crucial to self-consciousness and to a consciousness of the community. The example of the Last Supper, a ritual that connected all the Christians, shows how the different communities can change, reinterpret, select and give a meaningful meaning to memories that circulated throughout the then Roman Empire.