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Fast Fact - Apostolic Succession |
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Defense of the Apostolic office of Bishop |
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The following references regard the doctrine of Apostolic Succession and its background. (The hyperlinks will open an online NASB to the chapter referenced) Major Texts Matthew 16:18 - "And I say to you, you are Peter and upon this rock..." Matthew 16:19 - "I will give you [Peter] the keys of the kingdom of Heaven" (See Isaiah 22:22) Acts 1:17,20 - "He [Judas] was... alllotted a share in our ministry.... 'Let another take his office.'" Romans 10:14-15 - "... How can the hear without someone to preach. and how will they preach unless they are sent [literally - apostled]?" Col. 1:25 - "I [Paul] am a ministry in accord with God's stewardship (oikonomia = office)..." 1 Timothy 3:1ff - "... if any man aspires to the office of bishop..." 1 Timothy 4:14; 5:22, 2 Timothy 1:6, - Laying On of Hands (See Numbers 27:19-20 for Old Testament Background ... esp. v. 20) 2 Timothy 2:2 - "...entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others..." Minor Texts John 20:21 - "As the Father sent [literally - "apostled"] me, so I send ["apostle"] you..." And thus preaching through countries and cities, they appointed the first-fruits [of their labours], having first proved them by the Spirit, to be bishops and deacons of those who should afterwards believe. Nor was this any new thing, since indeed many ages before it was written concerning bishops and deacons. For thus saith the Scripture in a certain place, 'I will appoint their bishops in righteousness, and their deacons in faith.'...Our apostles also knew, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that there would be strife on account of the office of the episcopate. For this reason, therefore, inasmuch as they had obtained a perfect fore-knowledge of this, they appointed those already mentioned, and afterwards gave instructions, that when these should fall asleep, other approved men should succeed them in their ministry... for our sin will not be small, if we eject from the episcopate those who have blamelessly and holily fulfilled its duties" (Clement of Rome, First Clement, 42, 44 - written c. AD 80 -98). "'And the church of Corinth continued in the true faith until Primus was bishop of Corinth I conversed with them on my way to Rome, and abode with the Corinthians many days, during which we were mutually refreshed in the doctrine. And when I had come to Rome I remained there until Anicetus, whose deacon was Eleutherus. And Anicetus was succeeded by Soter, and he by Eleutherus. In every succession, and in every city that is held which is preached by the law and the prophets and the Lord.'" (Hegesippus, Memoirs, found in Eusebius Ecclesiatical History, 4:22 - written c. AD 180). "It is within the power of all, therefore, in every Church, who may wish to see the truth, to contemplate clearly the tradition of the apostles manifested through the whole world; and we are in position to reckon up those who were by the apostles instituted bishops in the Churches...Since, however, it would be very tedious, in such a volume as this, to reckon up the successions of all the Churches...[we will do this, I say,] by indicating that tradition derived from the apostles, of the very great, the very ancient, and universally known Church founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul; as also [by pointing out] the faith preached to men, which comes down to our time by means of the successions of the bishops. For it is a matter of necessity that every Church should agree with this Church, on account of its preeminent authority-- that is, the faithful everywhere-- inasmuch as the Apostolic Tradition has been preserved continuously by those who are everywhere... The blessed apostles, then, having founded and built upon the Church, committed into the hands of Linus the office of the Episcopate... To him succeeded Anacletus and after him, in the third place from the apostles, Clement was allotted the bishopric... To this Clement there succeeded Evaristus. Alexander followed Evaristus; then sixth from the apostles, Sixtus was appointed; after him, Telephorus, who was floriously martyred; then Hyginus; after him Pius, then after him, Anicetus. Soter having succeed Anicetus, Eleutherius does now, in the twelfth place from the paostles, hold the inheritnace of the episcopate. In this order, and by this succession, the ecclesiastical tradition from the apostles, and the preaching of truth, have come down to us....(Irenaaeus of Lyons, Against Hereises, 3,3,1-3 written c. AD 180). "True knowledge is [that which consists in] the doctrine of the apostels, and the ancient constitution of the Church throughout all the world, and the distinctive manifestation of the body of Christ according to the successions of the bishops, by which they have handed down that Church which exists in every place, and has come even unto us, being guarded and preserved without any forging of Scriptures, by a very comoplete system of doctrine, and neither receiving addition nor [suffering] curtailment [in the truths which she believes]; and [it consists in] reading [the word of God] without falsification, and a lawful and diligent exposition in harmony with the Scriptures, both without danger and without blasphemy; and [above all, it consists in] the pre-eminent gift of love, which is more precious than knowledge, more glorious than prophecy, and which excels all the other gifts [of God]" (Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies 4:33:8 - written c. AD 180). "But if there be any (heresies) which are bold enough to plant themselves in the midst of the apostolic age, that they may thereby seem to have been handed down by the apostles, because they existed in the time of the apostles, we can say: Let them produce the original records of their churches; let them unfold the roll of their bishops, running down in due succession from the beginning in such a manner that [that first bishop of theirs] bishop shall be able to show for his ordainer and predecessor some one of the apostles or apostolic men, -- a man, moreover, who continued steadfast with the apostles. ... To this test, therefore will they be submitted for proof by those churches, who, although they derive not their founder from apostels or apostolic men (as being of much later date, for they are in fact being founded daily), yet since they agree in the same faith, they are accounted as not less apostolic because they are akin in doctrine... Then let all the heresies, when challenged to these two tests by our apostolic church, offer their proof of how they deem themselves to be apostolic. But in truth they neither are so, nor are they able to prove themselves to be what they are not. Nor are they admitted to peaceful relations and communion by such churches as are in any way connected with apostles, inasmuch as they are in no sense themselves apostolic because of their diversity as to the mysteries of the faith" (Tertullian, Prescription Against The Heretics, 33 - written c. AD 200)
SUMMERY Jesus is our apostle because he was sent by the Father (Heb.1:3). Apostle means "one who is sent." Christ, in turn, gathered twelve men and sent them as his apostles into the world (John 20:21 ). The only people authorized by God to publically preach the gospel are those who have been "sent" (Romans 10:14-15) This commision to preach is publically radified through ordination by the imposition of hands of a bishop. Apostolic Succsions can be further seen in Scripturre in the fact that the apostles (and bishops) occupied offices. After the death of an apostle or a bishop, the office must be filled by a successor. For further information see CCC 1087, 77, 1555, |
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www.HandsOnApologetics.com |
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