B. Apostolic Succession (see also, Church Government)

Note: This list is a work in progress, and may change at any time both in the selection of quotations and the content of the annotations. In the meantime, feel free to offer any suggestions.

CLEMENT OF ROME

“Take up the epistle of the blessed Apostle Paul. What did he write to you at the time when the Gospel first began to be preached? Truly, under the inspiration of the Spirit, he wrote to you concerning himself, and Cephas, and Apollos, because even then parties had been formed among you. But that inclination for one above another entailed less guilt upon you, inasmuch as your partialities were then shown towards apostles, already of high reputation, and towards a man whom they had approved.” (1st Letter to the Corinthians, chap 47)1

IGNATIUS

“I do not, as Peter and Paul, issue commandments unto you. They were apostles of Jesus Christ, but I am the very least [of believers]: they were free, as the servants of God; while I am, even until now, a servant.” (Epistle to the Romans, chap. 4)2

IRENAEUS

“Chap. III. 1.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 throughout the whole world; and we are in a position to reckon up those who were by the apostles instituted bishops in the Churches, and [to demonstrate] the succession of these men to our own times; those who neither taught nor knew of anything like what these [heretics] rave about. For if the apostles had known hidden mysteries, which they were in the habit of imparting to “the perfect” apart and privily from the rest, they would have delivered them especially to those to whom they were also committing the Churches themselves. For they were desirous that these men should be very perfect and blameless in all things, whom also they were leaving behind as their successors, delivering up their own place of government to these men; which men, if they discharged their functions honestly, would be a great boon [to the Church], but if they should fall away, the direst calamity.
        2.Since, however, it would be very tedious, in such a volume as this, to reckon up the successions of all the Churches, we do put to confusion all those who, in whatever manner, whether by an evil self-pleasing, by vainglory, or by blindness and perverse opinion, assemble in unauthorized meetings; [we 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 pre- eminent authority, that is, the faithful everywhere, inasmuch as the apostolical tradition has been preserved continuously by those [faithful men] who exist everywhere3.

  1. An indication that the apostles were of higher authority than the church leaders (their successors) when Clement was writing (very shortly after the death of the apostles).
  2. It is interesting that, in writing to the church at Rome, Ignatius emphasized the apostolic authority of Peter and Paul above his own authority, with no indication that this apostolic authority existed still in the Roman church – in fact, in writing such a letter to them, he indicates that his own authority is on an equal plane with theirs, and must therefore be of an entirely different character from the apostolic authority shared by Peter and Paul.
  3. There follows a listing of the bishops succeeding the apostles both in the Roman and other prominent churches. It is evident in Irenaeus, as with others, that his ultimate goal in emphasizing the apostolic succession of the bishops in all true churches of Christ is to argue against those heretics who formed new and unauthorized assemblies, claiming to know “hidden mysteries,” which the apostles had delivered only to “the perfect,” which go beyond “the faith” once and for all delivered to the saints. “Not so,” says Irenaeus, “for if the apostles had delivered special knowledge to anyone at all, it would certainly have been to the leaders of the churches they gave of themselves to establish – and these churches all preach the same gospel we believe; if you doubt, consider the unbroken succession of bishops teaching the same faith from the time of the apostles”. Thus, apostolic succession was subservient to the greater point of conformity to apostolic teaching.

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