What is Apostolic Succession and why is it important?
Many don’t realize for the first 1500 years of Christianity, virtually all Christians were Catholic. Apart from the rise and fall of various heresies over time, the Catholic Church was relatively unified. The various Christian denominations we see today were nonexistent.
A defining feature of this Church was its apostolicity. Every Catholic pope, bishop, priest and deacon—from the earliest centuries of the Church to present day—can trace, their ordination back in an unbroken line of bishops to one of the Apostles. That is remarkable. Pope Francis, Archbishop Miller, your pastor: all of them can trace their ordination back to an Apostle. The Church’s term for this continuity is apostolic succession.
Apostolic succession serves a dual purpose in the Church. Not only does it help pass on this hierarchy or holy order Jesus and the Apostles established, it also provides the vehicle by which the truths of the faith Jesus left to the Church are passed on, in a living way, and protected from error by the Holy Spirit.
New denominations are popping up around the world.
But still, many deny this apostolicity and literally every week new denominations are popping up around the world with no connection to this apostolic continuity whatsoever. Perhaps one of the best responses to this situation is to go back in time to the early Christian Church. What was it like? Was it apostolic? Do we actually see evidence of this apostolic succession? Unequivocally yes. We have the writings of dozens of early church fathers—many of them taught by Apostles or disciples of the Apostles—and they are completely unanimous on this point.
Around 80 AD, St. Clement of Rome (ordained by St. Peter, and was the fourth Pope) wrote: “Our Apostles also knew ... there would be contention over the bishop’s office. So, for this cause … they appointed the above mentioned men, and afterwards gave them a permanent character, so that, as they died, other approved men should succeed to their ministry."
Around 190 AD, St. Irenaeus (taught by St. Polycarp, who
was taught by St. John) wrote: "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 everywhere.”
When heretical sects rose up, the first recourse was to challenge them to trace their order of bishops back to an Apostle.
When various heretical sects rose up in the Church, one of the first recourses was to challenge them to trace their order of bishops in an unbroken line back to an Apostle.
Around 200 AD, Tertullian wrote:
If there be any
heresies ... let them make known the origins of their churches; let them unfold
the roll of their bishops so coming down in succession from the beginning, that
their first bishop had for his ordainer and predecessor some one of the
Apostles, or of apostolic men, so he were one that continued steadfast with the
Apostles. For in this manner do the apostolic churches reckon their origin: as the Church of Smyrna recounts that
Polycarp was placed there by John; as that of Rome does that Clement was in like
manner ordained by Peter. Just so can the rest also show those whom, being
appointed by the Apostles to the episcopate [office of bishop], they have as
transmitters of the apostolic seed.
My favourite quote comes from St. Ignatius of Antioch: “all should respect the deacons … [and the] bishop as representing the Father and the priests as the council of God and the college of the Apostles. Apart from these there is nothing that can be called a church.”
Incredible! If you are in a denomination that does not have bishops, priests, and deacons that can trace their ordination back to an Apostle, these great early Christians would not even recognize you.
Is your denomination apostolic? The early Church was.