St. Paul the Catholic (Part 9):

          In part 8, it was mentioned that besides giving evidence for the Sacrament of Holy Orders, 1 Timothy 5:22 gives evidence for apostolic succession. [1] [2]  What is apostolic succession?  Simply put, it “…is the line of bishops stretching back to the apostles.” [3] Apostolic succession is reflected in the Nicene Creed: “We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.” [4] [5] For the early Church, the succession of Bishops from the Apostles in various churches was one way to distinguish true apostolic teaching from false teachings (cf. St. Irenaeus, “Against Heresies”: 3:3:1 – 3:3:4,  3:4:1, 4:26:2, 4:33:8, Tertullian: “Demurrer Against the Heretics” 20-21, 32.) [6] [7] This apostolic lineage is perpetuated by the consecration of Bishops in the Sacrament of Holy Orders. 

          Now, the Bishops (in the Catholic Church) are the legitimate successors of the Apostles. [8] [9] [10]  More specifically, the college of bishops succeeded the apostolic college. [11]  One can see this historical truth in Pope St. Clement’s Letter to the Corinthians written in the 1st century A.D in which he writes:

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 [ministers] already mentioned, and afterwards gave instructions, that when these should fall asleep, other approved men should succeed them in their ministry.  [12]

          Here in this passage, one can see the link from our Lord Jesus Christ to the Apostles, from the Apostles to those they appointed [i.e. Bishops], and from the Bishops to other approved men who would succeed them in their ministry (i.e. new Bishops.)  This clearly shows that there is a succession from the Bishops to the Apostles, and that the college of bishops replaced the apostolic college.  This truth can also be seen in the New Testament, in one of St. Paul’s letters.  It has already been established in part 8 of this series that St. Paul appointed St. Timothy as a Bishop.  In 2 Timothy one can see that St. Paul is preparing for the continuation of the teaching that he entrusted to St. Timothy [13], where he writes: “…the things which thou hast heard of me by many witnesses, the same commend to faithful men, who shall be fit to teach others also.” [14]

          As one author points out regarding this passage:

In this passage he [St. Paul] refers to the first three generations of apostolic succession—his own generation, Timothy’s generation, and the generation Timothy will teach. [15]

          St. John Chrysostom comments on this passage:

…to ‘faithful’ men, not to questioners nor to reasoners, to ‘faithful.’ How faithful? Such as betray not the Gospel they should preach. ‘The things which you have heard’, not which you have searched out. For ‘faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ (Romans 10:17.) But wherefore, ‘among many witnesses’ ? As if he had said: You have not heard in secret, nor apart, but in the presence of many, with all openness of speech. Nor does he say, Tell, but ‘commit’, as a treasure committed is deposited in safety… [16]

          The present author wishes to highlight one of the interesting things that St. John Chrysostom points out in this text; that is that St. Timothy is told to ‘commit’ what he has heard, to quote Chrysostom, ‘…as a treasure committed is deposited in safety…”  This idea of the Apostles committing something to those whom they appointed to succeed them ‘as a treasure…deposited in safety’ is found in the writings of an earlier Church Father.

          In Book III of his famous work “Against Heresies” St. Irenaeus, a 2nd century Bishop of Lyon, writes in chapter 4:

Since therefore we have such proofs, it is not necessary to seek the truth among others which it is easy to obtain from the Church; since the apostles, like a rich man [depositing his money] in a bank, lodged in her hands most copiously all things pertaining to the truth: so that every man, whosoever will, can draw from her the water of life. (Revelation 22:17.) For she is the entrance to life; all others are thieves and robbers. [17]

And just a chapter earlier he writes:

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… [18]

Rather than tracing the Apostolic lineage of all of the various churches, he points to one:

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 preeminent authority, that is, the faithful everywhere, inasmuch as the tradition has been preserved continuously by those [faithful men] who exist everywhere.  [19]

And then, he proves to his readers the Apostolic lineage of this Church with “preeminent authority”, that is the Church in Rome:

The blessed apostles [St. Peter and St. Paul], then, having founded and built up the [Roman] 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 gloriously martyred; then Hyginus; after him, Pius; then after him, Anicetus. Soter having succeeded Anicetus, Eleutherius does now, in the twelfth place from the apostles, hold the inheritance of the episcopate. [20]

And later, in Book IV, St. Irenaeus shows his readers one of the roles of apostolic succession; that is the preservation of the truth.

Wherefore it is incumbent to obey the presbyters who are in the Church—those who, as I have shown, possess the succession from the apostles; those who, together with the succession of the episcopate, have received the certain gift of truth, according to the good pleasure of the Father. But [it is also incumbent] to hold in suspicion others who depart from the primitive succession, and assemble themselves together in any place whatsoever, [looking upon them] either as heretics of perverse minds, or as schismatics puffed up and self-pleasing, or again as hypocrites, acting thus for the sake of lucre and vainglory. For all these have fallen from the truth. And the heretics, indeed, who bring strange fire to the altar of God— namely, strange doctrines— shall be burned up by the fire from heaven, as were Nadab and Abiud. [21]

So, having thus established the truth of apostolic succession, that it is reflected in the writings of St. Paul, and it’s importance, how does one determine who actually has apostolic succession?  This is an issue that will be looked at in the next article.

 [21] http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103426.htm  (accessed 2/20/2012)