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Apostolic
Succession |
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INTRODUCING
THE SUBJECT OF APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION |
The Apostolic Order
Churches of Apostolic Order hold doctrines
on the sacraments which they attribute to
Apostolic Succession.
The doctrines relating the sacraments include
the following:
The power and mission that Christ gave to
His Apostles is conferred on their successors
by the sacrament of ordination. By faith that
sacrament of ordination communicates a sacred
power which is none other than that of Christ.
In classical Orthodoxy, the exercise of this
authority must as a result, be measured against
the model of Christ, who by love made himself
the least, and the servant of all.
The first Bishops such as Timothy and Titus
were ordained by the original Apostles, who
were themselves ordained to ministry by the
Messiah himself.
The Bishops ordained by the Apostles also
ordained others and so the line of succession
began until today.
The Bishop's office relates specifically to
Christ and to the male gender. It has also
been instituted for the good of mankind. The
Bishop acts in the name of the whole church
when presenting to God the power of the Church
and above all when offering the Eucharistic
Sacrifice.
Bishops with the Apostolic Succession are
in a power linkage of the unbroken sequence
that goes back to the beginnings of Christianity.
They themselves are thus regarded as transmitters
of that Apostolic Line or spiritual ancestry.
These beliefs are generally based on the understanding
that in fulfilling their exalted mission the
original Apostles were endowed by Christ with
a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit coming
upon them; and that by the laying-on of hands,
they passed on to their auxiliaries the gift
of the Spirit which can still transmitted
down in our day through (for example) an Episcopal
consecration. Such an Episcopal consecration
would also confer the power of teaching and
ruling. Through the act of a consecration
a sacred character is impressed in such a
way that Bishops take the representative place
of Christ Himself as teacher, shepherd, and
priest.
Apostolic succession relates to the foundation
and heritage of the Church. The heritage of
the Church also includes the sacraments such
as ordination. A sacrament is an official
and recognised religious act that gives a
particular blessing or favour to the one who
receives it. Ordination is illustrated as
the public, official act of appointing, or
setting apart a person for the work of Christian
ministry or service.
The Protestant Reformation
Through the Protestant Reformation in the
16th Century this concept of Apostolic Succession
or lineage was broken in numerous countries
throughout Europe, including many churches
that found their origin in the Protestant
movement. However the Apostolic Succession
survived and continues today, (for example)
through the Orthodox Churches and the Roman
Catholic Church.
In the aftermath of the Protestant Reformation
many new churches were founded by people who
had separated themselves from the original
church. As a result they did not emphasize
the subject of Apostolic Succession.
There may be however still be some lineages
in Protestantism who were forced by circumstances
to operate that succession in "secrecy"
due to the persecution of Orthodoxy at that
time. This needs to be investigated and worked
out into a study paper.
Church Orthodoxy in a Renewed Movement
Church Orthodoxy refers to the largely unified
form and nature of Christianity widely accepted
in the early church. Orthodoxy is not necessarily
about a state church (although the state may
have helped preserve it in places). Church
Orthodoxy has always endured trials to maintain
the heritage and foundation of the Church,
particularly in times of great stress and
persecutions during the period of the establishment
of Christianity as a world-wide religion.
In this regard, Orthodoxy has particular reference
for the work of the Church today. Apostolic
Succession has been one of the strong foundations
of Church Orthodoxy. It lends strength to
the work of the Lord in contemporary mission
fields, and Churches at frontline missions
that ignore the Apostolic Succession may be
doing so rather unfortunately - and possibly
at their own peril.
Conclusion
Today the church is faced with very real issues
that again question its historicity, unity
and significance. The time is therefore right
for us to revisit and understand Apostolic
Succession - and where it relates to Church
doctrine and sacraments in their foundational
context. What cannot be disputed is the fact
that Christianity today is the end-time harvest
of the labors of the Apostolic Fathers, who
withstood all odds in the name of Christ to
see that the Gospel was spread. They did this
through a sound knowledge of their historical
context as well as their prophetic destiny,
drawing on these as the basis for a powerful
unity in the Spirit and in the praxis of mission.
The subject of Apostolic Succession is a source
of inspiration, authenticity, legitimacy and
wisdom. This paper has hopefully thrown some
light on the subject, particularly in the
area of its historical reference and contemporary
relevance.
