Victor R. Claveau, MJ
The personal witness of the Apostles ended with their deaths. However, their mission is enduring, to all nations, and for all time. Their work is Christ’s work, which is for the benefit for the entire world, and on this essential framework, he built his Church, by which all men would profit by the Redemption. In their own lifetime, God directly extended the call to Paul, Barnabas, and perhaps others. However, this is not to be the normal method of passing on the Apostolic commission, authority and powers. The Apostles are seen giving a minor share in their powers to the seven deacons (Acts 6:1-6); even this lesser authority is passed on by the laying on of hands and prayer (Acts 6:6). In addition, Paul appoints full successors to himself in Timothy and Titus. Timothy in Ephesus and Titus in Crete take Paul’s place: they are commissioned to teach (1 Tim 4:6; Tit 2:1), to rule (1 Tim 5:17-20; Tit 2). Their powers came to them by a laying on of hands (1 Tim 4:14, cf. 5:22 for an extension of the principle; 2 Tim 1:16; Tit 1:5, where both principles are expressed). In these three epistles and in Galatians there is constant stress against innovation; the Apostle’s mission is to hand on (trader) in all its fullness and all its purity what he has in turn received, the saving truth of Jesus. Thus, the Apostle’s work in the world is to be a minister of Christ, a faithful transmitter of God’s truth and God’s grace. That is the Apostle’s divinely appointed function, to extend the power of Christ in place and time. The Apostles, in their essential functions, must have successors, and similarly Peter, the head of the entire hierarchical structure, must have a successor to his primatial office. The essential functions of the Apostolic office must be handed on.
Apostolic Succession in the Bible
Apostolic succession consists in bishops who received their priestly powers from the Apostles in an unbroken chain of successive bishop down through the centuries to us. Scripture demonstrates Apostolic succession.
St. Peter admonished the elders of the Church in these terms: “To the elders among you, I, a fellow elder…” (1 Pet 5:1). There were bishops governing the Church during the lifetime of the Apostles as they invested their priestly powers in their legitimate successors. St. Paul, together with Barnabas received their priestly powers through the laying on of hands (Acts 13:1-3).
Timothy had been ordained as a bishop by the “elders” (1 Tim 4:14). Bishop Timothy, in turn, ordained other bishops as ordered to do so by St. Paul. However, Paul warned him, “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands…” (1 Tim 5:22).
Bishops ordained by Bishop Timothy were legitimate successors of the Apostles, who were also commanded to go and preach the doctrine of Jesus to all. Jesus promised his Apostles that he would be with them until the end of the world (Mt 28:18-20). The Apostles understood the Will of Christ in this command, because they charged their legitimate successors to preach the Word of God at all costs (2 Tim 4:1-5).
He does this also in the first chapter of his letter to Bishop Titus in Crete.