The Church and the Ministry
Overview
Published in 1888, this work by Archbishop Gore asserts that Apostolic Succession is and has always been an essential element of Christianity. The three fold ministry of Bishop, Priest, and Deacon was a central doctrine in the Oxford Movement. Along with this doctrine was the belief that Bishops were successors to the apostolic ministry. Well-researched and insightful, this volume appeals to both Scripture and early church history in its argumentation. It also addresses a number of objections to Apostolic Succession. As stated in the preface to the first edition: “[This book] maintains that Christianity is essentially the life of an actual visible society, and that at least one necessary link of connexion in this society is the apostolic succession of the ministry. In a word, this book claims on behalf of the apostolic succession that it must be reckoned with as a permanent and essential element of Christianity. It is an ‘apology’ for the principle of apostolic succession.”
