Apostolic Succession

by Gregory Rogers

Publisher:

Ancient Faith

, 2000

Overview

Apostolic Sucession examines the unbroken apostolic chain linking past to present in the historic Church. It was written by a former evangelical pastor whose study of the biblical and historical evidence led him to the two-thousand-year-old Orthodox Church.

Key Features

• Analyzes the the theology of apostolic succession
• Provides an overview of what makes a church “apostolic”
• Considers the biblical and Church Fathers sources as context

Contents

• The Biblical Foundation
• The Historical Evidence
• The Twenty-First Century Context

Top Highlights

“Separated from true bishops, presbyters, and deacons, living an independent ecclesiastical life, no group can be truly called a church. Merely having a community with a bishop, presbyters, and deacons is not enough to constitute the Church in a given place. The community, to be the Church, must be a eucharistic community headed by a bishop whose appointment has been recognized by other apostolic communities. An independent apostolic church is a contradiction in terms. To be apostolic is to be integrated into a living community, one which can trace its origins to the Apostles.” (Pages 19–20)

“The Life of God flows from the Father to the Son in the Holy Spirit, and from the Son to the Apostles through the Holy Spirit; and through the apostolic ministry the Life of God is brought to the Church. Only God can forgive sins; but forgiveness is experienced through the ministry of the Apostles and their successors in the Church.” (Page 6)

“Truth is not disincarnated. Rather, Truth is God the Son Incarnate, His very being, not mere propositions about Him. Truth can only be known in union with Him, and to be in union with Him is to be in the Church.” (Page 5)

“To be within the succession, a bishop must be properly elected by the diocese he is to administrate, be approved by the legitimate governing synod to which he will be accountable, be consecrated by bishops within the Orthodox Church, and remain faithfully in communion with the Orthodox Church.” (Page 34)

“For centuries theologians have used Matthew 16:13–19 as the New Testament starting point for any discussion of the nature of the apostolic foundation of the Church.” (Page 3)

Product Details

• Title: Apostolic Succession
• Author: Gregory Rogers
• Edition: Third Edition
• Publisher: Ancient Faith
• Print Publication Date: 2000
• Logos Release Date: 2013
• Pages: 40
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Apostolic succession
• Resource ID: LLS:PSTLCSCCSSN
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T20:42:37Z

About Gregory Rogers

Very Reverend Father Gregory Rogers grew up in a Protestant Evangelical church, and eventually became a youth pastor at another church in the denomination before converting to Orthodoxy. He now serves as pastor at Saint Barnabas Orthodox Church in South Carolina.