What Is Apostolic Succession?
Apostolic succession is the unbroken chain of ordination from the apostles to today's bishops, ensuring the Church's teaching authority and sacramental validity are preserved.
📝Detailed Answer
Apostolic succession is the doctrine that the authority Jesus gave to his apostles has been passed down through an unbroken line of bishops from the first century to the present day. Each Catholic bishop can trace his ordination back through a chain of bishops ultimately to one of the original twelve apostles.
This succession is transmitted through the Sacrament of Holy Orders — specifically, through the laying on of hands by a validly ordained bishop. This gesture, recorded in the New Testament (see 1 Timothy 4:14 and 2 Timothy 1:6), has been the means of ordination since the apostolic era.
Apostolic succession serves several important purposes. First, it ensures the validity of the sacraments — only validly ordained priests can celebrate the Eucharist and hear confessions. Second, it guarantees the authenticity of Church teaching, as the bishops are the successors of the apostles in their role as authoritative teachers. Third, it provides historical continuity with the Church that Christ founded.
The early Church Fathers placed great emphasis on apostolic succession. St. Irenaeus of Lyon (c. 180 AD) used the succession of bishops in Rome to argue against heretical groups that claimed secret teachings from the apostles. The public, verifiable chain of succession demonstrated which communities had preserved authentic apostolic teaching.
📜Bible References
2 Timothy 1:6
“I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.”
1 Timothy 4:14
“Do not neglect the gift you have, which was conferred on you through the prophetic word with the imposition of hands.”
Acts 1:20-26
“May another take his office... and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the eleven apostles.”
📚Catechism References
CCC 77
“The apostles entrusted the Sacred Deposit of faith to the whole of the Church.”
CCC 861
“The bishops have by divine institution taken the place of the apostles as pastors of the Church.”
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