The chain of apostolic succession, of course, started with the apostles themselves. However, nowhere in Scripture did Jesus, the apostles, or any other New Testament writer set forth the idea of “apostolic succession.” Further, neither is Peter presented as “supreme” over the other apostles. For example, Irenaeus was a student of Polycarp, who was a student of John the Apostle. The role of apostolic succession in preserving true doctrine is illustrated in the Bible. To make sure that the apostolic tradition would be passed down after the deaths of the apostles, Paul told Timothy, “[W]hat you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. When Bishop Loverde ordained seven men as priests for our diocese on May 15, he did so with the authority of apostolic succession, and those men in turn share in the priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
According to this teaching, bishops possess certain special powers handed down to them from the Apostles; these consist primarily of the right to Start studying Apologetics Unit 4.
The idea that there can be no church without this Catholic rite of Apostolic Succession, diminishes both faith and Christ. Apostolic succession, in Christianity, the teaching that bishops represent a direct, uninterrupted line of continuity from the Apostles of Jesus Christ.

True Apostolic Succession is a Thing of Faith and of the Spirit. 2:2). Apostolic succession is the method whereby the ministry of the Christian Church is held to be derived from the apostles by a continuous succession, which has usually been associated with a claim that the succession is through a series of bishops. Apostolic Succession was the principle that the Truth, the Scriptures and their understanding is properly transmitted from teacher to student, which could be traced. To make sure that the apostles’ teachings would be passed down after the deaths of the apostles, Paul told Timothy, “[W]hat you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. If possible, Bishop Loverde could trace his apostolic succession as a bishop back to one of the apostles. It makes a doctrine—and a tenuous one at that—to be predominant and central. But apostles stopped being commissioned in the first century, and so apostolic succession continues with the bishops, the successors of the apostles. 2:2). Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. It makes both church and the apostolic appear mechanical and doctrinaire. Apostolic succession, combined with Peter’s supremacy among the apostles, results in the Roman bishop being the supreme authority of the Catholic Church – the Pope.