Apostolic Succession
As taught in the Anglican / Episcopal tradition
The continuity of the Church's faith and order from the time of the Apostles to the present day.
The question of Apostolic Succession within the Anglican tradition is not merely a debate over historical record or ecclesiastical genealogy; it is a fundamental inquiry into the nature of the Church’s continuity with the ministry of Jesus Christ. How does the Church of today ensure that it remains the same Church founded by the Apostles? Within Anglicanism, the answer is found in the "historic episcopate," a concept famously enshrined in the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral of 1888 as one of the four essential marks of Christian unity. Apostolic Succession is understood as the visible, tactile, and spiritual link that binds the contemporary Church to the apostolic community in Jerusalem, ensuring that the Word is rightly preached and the Sacraments are duly administered.
By the end of this lesson
- **Identify** the biblical foundations for the transmission of ministerial authority in the New Testament.
- **Distinguish** between the "tactile" succession of episcopal consecration and the "doctrinal" succession of apostolic teaching.
- **Explain** the significance of the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral in defining the Anglican view of the historic episcopate.
- **Articulate** the Anglican "Via Media" approach to succession, contrasting it with both the Roman Catholic and the non-episcopal Protestant views.
- **Trace** the historical development of the threefold ministry from the first century through the English Reformation.
- **Defend** the necessity of Apostolic Succession as a visible sign of the Church’s unity and continuity.
- **Apply** the theology of succession to contemporary issues of leadership, accountability, and ecumenical relations.
- **Compare** the roles of the bishop as a pastor, a teacher, and a focus of unity within the Anglican tradition.
Scripture
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