The apostolic succession

What is meant by “apostolic succession”?

“Apostolic succession” is clearly defined by the Second Vatican Council, but its origin dates back to the first centuries. “The holy council teaches that the bishops, by virtue of divine institution, succeed the Apostles as pastors of the Church”, affirms the dogmatic constitution on the Church, Lumen gentium (n. 20). In other words, “the bishops are not the Apostles, but their ministry is apostolic. They fulfill in the Church today the task, the function of the Apostles of which they are the successors”, explains Father Jean-François Chiron, who teaches theology of the Church at the Catholic University of Lyon. If the wording of Lumen gentium suggests that, from a historical point of view, the generation of bishops immediately succeeded the “Twelve” (the twelve Apostles chosen by Christ), in reality there is no doubt had a transition phase. “This does not detract from the legitimacy of the bishops. The episcopal ministry has been there since the Apostles but its form undoubtedly evolved from the 1950s to the 150s,” he adds.

Indeed, at the death of the Apostles, it was necessary for people to take on the role of pastors of the Church after them. In each Christian community, there was then probably a college of leaders rather than a single leader. But this subject remains debated, because there are few documents on this period. “In the Acts of the Apostles, we speak of “presbyteroi” – of the elders – who have a function of “episkope” that is to say of surveillance – in the sense of watching over the community. Very quickly, we will call them the “presbyteroi episcopoi””, specifies the ecclesiologist. Around 95-100, a letter from Pope Clement of Rome to the Corinthians, divided by rivalries which threaten the authority of the presbyters, mentions the apostolic succession: “Our Apostles also knew that there would be disputes about the dignity of the episcopate; this is why, knowing very well what was going to happen, they instituted the ministers that we have said and then laid down the rule that at their death, other tried men would succeed to their functions”, writes Pope Clement.

In the 2nd century, Saint Irenaeus, the bishop of Lyons, mentions this letter and formulates the apostolic succession in his great treatise Against Heresies (see opposite). “Irenaeus shows that a kind of original authenticity has been preserved because the apostolic succession is at the service of the authenticity of the faith and of the communities”, emphasizes Jean-François Chiron. The bishops have the mission of announcing the Word which was that of the Apostles. “Apostolic succession is not an end in itself. It is at the service of the apostolic, evangelical tradition, which is primary. »

What are the biblical foundations of apostolic succession?

This dimension of succession appears in the New Testament, in the Letters of Paul to Timothy, but also in the Acts of the Apostles and in the Letters of Peter, according to Father Christophe Raimbault, teacher at the Catholic Institute of Paris. At the beginning of Acts, the election of Matthias who takes, “in the apostolic ministry, the place that Judas has deserted” (Acts 1, 25) already shows the need to find “a substitute” in order to preserve the symbolic figure of twelve. Apostles.

Paul, who is not one of the Twelve, then comes “to open the reflection on the successors of the Apostles and on the apostolate in general”. He himself “finds it difficult to be recognized as an apostle because he is not an apostle from the very beginning. He says that he is “a runt”, that is to say that he became an Apostle in a different way from the others”, comments the exegete.

In his eyes, this is how the succession takes place from the twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus: initially, we ensure that this number is maintained with Matthias. Then, the circle widens under the impulse of Paul and his reflection on the apostolate. Then, the number will grow from generation to generation. In the New Testament, this succession is transmitted by the laying on of hands. Even today, this gesture is, along with prayer, the essential rite of an episcopal ordination.

Why did the Apostles need successors?

The reason for this succession is pragmatic. In the early days of Christianity, the communities were quickly confronted with internal tensions and external events that jostled them. Leaders are needed to direct and coordinate them: “Watch over yourselves and over all the flock for which the Holy Spirit has made you responsible, to be the pastors of the Church of God, which he has acquired by his own blood”, exhorts Saint Paul (Acts of the Apostles 20, 28).

There are also theological reasons. “We need successors to the Apostles to continue to make Jesus Christ present to the communities, themselves called to be the body of Christ, to make the unified Christ visible,” recalls Christophe Raimbault. But to make Jesus Christ present is also to transmit the authenticity of the Gospel message, a living Word, “the Word made flesh” and to ensure that it is well received. “The role of the Apostles is to announce the Gospel message. Vatican II rereads the function of the bishops in this continuity of proclamation of the Word and therefore of responsibility for the community aroused by the Word”, confirms Jean-François Chiron.

The Council also underlines the community dimension of this succession: it is not each bishop, but the college of bishops who succeeds the college of the Twelve. This responsibility is a service, not a prerogative, as the first letter of Peter points out (1 P 5, 1-3): “Be the shepherds of the flock of God which is among you; watch over him, not by compulsion but willingly, according to God; not out of greed but out of devotion; not by commanding those entrusted to your care, but by becoming the models of the flock. »

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