While the ancient Christians were absolutely unanimous on the doctrine of Apostolic Succession, many protestants claimed it was absent from the New Testament. However, when I realized that the principle of succession was so thoroughly established in the Old Testament for priests, tribal heads, judges, kings, and even some prophets, and that this was confirmed by extra-biblical Jewish sources, I knew this was the default.
Therefore, since Christianity does not abolish, but fulfills the Jewish religion, the burden of proof is on protestants to show that the New Testament does not speak of or exemplify the principle of succession via Apostolic Succession. In fact, given its ubiquity throughout the Old Testament, the burden is on protestants to show that the New Testament explicitly denies the principle of succession, which is the norm and default by which the government of God’s people is perpetuated through time.
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This Quote Archive on the Sacrament of Confession is part of the Becoming Catholic series. Each archive of quotes is intended to serve as a reference source on the various topics addressed in the articles. They are periodically updated as more research is completed.
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The deeper I dug, the more I discovered that the Catholic notion of authority had very Jewish roots, which only shed light on the many places in the New Testament when Christ and the Apostles delegated authority to others. Indeed, the Hebrew Bible is deeply instructive on the topic of how God exercises His authority among His people.
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