Apostolic Successiona
Syriac – Greek Antiochian Orthodox – Apostolic Succession
Apostolic Succession
The first Christians had no doubts about how to determine which was the true Church and which doctrines the true teachings of Christ. The test was simple: Just trace the apostolic succession of the claimants.
Apostolic succession is the line of bishops stretching back to the apostles. All over the world, all Catholic bishops including that of Orthodox and Roman are part of a lineage that goes back to the time of the apostles, something that is impossible in Protestant denominations (most of which do not even claim to have bishops).
The role of apostolic succession in preserving true doctrine is illustrated in the Bible. To make sure that the apostles’ teachings would be passed down after the deaths of the apostles, Paul told Timothy, [What you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2). In this passage he refers to the first three generations of apostolic succession—his own generation, Timothy’s generation, and the generation Timothy will teach.
The Church Fathers, who were links in that chain of succession, regularly appealed to apostolic succession as a test for whether Catholics or heretics had correct doctrine. This was necessary because heretics simply put their own interpretations, even bizarre ones, on Scripture. Clearly, something other than Scripture had to be used as an ultimate test of doctrine in these cases.
Thus the early Church historian J. N. D. Kelly, a Protestant, writes, “Where in practice was the apostolic testimony or tradition to be found? . . . The most obvious answer was that the apostles had committed it orally to the Church, where it had been handed down from generation to generation. . . . Unlike the alleged secret tradition of the Gnostics, it was entirely public and open, having been entrusted by the apostles to their successors, and by these in turn to those who followed them, and was visible in the Church for all who cared to look for it” (Early Christian Doctrines, 37).
For the early Fathers, “the identity of the oral tradition with the original revelation is guaranteed by the unbroken succession of bishops in the great sees going back lineally to the apostles. . . . [A]n additional safeguard is supplied by the Holy Spirit, for the message committed was to the Church, and the Church is the home of the Spirit. Indeed, the Church’s bishops are . . . Spirit-endowed men who have been vouchsafed ‘an infallible charism of truth’” (ibid.).
Thus on the basis of experience the Fathers could be “profoundly convinced of the futility of arguing with heretics merely on the basis of Scripture. The skill and success with which they twisted its plain meaning made it impossible to reach any decisive conclusion in that field” (ibid., 41).
The Apostolic Succession is the historically traceable lineage of hands-on Consecration (Ordination) of bishops that is an unbroken link with the Holy Apostles.
Our Bishops have maintained Our Apostolic Succession from the Syriac and Antioch Orthodox Church including that of Russia in recent times through Bishops that join our jurisdiction from other Jurisdiction with Apostolic Succession.
Apostolic
Succession and Traditions
The True Antiochian Orthodox
Church first traces its Apostolic Succession back to St Peter the Apostle
through the Syrian Orthodox Church and Catholicate and His Holiness
Patriarch Ignatius Peter III of Antioch. This was brought to America in the
person of Archbishop Timotheos (Vilathi) who was our first Archbishop
Metropolitan. Secondly, but equally as important, comes Apostolic Succession
from the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church, as it was called in the
1960’s, through Archbishop Constantine and Archbishop Dosifej both of the
Russian Orthodox Succession from St Andrew. This succession came into our
Church through Archbishop John (Skureth) who was consecrated through
Archbishop Konstantin and Dosifej in 1966. It is because of these two
historic facts that both the Syrian and Russian Successions are contained in
our Church.
Russian Orthodox Church of Moscow
Succession
(Abbreviated Format)
-
APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION OF
-
-
BISHOP BRIAN J. KENNEDY, O.S.B.
-
-
FROM
-
JESUS THE
CHRIST -
THROUGH THE
APOSTLE ANDREW -
through the Apostolic See at
Constantinople and through the -
Russian Orthodox Church / Moscow
Patriarchate -
AND THROUGH
THE APOSTLE PETER -
from the
Apostolic See at Antioch - From the holy Apostle Andrew,
Apostle to the Scythians, the direct line of Apostolic Succession Passes
through the Patriarchs of Constantinople and the Metropolitans of Kiev,
Vladimir, and Moscow to Metropolitan Nikon of Moscow, Russia. - METROPOLITAN NIKON
- ARCHBISHOP AND METROPOLITAN OF
MOSCOW - in 1884, in Moscow, consecrated
- MACARIUS (MICHAEL NEVESKIJ)
- ARCHBISHOP AND METROPOLITAN OF
MOSCOW - who assisted by
- INNOKENTIJ
- BISHOP OF ST. PETERSBURG
- Did on 13 December 1903, in Moscow,
consecrated - EVDOKIM (BASIL MIKHAILOVICH
MESCHERSKY) - RUSSIAN ORTHODOX ARCHBISHOP OF
ALASKA AND NORTH AMERICA -
On May 13, 1917 (O.S.) Archbishop +Evdokim (Basil
Mikahailovich Meschersky), (Russian Orthodox) assisted by Bishop
+Alexander (Nemolovsky) and Bishop +Alexander Stephanovich Dzubay of
Pittsburgh, consecrated Father Aftimios Ofiesch in St. Nicholas Russian
Orthodox Church in New York City. Bishop +Aftimios was consecrated for
Brooklyn, New York. In 1922, Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvensky)
assumed leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church in North America
having received the appointment by Patriarch (Saint) Tikhon of Moscow
and all Russia. In 1923, Metropolitan Platon, with the approval of
Patriarch Tikhon elevated Bishop +Aftimios to the position of
Archbishop. -
-
Archbishop +Aftimios (Ofiesch) assisted by Bishop
+Emmanuel (Abo-Hatab) Bishop of Montreal and Archbishop +Elias of Tyre
and Sidon consecrated Bishop +Sophronios (Bashira) on May 26th, 1928 as
Bishop of Los Angeles, California. -
-
Archbishop +Aftimios (Ofiesch) assisted by Bishop +Sophronios
(Bashira) consecrated Bishop +Joseph Zuk as the first American born
Bishop for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on February 7, 1932.
- Bishop Aftimios Ofiesh, who with Bishops Beshara and Zuk
consecrated: - Bishop Ignatius W.A. Nichols, who with Bishop Raines consecrated:
- Bishop George Winslow Plummer, who with Bishop Nichols consecrated:
- Bishop Theodotus Stanislaus Dewitow, who with Bishop Souris
consecrated: - Bishop Walter M. Propheta, who with Bishop Whitehead consecrated:
- Bishop Solomon Gbadebo, OLA who consecrated
- Bishop Aloysius Maria Thipamba who Consecrated
- Bishop Simon-Pembeth-Sytha who Consecrated
- Bishop Pierre Tang who consecrated
- Aux Archbishop Anthony Macfonse Osmond
The American Orthodox Archdiocese and the Byzantine Catholic Church together with Syriac-Greek Antiochian Archdiocese of America and
Dependancies traces their Apostolic Succession through their consecrators to
Apostle Peter and the Patriachate of Antioch through
Patriach Ignatius Yacob II
and Patriach Ignatius Peter III
Moran Mar Ignatius
Yacob II, the 116th Syraic Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, enthroned in
Jerusalem on 16 June 1872.
PULIKOTTH, Joseph was
consecrated on
Geevargjese Pallathitta Chathuruhil [Geevarghese
Mar Gregorius], and Paulose Murimattom [Paulose Mar Ivanius].
was consecrated 29 July 1889 by: Joseph Pulikottil [Joseph
Mary Dionysos V] assisted by Paulose Kadavil Kooran[Paulose Mar Athanasius],
VILATIE, Joseph Rene,
was consecrated on
Francis Xavier Alvarez [Mar Julius I] assisted by Geevarghese Chathuruhil
Pallathitta [Geevarghese Mar Gregorius] and Paulose Kadavil Kooran [Paulose
Mar Athanasius].
GULOTTI, Louis Prota
Giureleo Miraglia, was consecrated on
Rene Vilatte
LLOYD, Frederick E. was
consecrated on
Joseph Rene Vilatte assisted by Paolo M. Gulotti.
FRYXELL, Axel Zakarias
was consecrated on
Frederick Ebenezer John Lloyd
DURAND, Casimir
Francois was consecrated on
September 1926
The Apostolic Succession of Our Aux Archbishop.
Our Auxilliary Archbishop, His Excellency, Most Revd Dr. +Anthony Macfonse
Osmond, OSB was consecrated by His Eminence +Pierre TANG, OSB Metropolitan Archbishop, and Exarch of Africa who were consecrated by His Eminence Simon-PEMBET-SYTHA, OSB Archbishop, General Metropolitan of Byzantine Catholic Church of Congo Brazaville, who were consecrated by His Eminence Aloysius Maria THIPAMBA, OSB Metropolitan General of the Byzantine Catholic Church of Democratic Republic of Congo, who were consecrated by Solomon Gbadebo, OLA Archbishop of the Universal Orthodox Church of Nigeria and proceeded from the Apostolic Succession of Beatitude +Walter M PROPHETA, Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of America.
http://orthodoxwiki.org/Apostolic_succession
http://www.syrianchurch.org/pzakka/HH.htm