The Apostolic Succession

Perhaps one reason Anglicans are comfortable with tradition is because Anglicans recognize the importance of the Apostolic Succession, wherein every member is connected to Jesus Christ through the succession of Bishops. When an Anglican is confirmed or a Priest or Deacon ordained, a Bishop lays his hands on them and prays that the Holy Spirit will come into them in a new way. The Bishop, in turn, was consecrated and had hands laid on him by another bishop, also praying for the Holy Spirit to enter in a new way. And that bishop was consecrated in the same way as well, and so on and so fourth in an uninterrupted line through the laying on of hands which is historically traceable all the way back to the apostles and finally to Christ himself.

“We don’t need to ‘search for the Historical Jesus.’ That memory was never forgotten!”

The Apostolic Succession connects us to the man who walked on the shores of Galilee, who took on fishermen as disciples, and who was executed on a cross for us. It means that it’s not just a story that we found somewhere and decided that we like it. A librarian did not happen upon some ancient book and find himself fascinated in an amazing character that it portrayed, wondering who this man was, what he was like. We don’t need to “Search for the Historical Jesus.” That memory was never forgotten! The Apostles knew the historical Jesus. They knew who he was, what he taught, what he meant, how he lived, what he believed, and they knew personally what authority had been given to Him by God the Father and they saw how the Holy Spirit worked through him. That experience and knowledge was part of the gift which God gave to the Apostles, along with the indwelling of the Holy Ghost. That knowledge, power, and authority didn’t die with the Apostles: it was passed on through the laying on of hands and through teaching and preaching. It is that Apostolic faith retained by God’s grace through the succession of Bishops that we affirm today.