II. О СОСТАВЕ И УСТРОЙСТВЕ ЦЕРКВИ

§ 171. General view of this device Having determined the scope of his Church, indicating to her the goal and giving the necessary means for the goal, the Lord Jesus together gave her a certain structure, which completely ensures and facilitates the achievement of this goal. The structure of the Church is that - a) it is divided, according to its composition, into two essential parts: the flock and the God-established hierarchy, placed in a certain relationship with each other; b) the hierarchy is divided into its three essential degrees, different from one another and interconnected; c) the flock and hierarchy are subordinated to the supreme court of the Councils, and - d) finally, the entire harmonious body of the Church, formed from such different and wisely arranged members among themselves, has a single head in the Lord Jesus Christ himself, who animates her most holy. With your spirit. § 172. The flock and the Divinely established hierarchy with their mutual relationship I. It is not difficult to show, contrary to the opinion of some unjustified people, 522 that the division of the members of the Church into the two mentioned classes originates from the Savior himself. It is undeniable that the Lord himself established in his Church a special class of people, constituting a hierarchy, and that these people, and only them alone, He authorized to dispose of the means that He gave to the Church for its purpose: that is, He authorized to be teachers, clergy and spiritual leaders in it, and did not at all grant this to all believers indifferently, having commanded on the contrary, they only have to obey the shepherds (Orthodox confession, part 1, answer to question 109; last Eastern Patriarch. on the Orthodox faith, part 10; space of the Chronicle of the Catholic Church on part IX). 1. Reading St. The Gospel, containing the story of the life and actions of our Savior, we see: a) That He himself directly and from all his disciples recruited exactly twelve, whom he called his apostles. When it was day, St. Luke, (Jesus) called his disciples: and from them he chose twelve, who were also called apostles (Luke 6:13), and therefore he said to them: You did not choose me, but I chose you (John 15:16). b) That to them alone He gave the commandment and the power to teach all nations, to perform holy things for them. sacraments, and guide believers to salvation (Matt. 28:19; Luke 22:19; Matt. 18:18). c) That He gave this power to the saint. to the apostles in the same way as he himself received from the Father: to me is all power given...; Going therefore, teach all languages, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28, 18. 19); just as the Father sent me, and I send you, and this river, duna, and the verb to them: receive the Holy Spirit, whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven them: and to whom you hold, they hold fast (John 20, 21. 22. 23). d) That to these twelve He himself directly added seventy more specific disciples, whom he sent to the same great work (Luke 10:1 et seq.). e) That, transferring his heavenly embassy to his twelve disciples, He wanted it to pass directly from them to their successors, and from these latter, passing from generation to generation, it would remain in the world until the very end of the world. For He, having said to the apostles: go into the whole world, preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15), directly added: and lo, I am with you all the days, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). Following this, in the person of the apostles, He sent for the same work, and with His presence encouraged all their future successors, and in the exact sense He himself gave the Church not only apostles, prophets and evangelists, but also shepherds and teachers (Eph. 4:11). f) Finally, having clothed your saints in this way. the apostles by divine authority, He, on the other hand, very clearly and with terrible threats obliged all people and future Christians to accept the teachings and sacraments from the apostles, and to obey their voice. Listen to you, he listens to me: and reject you, he will reject me; reject me, he who sent me will be rejected (Luke 10:16). Go out into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who has faith and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not have faith will be condemned (Mark 16, 15. 16; taken down. Mat. 10:14, 18:15–19). That is why, even when the Lord ascended into heaven, only at His direction, Matthias was numbered among the one ten apostles, in the place of the fallen Judas (Acts 1:26); and only, at the voice of the Holy Spirit himself, were Barnabas and Saul set apart for the work for which our Redeemer called them (Acts 13:2; demolished 9:15). 2. This intention of the Lord is revealed even more clearly from the actions of the apostles, led by His Spirit. These actions are of two kinds, and equally relate to the confirmation of the truth we are considering. Actions of the first kind are as follows: a) The Holy Apostles themselves constantly retained that right, and carried out those duties that the Lord actually bequeathed to them (Acts 5:42; 6:1-5; 1 Cor. 4:1, 5:4, 5, 9:16), despite any obstacles from the enemies who tried to take away this divine right from them (Acts 4:19, 5:28, 29). b) Spreading the gospel and founding numerous churches in different places, the apostles ordained elders to all these churches, and where they found it necessary, bishops (Acts 14:23; 20:28) 523. And to this specially chosen person, as to their governors and successors (Tit. 1:5), through the sacramental ordination they transferred that divine power that they themselves received from Jesus Christ, certifying them that they were installed in the Church by the Holy Spirit himself (Acts 20:28). In particular, this only sanctified person was given his own right and responsibility to teach Christians (1 Tim. 6:20; 2 Tim. 1:16; 4:2; Tit. 2:1.13), to officiate (1 Cor. 2:12.16; 1 Tim. 2:1.2), and to shepherd the flock of Christ (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:12). c) Finally, St. the apostles commanded the bishops directly elected and ordained by them to transfer, through sacramental ordination, their divine power to other people, specially chosen and prepared (2 Tim. 2:2; Tit. 1:16); described in detail those special properties that should distinguish these people, called to such a high service (1 Tim. 3, 1-10; Tit. 1, 6 et seq.); decreed special rules for the trial of them (1 Tim. 6:19), and ordered to reward those who turned out to be good at their position (1 Tim. b, 22; 6, 17; Tit. 1:5). From other actions of the apostles it is clear that - a) They strictly forbade people who were not vested with the legal power to perform sacred functions to admire this power for themselves. How can they preach if there are no messages? asks the great teacher of languages ​​(Rom. 10:15), food is all the apostles, food is all the prophets, food is all the teachers? (1 Cor. 12:29). And he answers in another epistle: no one accepts honor for himself, but he who is called from God, just as Aaron was, so that even Christ did not glorify himself (he did not appropriate the glory to himself) to be a high priest, but he who said to him: You are my son, who today begat you (Heb. 5:4.5). b) And all believers in general were obliged and exhorted: obey your teacher, and submit; For these watch over your souls (Heb. 13:17); We pray you, brethren, know (respect) those who labor among you and your superiors in the Lord, and those who punish you, and have them in abundance in love for their work (1 Thess. 5, 12, 13). 3. Descending to the times immediately following the apostolic age, we see: a) That in the Church of Christ there constantly existed a special class of shepherds, to whom all other believers were obliged to obey. This idea is clearly expressed by the men and disciples of the apostles, who, without a doubt, knew well the will of their mentors, such as: St. Clement of Rome 524, St. Ignatius 525, and then the following shepherds: St. Irenaeus 526. St. Cyprian 527, Eusebius 528, Gregory the Theologian 529, Chrysostom 530, Ambrose 531, Jerome 532, Augustine 533, etc. b) And that the shepherds who made up this special class always derived their power from Jesus Christ himself, called themselves successors of the apostles, representatives in the Church of the Savior himself. Here, for example, are the words: St. Clement of Rome: “having received perfect foreknowledge, the apostles appointed the above-mentioned (i.e., bishops and deacons), and together they taught the rule so that when some rest, other, experienced men would take over their ministry” 534. St. Ignatius the God-Bearer: “bishops have been installed in all the ends of the earth, according to the will of Jesus Christ” 535. St. Irenaeus: “We can name those whom the apostles appointed bishops to the churches, and their successors even before us, who did not teach anything like that, and did not know anything like that, which the heretics invent. For if the apostles knew the hidden secrets, which they revealed only to the perfect, and not to everyone else; then all the more so did they communicate these secrets to the persons to whom they entrusted the churches themselves: since the apostles wanted those whom they left as their successors, transferring to them their own ministry of teaching, to be very perfect and blameless in all respects” 536. St. Cyprian: “we are the successors of the apostles, ruling the Church of God with the same authority” 537. St. Ambrose: “the bishop represents the Face of Christ and is the vicar of the Lord” 538. Blazh. Jerome: “with us the place of the apostles is taken by bishops” 539. II. After this, it is already obvious what the mutual relationship of the constituent parts of the Church of Christ should be. Shepherds are obliged to teach their flock (1 Tim. 6:20; Tit. 2:1.13); perform sacred rites for them (1 Cor. 2:12-16; 1 Tim. 2:1.2); spiritually lead the verbal flock (Acts 20:28; 1 ​​Peter 5:1.2). The flock are obliged to obey the teachings of their shepherds (Luke 10:16; 1 Sol. 5:12, 13); use their sacred rites (Mark 16, 15. 16), and obey their spiritual authority (Heb. 13, 17). Therefore, although in the Word of God the church is sometimes called the flock itself, distinguished from the shepherds to whom it is entrusted with supervision (Acts 20:28; 1 Tim. 3:5), and sometimes this name is attributed to the shepherds alone (for example: in the following speech of the Savior: if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you..., if he does not listen to them, command the church; If the church also disobeys, be like the heathen and the publican; for I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven - (Matt. 18, 15–19) 540: however, in the strict sense, the Church of Christ is formed only from the union of both of these churches, of which the first is called subordinate, and the latter is called sacred; and where there is one flock or believers in general, but there is no God-established hierarchy, and it is rejected, there is no Church (Episode of the Eastern Patriarch. on the Orthodox Faith, Part 10). For just as the Lord Himself wanted those who believed in Him to form the Church, so the Lord Himself established a hierarchy in His Church, and, according to His will, to teach people the faith, to sanctify them with the Holy Spirit. sacraments, and only shepherds have the right to lead them to salvation. Next, without legitimate shepherds, Christians are without sanctification... Ancient teachers tried to instill this idea with special force in the believers, for example: St. Ignatius the God-Bearer: “without them (i.e., the bishop, presbyters and deacons) the church is not called, - which, as I am convinced, and you agree” 541; Tertullian: “without a bishop there is no Church” 542; St. Hippolytus: “let neither the bishop exalt himself before the deacons or presbyters, nor the elders before the people: because the body of the Church consists of both” 543 ; St. Cyprian: “The Church is a people united to a priest, and a flock submissive to its shepherd; therefore, you must know that the bishop is in the Church and the Church is in the bishop, and, thus, whoever is not in unity with the bishop is not in the Church” 544; St. Gregory the Theologian: “just as in the body others rule and, as it were, preside, and others are under command and control: so in the Churches…. God decreed that those for whom this is more useful, guided by word and deed to their duty, should remain as flocks and subordinates; and others, standing above others in virtue and closeness to God, were shepherds and teachers for the perfection of the Church, and had the same relationship to others as the soul to the body and the mind to the soul, so that both, insufficient and abundant, being, like bodily members, united and conjugated into one composition, united and bound by the union of the Spirit, represented one body, perfect and truly worthy of Christ himself - our Head" 545. Therefore, societies of Christians who voluntarily disobeyed the bishop and presbyters, and performed their divine services without them, were considered by ancient teachers to be unworthy of the name of the Church, and were called heretical, crowds of renegades, malicious, malicious, etc. 546. § 173. The three God-established degrees of the church hierarchy and their differences among themselves These three degrees of the Divinely established hierarchy are: the first and highest - the degree of bishop; second and subordinate - the degree of presbyter or priest; the third and even lower is the degree of deacon (Space. Chronicle of the Catholic Church on the priesthood, p. 96, M. 1840). I. The divine establishment in the Church of the episcopal degree and its superiority not only over the deaconate (which no one disputes), but also over the presbyterate, which some of the freethinkers contradict 547, we see: 1) From St. Scriptures. Although there is no doubt that the titles of presbyter and bishop, in accordance with the literal meaning of these words 548, the Apostles could naturally use, and, indeed, used 549 sometimes indifferently, learning both over time both to bishops and presbyters 550 and even to themselves (1 Peter 5:1; 2 John 1; 3 John 1): however, some of to these persons they granted a special advantage and power to ordain other elders (Tit. 1:5; 1 Tim. 5:22), to judge them (1 Tim. 5:19), to reward them (Art. 17) - an advantage and power that clearly elevated those to whom they were given by the apostles, over simple priests, to whom, according to history, especially the first of the mentioned rights never belonged. “Impossible,” notes St. Epiphanius, so that the bishop and the presbyter are one: Divine Scripture teaches who is the bishop and who is the presbyter, saying to Timothy: do not rebuke the elder (presbyter) ... Why would there be a need for instruction so that the bishop would not reproach the presbyter, if the former did not have an advantage over the latter? Therefore, he also says: blasphemy against the presbyter was not accepted, except in the presence of two or three witnesses” 551. However, since the reciprocity of the titles of bishop and presbyter, found in St. Scripture does not allow us to determine directly from it strictly and indisputably in what sense these words were meant by St. Apostles; then it is most natural to turn here to the apostolic men. They lived and even worked together with the apostles themselves, were their closest students and, of course, knew their way of thinking. 2) The apostolic men do not leave us with the slightest doubt regarding the institution of God and the high importance of the episcopal office. On them, St. Clement of Rome says: “preaching in villages and cities, (the apostles) the first believers, after spiritual testing, appointed bishops and deacons for those who would accept the faith,” and transferring the names of the ranks of the Old Testament hierarchy to the New Testament hierarchy, he notes: “the high priest (i.e., the bishop) was given his ministry, the priests (presbyters) were assigned their place, and the Levites (so he calls deacons) their assigned positions" 552. And St. Ignatius the God-Bearer expresses himself even more clearly: a) in his letter to the Ephesians: “bishops have been appointed in all the ends of the earth according to the will of Jesus Christ” 553; b) in the letter to the Smyrneans: “all follow the bishop, as Jesus Christ the Father, and the elders, as the apostles, and honor the deacons as the commandment of God (ώς Θεού έντολήν)” 554; c) in the letter to the Magnesians: “I pray you, do everything in the peace of God, under the presidency of the bishop, instead of God himself, the presbyters, instead of the council of the apostles, and the deacons, most dear to me, who are entrusted with the ministry (διακονία) of Jesus Christ" 555; d) in the letter to the Trallians: "it is fitting for each of you, especially the presbyters, to bring sweet peace to the bishop for the glory of the Father, Jesus Christ and the apostles" 556. 3) We later encounter this same teaching among pastors of the second and third centuries, such as: a) St. Irenaeus: “all opponents of church teaching appeared incomparably later than those bishops to whom the apostles entrusted the churches” 557; b) in Tertullian: “the high priest (summus sacerdos), who is a bishop, has the right to perform baptism, then (dehinc) the presbyters and deacons, but not without authority (auctoritate) from the bishop” 558; c) in Origen: “from me (the presbyter) more is required than from the deacon, from the deacon more than from the layman; but from the one who holds the church authorities over all of us in his hands, incomparably more will be required” 559 and others 560; 4) Finally, we constantly find the same teaching not only among private pastors of all subsequent centuries, but also in the definitions of entire Councils, for example, the Nicene, the first ecumenical (see law 18) and Laodicean (right 56.57), so that when Arius appeared in the fourth century and began to teach that a bishop has no advantage over a presbyter: then, according to the testimony of Epiphanius and Augustine, by all The Church was recognized as a heretic 561. 5) New, most tangible proof of the Divine origin and superiority of episcopal power are the most ancient lists of the first bishops of various apostolic Churches, which were even for the ancient zealots of Orthodoxy a weapon against heretics. “We can,” says St. Irenaeus, list those who were appointed bishops in the churches by the apostles, and their successors even before us,” and, indeed, lists in succession the Roman bishops from the very beginning of the Roman Church almost until the end of the second century 562. “Let them show,” says another teacher of the Church, addressing the heretics, the beginnings of their churches, and declare a series of their bishops, which would continue with such succession that their first bishop would have as his culprit or predecessor one of the apostles, or the apostolic men who had been dealing with the apostles for a long time. For the apostolic churches keep their lists (of bishops) in exactly this way: that of Smyrna, for example, represents Polycarp, appointed by John, the Roman - Clement, ordained by Peter; Likewise, other churches indicate those men whom, as elevated to the episcopate by the apostles themselves, they had among them as branches of the apostolic seed” 563 . Eusebius preserved the ancient lists of Egesippus, where a succession of bishops of the Church of Corinth, Rome and Jerusalem is proposed, and he himself, on the basis of other monuments, transmits the same lists of bishops of all the most famous churches 564. From this it is obvious that the ancients not only distinguished bishops from presbyters, but that they only revered the former as apostolic successors, thus giving them complete preference over the latter. I. The divine establishment of presbyteral power in the Church is visible, firstly, from the fact that the apostles themselves ordained elders for the entire church (Acts 14:23), and commanded the bishops to establish elders throughout the city (Tit. 1:5). And secondly, from the testimonies of ancient teachers, for example: a) St. Ignatius the God-Bearer, who says that “the elders were established by the will of Jesus” 565; b) St. Irenaeus, according to whom “the elders, by the favor of the Father, through the succession of episcopacy, received the immutable gift of truth” 566; c) blessed Jerome: “apostles in all provinces, appointing presbyters and bishops” 567 and others. We have already seen the difference between the presbyteral rank and the episcopal rank from many testimonies showing the superiority of the latter over the former 568 . You can add more to them; a) apostolic rules, – 15; “If someone is a presbyter, or a deacon, or in general is on the list of clergy, leaving his limit, he departs for another, and is completely displaced. in another he will live without the will of his bishop: we command him not to serve any more, and especially if he did not listen to his bishop calling him to return”; 31: “If any presbyter, having despised his own bishop, holds separate meetings, and erects another altar, without convicting the bishop of anything contrary to piety and truth in court, let him be deposed, as he is covetous”; 39: “The presbyters and deacons do not do anything without the will of the bishop: for the people of the Lord are entrusted to him, and he will give an answer for their souls”; b) also - the rules of the Council of Laodicea - 66: “it is not proper for presbyters to enter and sit in the altar before the bishop enters, but to enter with the bishop, except in cases where the bishop is weak or absent”; 57: “presbyters can do nothing without the will of the bishop” (Sn. of the two-fold council. rights. 13 and 14). III. The divine institution of the rank of deacon in the Church is clearly assumed in the epistles of St. Apostle Paul. Greeting the Philippian church, together with its ministers he writes: To all the saints of Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with bishops and deacons: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (1, 1, 2), etc. includes bishops and deacons as ministers of the Church. Also, in the first letter to Timothy, depicting the qualities of persons entering the church ranks, he speaks of the bishop and deacons (3, 2. 8) 569. The same is confirmed by the apostolic men: a) St. Clement of Rome: “the above-mentioned ministers (i.e., bishops and deacons) were appointed by the apostles” 570; b) St. Ignatius: “the deacons, these ministers of the mysteries of Jesus Christ, should be given every possible favor, since they are not ministers of food and drink, but ministers of the Church of God” 571; c) St. Polycarp: “deacons must be blameless before His righteousness, since they are servants of God in Christ, and not men,” and further: “we must submit to the elders and deacons as to God and Christ” 572. And after the apostolic men - the following teachers: Justin the Martyr 573, Tertullian 574, Clement of Alexandria 575, Cyprian 576, Ambrose 577 and others 578. In the same way, the idea that the degree of deacon is different from the episcopal and presbytery, and is the lowest between them, is visible, firstly, from the words of St. Apostle Paul, who clearly distinguishes deacons from bishops in his epistles (and by this name, as noted above, priests were often meant), and names deacons after bishops (1 Tim. 3, 2. 8; Phil. 1, 1. 2). Secondly, it is confirmed by the testimony of the apostolic men and the entire ancient Church. For example, St. Ignatius says that “the deacon is subject to the bishop and elders according to the grace and law of Jesus Christ” 579 . The optat appoints deacons to the third degree of priesthood, and presbyters to the second 580. Canon 18 of the First Ecumenical Council clearly states that “deacons are servants of the bishop and lower presbyters, and that deacons are allowed to sit lower among the presbyters”; in the same way, in Canon 20 of the Council of Laodicea we read: “It is not proper for a deacon to sit in the presence of an elder, but to sit down with the order of the elder.” IV. From everything that has been said so far about the institution of God and the difference in the degrees of the church hierarchy, it follows that there are no less than three of them: episcopal, presbyteral and deaconal; but it should be noted that there are no more of them. For besides that in St. The Scriptures mention only these three degrees, if we exclude extraordinary ministries that existed only for a time 581, the ancient Christian writers clearly list no more than these three degrees of hierarchy. Let's point out the words: St. Ignatius the God-Bearer: “Strive, beloved, to obey the bishop, presbyter and deacon, for those who obey and listen to Christ, who founded them; and whoever resists them opposes Christ Jesus; But if he resists the Son, he will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” 582. Clement of Alexandria: “the degrees of bishops, presbyters and deacons that exist in the Church, in my opinion, are similar to the angelic order” 583. Origen: “Paul speaks to the rulers and leaders of the churches, that is, to those who judge those in the Church, namely, to the bishops, presbyters and deacons” 584. Eusebius of Caesarea: “three ranks: the first rank of primates, the second of presbyters, and the third of deacons” 585. We find similar sayings: in Tertullian 586, Hippolytus 587, Optatus 588, Origen 589, Jerome 590 and others. § 174. The relationship of the degrees of the church hierarchy to each other and to the flock The relationship of these ranks of hierarchy among themselves and to the flock is that the bishop in his private church or diocese is the locum tenens of Christ (Orthodox confession, part I, answer to question 85) 591 et seq. the chief superior both over the entire hierarchy subordinate to him and over the flock (Epistle of the Eastern Patriarch. on the rightful faith, member 10) 592. For he alone, as we will see later, received from the apostles the exclusive right to ordain all the lower shepherds for his church, so that the latter receive their rights and spiritual power in relation to the flock from him, and the entire flock, enjoying the supervision of these shepherds, is sanctified through them also from him. In particular - The bishop, firstly, is the main teacher in his church both for ordinary believers and for the shepherds themselves (Episode of the Eastern Patriarchate on the Orthodox Faith, Part 10). This is shown by: a) the letters of St. the Apostle Paul to Bishop Timothy, to whom the Apostle commanded with special force: pay attention to yourself and to the teaching (1 Tim. 4:16; sn. 6:12); Preach the word, be present in time and without time, reprove, rebuke, entreat, with all longsuffering and teaching (2 Tim. 4:2-5); commanded together that he prepare and teach the faith to future teachers (2 Tim. 2:2); so that he observes the elders as they carry out their teaching ministry, and confers upon those who labor zealously in the word with special honor (1 Tim. 6, 17); b) the apostolic canons, of which the 58th says: “Bishop: he who neglects the clergy and people, and does not teach them piety, let him be excommunicated; If he remains in this negligence and laziness, he will be cast out”; c) apostolic decrees, where the bishop is commanded to observe that purity and truth are preserved in the Church 593; d) the rules of subsequent Councils, commanding that “the heads of churches on all days, especially on Sundays, teach the entire clergy and people the words of piety” (Trulian law 19). That is why the ancient apologists of Christianity argued against the heretics that the true tradition and teaching of Christ was preserved in the Church from the apostles themselves, and precisely through the continuous succession of bishops 594. The presbyters, receiving all their power from the bishop through the sacramental ordination, also receive from the bishop the power of teaching (Epistle of the Eastern Patriarch on the Holy Faith, Chapter 10) in relation to their flock, which they undertake to use with all care and diligence (1 Tim. 5:17; canon. St. Apostle 58). However, even after this, as the same words of St. The Apostle (1 Tim. 5:17) and the 39th Apostolic Canon, elders, both in everything and in the teaching of doctrine, are constantly subject to the supervision and judgment of their archpastor 595. The bishop has the right, if necessary, to completely prohibit the presbyter from preaching, as, according to the testimony of Socrates and Sozomen, the bishop of Alexandria did to his flock on the occasion of the Aryan heresy 596. And deacons can, by the will of the bishop, be allowed to preach, as they were allowed in the primal Church, following the example of St. chief deacons - Stephen (Acts 6:8) and Philip (8:5.35), especially for teaching the catechumens 597. However, this duty, just as it was not considered an essential and permanent duty of deacons then, is not considered now. The bishop, secondly, by the power of the Spirit, is the first celebrant and performer of the Holy Spirit. sacraments in his private church (Episode of the Eastern Patriarch. on the common faith, part 10). Some sacred rites, both in ancient times and now, are exclusively left to him. Thus, he alone has the right to ordain priests and other church ranks, on the basis of the Word of God (Tit. 1:5; 1 Tim. 5:22), ruled by St. Apostle 598 and St. Councils 599, and according to the unanimous teaching of St. teachers of the Church, who called this right the most important advantage of a bishop over priests 600 and said: “the rank of bishops is primarily appointed for the birth of fathers: for it belongs to him to multiply (spiritual) fathers in the Church; another rank (presbytery), which cannot give birth to fathers; he gives birth to the Church through the bath of rebirth of children, but not of fathers or teachers. How is it possible for an elder to appoint an elder when he has no right of ordination to appoint one? Or how can a presbyter be called equal to a bishop?” 601. Likewise, only the bishop has the right to consecrate the chrism and the altar or antimension, which is also evident from the rules of the councils 602, and, in general, the teachings of the Orthodox Church 603. As for the other sacraments, although they were no longer exclusively left to the bishop to perform, they could, however, be performed in the church subject to him, only with his consent and permission (which, given the smallness of the private churches or dioceses of that time, was completely convenient) 604. The priest also has the power to perform the sacraments and generally sacred rites (except those exclusively belonging to the bishop) (James 5:14; demolished apostolic canons 31, 47, 49; Sob. Nicene 18); but receives this power from his archpastor at his ordination (Epistle of the Eastern Patriarch on the Orthodox Faith, Part 10). Then, in fulfilling this duty, he is subject to the constant supervision, authority and judgment of his archpastor (Apostolic Rights 39, etc.). In particular, during the very performance of some sacraments, it completely depends on him; cannot, for example, perform the sacraments of confirmation without St. the world, which is consecrated only by the bishop; the Eucharist cannot be celebrated without an altar or antimension, which is also consecrated only by the bishop. The deacon is not given the right to perform holy acts. sacraments and sacred rites in general 605. Track. and here his service, in the words of Dionysius the Areopagite, is only auxiliary, and not accomplished by the deed itself 606. Deacons are only ministers of the mysteries of Christ 607, servants of the bishopric 608, and, in general, only assistants and co-servants of the presbyters 609. The bishop, finally, is the main ruler in his private church (Acts 20, 28; demolished. Last eastern patriarch. about the common faith, ch. 10). First of all, he has power over the hierarchy and clergy subordinate to him. All priests and clergy are obliged to obey his decrees, and without his permission not to do anything in the church 610, are subject to his supervision and trial (1 Tim. 5:19), as a result of which he can subject them to various punishments 611. In addition to the clergy, the entire flock entrusted to him is subject to the spiritual authority of the bishop. He is obliged to oversee the implementation of divine laws and church commandments in his diocese 612. He “especially and predominantly has the power to knit and decide” (Epistle of the Eastern Patriarch on the Orthodox Faith, Part 10), according to the rules of St. apostles, St. Councils 613, and according to the unanimous testimony of the ancient teachers of the Church 614. That is why with such force the apostolic men inspired all believers to obey the bishop 615. Elders also have the power to decide and knit and, in general, shepherd the flock of God entrusted to them (1 Peter 5:1.2); but they receive this power from their archpastor through the sacramental ordination (Epistle of the Eastern Patriarch on the Right Faith, Part 10). And some chosen ones are allowed, by the will of the bishop, to generally bear with him the burden of church government 616; They even form a permanent cathedral under him for this purpose 617. But, according to the ancient expression, they serve only in place of the bishop's eyes 618, and on their own, without his consent, cannot do anything. The deacons did not receive from the Lord the right to knit and decide, and so on. themselves do not have any spiritual power over believers. But deacons can be the eye and ear of bishops and presbyters 619, as well as the hands of primates, with their consent, to carry out church affairs 620. After all that has been said, the lofty names and expressions that are usually attached to bishops become completely understandable, such as: that they alone, in the strict sense, are the successors of the apostles 621; that the Church rests on bishops as on its supports 622; that the bishop is “the living image of God on earth, and, according to the sacred power of the Holy Spirit, the abundant source of all the sacraments of the universal Church, through which salvation is acquired; and therefore it is as necessary for the Church as breath is for a person, the sun is for the world” (Episode of the Eastern Patr. on the Right Faith, Part 10); that in the bishop there is the concentration of the believers located in his diocese 623; that he is even the private head of his spiritual realm (Right Confession Part 1, answer to question 85); that, finally, as Cyprian says, “the bishop is in the church, and the church (subordinate to him) is in the bishop, and whoever is not in communion with the bishop is not in the Church” 624. § 175. Center of ecclesiastical power Having thus learned that the focus of spiritual power over each private church lies in its bishop, from whom its teaching, sacred rites, and administration flow, we can easily, on the basis of the previous one, determine where to look for the focus of spiritual power both over several private churches together, and then over the entire Church of Christ. If, firstly, there is no degree in the ecclesiastical hierarchy higher than the episcopal degree; if bishops are still the successors of the apostles, and just as the apostles received from the Lord and had the same honor and power 625, so their successors have the same dignity, no matter where they lived, whether in Rome, or Constantinople, or Alexandria, or anywhere else 626: then it naturally follows that only a council of bishops can have power over a bishop. Therefore, according to the rules of St. apostle and saint ecumenical and local councils, only from the council of bishops does a bishop accept ordination 627; Only the council of bishops owns the spiritual judgment over him 628. If, secondly, each private church is subordinate only to its bishop: then, it means that several private churches can only be subject to the orders of all their bishops collectively or to a local council. For this purpose, St. The apostles legitimized: “Twice a year let there be a council of bishops, and let them reason with each other about the dogmas of piety, and let them resolve church disagreements that happen” (St. Apostle 37). And after that, the Ecumenical and Local Councils also issued rules so that matters concerning several private churches were decided only by a council of their bishops 629. If, finally, we repeat again, each church is especially entrusted to its bishop: then, it means that the Church of Christ in general, combining in itself all the particulars, as the universal Church, is indisputably entrusted to all bishops in general, as St. John of Damascus in his fourth letter to the Africans (see Last Eastern Patriarch on the Orthodox Faith, Part 10). And, consequently, the focus of spiritual power for the universal Church is in the Ecumenical Councils (Extensive Chronicle of the Catholic Church on Part VIII, p. 79, M. 1840). This great truth was clearly expressed by the saints themselves. The apostles, when, on the occasion of the confusion that occurred between the new Christians regarding circumcision and certain rites, wanting to establish rules for the entire Church of Christ that was at that time, decided the matter at a council (Acts 15:28). From then on, as soon as the opportunity opened up to convene ecumenical councils, all matters affecting the entire Church were finally decided at them, as the history of these councils testifies; Above the authority of the Ecumenical Councils, no other authority was recognized in matters of faith, and unconditionally submitting to the decisions and legalizations of the Ecumenical Councils was considered an indispensable duty both for all believers and for the shepherds themselves 630. As a result of this structure of the universal Church of Christ, its perfect unity naturally occurs, when all private flocks, submitting to their shepherds, so to speak, are each concentrated in their own bishop; and bishops unconditionally submit to the same legalizations of the Ecumenical Councils both in their teaching, and in their sacred rites, and in their administration. From this, without any new evidence, it is clear that the right to sit at councils, both local and ecumenical, and the right to decide church affairs at them belongs exclusively to bishops alone, as heads of private churches 631; and presbyters, depending in everything on their local archpastors, can, only with their consent, be admitted to councils, and then only as advisers, or assistants, or trustees from them 632, and can only occupy second places 633. In the same way, even deacons 634 can be admitted, who must stand before the bishops 635. That's why St. The councils of the fathers were usually called assemblies of bishops. The Second Ecumenical Council calls the creed drawn up at the first the faith of 318 St. Fathers (that’s exactly how many were at the Council of Bishops); Trullo's Council of Faith calls all previous Ecumenical Councils the confession or faith of St. The father-bishops, according to the number of them, sat at those councils (right 1). § 176. The Head of the Church is the Lord Jesus But having entrusted the visible management of his Church to the bishops, who, with the power bestowed upon them, bind all believers into a single external union, the Lord Jesus himself invisibly holds the helm of the government of the Church, as its true Head, and reviving it with the same saving grace of the Holy Spirit, unites all members of the Church with an internal union (Right. Confess. Part 1, answer to Question 85; last eastern. Patr. about the Right faith 10). The first thought, asserting that the Lord himself invisibly governs the Church and is its Head, opens: 1) From the fact that He, before His ascension, transferred His divine power in the Church of St. to the apostles, and in their person and to all their future successors, he promised to remain with them all the days until the end of the age (Matthew 28) - to remain, without a doubt, in order to guide them in their high field, to assist them, to manage them. And next. He chose them only as visible instruments of his beneficial action on believers. 2) From the fact that although He entrusted the power of teaching to the apostles and their successors; but He commanded that He alone be called the supreme teacher, invisibly teaching the believers through them (Matthew 23:8), and therefore he said: Hear you, he listens to me: and reject you, he rejects me (Luke 10:16). Likewise, although the power to perform sacred rites for the sanctification of believers was entrusted to church pastors; but the supreme high priest, who is always alive, in interceding for us, can save to the end those who come to God through him (Heb. 7, 24. 25), remains himself, and he himself invisibly performs through the shepherds of St. sacraments: he himself invisibly stands and accepts the repentance of a sinner who confesses his sins before the priest; he himself is the one who offers and is offered in the sacrament of the Eucharist 636. The same must be said regarding church government, which, although visibly entrusted to shepherds, is invisibly concentrated in the Lord, as the king of the kingdom of grace (John 18:36) and the chief shepherd (1 Peter 5:4). 3) Finally, from the clear places of St. Scriptures, where Jesus Christ is directly called the Head of the Church, and the Church is His body. For example: he too is the head of the body of the church (Col. 1:18); and he gave the head above all the church, which is his body (Eph. 1:22.23); the husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head of the church, and that is the Savior of the body (5:23; see also 4:11-16; Col. 2:19; 1 Cor. 10:17; 12:12; Rom. 12:4.5). The ancient famous shepherds taught the same thing: a) St. Basil the Great: “in it (in the Church) each member contains and combines in unanimity with the other one and truly the only head, which is Christ” 637; b) St. Gregory the Theologian: “one Christ is one head of the Church” 638; c) blessed Theodoret: “Christ the Lord takes the place of the head, and those who believe in Him take the place of the body” 639, and others 640. The validity of the second thought, namely, that the Lord revives the Church with His divine grace, is obvious already from the first: for if Christ is, indeed, the Head of the Church, and she is His body, then how is it possible that He does not penetrate it with His power? This is confirmed by St. The Apostle, when he speaks of the Savior: And to him I have given the head above all the church, which is his body, fulfilling all things in all. (Eph. 1:23); and further: truly in love, may we grow into him all things, of whom Christ is the head: from this the whole body is composed and put together in a decent way, with every touch of alms, according to the action in the measure of a single part, the regeneration of the body creates the creation of itself through love (4, 15. 16). In addition, this thought is affirmed on the promise of the Savior to send down to earth the All-Holy Spirit, who would abide in the Church forever (John 14:16.17), a promise that was actually fulfilled in due time (Acts 2:2). Since then, this all-holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, descends, firstly, on all Christian shepherds in the sacrament of the priesthood, and invests them with the power and authority that constantly dwells in them (2 Tim. 1:14) - to teach, minister and shepherd the spiritual flock. Descends, secondly, on all believers in the sacrament of baptism, where it revives them and makes them living members of the mystical body of Christ; - in the sacrament of anointing, where it gives them strength for strengthening and gradual growth in spiritual life, and then - in all other sacraments. Descends, thirdly, on all believers, shepherds and flocks, or more justly - constantly rests on them (as long as they remain worthy) with his spiritual gifts, like the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and piety, the Spirit of the fear of God (Is. 11, 2.3); constantly brings to them (if they do not resist) its spiritual fruits - love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, mercy, faith, meekness, self-control (Gal. 5, 22. 23) and all other virtues. Finally, it descends on some believers in its special, extraordinary gifts, and gives to one the word of wisdom, to another the word of reason, to another the gift of healing, to another the effects of powers, to another prophecy, to one spiritual reasoning, to another the birth of tongues, to another the legends of tongues (1 Cor. 12:7-11). Most clearly and most palpably we see the union of Christ with the Church and with all its members in the sacrament of the Eucharist: here every Christian sincerely partakes of the flesh and blood of Christ, and with them receives the whole Christ, and everyone can then say, following the example of the Apostle: I live not for anyone, but Christ lives in me (Gal. 2:20). From this comes the perfect unity of believers both with Christ - the Head of the Church, from which the whole body, joints and associations are given and taken down, grows the return of God (Col. 2:19), and among themselves: for they are all quickened by the same Spirit (1 Cor. 12:10), live by the same Christ, and the many exist, truly, one are the body (1 Cor. 12:12). Namely, Protestants who do not recognize that Christ established a special hierarchy or hierarchy in the Church, but argue that all believers, by the power of the sacrament of baptism, are equally priests of the Most High God; but since it is impossible for everyone to perform the duties of the priesthood, the believers themselves elect special men from among themselves, as their representatives, whom they invest with the rights of the clergy. What is said here about Paul and Barnabas, the ancient teachers of the Church also convey about other saints. apostles See the words of Irenaeus and Clement Alex. at Eusebius church. history book III, ch. 23; also Tertull. de praescr. haeret, c. 35 et Hieron. de viris illustr. c. 9. Epist. 1 ad Corinth. n. 42. 44. Epist. ad Magnes, paragraph 3. 6. 7. “We must obey the elders who are in the Church, and who are descended in succession from the apostles, and, by the good pleasure of the Father, together with the succession of the episcopacy, who have received the true gifts; others, who received the presbytery not by such succession and gather in every place, are considered suspicious people, heretics and malicious, apostates, proud, proud, hypocrites, doing this for the sake of profit or vain glory” (Adv. haeres. IV, 26, in Chron. Ch. 1838, 1, 137-138). Hist. Eccl. III, 4; in Ps. LXXXVIII, 35; in Jes. I, 27; IX, 14; XI, 6. 7. Words o compliance order to the interview TV St. Father III, 142–145. In II ad Tim. homil. II, n. 2; in II ad Corinth. homil. XV, no. 4; XVIII, n. 3. De offic. ministr. lib. II, p. 24, no. 123. Contr. epist. Parmeniani lib. 1, p. 3, n. 5. Epist. 1 ad Corinth. n. 44. Epist. ad Ephes. n. 3, in Chr. Thurs. 1821, 1, 32. Demolished. his own last. to the Philadelphians. Chr. Thurs. 1828, XXXI, 3. 4. Adv. haer. III, c. 3, in Chr. Thurs. 1838, Ι I, 4–5. Apostolis nos successimus, eadem potestate ecclesiam Domini gubernantes (vid. in Act. concil. Carthag.). And elsewhere: potestas ergo peccatorum remittendorum apostolis data est et ecclesiis, quas illi a Deo missi constituerunt, et episcopis, qui eis ordinatione vicaria successerunt (Epist. XXV). Episcopus personam habet Christi, vicarius Domini est (Comment. in Epist. 1 ad Corinth.). Apud nos apostolorum locum episcopi tenent apud eos (Montanistos) episcopus tertius est (Epist. XXVII ad Marcellum). The last words: Amen I say to you: elika... directly testify that by the church the Savior meant precisely those persons invested by Him with the power to bind and decide - just as among the Jews in a similar case, when it came to correcting or punishing someone, the church (kahal - εκκλησία) was called the actual supreme council or Sanhedrin. That's why St. Chrysostom in his explanation of this place, after the words: command of the church, adds: that is, to its primates, and then the words: if you bind, he takes it as a continuation of the same thought, and equally refers it to the primates of the Church. Conversation on evang. Matthew in Russian translation Part III, neg. 32. According to St. Cyprian, Augustine, Theophylact and friend explain this place with Chrysostom. Χωρΐς τούτων έκκλησΐα ου καλεΐταί . Epict. ad Trall. n. 3. Nulla ecclesia sine epissopo (Adv. Marcion. IV, 5; cfr. de praescript. haeret. p. 32). … έξ άλλήλων γάρ εστιν η σύστασις του συναθροΐσματος (De charism. n. 1). Illi (Christo) sunt ecclesia – plebs, sacerdoti adunata, et pastori suo grex inhaerens: unde.. (Epist. LXIX, n. 8). Sl. 3, in TV. St. Father 1, 17–18. Iren. adv. haeres. IV, c. 33.43; Tertull. de praescript. haeret, c. 37. They are known as Presbyterians. Ἐπίσκοπος means overseer, observer, and πρεσβύτερος means elder, elder. Many saints agree with this. Fathers: see the Thesaur for evidence of some of them. Eccles. Suiceri under the word: έπίσκοπος – n. II. So in the book of the Acts of the Apostles we read that St. Paul, while in Miletus, ordered the Ephesian elders to gather to him, whom he later called bishops (chap. 20, 17); Likewise, in the letter to Titus, having spoken about the installation of presbyters throughout the entire Cretan city, he further calls them bishops (- 1, 5-7); in the letter to the Philippiseys (1, 1), greeting bishops and deacons, he does not mention presbyters at all; in 1 Epistle to Timothy (chapter 3) he describes only the qualities of bishops and deacons, being silent about elders. Explanations for all these places by St. Chrysostom, Theodoret, Ambrose, Jerome, Epiphanius and other saints. For the fathers in detail, see Petavii de Ecclessiast. hierarchia lib. II, p. I-IX, et ejusdem Dissertat. Ecclesiastes. lib. 1, p. 1 and 2. Epiphan. adv. haeres. lib. III, haeres. LXXV, no. 5. Epist. 1 ad Corinth. n. 40. 42, in Χ r. Thurs. 1824, XIV, pp. 278. 279–280. Adv. haeres. V, c. 20, in Chr. Thurs. 1838, 1, 142. Homil. XI in Jerem. n. 3, edit. Mavr. Opp. tom. III, p. 189. For an almost countless series of evidence of this kind, see Natal. Alexandr. Dissertat. XLIV in sec. IV, also y – Witasse de Sacram. Ordin. pars. II sect. III art. 1, p. 1ff. Epiph. haeres. 75, p. 3; Augustin. lib. de haeres. c. 53. De praescript. haeret, c. 32. Histor. Eccles. lib. IV, c. 5.22. Adv. haeres. IV, c. 43; cfr. 1, p. 28. Apostoli per singulas provincias praesbyteros et episcopos ordinantes (in Matt. XXV, 26). See notes above, 551. 552. 554. 555. 556. 558. 559. How to understand the place in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, which tells about the appointment of the first seven deacons by the apostles (6, 1–7), see rights. 16th Sixth Ecumenical Council. See note above. 534. 552. Epist. ad Trallian, n. 2, in Chr. Thurs. 1830, XXXVII, 240. Demolished. note 541.554.555. Sent. to Philip. paragraph 5, in Chr. Thurs. 1821, 1, 120. 121. De praescr. haeret, p. 41; de bapt. c. 17. Diaconos... apostoli sibi constituerunt episcopatus sui et ecclesiae ministros (LXV). Greg. Naz. Epist. CCV; Hieronym. in Ezech. XLIV; Theodoret. in I ad Tim. III, 8. Epist. ad Magnes, c. 2; cfr. c. 6. See also note above. 552.554.555. Quid diaconos in tertio? Quid presbyteros in secundo sacerdotio constitutos? Ipsi apices et principes omnium... episcopi (Schism. Donat. 1, 13). For similar evidence from Tertullian and Origen, see above note. 558.559. See last. to Philadelphia. to the Slavs translation sheet. 19 per rev. Demolished. note 554.555. Ἐπεί καί αι ενταύθα κατά την εκκλησίαν προκοπαί επισκόπων, πρεσβιτέρων καί διακόνων μιμήματα οίμαι αγγελικής δόξης Strom. V Ι, 13. Lib. II in Epist. ad Roman,, ed. Paris 1582, part. II, pag. 304. ? δεύτερον των πρεσβυτέρων, των τε διάκονον τό τρίτον. In Jes. XIX, n. 18. Sed quum ipsi auctores, id est, ipsi diaconi, presbyteri et episcopi fugiunt, quomodo laicus intelligere poterit, qua ratione dicturä fugite de civitate in civitatem (Matth. X, 23)? Itaque quum duces fugiunt, quis de gregario numero sustinebit ad gradum in acie figendum suadentes? (De fuga in perdsecut. c. XI). See note above. 543 and the very text to which it refers. Ἐπισκοπικός θρόνος, πρεσβυτερίου τιμή, διακονία εΐς λαόν τού θεοΰ. In Math. Τ, XV, n. 26. Episcopi, sociique eorum presbyteri atque diaconi... (in Jerem. X. XII), Quinque ecclesiae ordines, episcopos, presbyteros, diaconos, fideles, catechumenos... (in Jes. XX). This name for bishops is very ancient: it is found even among St. Ignatius the God-Bearer (epist. ad Trall. n. 2. 3; ad Smyrn. n. 9; ad Rom. n. 9; ad Ephes. n. 4) and in the apostolic decrees (Constit. Apost. II, 26). And this name was adopted by bishops from ancient times. Herm. Fast. lib. III Sim. IX, n. 27; Origen. in Luc. homil. XXXIV; Cyprian. de unit. eccl. p. 397, ed. Bal. Iren. adv. haeres. III, c. 3; Tertull. de praescr. haeret. c. 32. In general, in the ancient church, according to the testimony of teachers (Ambros. de offic. Sacer, lib. I, c. 1; Chrysost. homil. X in I epist. ad Timoth.; Hieron. epist. 83 ad Ocean.), council rules (Laodice. 19 and Trullian 19) and even civil laws (see in the Code of Theodosius. Law: de munere seu officio episcoporum in praedicando verbo Dei), the preaching of the truths of the gospel was learned mainly by the bishop. Socrates histor, Eccles. V, c. 22; Sozom. hist. Eccles. VII, c. 19. Ignat. Epist. ad Philadelphia. n. II; Cyprian. epist. 29; Origen. homil. I in Ps. XXXVII; homil. XVII in 3 Siraeh. “Let one bishop appoint presbyters and deacons and other clergy” (Apostolic Law. 2; cfr. constit. Apostol. III, p. 2). “Every bishop in his diocese... let him appoint presbyters and deacons, and let him deal with all matters with judgment” (9th Canon. Council of Antioch.). “There is a small difference between presbyters and bishops: for both the former are obliged to teach and take care of the church, and what (the Apostle) said about bishops, he also assimilates to presbyters: by one right of ordination (τή χειροτονία μόνη), bishops are elevated, and, it seems, only by this they are superior to presbyters.” (Chrysostom. in X ad Tim. homil. XI, n. 1). Quid facit episcopus excepta ordinatione, quod presbyter non faciat? (Hieronym. Epist. LXXXV ad Evagrium). Right confession part I, rep. to the question 105; Last eastern patriarch. about the other faith 10. Ignat. Epist. ad Smyrn. n. VIIÏ ούκ εξόν εστιν χωρίς του επισκόπου ουτε βαπτίζειν , ουδέ αγάπην ποιεΐν ...; Cyprian. Epist. XXXVIII; Tertull. de monog. c. II; de bapt. c. 7.17; Patian. ad Sympr. 1, n. 6; Hieron. adv. Lucif. c. 4. Όυτε γάρ διακόνω προσφέρειν θυσίαν θεμιτόν, η βαπτίζειν, η ευλογίαν μικράν η μεγάλην ποιεισθαι. Constitution. Apostol. VIII, c. 46. ​​Sn. Nikeisk Cathedral. right 18. De hierarch. eccles. c. V. Ignat. ad Magn. n. 6; ad Polycarp. n. 7. Diaconos post ascensum Domini in coelos apostoli sibi constituerunt episcopatus sui et ecclesiae ministros (Cyprian. Epist. LXV). Justin. Apolog. 1, n. 85. 87. Apostle rules 39; cathedral Laodice. 57; carthage 6. 42. 52; Antioch. 8.25; Chalkid. 8; Sardinian 14. Apostle rules 15.32.55; Chalkid. 18; trul. 34. Clem. Rom. er. 1 ad Corinth. n. 51.56; Cyprian. Epist. LXIX. Apostle. right 31; cathedral Karphag. 6. Cyprian. Epist. LXXV; Tertull. de poenit. c. 4.7; Greg. M. in Evang. lib. II, homil. 26, no. 5, etc. Ignat. ad Magnes, n. 4; ad Ephes. n. 4; ad Trall. n. 3. Cyprian. Epist. XIII ad Rogatian. Cyprian. Epist. III. VIII. XXXV; Tertull. Apolog. c. 39; Hieronym. in Jes. c. IIÏ et nos habemus in ecclesia senatum nostram coetum presbyterorum. Origen. Tract. V in Math. Constitution. apostol. lib. III, c. 44; lib. III, c. 19. Origen. Tract. V in Math.; Cyprian. Epist. XLIX; Epiphan. haeres. LXXIX. Iren. adv. haeres. IV, 33, n. 8; Clem. Alex. Strom. VI, 13; Tertull. de praescr. haeret. c. 32; Cyprian. Epist. LXIX: qui dicit ad apostolos, ac per hoc ad omnes praepositos, qui apostolis vicaria ordinatione succederunt: qui audit vos, me audit... (cfr. Epist. XLII, and see above note 537); Euseb. Η. Ε. 1, p. 1; Hieronym. Epist. CXLVI, al. LXXXV ad Evangelum: omnes (episcopi) apostolorum successores sunt (removed note 539); Augustin. in Ps. XLIV, no. 32: pro apostolis constituti sunt episcopi (cfr. Epist. XLII ad fratres Madavr.). Cyprian. Epist. XXVIÏ inde per temporum et succesionum vices episcoporum et ecclesiae ratio decurrit, ut ecclesia super episcopos constituatur, et omnis actos ecclesiae per eosdem praepositos gubernetur (Cfr. Epist. XXVI); Basil. Epist. LXXXI Innocentio episcopo, in TV. St. Father X, 196. Ignat. ad Ephes. n. 3; ad Philadelphia. n. 4; ad Trall. n. 7. “Of course, the other apostles were the same as the Apostle Peter, that is, they had equal honor and dignity” (St. Cyprian, on the unity of the Church, III. Chron. Reading 1837, 1, 25). Ubicunque fuerit episcopus, sive Romae, sive Eugubii, sive Constantinopoli sive Rhegii, sive Alexandriae, sive Tanis, ejusdem meriti, ejusdem est et sacerdocii... Omnes apostolorum successores sunt (Hieronym. Epist. CXLVI ad Evangelum, n. 1, in Patrolog. curs. compl. T. XXII, p. 1194, ed. Rules apostle 1; Cathedral. Nick. 4; Antioch. 19.23; Laodice. 12; carthage 13; Chalkid. 28, etc. Right apostle 74; carthage 12.28; Constantinople 6; Kirill. Alex. 1. Perv. everyone right 5; sec. 2; Thursday 19; pole. 8; Antioch. 20; carthage 87. 88. Tertull. de jejun. c. 13; Basil. Epist. CXIV, in Tv. St. Father X, 257; Ambros. de fide III, c. 15; Augustin. Epist. LIV ad Januar.; Leo Epist. LXXVIII ad Leon. Aug. c. 3; Greg. M. Epist. ad Joann. Constantinople. Rules apostle. 34; Antioch. 9; first universe. 5; Thursday 19; pole. 8. Iren. contr. haeres. III, c. 14; Cyprian. Epist. XXXV. Origen. tract. XXIV in Math. Const. apostol. lib. III, c. 67; Cyprian. lib. III testimon. c. 84. As the Church puts it in famous prayers. ... . De judicio Dei n. 3, in TV. St. Father IX, 12. Είς Χριστός μία κεφαλή τής εκκλησίας. Orat. XXXI. in TV St. Father III. 220. Greg. Nyss. contr. Eunom. Orat. XII, in T. II, p. 725, ed Morel; Theophilact. in 1Corinth. XI, 3; XII, 27. You might be interested in: