CC22 …. For newcomers to these Postings: I’m writing about the Unbroken Line , Unbroken Succession, starting from the Apostles to the present Pope, and what Tertullian has told us about it and his address to the heretics.
Where lies the weakness of heretics ?
Heresy (and heretics) lack the Apostolic Succession. Tertullian goes on with his argumentation:
“It might happen that there could be heresies which would claim to reach back to apostolic times. In this way, they would appear to have been taught by the apostles.”
To this remark, one could easily, and should retort:
“Let them (the heretics) produce the certificates of birth of their churches. Let them unfold the list of their bishops, which would clearly demonstrate, show, their succession from the beginning, in such a way that they would prove that their first bishop was appointed by the Apostles”
“This is the way by which the apostolic churches authenticate their position. In this way, the Church of Smyrna shows that Polycarp was assigned to it by the Apostle, John, the Evangelist;
In like manner the Church of Rome demonstrates that Clement was ordained by the Apostle, Peter.
Similarly, the other churches show the Bishops who, appointed by the Apostles, are for them (the Churches), the channel of the apostolic seed.” (Tertullian, Work quoted, Part II, n.32.)
God bless you. / CC 23
Extracts by kind permission of HG Mons. Sylvester Magro ofm, Apostolic Vicar of Benghazi.
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