In the churches that have well-documented ties to the history of Christianity as a whole, it is held that only a person in
apostolic succession, a line of succession of bishops dating back to the
apostles, can be a valid bishop; can validly
ordain priests (presbyters), deacons and bishops; and can validly celebrate the sacraments of the
Christian Church. Historical
denominations include the
Catholic Church, the
Eastern Orthodox Church, the
Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Nordic
Evangelical-Lutheran churches (including those founded as a result of Swedish-Lutheran missionary activity, such as the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania and
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya), the
Moravian Church, the
Old Catholic Church, the
Anglican Communion, and the
Assyrian Church of the East. The definition of the historical episcopate is to some extent an open question. Bishops of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, for example, lay claim to the apostolic succession through the
laying on of hands by Lutheran bishops in the historic episcopate, with bishops from the Moravian Church and
Episcopal Church being present too as the
full communion agreement came into fruition at that time. Some theologians, such as
R.J. Cooke, have argued that the
Methodist Church is also within the historic episcopate, being "in direct succession to the apostles through the bishops and patriarchs of the Eastern Church."
An Anglican-Methodist Covenant states that:
Eastern Orthodoxy The
Eastern Orthodox Church's view has been summarised as: "While accepting the canonical possibility of recognising the existence () of sacraments performed outside herself, (the Eastern Orthodox Church) questions their validity () and certainly rejects their efficacy ()"; and it sees "the canonical recognition () of the validity of sacraments performed outside the Orthodox Church (as referring) to the validity of the sacraments only of those who join the Orthodox Church (individually or as a body)." In 1922 the Eastern Orthodox
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople recognised Anglican orders as valid, holding that they carry "the same validity as the Roman, Old Catholic and Armenian Churches possess". In the encyclical "From the Oecumenical Patriarch to the Presidents of the Particular Eastern Orthodox Churches",
Meletius IV of Constantinople, the Ecumenical Patriarch, wrote: "That the Orthodox theologians who have scientifically examined the question have almost unanimously come to the same conclusions and have declared themselves as accepting the validity of Anglican Orders." Following this declaration, in 1923, the
Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, as well as the
Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus agreed by "provisionally acceding that Anglican priests should not be re-ordained if they became Orthodox"; Historically, some Eastern Orthodox bishops have assisted in the consecration of Anglican bishops; for example, in 1870, the Most Reverend Alexander Lycurgus, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Syra and Tinos, was one of the bishops who consecrated
Henry MacKenzie as the
Suffragan Bishop of Nottingham.
Roman Catholicism Because of changes in the
ordinal (the rites of holy orders)
under King Edward VI, the Roman Catholic Church
does not recognize all Anglican holy orders as valid.
Evangelical-Lutheranism (1818) depicting
Evangelical-Lutheran bishops in
Stockholm Cathedral , Archbishop Emeritus of Nairobi and the
Presiding Bishop Emeritus of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania Evangelical-Lutherans universally believe that "no one should publicly teach in the Church or administer the Sacraments unless he be regularly called". The Lutheran churches in northern Europe, and those established in other parts of the world as a result of Nordic Lutheran missionary activity (such as the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya), practice episcopal succession in which the bishop whose holy orders can be traced back for centuries performs ordinations. In the Nordic-Baltic region, Lutheran churches participating in the
Porvoo Communion (those of Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Faroes, Estonia, and Lithuania), as well as non-Porvoo membership Lutheran churches in the region (including the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia and the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Central Asia), and the confessional
Communion of Nordic Lutheran Dioceses, believe that they ordain their bishops in apostolic succession in lines stemming from the original apostles.
The New Westminster Dictionary of Church History states: "In Sweden the apostolic succession was preserved because the Catholic bishops were allowed to stay in office, but they had to approve changes in the ceremonies". The Lutheran
Church of Finland was at that time one with the Church of Sweden and so holds the same view regarding the see of Åbo/Turku.
Jānis Vanags, the
Archbishop of Riga, was consecrated in 1993 by Swedish bishop
Henrik Svenungsson, bringing the Swedish line of apostolic succession to the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia. Included in the historic episcopate are Evangelical-Lutheran churches that were formed through Nordic missionary activity. Ernst Heuman, who served as the first presiding bishop of the
Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church in India, was ordained a priest in 1896 by (the
Bishop of Visby) and consecrated as a bishop on 7 March 1921 by (the
Bishop of Skara) at
New Jerusalem Church in the
Indian city of Tranquebar (authorized by Archbishop of Uppsala
Nathan Söderblom); Hjalmar Danell was confirmed as the Bishop of Tranquebar. The Swedish Line of apostolic succession was thus given to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in India.
Bengt Sundkler was ordained a priest by Erik Berggrav in 1936 and then consecrated as a bishop in the
Church of Sweden by
Gunnar Hultgren at
Uppsala Cathedral on 2 April 1961; he was elected as the Bishop of Bukoba in the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Buhaya in June 1960. Bengt Sundkler, on 16 December 1984, consecrated
Josiah Kibira as bishop at Bukoba Evangelical-Lutheran Cathedral and Josiah Kibira reigned as the bishop of the North-Western Diocese of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) until 2000, later becoming the president of the
Lutheran World Federation. It is through the consecration of Josiah Kibira by Bengt G. M. Sundkler that
apostolic succession from the
Church of Sweden (in the line of
Peder Månsson) was transmitted to what is now the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. In 1979, Josiah Kibira and Bengt Sundkler consecrated Paulo Mukuta a bishop, who served as the Bishop of Karagwe in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania. In 1984, Paulo Mukuta and consecrated Samson Mushemba, who served as Bishop of the North Western Diocese in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania. The last
Church of Sweden missionary bishop of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Southern Rhodesia (now known as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe) was , who consecrated on 18 May 1975, Jonas Chiwariro Shiri in the Swedish Line (Uppsala Line) of
apostolic succession. On 19 September 1971, the first bishop of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa, Paulus Ben Mhlungu, was consecrated a bishop by Swedish bishop , bringing the Uppsala Line of apostolic succession into the nascent body.
Anglicanism In the sixteenth century a solid body of Anglican opinion emerged which saw the theological importance of the historic episcopate but refused to 'unchurch' those churches which did not retain it. The preface to the
Ordinal limits itself to stating historical reasons why episcopal orders are to 'be continued and reverently used in the Church of England'. Before 1662 it was assumed that the foreign Reformed (Presbyterian) churches were genuine ones with an authentic ministry of Word and Sacrament. The 1662 Act of Uniformity formally excluded from pastoral office in England any who lacked episcopal ordination but this was a reaction against the abolition of episcopacy in the Commonwealth period. The majority of Anglicans, including those of
low church,
broad church and
high churchmanship, have "followed the major continental Reformers in their doctrine of the true church, identifiable by the authentic ministry of word and sacrament, in their rejection of the jurisdiction of the pope, and in their alliance with the civil authority ('the magistrate')". The
Church of England historically considered itself "Protestant and Reformed" and recognized as true churches the
Continental Reformed churches, participating in the
Synod of Dort in 1618-1619. As the divergences between the theory of 'the godly prince' and the practices of monarchs—i.e. the
titular head of the Church of England—like
James II (who was a convert to Catholicism and had ordered the
trial of the Seven Bishops) and
William III (who had undermined the
divine right of kings and caused the
Nonjuring schism by
deposing James II) became more obvious,
John Pearson and
William Beveridge saw the "Apostolical Office" of the bishop as a guarantee of the Church's identity and this formed the background to the vital emphasis placed on it by
John Henry Newman and the other
Tractarians, through whom it passed into
Anglo-Catholic thought. The modern debate divides three ways: between those who see the "historic episcopate" to be constitutive of the church (of the ); those who hold it is a question of its "well-being" (); and those who consider that it is necessary for the Church to be fully itself (). The
Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral includes the "historic episcopate" as "essential to the visible unity of the church", but allows for its being adapted locally in its working to the varying needs of those who God calls into the unity of the church. However, this has not meant a general commitment to the idea that in its absence there is no church. == See also ==