The position that Jesus gave his original twelve apostles authority and they in turn passed this authority on to their successors, who in turn handed it down in succession through the bishops of the Church until today. No one has God’s authority unless they have been properly ordained by someone who received their authority through this chain back to the original twelve apostles. This assertion is important to Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholics, and Anglicans as opposed to most Protestants who believe in a priesthood of all believers independent of priesthood ordination.
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