104 ALL BISHOPS SUCCESSORS OF THE APOSTLES. bishops, whereof each bishop holds his share;"' " one flock, whom the apostles by unanimous agreement fed, and which afterward the bishops feed," having " a portion thereof allotted to each, which he should' govern."' So the synod of Carthage, with St Cyprian: "The meaning of our Lord Jesus Christ is manifest in sending his apostles, and allowing the power given him of the Father to them alone; whose successors we are, governing the church of God by the same power."3 So, also, St Chrysostom says that " the sheep of Christ were com- mitted by Him to Peter and to those after him; " that is, in his meaning, to all bishops. 10. Such, and no other power, St Peter might devolve on any bishop ordained by him in any church which he constituted or in- spected; as in that of Antioch, of Alexandria, of Babylon, of Rome. The like the other apostles communicated, who had the same power with St Peter in founding and settling churches; whose suc- cessors of this kind were equal to those of the same kind whom St Peter constituted (Hier, ad Evagr.); enjoying in their several pre- cincts an equal part of the apostolical power; as St Cyprian often asserts. 11. It is in consequence observable, that in those churches whereof the apostles themselves were never accountedbishops, yet thebishops are called successors of the apostles; which cannot otherwise be un- derstood than according to the sense which we have proposed, that is, because they succeeded those who were constituted by the apostles, according to those sayings of Irenmus and Tertullian: " We can num- ber those who were instituted bishops by the apostles and their suc- cessors;"3 and, "All the churches show those whom, being by the apostles constituted in the episcopal office, theyhave as continuers of the apostolical seed."' So, although St Peter was never reckoned bishop of Alexandria, yet because it is reported that he placed St Mark there, the bishop of Alexandria is said to succeed the apostles.' ' Episcopatus unus, episcoporum multorum concordi numerositate diffusus.Ep. Episcopatus unus, cujus a singulis in solidum pars tenetur.De Unit. Eccl. 2 Et pastores sunt omnes, sed grex unus ostenditur, qui ab apostolis omnibus un- animi consensione pascatur. De Unit. Eccl. Nam etsi pastores multi sumus, unum tarnen gregem pascimus, et oves universas, &c. Ep. lxvii. " For thoughwe aremany pastors, yet we feed one flock, and all the sheep," &c. 3 Manifesta est sententia Domini nostri Jesu Christi apostolos suos mittentis, et ipsis soils potestatem a patre sibi datam permittentis quibus nos successimus, eadem potes- tate ecclesiam Domini gubernantes. '' Tá vrpóCaca .... ä gqi nícpro xai cois ¡<ac' ixaivcv inxaipaoa.Chrys. de Sacerd., i. 3 Habemus annurnerare eos, qui ab apostolis instituti sunt episcopi, et successores eorum usque ad nos, &c. Iren., iii. 3. 3 Proinde utique et cmterm exhibent, quos ab apostolis in episcopatum constitutos apostolici seminis traduces habent.Tert. de Prcescr., xxxii. 7 'rírapcos áaó cmv áaorr,T.mv cmv ca -v ecirúh xaocoupyíav xan,,cüra. ri ipcos Eus. Hist.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=