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Apostolic succession as ecumenical inspiration

Some have it; others do not have it and perhaps do not want it. Apostolic succession – understood as the transmission of ministry through the laying on of hands and prayer – often appears in ecumenical dialogues as an obstacle to the coming together of churches. Old Catholic theology has always attached importance to understanding apostolic succession not as a “golden channel” of the laying on of hands but, rather, by foregrounding the apostolic tradition of the whole Church, within which apostolic succession has a more-than-symbolic significance. The just-published issue of the IKZ contains contributions by theologians who reflect on the significance of apostolic succession for their own ecclesial tradition and the interweaving of this question with broader theological issues: Henk Bakker (Baptist), Heide Zitting (Evangelical Lutheran), Katerina Pekridou (Orthodox) and Mattijs Ploeger (Old Catholic). The issue was produced under the leadership of Prof. Peter-Ben Smit, member of the IKZ editorial board.

Angela Berlis

Table of content IKZ 111 (2021) issue 1-2: Ecumenical Contributions on apostolic succession