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The Claims of Rome and Eastern Orthodoxy  /  Apostolic Succession – Part 1  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 4
Bercot says his mind changed when he discovered the NT uses ordinary words meaning “appoint” (catist?mi, tith?mi, cheirotone?) that also apply to governors, household servants, and carrying a money gift; how does that linguistic argument affect the way you decide what counts as “sacramental” or “holy,” and what does it imply about how God intended church leadership to function?
Another way to ask: Bercot says the NT words for “appoint” are everyday words used for normal jobs too. How does that change what you call “holy” or “sacramental,” and what might it mean for how God meant church leadership to work?

Direct Answer In the transcript, the ordinary vocabulary of “appoint” suggests that the New Testament does not treat ordination as a special sacrament that changes a person’s spiritual status. That implies church leadership was meant to function as recognized appointment to service, not as a mystical transfer of priestly power.

Support from Transcript:

  • He says the NT uses several Greek words for what we call ordination, “but none of those words mean ordain… in a sacramental sense.”
  • Catist?mi is used for appointing the seven (Acts 6:3) and for secular roles like Joseph being made “governor over Egypt” (Acts 7:10).
  • Tith?mi is used for a servant being “appointed… with the hypocrites” (Matt. 24) and for Paul being “appointed a preacher and an apostle” (1 Tim. 2:7).
  • Cheirotone? is used for Titus being “chosen… to travel with us with this gift,” and also for appointing elders (Acts 14:23).
  • His conclusion: since Scripture uses everyday words, “one of the foundations… was nonexistent,” and “if there is no special thing… then the entire doctrine… crumbles.”
Discussion Follow-ups If leadership is appointment rather than sacrament, what should make an appointment trustworthy—procedure, gifting, character, or teaching?

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