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Jumpstarter 7 of 10

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The Claims of Rome and Eastern Orthodoxy  /  Apostolic Succession – Part 2  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 7
Tertullian says even churches founded “daily” are “no less apostolic” if they agree in the same faith, while a bishop list is useless if doctrine diverges; what does that do to the instinct to treat historical pedigree as spiritual safety, and how should it affect the way your group evaluates claims of being “the one true church”?
Another way to ask: If Tertullian says even brand-new churches can be “apostolic” if they hold the same faith, and a bishop list means nothing if doctrine changes, how does that challenge trusting history alone for safety? How should that change how your group judges claims to be “the one true church”?

Direct Answer Bercot uses Tertullian to argue historical pedigree is not a safe refuge if doctrine is corrupt, and lack of pedigree does not disqualify a church that shares apostolic faith. So claims to be “the one true church” should be evaluated primarily by agreement with apostolic doctrine, not by institutional lineage.

Support from Transcript:

  • Tertullian challenges heretics to show “the role of their bishops running down in due succession,” like Smyrna and Rome.
  • But then he says even if they produce such a list, it won’t help: “when their very doctrine is compared… its diversity… proves that it had neither an apostle nor an apostolic man.”
  • Key line: churches “being founded daily… yet since they agree in the same faith, they are considered to be no less apostolic because they are alike in doctrine.”
  • Bercot draws the implication: if a church “has that list of bishops but does not teach the same faith… then… they’re not apostolic.”
  • He warns against reading modern apostolic succession tenets into Tertullian, since Tertullian is arguing doctrine, not sacramental validity.
Discussion Follow-ups What practical steps can a group take to compare its doctrine with what Bercot calls “the apostolic faith”? How can you avoid both naïve pedigree-trusting and naïve anti-historical isolation?

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