Apostolic Succession By Francis J. Beckwith

Francis J. Beckwith

In 2007, when I was prayerfully thinking about returning to the Catholic Church, there were four theological issues that were deal breakers for me: justification, penance, transubstantiation, and apostolic succession. I have already discussed penance, transubstantiation, and justification. Here, I offer a brief account of how I became convinced that the Catholic Church is also right about apostolic succession. Catholicism holds that if a Church claims to be Christian it must be able to show that its leaders – its bishops and its presbyters (or priests) – are successors of the Apostles. This is why the Catholic Church accepts Eastern Orthodox sacraments as legitimate even though the Orthodox are not in full communion with Rome. What amazed me is how uncontroversial apostolic succession was in the Early Church, as Protestant historian J. N. D. Kelley points out in his book Early Christian Doctrines. I expected to find factions of Christians, including respected Church Fathers, who resisted episcopal ecclesiology. There aren’t any. In fact, a leading argument in the Early Church against heretics was their lack of episcopal lineage and continuity and thus their absence of communion with the visible and universal Church. In his famous apologetic treatise, Against Heresies (A.D. 182-188), St. Irenaeus (c. A.D. 140-202) makes that very point in several places. Tertullian (A.D. c. 160-220) offers the same sort of apologetic as well. 

Link (here) to read the full fantastic piece by Francis J. Beckwith

Zakaria Botros

Meet Coptic priest Zakaria Botros from Egypt. Little known in the West but making waves with Muslims in the Middle East. 

He fights fire with fire. He sits with the Christian Scriptures and the Koran in front of him. He is an expert at Classical Arabic and all the literature of Islam. He challenges the Muslim to respond and refute him. 

To read the article about this courageous Christian, click here. To see him on video, go to www.youtube.com and search for Zakaria Botros. To read his Nine Demands of Islam, click here.

Link (here) to Catholic Convert

Who Is Your Favorite?

Best Catholic Blog Finalists:

• American Papist (http://catholicvote.org/discuss/index.php?show=papist)
  American Papist, by Thomas Peters, is hosted at CatholicVote.org. Peters, the son of a canon lawyer, focuses largely on the intersection between Catholicism and politics, and the American Papist is always a good place to turn to for breaking news.
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• Catholic Icing (http://catholicicing.blogspot.com/)
  Catholic Icing, by Lacy, a 25-year-old wife and mother of three, is "a place to find Catholic Arts and Crafts, Cute Food Ideas, Feast Day Celebration ideas, and much, much more! Once you have a solid foundation for your Catholic Cake, why not add some icing?"
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• The Faith Explained With Cale Clarke (http://www.thefaithexplained.com/)
  Cale Clarke reverted to Catholicism in 2004, "after spending ten years in Evangelical Protestantism, with much of that time spent in pastoral ministry." Director of The Faith Explained Seminars and creator of The New Mass iPhone app, Cale explains the Catholic Faith in everyday language.
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• Fr. Z's Blog - What Does the Prayer Really Say? (http://wdtprs.com/blog/)
  Featuring "Slavishly accurate liturgical translations & frank commentary on Catholic issues – by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf o{]:¬)", a regular columnist for The Wanderer, What Does the Prayer Really Say? is the first place to turn for those who want answers concerning the celebration of the Mass, in both its Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms.
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• Whispers in the Loggia (http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/)
  "One of global Catholicism's most prominent chroniclers, Rocco Palmo has held court as the 'Church Whisperer' since 2004," and his Whispers in the Loggia has developed a reputation for having the inside scoop on Vatican politics.
  (visit blog)

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