Creed 28 And in one, holy, universal (catholic), apostolic church

Creed 28

And in one, holy, universal (catholic), apostolic church

The Visible Church• Introduction: in the looking at the visible church as a building

consecrated to God, sanctified with special prayer called the “consecration prayers” and set apart for the believers to worship, and it can be an elliptical building as a ship, or the ark, pointing that our life is directed to the heavenly harbor. Or the building can be on the shape of the Cross, the sign of salvation. The building would have two parts. The first is the place of the people (nave) and the second is the sanctuary in which the alter exists.

• From the sayings of St Clement, the body of the whole church is like a ship that carries people from different ethnic backgrounds in the midst of strong storm. God the Father is the owner of the ship, Christ is her captain, and the bishop would be the shipmate and the priests are the seamen, the deacons are the rowers.

• It is said that the church carrying the Cross of the Lord as victory over death inside of her, and also the church building is an open Bible written in the visual language that a simple child can understand, yet would challenge a theologian to think.

The Visible Church

Items of Study:1. Authority in the visible church2. Prophecies in the Old Testament pointing to the

Church of the New Testament and her priests3. Distinction of roles in the church4. The three ranks of priesthood in the teaching of

St Ignatius (bishop, priest, and deacon)5. Contemporary, comparative study of the system

of authority in the churches6. Church Traditions

1. Authority in the Visible Church• Some might ask how the church can have many leaders, while there

is only one leader in heaven, that is Christ. In a book (by Bishop Isizorus) the Exhaustive Evidence and the Piercing Proofs, Christ has the right of excellent leadership for by Him and through Him salvation and redemption is accomplished. And also because He is the head of the body, the believers, and they are His members. But His excellent leadership does not take away the need for leaders from His own body, as stewards for His mysteries, to be responsible for guiding the believers and taking care of all their needs that lead them to prosper in good works and save their souls; the apostle pointed to that saying “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20), “Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Cor 4:1), “for a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God” (Titus 1:7).

1. Authority in the Visible ChurchSo also in many other citations: “And the Lord said, “who then is

that faithful and wise steward, whom his Master will make ruler of His household, to give them their portion of food in due season” (Luke 12:42), and the words of St Peter: 1 Peter 5:1-4 “the elders that are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and the witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the chief Shepherd appears you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.” Acts 20:28 “therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

2. Old Testament Prophecies pointing to the New Testament Church and her priests• Isaiah 66:21 “’and I will also take some of them for

priests and Levites’ says the Lord,” Isaiah (61:6) also said pointing to the servants of the gospel, “but you shall be named the priests of the Lord, they shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles and in their glory you shall boast.” Jer 33:18 “Nor shall the priests, the Levites, lack a man to offer burnt offerings before Me, to kindle grain offerings, and to sacrifice continually.” Psalms 132:14-16 “This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread. I will also clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.”

2. Old Testament Prophecies pointing to the New Testament Church and her priests• Mal 3:1-3 “’And the Lord, whom you seek, will

suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, he is coming,’ Says the Lord of Hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver. That they may offer to the Lord an offering of righteousness.”

2. Old Testament Prophecies pointing to the New Testament Church and her priests• Some might say that the title, “priest,” “erephs” in Greek,

was not given to any of the New Testament men. This saying is not true, for St Paul called himself a priest (Romans 15:16), “that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles working as a priest in the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” Whoever thinks that the “as” is a proof that he is not a priest makes the mistake of misunderstanding the apostle, for he uses it in different verses in a way of humility as a person who does not deserve to be worthy of calling himself a priest of Christ. Examples: 1 Cor 4:1 “Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ.” Of course St Paul is a servant of Christ. Many other places, 2 Cor 6:4, Titus 1:7, 1 Cor 15:32, Rom 15:17. The priests are the one who receive the tithing on behalf of God (Num 18:7-21). Abraham give the offerings to Melchizedek, the priest of God Most High (Gen 14:18-20).

3. Distinction of Roles in the Church • 1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy

nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” The apostle here points that among the Christian there would be a priest, there would be a ruler, and there would be a flock, (1 Cor 7:7) “one in this manner, and another in that.” A similar citation is in Ex 19:6 “and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

• Some understand this to mean that there is no distinction between one another in the church, and attack the consecration of certain people for priestly service. When those are asked on what basis they believe, they give the same answer that Korah answered Moses (Num 16:3), “for all the congregation is holy.” Korah thought that he has the right to priesthood, as Aaron, and he was punished by death. In fact the apostle Jude pointed out that some Christians will repeat this sin of Korah in Jude 1:11, “Woe to them for they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for prophet, and have perished in the rebellion of Korah.” That means that some Christians today had followed in the footsteps of Korah and said that we are all priests and they perished in the evil of that idea.

3. Distinction of Roles in the Church

• We can distinguish two types of priesthood: 1.General priesthood that all believers would

partake in through the mysteries of baptism and chrismation to offer spiritual sacrifices to God.

2.Ordained priesthood, to carry on the sacraments and the priestly service in the church.

3. Distinction of Roles in the Church• In similar fashion we can speak of teaching: (1 John 2:27) “but the

anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.” This teaching of the anointing does not cancel the presence of specialized teachers (Matt 15:32), “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the Kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

• St Paul likened the church to a body and the distinction of roles in the church is like the distinction in the functions of the body members, Rom 12:4-8, 1 Cor 7:7, 1 Cor 12:8-21.

• The New Testament spoke of the distinct rank of the priests which distinguish them from the rest of the people. In this priestly rank there are 3 jobs: 1. the bishop (Titus 1:7-11), 2. the priest (1 Peter 5:5, Titus 1:5, Acts 14:23, 20:17), 3. the deacons (1 Titus 3:8-10,16, Acts 6:2-6)

4. The 3 distinct ranks of Priesthood in the teaching of St Ignatius

• In his letter he pointed out to the 3 distinct ranks, the bishop (episkopos), the priest (presbuteros), the deacon (diakonos). Examples, Tralian 2:1-3, 3:1, 7:2, Smyrna 8:1-2, 12:2, Philadelphia Introduction 7:1, 10:2, Polycarp 6:1, Romans 9:1, the Magnesia 2, 6:1, 13:1


The bishop:1. St Ignatius described the bishop with different titles to highlight his

special place in the church: The image of God the Father “like Christ” (Tu pon Tou Patros, Tralian 3:1); In the honor of God (Magnesia 6:1); has the perfect power of God

2. He likened the union with the bishop as the union between the church and Christ. “If I had a spiritual union with your bishop for a limited time, how much more I would call you blessed since you have been united with him always, the union of the Church with Christ and of Christ Jesus with the Father, all that in the perfection of unity” (Eph 5:1). “Where the bishop is, there should be the sheep, as where Christ is, there should be the universal church. Without a bishop, no baptism, nor agape. Whatever the bishop agrees upon, is acceptable by God, and whatever the bishop does is lawful (Smyrna 8:2).


3. The bishop represents Christ. “Your bishop came through the will of God and I saw in his face all your church” (Tralian 1:1, 3:1, Magnesia 3:1, 6:1).

4. The bishop has the honor of the apostles. “Through your unity with our Lord Jesus Christ and the bishop and the teachings of the apostles. Whoever is inside the alter is pure and whoever does anything outside the will of the bishop and the deacon is dirty in essence.” (Tralian 7:1)


5. Appointing bishop to head churches in the end of the earth. “As the appointed bishops in the end of the earth is one mind in Jesus Christ” (Eph 3:2).

6. The importance and the seriousness of the bishop’s job in the church, so that without them there cannot be a church. All should respect deacons as Jesus Christ, and the bishop as the image of God the Father, and the priests as the counsel of God and the rank of the apostles. Without those, no church can exist (Tralian 3:1). “No one should do anything related to the church without the will of the bishop. The Eucharist is the mystery that is served by the bishop and whoever the bishop would appoint as a steward, where the bishop is there should be the flock” (Smyrna 8:1).


7. Christ strengthens the bishops and establishes them. To be united with the bishop, priests, and deacons, his helpers and established in the Spirit of Jesus Christ that strengthens them according to His will and confirms them with His Holy Spirit (Introduction to the epistle to Philadelphia).

8. The bishop receives his service from God. “I know this bishop, that he did not receive the service of the flock from himself, not from humans, nor out of loving vainglory, but loving God the Father and Jesus Christ” (Introduction to Philadelphia 1:1)


9. The Characteristics of the bishop: “I was captivated by his meekness. He can do with his silence much more than what great speeches can do. He’s united with the commandments of God as a union between the strings and a guitar, my soul bless him for his continuous thinking on God. His quiet manners that does not know anger lead me to know the perfection of his virtuous mind, and that he lives all the meekness of the living God” (Philadelphia 1:1,2). “His actions are great school, but as for his meekness, it is power” (Tralian 3:2).


10. Honoring the bishop: whoever is with God and with Jesus Christ, he is also with the bishop, even those who repent and come to the unity of the church belong to God to live according to what is Christ’s (Philadelphia 3:2). “The young age of your bishop should not become a reason to become so comfortable with him, [that you forget who he is]. You have to respect in him the perfection of the power of God. Remember that your saintly elders give great honor to their bishop. They do not take advantage of his apparent young age, but they submit to him, seeking in that the wisdom of God. What should I say?: their obedience is not to him, but to God, the universal bishop, to the Father of Jesus Christ. Our obedience should be void of any blemish, for our respect is to God who loved us. If we cheated the bishop, we lie on the unseen Bishop, in this case we don’t deal with the body but with God who knows all the hidden things” (Magnesia 3:1-2).


• “Obey your bishop as Christ obeyed the Father in the flesh, and as the apostles obeyed Christ and the Father and the Holy Spirit, so that unity would become physical and spiritual” (Magnesia 13:2). “Our honor to the bishop should increase the more we see him less talking. Everyone that the master of the house sends to take care of the house, we should accept him as we accept the sender. We should look to the bishop the same way we look to the Master” (Eph 6:1). “Who honors the bishop will be honored by God. Who hid his actions from the bishop serves the devil” (Smyrna 9:1).


11. The bishop’s job in visiting the church and manage it: on his way to martyrdom St Ignatius wrote to the church in Smyrna asking of them to enquire about the church in Syria after he left it, and said, “ (Tralian 11:2). And he wrote in a message to Polycarp (7:1,2), and (Polycarp 8:1-3). (Philadelphia 10:1-2)


12. The submission to the authority of the bishop: “Should submit to the bishop as submitting to the grace of God” (Magnesia 2). “Be submissive to the bishop as submitting to the commandment of God” (Tralian 13:2). “ (Tralian 2:1,2) and (Magnesia 6:1) (Smyrna 8:1), (Ephesus 4:1), (Ephesus 5:3, 6:1)


13. The need of the bishop for comfort and strengthening: (Tralian 12:1,2,3)


The bishop and the Eucharist: • The unity between the believers and the bishop from one side and with

another in the one Bread on the alter is in fact one truth, for there is one body of the Lord and one cup and one alter, as well as one bishop. The liturgy is the job of the bishop, under whose supervision all the mysteries should be served. The table of agape cannot be without the bishop. In St Ignatius faith, every center of liturgy would call for the presence of the bishop. The union of the Christians in one place was embodied in the person of the bishop and his work, which means that unity with the bishop is a living icon of the unity with the church.

• A believer in St Ignatius teaching would not be saved by the bishop in himself as if he owns magical power, for the church the body of Christ owns God Himself, who saves in Christ and through the Holy Spirit in the mysteries. Here lies the theology of calling the Holy Spirit by which the believing group lives and are justified through Him in the life of love in the body of Christ. The saving grace of God is His uncreated power for Him who has the power of creation from nothing can give life to the human and justify him, through killing the devil.


• Therefore the bishop is the necessary person for salvation, not as a person, nor because he is a magical tool between God and humans, but as an essential center for the one life in Christ, for with him and with the priests and the deacons, are the gift of the mysteries and the teaching. When St Ignatius speaks of the bishops, priests, and deacons, who “without them there can be no church” (Tralian 3), he means that “without them there can be no local group of believers.” We cannot separate the bishop from the alter, but those who are outside the alter are not submitting to the bishop. Whoever is away from the alter is deprived from the Bread of God. The bishop as the center of unity in the mystical liturgical life is an extreme necessity for salvation although his service is not independent of the service of the believer.


• The bishops are equal. The rank of bishops were not considered to stand alone above the local church or away from her, but in the church. Since the visible church appears locally in her liturgical and mystical life, therefore the bishop has a local presence, the presence of a bishop and a council of priests responsible for the Eucharistic life is a must. Therefore all the bishops are equal, for the groups of believers are equal. As well as the living image of Christ (the bishop) cannot be bigger or smaller than another image, for the image is one and equal. Therefore we can understand the patristic emphasis on equality between bishops through the following statements:

1. The Eucharistic life of the groups appears locally as a goal in itself2. That every believing group is united to the other groups with the

unity of their existence in Christ3. The perfection of Christ abides in the life of the faithful who unites

together in the life of Christ4. The bishop’s work cannot be separated from the local life


The Priest:

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Creed 28 And in one, holy, universal (catholic), apostolic church