Apostolic Succession And The Problem Of Unity

Excerpt from Apostolic Succession and the Problem of Unity IN writing an introduction to this book I do not intend to convey the impression that I have, in any way, contributed to its contents. The book is the author's work, and his alone. While I do not agree with all that is written, I think it well and strongly written, and that it ought to find place in the discussion of the subject of the unity of Christendom. Where the issues are SO great, so profoundly important, no region ought to be left unexplored, no question (no matter how old or how often investigated) should be left undiscussed in its new bearings, no amount of patient, charitable investigation ought to be regarded as onerous; but the discussion should be utterly free, completely full and without passion. No subject connected with it Should be held SO sacred that it may not reverently and respectfully be tested. In this spirit of respectful investigation the author has entered into the discussion, sometimes with questions which he seeks to answer, sometimes with declarations which he considers that the Church's teaching war rants. The real merit of both questions and dec larations can best be tested in the Open court of the Church's sifting and searching processes which inev itably tend to the illumination Of' the truth. Into this Open court the book enters, its author aux ous to con. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

The question of apostolic succession in advancing the cause of Christian unity.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1845.

The mixed results of the ecumenical dialogue since the Second Vatican Council have made it clear that the primacy of the Bishop of Rome remains the single most serious obstacle on the path of ecumenism. In his landmark 1995 encyclical Ut unum sint, Pope John Paul II reiterated the constant teaching that the Catholic Church "has preserved the ministry of the Successor of the Apostle Peter, the Bishop of Rome." He also invited leaders and theologians of other Christian communities to engage in a "patient and fraternal dialogue on this subject...to find a way of exercising the primacy which, while in no way renouncing what is essential to its mission, is nonetheless open to a new situation." This book explores in depth the discussion of papal primacy in the Catholic-Orthodox, Catholic-Lutheran and Catholic Anglican dialogues, along with an appendix on the concept of "Sister Churches." Each chapter describes how the primacy is viewed in the respective churches or ecclesial communities, then it analyzes the documents of the official ecumenical dialogue and realistically evaluates the results achieved thus far.