If they do claim this in a publication, could someone please show me the reference. This quote would be good to have when asking a dub who was before him that handed the torch. Thanks for the help. Blessings.........
I heard that the JW's claim apostolic succession.....is there a quote?
by middleman 6 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Gopher
Technically the JW's do not claim apostolic succession, which is defined as an uninterrupted succession of church leaders all the way back to Jesus.
They have claimed, mysteriously, that the Memorial of Jesus Christ's death was celebrated accurately and truthfully by at least one anointed person annually, going back to 33 C.E. So, their most recent Memorial would have been the 1976th annual memorial, so they claim. That would be the only continuity that they claim.
Rather than succession, they claim restoration -- that C.T. Russell's movement and what grew out of it (the modern day Jehovah's Witnesses) is a RESTORATION of first century Christianity, rather than an unbroken succession.
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Mary
I heard that the JW's claim apostolic succession.....is there a quote?
I've never heard the Witnesses claim an apostolic succession, but they do claim something similar: They claim that the "faithful and discreet slave fed the succeeding generation" from Jesus' day right down to today:
The Jan 15, 1975 WT p. 46:
WHEN THE "SLAVE" CLASS BEGAN
When did this faithful "slave" come into existence? At Pentecost, 33 C.E. The first 120 persons upon whom holy spirit was poured out immediately set to work feeding the others invited to God’s spiritual feast, namely, the Jews, 3,000 of whom accepted the spiritual "food" offered and got baptized. After this the 3,000 continued to take in spiritual food until they were well strengthened. Many then went back to their homes in other lands, establishing congregations and continuing to associate together and to keep in harmony with the true teaching of the apostles.—Acts 2:1-4, 37-42.
Jesus had said: "Look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things." (Matt. 28:20) Jesus Christ is the Head of the congregation, his slave, and his words show that he would strengthen them to feed his "domestics" right down through the centuries. Apparently one generation of the "slave" class fed the succeeding generation thereof, as well as continuing to feed themselves.
Of course, when the Catholic Church basically makes the same claim, they've got their answer all ready:
September 1, 1003 WTp.6:
"In support of their claim that Roman Catholicism is the one true church, Catholic leaders say that their bishops have "a life-giving contact with the original apostles by a current of succession which goes back to the beginning." In truth, this claim of apostolic succession has no historical or Scriptural basis. There is no credible evidence that the church system that arose following the death of Jesus’ apostles was ever directed by God’s holy spirit"
Not that they've got a double standard or anything.
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Gopher
September 1, 1003 WTp.6:
Wow Mary -- they were publishing Watchtower magazines back in the year 1003? I guess there is something to this "succession" theory after all !! How far back does the Watchtower ragazine go???
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BluesBrother
The teaching that I understood was that there had always been some on Earth (since Pentecost 33ce) who were of the true anointed congregation. It was just that they could not be identified because "the enemy had oversown the wheat with the weeds" Matt 13.
* w74 9/15 p. 561 par. 4 Do Not Hold Back from "Practicing the Truth" ***
"In spite of the fact that people live in such a world, this does not mean that the light from God and his Son, who is "the image of God," and therefore is also light, is not reaching some among mankind and thus freeing them from the darkness. (John 8:12) The God of light and his Son have provided the light of truth to such an extent that throughout the history of mankind there have been some individuals who have walked in the light and have had the Creator’s favor and blessing. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews mentions a few of such individuals of pre-Christian times. The Christian Greek Scriptures relate the history of the beginnings of Christianity and carry us into the final days of the first century, telling about Christ Jesus and his followers, who walked in the light. And while we have little actual recorded history to identify the adherents of light in the centuries following the death of the apostles and early disciples of Christ down to our modern times, nevertheless, we are assured by the illustration of Jesus Christ concerning the wheat and the weeds that throughout that time there would be those walking in the light of God, following his Word, the Book of light. (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43) In modern times, as the fulfillment of the illustration of the wheat and the weeds reaches its culmination, the "sons of the kingdom" are glorified in the established Kingdom, a remnant yet on earth shining "as brightly as the sun," dispensing spiritual enlightenment so that others may be gathered onto the side of the God of light for future preservation."
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StAnn
In truth, this claim of apostolic succession has no historical or Scriptural basis. There is no credible evidence that the church system that arose following the death of Jesus’ apostles was ever directed by God’s holy spirit"
Isn't this interesting. This is tricky. They are saying there is no credible evidence (in their eyes) that the "church system," i.e., the Catholic Church, was directed by God's holy spirit! However, they don't actually come out and say there is no evidence of the unbroken line of succession, just that it wasn't directed by God. But I think a r&f dub would have to look closely to catch that distinction. It was written to sound like there is no historical basis for the Church to claim succession at all.
IMO, the WT writers are going to burn in the Hell they don't believe in for lies like these.
StAnn
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Pahpa
Jesus and the early Christian Bible writers indicated that there would be a corruption and failing of the early church after the death of the apostles. So, to claim "apostolic succession" is really quite meaningless. But the claim continued on with not only the Catholic church but also those Orthodox churches that rejected Catholic primacy. Still later, the Church of England made the same claim suggesting that the Catholic church no longer represented the true faith and therefore did not "succeed" in the legitimate apostolic line.
It seems that every Christian group wants to prove legitimacy by claiming a spiritual or human link to the apostles. But the truth of the matter is that true and false Christians would share the same field as "wheat and tares" until Christ's return.