Bishops vs. Prophets

The critical events of the 60's bring the curtain down
on both Traditional Judaism and the early Jesus Movement,
and put an end to the conflict between Paul and the Apostles.

  • 62 CE--James the Just, brother of Jesus and leader
                    of the Jerusalem-based Jesus Movement,
                    is killed by the Temple Priests (    Josephus).
  • 65 CE--Peter, Paul and many other Christians
                    are killed by Nero (    1 Clement).
  • 66-70 CE--The Jewish Revolt and Roman War
                    terminate the Jewish Temple Cult
                    and leave Judea completely devastated.

Some Background:

indicates that some connection with Peter or Paul was a major criterion
in filling the leadership vacuum created by their absence.

The first leaders of the Christian communities after 70
appear to have been wandering prophets and teachers
according to the prototype of Jesus.
Paul is a primary witness to this:

1 Corinthians 12:28

And God has appointed in the church

But this Loose Charismatic Leadership
was soon Displaced by the Monarchical Episcopate,
a Priestly Hierarchy headed by an All-Powerful Bishop (EPISKOPOS)

The Roots of this New Church Administration can be seen in Matthew 16:13ff.
where Jesus is portrayed as giving to Peter the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven
and the Spiritual Authority to Bind and Loose on Earth and in Heaven.
This passage was later adopted by the Proto-Orthodox Christian Faction
that established the "Monarchical Episcopate" as the leadership ideal of the Church.
This Spurious Passage is still being used today to keep the all-powerful Bishops in Power.

Important Early Witnesses to the Creation of the Episcopate

Clement of Rome: The Earliest Witness to (Creator of?) - The Epistle of Clement
                              The Doctrine of the Apostolic Succession
                              Clement on the Apostolic succession

Ignatius of Antioch: The Bishop's Bishop - The Epistles of Ignatius
                                        Ignatius on the Office of Bishop

In reality Peter originally seems to have been caught in between:

Peter finally sided with James against Paul, as did Barnabas.

The Gospel of Matthew  was the only Document of the Petrine Faction
that was Allowed into the New Testament Canon and was placed first.
Matthew 16:13ff. suited well the purposes of the Monarchical Episcopate,
which was the Authority that Established the Canon in the first place.

The Issue:  Apostolic Succession

The Most Divisive Problem in Christian History?

On one of the above Catholic sites:

"NIHIL OBSTAT: I have concluded that the materials
presented in this work are free of doctrinal or moral errors.
Bernadeane Carr, STL, Censor Librorum, August 10, 2004

IMPRIMATUR: In accord with 1983 CIC 827
permission to publish this work is hereby granted.
+Robert H. Brom, Bishop of San Diego, August 10, 2004"

Even someone writing about Apostolic Succession
must receive permission and certification from a Catholic Bishop!

The Questions:

The Facts:

Bishops are Mentioned Nowhere in the Canonical Gospels

Matthew is the Only Canonical Gospel that even Contains the Word "Church"

I. Bishops in the Pauline Literature

Paul's Continuous Power Struggles in the "Churches"
gave him Ample Opportunity to Discuss Church Authority in his Letters.
Paul is still our best witness to the leadership structure of the pre-70 Jesus movement.

1. Corinth:

Paul promotes himself as The Authority Figure . . . as a "Father"

4:14 I am not writing this to make you ashamed,
but to admonish you as my beloved children.
4:15 For though you might have ten thousand guardians in Christ,
you do not have many fathers.
Indeed, in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.
4:16 I appeal to you, then, be imitators of me. . .
4:18 But some of you, thinking that I am not coming to you, have become arrogant.
4:19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills,
and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power.

Paul himself Recognizes Apostles, Prophets, and Teachers
as the leaders in the pre-70 CE Church . . . 
but no Bishops

12:27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
12:28 And God has appointed in the church

12:29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
12:30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
12:31 But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

2. Rome

Paul provides a similar list to the Roman "Church";
Is it significant that he leaves out the Apostles?

12:3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you
not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, 
but to think with sober judgment,
each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
12:4 For as in one body we have many members,
and not all the members have the same function,
12:5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ,
and individually we are members one of another.
12:6 We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us:

12:16 Live in harmony with one another;
do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly;
do not claim to be wiser than you are.
Physician, heal thyself.

3. Philippi - Who are the Bishops and Deacons?

Philippians 1:1
"Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi,
with the bishops and deacons . . ."

This is the earliest use of the word "bishop" EPISKOPOS
in Christian literature and the only mention of a "bishop"
in the genuine letters of Paul.
But . . .

II. Bishops in the Pseudo-Pauline Literature

1. Luke's (?) Book of the Acts of the Apostles:

Acts reports that Paul appointed "elders" (presbyters) in his "churches"

14:23 And after they had appointed elders for them in each church,
with prayer and fasting they entrusted them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.

2. The Pseudo-Pauline Pastoral Epistles to Timothy and Titus

Fifty years after Paul's death,
pseudepigraphical letters were fabricated in Paul's name,
witnessing to a completely different church power structure
than that which Paul knew.
Jesus had not returned;
the Apostles were long dead;
leadership in Paul's "churches" has been taken over
by Bishops, Priests (presbyters), and Deacons.

I Timothy:  

The first pseudepigraphical letter of Paul to Timothy 
witnesses to the offices of Bishop, Priest (presbyter, elder), and Deacon.

3:1 The saying is sure:
whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task.

3:2 Now a bishop must be

3:3 not

3:4 He must manage his own household well,
keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way--
3:5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household,
how can he take care of God's church?

3:6 He must not be a recent convert,
or he may be puffed up with conceit
and fall into the condemnation of the devil.

3:7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders,
so that he may not fall into disgrace and the snare of the devil.

3:8 Deacons likewise must be

3:9 they must hold fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
3:10 And let them first be tested; then,
if they prove themselves blameless,
let them serve as deacons.

3:11 Women likewise must be

3:12 Let deacons be married only once, and
let them manage their children and their households well;
3:13 for those who serve well as deacons
gain a good standing for themselves and
great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

5:17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor,
especially those who labor in preaching and teaching;
5:18 for the scripture says,
"You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain," and,
"The laborer deserves to be paid."
5:19 Never accept any accusation against an elder
except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.

Titus:  

The pseudepigraphical epistle to Titus
confuses the offices of Presbyter (elder, priest) and Bishop.
The writer tries to establish a connection between these officials
and the authority of Paul as mediated by Titus.
Paul himself is presented as directing Titus
to appoint (ordain?) Presbyters and Bishops.

1:4 To Titus, my loyal child in the faith we share:
Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

1:5 I left you behind in Crete for this reason,
so that you should put in order what remained to be done, and should
appoint elders in every town, as I directed you:

1:6 someone who is

1:7 For a bishop, as God's steward, must be blameless;

1:8 but he must be

1:9 He must have a firm grasp of the word
that is trustworthy in accordance with the teaching,
so that he may be able both to preach with sound doctrine
and to refute those who contradict it.

The Combatants in this Conflict:

Matthew of Antioch: Jesus gives the Keys to the Kingdom to Peter, 
                                          but as Prophet/Teacher instead of as Bishop?

Pseudo-Petrine Literature:

Gospel of Peter, 
Acts of Peter
The Apocalypse of Peter
The Kerygmata of Peter 
The Epistles of Peter

The Ascension of Isaiah - The Lost Gospel of the Christian Prophets?

Text (2)
Information

The Ascents of James - The Lost Jewish-Christian Acts of the Apostles?

Pauline Documents: Paul becomes a patron saint of the Monarchical Episcopate

Ignatius of Antioch: The Ultimate Bishop
Ignatius on the Office of Bishop

Pseudo-Pauline Literature:

The Pastoral Epistles, 
The Epistle to the Hebrews
The Epistle to the Laodiceans
The Acts of Paul
The Acts of Paul and Thecla
The Acts of Peter and Paul
The Apocalypse of Paul
Fragments of another Apocalypse of Paul
The Revelation of Paul
The Vision of Paul
The Correspondence of Paul and Seneca

Referee Between Peter and Paul?

The Didache (Syria in the late 1st/early 2nd century CE)
seems to occupy an intermediary position
between Prophets/Teachers and Bishops and
may represent a transitional stage between these two types of leadership.

The Bishops win . . .

A Footrace between John and Peter: Are two Apostles actually racing each other?
Or is the competition really between the Churches (Bishops?) of Ephesus and Antioch?

Newly Discovered Documents of the Original East Syrian Church:

The Gospel of Thomas
Acts of Thomas
The Book of Thomas the Contender

Other Pseudo-Thomasine Literature

The Infancy Gospel of Thomas

  • Greek Text A
  • Greek Text B
  • Latin Text