The Church of Rome claims to be exclusively the apostolical church. The Church of England and the |
Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States claim to be apostolical churches, but not exclusively such, as they admit the "apostolicity" of the Greek and Roman churches, while the)' deny the title to all non-prelatieal churches. The ground of this arrogant assumption is the ecclesiastical theory known as the Apostolical Succession (q. v.). See Dens, Th'ologia, t. ii, § 78 ; Palmer, On the Church, pt. i, ch. viii ; and, for the refutation, Elliott, Delineation of Romanism, bk. iii, ch. ii, § 8 ; Litton, On the Church, pt. iii. See Apos- tolic ; Apostolic Age; (Church) Apostolic; Archeology. On the constitution of the primitive Church, see Church, Constitution of. Apostolical Church Directory (al FiaTayai
al Cut K\))pei>rog Kal KavovtQ kKK\i]GiaoTiKo\ Twvayiuiv ' AttogtoXidv), a work which originated at the begin- ning of the 3d century, and is extant in several Ethi- opic and Arabic manuscripts, and in one Greek. Al- though it agrees in many points with the seventh and eighth books of the Apostolical Constitutions, as well as with the Epistle of Barnabas, it is yet independent of both. It seems to have originated in a work con- nected with the Epistle of Barnabas, and which, at the same time, was probably made use of by the author of the seventh book of the Constitutions. The Church Directory is divided into 35 articles, and contains pre- scriptions of John, and ecclesiastical rescripts of the other apostles on bishops, elders, readers, deacons, and widows, the duties of laymen, and on the question whether women are to take part in conducting relig- ious services. It concludes with an exhortation of Peter to observe these prescriptions. Bickell (Ge- schichte des Kirchenrechts, Giessen, 1843, p. 87"sq.) has been the first to call again attention to this collection, which had almost wholly fallen into oblivion. He has also given (p. 107-132), from a Vienna manuscript, the Greek text with German translation, and added the various readings of the Latin translation of the Ethi- opic text (from Hiob Ludolf's Commentarius in histo- rittm ^lithiopicam,, p. 314 sq.), the only one which had heretofore been printed. There are important, al- though not decisive, reasons for the assumption that the " Atdayoi of the Apostles," mentioned by Euse- bius (Hist. Eccl. 1. iii. ch. xxv), are identical with the Apostolical Church Directory (Bickell, p. Q8). — Her- zog, Eeal-EncyMopdd'e, i, 452.
Apostolical Clerks, the name of two monastic orders, most commonly called Jesuates and Theatines. See these articles.
Apostolical Congregation. See Congrega- tion.
Apostolical Constitutions. See Constitu- tions.
Apostolical Council is a title properly applied to the first convention or synod of the Christian Church authorities, an account of which is given in Acts xv, A.D. 47. The conversion of Cornelius having thrown open the church to Gentiles, many uncircumcised per- sons were soon gathered into the communion formed at Antioch under the labors of Paul and Barnabas ; but, on the visit of certain Jewish Christians from Je- rusalem, a dispute arose as to the admission of such Gentiles as had not even been proselytes to Judaism, but were brought in directly from paganism. To set- tle this question, the brotherhood at Antioch deputed Paul and Barnabas, with several others, to lay the matter before a general meeting of the apostles and elders at the mother church at Jerusalem, and obtain their formal ami final decision on a point of so vital importance to the progress of the Gospel in all heathen lands. On their arrival and presentation of the sub- ject, a similar opposition (and of a warm character, as we find from the notices in Gal. ii) was made by Christians formerly of the Pharisaic party at the me- tropolis; so that it was only when, after considerable dispute, Peter had rehearsed his experience with ref- erence to Cornelius, and the signal results of the la-
APOSTOLICAL DECREE
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bors of Paul and Barnabas among the Gentiles had been recounted, that James, as president of the coun- cil, pronounced in favor of releasing those received into the church from Gentilism without requiring cir- cumcision or the observance of the Mosaic ceremonial law. This conclusion was generally assented to, and promulgated in a regular ecclesiastical form, which was sent as an encyclical letter by Paul and Barnabas back to Antioch, to be thence circulated in all the churches in pagan countries. For an elucidation of the heathen practices forbidden in the same document, see Decree. For a discussion of the chronological difficulties connected with the subject, see Pail. — Neander, Planting and Training, i, 133 sq.; Conybeare and Howson, St. Paul, i, 212 sq. ; Kitto, Daily Bible Illust. viii, 283 sq. See Council.
Apostolical Decree. See Decree.
Apostolical Fathers, a name used to designate those Christian writers (of whom an}' remains are now extant) who were contemporaiy with any of the apos- tles; that is to say, who lived and wrote before A.D. 120. Historically, these Avriters form a link of con- nection between the apostles and the Apologists (q. v.) of the second century. There are five names usually given as those of the Apostolical Fathers, i. e. there are five men who lived during the age of the apostles, and who did converse, or might have conversed with them, to whom writings still extant have been as- cribed, viz. Barnabas, Clement of Borne, Ignatius, Polycarp, Hennas. The following works are general- ly counted to these writers: 1. The epistle of Barna- bas [see Barnabas] ; 2. Two epistles of Clement, bishop of Borne, to the Corinthians [see Clement of Borne] ; 3. Several epistles of Ignatius, hishop of An- tioch [see Ignatius]; 4. An epistle of Polycarp, bish- op of Smyrna, to the Philippians [see Polycarp] ; 5. The epistle (of an unknown author) to Diognetus [see Diognetus] ; 6. The book entitled Pastor Hennas [see Heemas]. Certain fragments of Papias are also com- monly included among the Apostolical Fathers.