Tertullian (c. 155 − c. 240) gives examples of apostolic sees: he describes as churches "in which the verythrones of the apostles are still pre-eminent in their places, in which their own authentic writings are read, uttering the voice and representing the face of each of them severally" the following churches:Corinth,Philippi,Ephesus, andRome.[3]
Tertullian says that from these "all the other churches, one after another, derived the tradition of the faith, and the seeds of doctrine, and are every day deriving them, that they may become churches. Indeed, it is on this account only that they will be able to deem themselves apostolic, as being the offspring of apostolic churches".[4]
Tertullian himself and the slightly earlierIrenaeus (c. 130 – c. 200) speak of the succession of bishops of sees founded directly by the apostles as sources for sure Christian doctrine.
Irenaeus argues that, to know what is true Christian doctrine, it is enough to learn the teaching of some of the oldest churches or at least one, in particular that of Rome:[5] "If the apostles had known hidden mysteries, which they were in the habit of imparting to 'the perfect' apart and privily from the rest, they would have delivered them especially to those to whom they were also committing the Churches themselves.[6] [...] Suppose there arise a dispute relative to some important question among us, should we not have recourse to the most ancient Churches with which the apostles held constant intercourse, and learn from them what is certain and clear in regard to the present question?"[7]
Tertullian's arguing is similar: From the apostles the churches they founded received the doctrine that the apostles received directly from Christ, and from those churches the more recent churches received the same doctrine. Every heresy is more recent and, being different, is erroneous.[5][8]
Jurisdictional authority of particular episcopal sees over others is not necessarily associated with the apostolic origin of the see. Thus, the fourth canon of theFirst Council of Nicaea of 325 attributed to the bishop of the capital (metropolis) of eachRoman province (the "metropolitan bishop") a position of authority among the bishops of the province, without reference to the founding figure of that bishop's see.[9]
Its sixth canon the same council recognized the wider authority, extending beyond a single imperial province, traditionally held byRome andAlexandria, and the prerogatives of the churches inAntioch and the other provinces.[10]
OfAelia, the Roman city built on the site of the destroyed city ofJerusalem, the council's seventh canon reads: "Since custom and ancient tradition have prevailed that the Bishop ofAelia should be honoured, let him, saving its due dignity to the Metropolis, have the next place of honour."[11] The metropolis in question is generally taken to beCaesarea Maritima,[12][13][14][15] though in the late 19th centuryPhilip Schaff also mentioned other views.[16]
The see ofConstantinople was elevated to a position of jurisdictional prominence not on the grounds of apostolic origin but because of its political importance as the capital of theRoman Empire. TheFirst Council of Constantinople (381), held in what by then had been the political capital for half a century, decreed in a canon of disputed validity: "The Bishop of Constantinople, however, shall have the prerogative of honour after the Bishop of Rome; because Constantinople is New Rome."[17] It was later ranked second among the sees in the theory ofPentarchy: "[F]ormulated in the legislation of the emperorJustinian I (527–565), especially in hisNovella 131, the theory received formal ecclesiastical sanction at theCouncil in Trullo (692), which ranked the five sees as Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem."[18]
For another pentarchic see, that ofAlexandria, the reputed founder and close associate of the apostle Peter,Saint Mark, is not called an apostle in theNew Testament.
Sees or Churches viewed as founded by apostles or their close associates
Goa andMaharashtra:Bartholomew the Apostle[28][29] – Roman Martyrology of theCatholic Church mentions a tradition thatBartholomew the Apostle preached in India.[30][31] The studies of Fr A.C. Perumalil SJ and Moraes hold that the Bombay region on the Konkan coast, a region which may have been known as the ancient city Kalyan, was the field of Saint Bartholomew's missionary activities. Another unofficial book entitled ‘Martyrdom of Bartholomew’ says that, though he is generally said to have been martyred inArmenia,[32] he was martyred in India. In these texts, two kings named Polyamus and Astriyagis have been described. Circa AD 55 the king named Pulaimi ruled near Kalyan, who in Latin language is called as Polyamus and King Aristakarman, who succeeded Pulaimi, might have a Latin name of Astriyais[33][34][35] and it is in Goan tradition that the Apostle preached inGoa andMaharashtra.[36]
InCatholic canon law, the term is applied also to the various departments of theRoman Curia. The Code of Canon Law states: "In this Code the terms Apostolic See or Holy See mean not only the Roman Pontiff, but also, unless the contrary is clear from the nature of things or from the context, the Secretariat of State, the Council for the public affairs of the Church, and the other Institutes of the Roman Curia."[44] The bodies in question are seen as speaking on behalf of the See of Rome.
^Schaff'sSeven Ecumenical Councils: First Nicaea: Canon VII: "It is very hard to determine just what was the 'precedence' granted to the Bishop of Ælia, nor is it clear which is the metropolis referred to in the last clause. Most writers, including Hefele, Balsamon, Aristenus and Beveridge consider it to be Cæsarea; while Zonaras thinks Jerusalem to be intended, a view recently adopted and defended by Fuchs; others again suppose it is Antioch that is referred to."
^Saint Mark is not called an apostle in theNew Testament, but he is said to have been one of theSeventy Apostles and to have been commissioned as an apostle when he accompaniedSaint Paul andSaint Barnabas in their apostolic journeys.
^Professor Sergew Hable Sellassie & Professor Tadesse Tamerat (December 1970),"The Establishment of the Ethiopian Church",The Church of Ethiopia: A Panorama Of History and Spiritual Life,archived from the original on 11 June 2011, retrieved2 December 2015 – via Ethiopianorthodox.org
^"In the east there were many Churches whose foundation went back to the Apostles; there was a strong sense of the equality of all bishops, of the collegial and conciliar nature of the Church. The east acknowledged the Pope as the first bishop in the Church, but saw him as the first among equals. In the west, on the other hand, there was only one great see claiming Apostolic foundation — Rome — so that Rome came to be regarded asthe Apostolic see" (Bishop Kallistos Ware, Orthodox Church).
^"An Apostolic see is any see founded by an Apostle and having the authority of its founder;the Apostolic See is the seat of authority in the Roman Church, continuing the Apostolic functions of Peter, the chief of the Apostles. Heresy and barbarian violence swept away all the particular Churches which could lay claim to an Apostolic see, until Rome alone remained; to Rome, therefore, the term applies as a proper name" (Catholic Encyclopedia, articleThe Apostolic See).
