The Catholic
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Apostolic Authority
By what authority does the Catholic Church teach and act? A Catholic would answer: by the authority of Jesus Christ, which he gave to his apostles, and which they gave to the elders who took their place, down through the centuries. God the Father sent His son Jesus Christ with full authority to preach God's kingdom on Earth and establish it. Jesus chose his disciples (especially the apostles) to continue His mission and to teach and act with the authority he had on Earth. Through praying and the laying on of hands, the apostles passed this authority onto bishops and presbyters (priests). This authority continued to be passed on through a succession of bishops and elders right up to the present day.
It is evident that the Apostles had authority over the Church, but that authority was also given by the Apostles to bishops, priests, and deacons: "We beg you, brothers, respect those among you whose task it is to exercise authority in the Lord and admonish you; esteem them with the greatest love because of their work" (1 Thess 5:12-13). These leaders were also given the authority to teach. Timothy and Titus were bishops who were repeatedly instructed to teach. The bishops, who ruled the Church and had a position of authority, were instructed to teach: "Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching" (1 Tim 5:17). That is why the bishop had to be "an apt teacher" (1 Tim. 3:2). It was the role of the bishop to teach the true gospel and defend it against false teachings: "In his teaching [the bishop] must hold fast to the authentic message so he will be able to encourage men to follow sound doctrine and refute those who contradict it" (Tit. 1:9); "Exhort and rebuke with all authority" (Tit. 2:5,15); "Instruct . . . command and teach . . . give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine" (1 Tim. 4:6,11,13); "Convince, rebuke, and exhort, with teaching" (2 Tim. 4:2); "Teach and exhort" (1 Tim. 4:2). They received these truths and this authority from the Apostles: "Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophesy with the laying on of hands of the presbyterate" (1 Tim. 4:14); "Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me" (2 Tim. 1:13); "Guard the rich deposit of faith" (2 Tim. 1:14). Not everyone was authorized to be a teacher. There were only "some teachers" (1 Cor. 12:28-29; Eph. 4:11), who were the bishops and elders (priests) of the Church.
Protestants disagree, and say that the Holy Spirit is our teacher. This is true, but how does the Holy Spirit teach? Through a private interpretation of the Scriptures, or through men authorized to teach? The Holy Spirit teaches through the Magisterium: "The Holy Spirit . . . will teach you" (John 14:26); "The Spirit of Truth . . . will testify of me" (John 15:26); "The Spirit . . . will speak and . . . tell you things to come" (John 16:13). This was told to the Apostles, so they would receive the Spiritual gift of distinguishing truth from error. All insights into (and faith in) doctrine and practice are possible only by an enlightening of the Holy Spirit. That is why the Holy Spirit is said to teach, because only through Him do we receive religious knowledge. Protestants sometimes cite this passage: "You do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things" (1 John 2:27). This refers to those unauthorized to teach (heretics). This is an instruction to believers that they should not listen to the teachings of those unauthorized to teach, because they have already been taught the truth as it has and can only come from the Holy Spirit through the Church (bishops). The anointing refers to the catechetical instruction as given by the Church hierarchy. The Holy Spirit teaches us through the Church, so when the bishops teach, it is actually the Holy Spirit teaching through them: "My speech and my preaching were not with words of human wisdom, but . . . of the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 2:4; Matt. 10:20). The Holy Spirit may be our ultimate teacher, but this does not mean there are no human teachers that the Holy Spirit teaches through.
Although the bishops ruled their own dioceses, they were also aware that they were united into a single, universal (catholic) church (Eph. 4:4-5; John 17:20-21). The early bishops discussed church doctrine and discipline to make sure they were teaching the true Apostolic faith. We see this unity reflected best at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), where the Apostles and bishops met to discuss requirements for Gentile converts, against the teachings of the Judaizers, who were requiring the converts to follow the Mosaic Law. Since the teachings of Jesus did not explicitly addressed this question, the Church elders gathered and came to the conclusion that: "It is the decision of the Holy Spirit, and ours too, not to lay on you any burden beyond that which is strictly necessary" (Acts 15:28). This was a decision that was binding on the whole Church–it could not be accepted or rejected by individual bishops or laymen. The Holy Spirit has likewise worked through the Church's 21 ecumenical councils in the same manner, so that the teachings of all ecumenical councils contain no error, when definitively stated.
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