An apostolic see is an episcopal see whose foundation is attributed to one or more of the apostles of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

or to one of their close associates. In

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, the phrase "The Apostolic See" when capitalized refers specifically to the See of Rome. Tertullian (c. 155 − c. 240) gives examples of apostolic sees: he describes as churches "in which the very thrones 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 Ephesus (; ; ; may ultimately derive from ) was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia, in present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in the 10th century BC on the site of Apasa, the former Arzawan capital ...

, and

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. 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".

Cited by early apologists for doctrinal authority

Tertullian himself and the slightly earlier

Irenaeus Irenaeus ( or ; ; ) was a Greeks, Greek bishop noted for his role in guiding and expanding Christianity, Christian communities in the southern regions of present-day France and, more widely, for the development of Christian theology by oppos ...

(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:Honoré Coppieters, "Apostolic Churches" in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'' (New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907)
/ref> "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. ..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?" 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.

Distinct from jurisdictional authority

Jurisdictional authority of particular episcopal sees over others is not necessarily associated with the apostolic origin of the see. Thus, the fourth canon of the First Council of Nicaea of 325 attributed to the bishop of the capital (metropolis) of each

Roman province The Roman provinces (, pl. ) were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was ruled by a Roman appointed as Roman g ...

(the " metropolitan bishop") a position of authority among the bishops of the province, without reference to the founding figure of that bishop's see. Its sixth canon the same council recognized the wider authority, extending beyond a single imperial province, traditionally held by

and

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

, and the prerogatives of the churches in Antioch and the other provinces. Of Aelia, the Roman city built on the site of the destroyed city of

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, the council's seventh canon reads: "Since custom and ancient tradition have prevailed that the Bishop of Aelia should be honoured, let him, saving its due dignity to the Metropolis, have the next place of honour." The metropolis in question is generally taken to be

Caesarea Maritima Caesarea () also Caesarea Maritima, Caesarea Palaestinae or Caesarea Stratonis, was an ancient and medieval port city on the coast of the eastern Mediterranean, and later a small fishing village. It was the capital of Judaea (Roman province), ...

, though in the late 19th century Philip Schaff also mentioned other views. The see of

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

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 the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

. The First 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." It was later ranked second among the sees in the theory of Pentarchy: " rmulated in the legislation of the emperor

Justinian I Justinian I (, ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565. His reign was marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovatio imperii'', or "restoration of the Empire". This ambition was ...

(527–565), especially in his

Novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) ...

131, the theory received formal ecclesiastical sanction at the Council in Trullo (692), which ranked the five sees as Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem." For another pentarchic see, that of

, the reputed founder and close associate of the apostle Peter, Saint Mark, is not called an apostle in the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

Sees or Churches viewed as founded by apostles or their close associates

( Coptic, Coptic Catholic, Greek Orthodox): Saint Mark the Evangelist * Antioch ( Greek Orthodox, Maronite, Melkite, Syriac Catholic, Syriac Orthodox): Saint Peter * Aquileia: Mark the Evangelist as one of the Seventy Apostles *

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

(

Armenian Apostolic Church The Armenian Apostolic Church () is the Autocephaly, autocephalous national church of Armenia. Part of Oriental Orthodoxy, it is one of the most ancient Christianity, Christian churches. The Armenian Apostolic Church, like the Armenian Catholic ...

, Armenian Catholic Church): Thaddaeus ( Jude the Apostle) and Bartholomew the Apostle *

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

: Saint Paul * Bulgarian Orthodox Church: Saint Andrew *

: Saint Andrew * Corinth: Saint Paul * Cyprus, based at New Justiniana ( Erdek): Saint Paul and Saint Barnabas *

: John the Apostle * Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church maintains that Christianity was originally introduced to Ethiopia through Saint Philip the Evangelist *

Georgian Orthodox Church The Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს სამოციქულო ავტოკეფალური მართლმადიდებელი ეკლესია, tr), commonl ...

: Saint Andrew and Simon the Canaanite * Goa and

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

: Bartholomew the Apostle – Roman Martyrology of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

mentions a tradition that Bartholomew the Apostle preached in India. 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 in

, 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 and it is in Goan tradition that the Apostle preached in Goa and

. *

( Greek Orthodox,

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

): Saint Peter and Saint James *

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

: Saint Paul *

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

: Saint Barnabas * Patras: Saint Andrew * Philippi: Saint Paul *

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

: Saint Andrew, who is said to have preached in Scythia (identified with Scythia Minor, Dobruja, and the Metropolitan of Tomis). *

: Saint Peter and Saint Paul * The Russian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine claim a connection with Saint Andrew, who is said to have visited the area where the city of

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

later arose. * Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala claim a connection with Thomas the Apostle; they are now divided between (in alphabetic order): Chaldean Syrian Church, Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, Malabar Independent Syrian Church, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, Mar Thoma Syrian Church, St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India, Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Syro-Malankara Catholic Church) *

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of Province of A Coruña, A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city ...

: James the Great * Seleucia-Ctesiphon or Babylon (claimed by, in alphabetical order, Ancient Church of the East,

Assyrian Church of the East The Assyrian Church of the East (ACOE), sometimes called the Church of the East and officially known as the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East, is an Eastern Christianity, Eastern Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian denomin ...

, Chaldean Catholic Church): Thomas the Apostle, Bartholomew the Apostle, and Thaddeus of Edessa * Syracuse: Saint Peter * Thessalonica: Saint Paul

Apostles or their close associates claimed as founders of sees

Andrew Andrew is the English form of the given name, common in many countries. The word is derived from the , ''Andreas'', itself related to ''aner/andros'', "man" (as opposed to "woman"), thus meaning "manly" and, as consequence, "brave", "strong", "c ...

: Bulgarian Orthodox Church,

, Corinth,

, Patras, Romanian Orthodox Church, Russian Orthodox Church, Orthodox Church of Ukraine * Barnabas: Cyprus,

* Bartholomew:

, Armenian Catholic Church, Babylon * James, brother of Jesus:

( Greek Orthodox,

) * James the Great:

* John:

* Mark:

( Coptic, Coptic Catholic, Greek Orthodox), Aquileia * Paul:

, Cyprus,

, Philippi,

, Thessalonica, Illyria ( Albanian Orthodox Church) * Peter: Antioch ( Greek Orthodox, Maronite, Melkite, Syriac Catholic, Syriac Orthodox),

( Greek Orthodox,

, Syracuse * Philip the Evangelist: Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church * Simon the Canaanite:

* Thaddaeus/ Jude the Apostle:

, Armenian Catholic Church, Ancient Church of the East,

, Chaldean Catholic Church ( Babylon) * Thaddeus of Edessa: Ancient Church of the East,

, Chaldean Catholic Church ( Babylon) * Thomas: Ancient Church of the East,

, Chaldean Catholic Church ( Babylon); Saint Thomas Christians. The latter are now divided between (in alphabetical order): Chaldean Syrian Church, Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, Malabar Independent Syrian Church, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, Mar Thoma Syrian Church, St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India, Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Syro-Malankara Catholic Church)

Rome as the Apostolic See

By a long-standing usage, evidenced already in 431, when the Council of Ephesus, the third ecumenical council, employed the phrase "our most holy and blessed pope Cœlestine, bishop of the Apostolic See", the expression, "''the'' Apostolic See", is used in the singular and capitalized to mean specifically the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

and represent the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

as head of the worldwide

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and successor of Saint Peter. In Catholic canon law, the term is applied also to the various departments of the Roman 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." The bodies in question are seen as speaking on behalf of the See of Rome.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Apostolic See Dioceses (ecclesiastical)

Cited by early apologists for doctrinal authority

Distinct from jurisdictional authority

Sees or Churches viewed as founded by apostles or their close associates

Apostles or their close associates claimed as founders of sees

Rome as the Apostolic See

See also

References

Sources