Claim Ledger · Lemma · Authority
Provisional · awaiting editorial review. This revision is public and citable, but its references, wording and confidence levels have not yet been verified by an AbrahamMoses editor. It was drafted with AI assistance, as disclosed below. What provisional means
Yes
Awaiting editorial review
Drafted with AI assistance; editorial verification pending.
Foundational in Latter-day Saint teaching; denied by Catholic and Orthodox churches, which hold that authority continued in apostolic succession.
Never combined
Levels as proposed in the draft. They have not yet been verified by an editor and may change on review.
The wording is stable across all major witnesses of the cited edition; no known variant affects the proposition.
The meaning is established; only nuances are debated.
A claim about the post-apostolic church that rests on the tradition’s own revelation; external sources show diversity and development, which is read differently by each side.
Follows if Restoration scripture is revelation (AM-AX-011).
Fifth axis
Holds that apostolic authority continues in the episcopate.
Speaks of corruption of doctrine in the medieval church, not of a loss of priesthood authority, which it does not locate in an office.
Speaks of corruption of doctrine in the medieval church, not of a loss of priesthood authority, which it does not locate in an office.
Speaks of corruption of doctrine in the medieval church, not of a loss of priesthood authority, which it does not locate in an office.
Speaks of corruption of doctrine in the medieval church, not of a loss of priesthood authority, which it does not locate in an office.
| Primary witness | Work | Edition cited |
|---|---|---|
| Joseph Smith—History 1:19 | Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith—History | The Pearl of Great Price (2013 edition) |
| D&C 1:15 | Doctrine and Covenants | The Doctrine and Covenants (2013 edition) |
The claim quotes no translated wording.
No variant bearing on this claim is recorded.
A derived claim: it holds only while at least one derivation below holds.
The churches had departed from the ordinances and broken the everlasting covenant.
Claims that rest on this one: AM-CLAIM-000270. Reject it in the explorer
Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
Apostolic authority continued through the succession of bishops; no general loss occurred.
The promise of Matthew 16:18 and the appeal to succession in 1 Clement and Irenaeus describe continuity.
Matthew 16:18; 1 Clement 42–44; Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.3.1–3
Author: AbrahamMoses editorial (Sagolik)
Reviewers: none recorded — this revision has not been externally reviewed.
Change note: First published.
Drafted with AI assistance
Drafted with AI assistance (Claude, Anthropic) in October 2026 from the cited editions and the published record. References, editions, variants and confidence levels await verification by an AbrahamMoses editor. Verification: pending.
Living record
| Revision | Status | Published | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revision 1 | Provisional | 2026-10-14 | First published. |
Citations point at revision 1, which will never change.