Claim Ledger · Position · 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.
The Catholic and Orthodox answer. Disagrees with the Latter-day Saint position about whether authority was lost.
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.
Early witnesses to succession exist; how early a single-bishop succession is attested is debated.
Follows if apostolic succession transmits authority (AM-AX-012).
Fifth axis
Values continuity of teaching; does not make episcopal succession necessary.
Locates continuity in the apostolic teaching, not in a succession of bishops.
| Primary witness | Work | Edition cited |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Clement 42–44 | 1 Clement | The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations, ed. Michael W. Holmes, 3rd edition |
| Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.3.1–3 | Against Heresies (Adversus haereses) | Sources Chrétiennes 211 (Book III), ed. A. Rousseau and L. Doutreleau |
| Lumen Gentium 20 | Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church) | Second Vatican Council, official Latin text (Acta Apostolicae Sedis) |
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 apostles provided for successors; the second-century church appealed to succession as the guarantee of apostolic teaching.
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
Map connections: AM-DOC-0026 (illustrates)
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.