APOSTOLIC, or APOSTOLICAL, per taining or relating to the apostles.
Apostolic Church.—The Church in the time of the apostles, constituted accord ing to their design. The name is also given to the four churches of Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem, and is claimed by the Roman Catholic Church, and occasionally by the Episco palians.
Apostolic Constitutions and Canons.— A collection of regulations attributed to the apostles, but generally supposed to be spurious. They appeared in the 4th cen tury; are divided into eight books, and consist of rules and precepts relating to the duty of Christians, and particularly to the ceremonies and discipline of the Church.
Apostolic Delegate.—A permanent rep resentative of the Pope in a foreign country. It is sometimes confounded with the word ablegate, the latter mean ing a temporary representative of the Pope for some special function.
Apostolic Fathers.—The Christian writers who, during any part of their lives, were contemporary with the apostles. There are five—Clement, Bar nabas. Hermas, Ignatius, Polycarp.
Apostolic King.—A title granted by the Pope to the Kings of Hungary, first conferred on St. Stephen, the founder of the royal line of Hungary, on account of what he accomplished in the spread of Christianity.
Apostolic See.—The see of the Popes or Bishops of Rome; so called because the Popes profess themselves the succes sors of St. Peter, its founder.
Apostolic Succession.—The uninter rupted succession of bishops, and, through them, of priests and deacons (these three orders of ministers being called the apostolical orders), in the Church by regular ordination from the first apostles down to the present day. All Episcopal churches hold theoretically, and the Roman Catholic Church and many members of the English Church strictly, that such succession is essential to the officiating priest, in order that grace may be communicated through his administrations.