Apostolic age
the earliest period of Christianity, lasting through the death of the last apostle.
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- Apostolic church
the Christian church as founded by the apostles. (def 2).
- Apostolic delegate
a representative of the pope in a country that has no regular diplomatic relations with the Vatican. noun (RC Church) a representative of the pope sent to countries that do not have full or regular diplomatic relations with the Holy See
- Apostolic fathers
the fathers of the early Christian church whose lives overlapped those of any of the apostles. the collection of works attributed to them. plural noun the Fathers of the early Church who immediately followed the Apostles
- Apostolic see
the Church of Rome, traditionally founded by St. Peter. Also called Apostolic Church. a church founded by an apostle. noun (RC Church) the see of the pope regarded as the successor to Saint Peter (often not capitals) a see established by one of the Apostles
- Apostolic succession
the unbroken line of succession beginning with the apostles and perpetuated through bishops, considered essential for orders and sacraments to be valid. noun the doctrine that the authority of Christian bishops derives from the Apostles through an unbroken line of consecration noun in Roman Catholicism, the doctrine maintaining that present-day successors to Jesus’s apostles, i.e. […]