The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1913-04-26

own blood" It e. he who bids Titus
ordain priests in every city and who
shows how the priesthood was con.
ferred when he charges Timothy to
neglect not the grace that is in thee
that was given thee with prophecy
and the imposition of the hands Of
{ the priesthood"
His description Of the virtues Of
the episcopate is still the classical
portrait of the ideal bishop-the man
sss.:sblameless, sober, prudent, chaste
not given to wine, no striver, but
modest, not quarrelsome, not covet-
GUS, but ruler who can take of the
church of God"
Temporary Needs.
The days that Immediately follow
ST. Paul show US that many OF the
officers of the church in apostolic
times received their classification
from the temporary needs of the
church. After time the apostles
fell asleep in Jesus, having fought
the good fight. The prophets and
interpreters of words became silent
in the presence of the word that is
on every tongue. The workers of
miracles have no longer recognized
place, while all the world looks on
in amazement at "the work of God
that cannot be overcome" But the
sub,apostolic period shows us that
the nucleus of every multiplying
Christian community is the one whom
st. Paul has taught US to call a
bishop. For the writer Of the apoc-
alypse he .is the angel of the various
churches Of Grecian, Asia Minor. For
st. 1gnatius, martyr, he is simply the
bishop Of the cities whose Christian
communities he greets as he fares
on his way toward Rome, longing to
fight with wild beasts as his witness.
ing to the name Of Jesus. The dis
putatious Greeks-even though they
are Christians-may profitably bark
en- to the counsel OF one whose pas
sion is so near. So he makes bold to
bid, the Ephesians to be one with
their bishop. "For every one whom
the master of the household hath ap-
pointed to be steward over his own
house. we ought so to receive as him
Who sent him" Plainly therefore we
ought to regard the bishop as the
Lord himself. 1.-The bishop" he as
4sures the Magnesians. Stands for
Father of Jesus. the bishop of all"
TO the Philadelphians he writes:
CAS- many as are of God and Jesus
Christ, they are with the bishop"
There is one altar even as there is
one bishop with the presbytery and
deacons, my fellow servants" To
the Smyrnians who, like the other
Greek churches, were given to divi-
sions, even though their bishop was
the sanity martyr, Polycarp, he de-
livers the following charges, "shun
divisions as the beginning of all evils.
Do We all follow your bishop. as
Jesus followed the Father. Let no
man attempt to do aught lin the
church apart from the bishop. Let
that be held valid eucharist which
is under no bishop or one to whom
he. hath committed it. Wheresoever
the bishop shall appear, there let the
baptize or hold an agape."
there is the Catholic church. 1t is
not lawful apart from tho bishop to
haptize or hold an agape."
/, :. First-Hand Evidence.
/ quote the more willingly these
striking testimonies from these prec-
ious letters of one who. with St.
Clement Of Rome and st. Polycarp is
known as an apostolic father, who,
according to tradition, was a disciple
of st. John the Evangelist, and who
most certainly met his glorious death
In the early years of the second CEN
fury. His letters show that he is
not unacquainted with the temper f
the early Greek churches, which St.
Paul knew-such the Corinthians.
such the Galateans-with whom even
an apostle strove to establish a dis
cipIine that was unwelcome to them,
which doubtless furnished the reason
for giving that singular counsel to
both Titus and Timothy that they
should not suffer any man to despise
: them and which probably led st. Paul
80 encourage a man to seek bish-
ops ONCE as a good thing, as If
without an apostles words those nat
urally qualified would have been in
Inundated by the difficulties Of the
ONCE.
After the second century We meet
with bishops wherever we come upon
a Christian communicative rulers OF