Ordination by three bishops is not simply and absolutely necessary, because it is not an apostolic sanction, but an ecclesiastical constitution. It is enough that the presbytery lay their their hands upon the ordinand who has been legitimately called to the ecclesiastical ministry, for in this way presbyters were ordained in the apostolic church (Acts 14:23; 1 Timothy 4:14). -- Blessed Johann Gerhard, On the Church, p. 407
Gerhard and, by extension, you and the Lutheran Church really miss the point about episcopal consecration.
ReplyDeleteWell, of course, you need to read the whole section to understand exactly what he was arguing against from the Romanist side. He did not at all miss the point that his Jesuit opponent was making. That's always the problems with these quotes - they live in a larger context. I select them because I think they do a good job of expressing a particular point, but to really argue AGAINST the quote, you need to be familiar with the work itself.
ReplyDeleteBut in saying, "to really argue AGAINST the quote, you need to be familiar with the work itself," seems to argue against posting such quotes without context.
ReplyDeletePerhaps. I like to hope it will provoke others to read the works cited!
ReplyDelete