A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

128 A Source Book for Ancient Church Historyv. supra, § 14, b, c), and to take an increasingly important placein the church (v. infra, § 31).[112]Additional source material: For Gnostic references to successionsof teachers, see Tertullian, De Præscr., 25; Clement ofAlexandria, Strom., VII, 17; Hippolytus, Refut., VII, 20. (=VII, 8. ANF.)(a) Irenæus, Adv. Hær., III, 3: 1-4. (MSG, 7:848.) Cf. Mirbt, n.30.The first appearance of the appeal to apostolic tradition aspreserved in apostolic sees is the following passage fromIrenæus, written about 175. The reference to the churchof Rome, beginning, “For with this Church, on account ofits more powerful leadership,” has been a famous point ofdiscussion. While it is obscure in detail, the application ofits general purport to the argument of Irenæus is clear. Sincefor this passage we have not the original Greek of Irenæus,but only the Latin translation, there seems to be no wayof clearing up the obscurities and apparently contradictorystatements. The text may be found in Gwatkin, op. cit., andin part in Kirch, op. cit., §§ 110-113.Ch. 1. The tradition, therefore, of the Apostles, manifestedthroughout the world, is a thing which all who wish to see thefacts can clearly perceive in every church; and we are able tocount up those who were appointed bishops by the Apostles, andto show their successors to our own time, who neither taughtnor knew anything resembling these men's ravings. For if theApostles had known hidden mysteries which they used to teachthe perfect, apart from and without the knowledge of the rest,they would have delivered them especially to those to whom theywere also committing the churches themselves. For they desired