A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

§ 31. The Results of the Crisis 145of Eunomians and another of Arians I brought to the light ofdivine knowledge, and, by God's grace, not a tare of heresy wasleft among us.Ep. 145. I do indeed sorrow and lament that I am compelledby the attacks of fever to adduce against men, supposed to be ofone and the same faith with myself, the arguments which I havealready urged against the victims of the plague of Marcion, ofwhom, by God's grace, I have converted more than ten thousandand brought them to holy baptism.[128]§ 31. The Results of the CrisisThe internal crisis, or the conflict with heresy, led the Churchto perfect its organization, and, as a result, the foundation waslaid for such a development of the episcopate that the Churchwas recognized as based upon an order of bishops receiving theirpowers in succession from the Apostles. Just what those powerswere and how they were transmitted were matters left to a laterage to determine. (V. infra, §§ 50, 51.)(a) Irenæus, Adv. Hær., IV, 26:2, 5. (MSG, 7:1053.)That Irenæus, writing about 175, could appeal to the episcopalsuccession as commonly recognized and admitted, and use itas a basis of unity for the Church, is generally regarded as evidenceof the existence of a wide-spread episcopal organizationat an early date in the second century. Possibly the connectionof Irenæus with Asia Minor, where the episcopal organizationadmittedly was earliest, diminishes the force of the argument.The reference to the “charisma of truth,” which the bishopswere said to possess, was to furnish later a theoretical basisfor the authority of bishops assembled in council.