murdering the leaders of Christ’s Church, Saul was rejecting not only them but Christ himself. From history, we see the apostles and then their successors, the bishops, exercising this authority in the Church, and the Church thriving under their divinely authorized leadership—even in the midst of horrific persecutions. From the Bible and early Christian writings, we understand that the authority Christ gave to the apostles as the leaders of his Church was transmitted to their successors. Paul speaks
Page 30