****I don’t follow your point - why does Apostolic Succession have to be limited to 12 men? ****
If Peter did the correct thing of choosing a successor for the one who was now departed, then 12 is the number and they have to alway have 12. When one goes you choose another to maintain the correct number. So... if Apostolic Succession was the way to go, we should have 12 today, not just the one (Pope).
But they chose a new Apostle in the time before Pentecost. It seems that the 12, clearly symbolic of the 12 tribes, were necessary as a representation that all Israel provided the foundation for the Church, while at Pentecost the Church moved beyond the Jews into the whole World. Thus, the number 12 no longer held its special significance. Following this, it were 5 Sees of 5 Apostles (St. Peter founded 2) which became leadership positions. They were:
- See of Sts. Peter and Paul - Rome
- See of St. Andrew - Constantinople
- See of St. Mark - Alexandria
- See of St. Peter - Antioch
- See of St. James - Jerusalem
But all this is moot. Why is having 12 necessary?