Interesting you should mention Matthias. The Apostles picked him to replace Judas. After he was picked, he was never mentioned again. God picked Paul to replace Judas. There is no comparison between Matthias and Paul.
Only God picked apostles. Men do not pick Apostles.
So how does Matthias prove succession?
Pure speculation and opinion.
So how does Matthias prove succession?
I never said it did. I only said Matthias refutes the point about apostles not being selected through the instrumentality of others.
Its sort of sad, and very parochial, that you wouldn’t know that +Matthias went off to Ethiopia to preach the Gospel. He won a martyr’s crown there. He is greatly venerated down there to this very day. In other words, TY, one of the oldest Christian countries on earth know all about him and honor him every day. It is worth noting that the modern day devotees of a particular interpretation of +Paul’s writings worship in a manner so utterly different from that preserved by The Church since the first liturgies at Jerusalem, while those Ethiopians who are members of The Church as planted there by +Matthias are completely Orthodox in their praise of God.
Its sort of sad, and very parochial, that you wouldn’t know that +Matthias went off to Ethiopia to preach the Gospel. He won a martyr’s crown there. He is greatly venerated down there to this very day. In other words, TY, one of the oldest Christian countries on earth know all about him and honor him every day. It is worth noting that the modern day devotees of a particular interpretation of +Paul’s writings worship in a manner so utterly different from that preserved by The Church since the first liturgies at Jerusalem, while those Ethiopians who are members of The Church as planted there by +Matthias are completely Orthodox in their praise of God.
***God picked Paul to replace Judas. There is no comparison between Matthias and Paul. ***
Read Acts 1 again. The Apostles were in one accord in prayer, and cast lots for Judas’ seat. The requirement to be one of the 12 was the person chosen had to have been with the Apostles from the baptism by John to the ascention.
Paul did not meet these requirements. He was specificly chosen later to be a separate Apostle to the Gentiles.
The Acts does follow a little bit of what the Apostles did.
And there is some History.
But what you do not take into account is the various churches started the Apostles that have withstood the test of time.
For example -- the doubting one -- Thomas -- started 7 churches in India. They are basically intact today after 2000 years.
That means in a Hindu/Moslem country, they have withstood some pretty severe hardships.
And did Thomas get on board a 747 and fly to India to get this started? He did a lot of walking. He traveled by Caravan, and he had to travel (perhaps) by sea.
Paul, on the other hand, used his Roman citizenship to be tried in Rome. So he got locked up in prison.
The only thing you can do in prison is write. And that is what Paul did. And that does survive to this day.
But the other apostles went about establishing churches everywhere that they could travel to...
Paul was restricted on his traveling...