It's clear that the hierarchal structure did not emerge until well into the second century and even then was not fully adopted for at least another 50-100 years after that. One example is St. Athansius using his position of authority, on his own, to instruct churches under him what the Canon was. He did this without first clearing it with Rome. Today that would not happen.
The point being that the authority structure emerged after the end of the Apostolic Era, it was not a product of it. Now if you were to argue that it was the result of divine intervention that would make for an interesting discussion.
BTW, I really enjoyed the posts on this topic. I think it's a very exciting area to study.
Yet, the epistles to the Corinthians was written by St. Paul, and so were the epistles to Timothy and Titus. All lay foundation for such hierarchy.
Generally, the Church responded to challenges as it faced them. Among 12 men there is little need for hierarchy. As the Chruch grew, naturally it developed structures appropriate for its size.