Acts 6 and the Myth of Apostolic Succession - September 2022 Davenant Hall Fellows Lecture

A lecture with Q&A entitled "Acts 6 and the Myth of Apostolic Succession" by Rev. Dr. Matt Colvin. Acts 6 depicts the ordination of the seven to minister to the Greek-speaking widows of the Jerusalem church. It has often been thought to depict the first instance of apostolic succession and the first deacons. As such, it has become a key text over the centuries in heated discussions over church government. In this lecture, Matthew Colvin argues that it does not; that the apostles did not ordain anyone, and nor do they ever do so in the New Testament. The argument will be made on four fronts from Rabbinic Jewish sources: halakhah, typology, grammar, and textual criticism. Attendees will learn what the laying on of hands really does, who exactly laid hands on Timothy, and what polity and officers the New Testament actually depicts. Rev. Dr. Matthew Colvin is a presbyter in the Reformed Episcopal Church. From 2012-2017, he served as a missionary teaching ministerial students in the Philippines and Indonesia. He holds a PhD in ancient Greek literature from Cornell University (2004). His published works include articles on Heraclitus (Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy 2005 and The Classical Quarterly 2006), a translation from Latin of the 1550 Magdeburg Confession (2011), and The Lost Supper: A Study of the Passover and Eucharistic origins (Fortress Academic, 2019). He is currently working on a book on women’s ordination and the origins of ordained office in the early church. He lives on Vancouver Island.