Apostolic Succession
Community of Friends of God
APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION:
ANCIENT LINEAGE OF MELCHIZEDEK FROM THE MASTER JESUS
Bishop-Elect Luis Londono’s charts of Apostolic Succession to Bishop Keizer and the Home Temple to Bishop Vernon to Bishop Akanmu Rufus Ogundijo and the Community of Friends of God.
The Apostolic Succession is the most ancient spiritual lineage that can be traced through history. It is more ancient than any historically extant Tibetan, Hindu, Buddhist, Chinese or other lineage of priesthood or discipleship. It is nearly 2000 years old. Embedded in the lineages are not only the divine Apostolic powers and energies transmitted directly from the Master Jesus by the laying-on of hands, but also the centuries of dedicated work of heart, soul, and spirit that all those who labored in the lineages transmitted through their striving and service. It links members of the Home Temple with their spiritual ancestors.
Below are charts of the twenty-two extant historic lines of Apostolic Succession from the Master Jesus, through his Apostles, and through each of the successors of the Apostles (now called “Bishops”), through the twentieth century and the Home Temple. These are lists of Bishops who consecrated other Bishops. Peter, for example, laid hands on both Evodius in Antioch and Linus in Rome, and these Bishops consecrated their successors Ignatius Martyr and Anecletus, who later laid hands on their successor bishops.
The Western churches follow the conventions described by Augustine of Hippo in the Fourth Century for valid Apostolic Succession: 1. Consecration of a Bishop must be done in the context of the Eucharist or Holy Communion Liturgy; 2. There must be an actual laying-on of hands by the Consecrating Bishop; 3. The Consecrator must be a validly Consecrated Bishop; and, 4. The Consecrator’s intention must be to Consecrate a Bishop (i.e., not coerced).
The same conventions apply to Ordination as Deacon or Priest in the Apostolic Succession, although each of these offices may exercise Apostolic authority only under the oversight of a Bishop and as an extension of his/her authority as a Successor of the Apostles. The Bishop may chose to revoke the license of a Deacon or Priest to operate, in which case the Ordination is still valid, but the Deacon or Priest no longer has Apostolic Authority for sacramental or other work. All Deacons and Priests must operate under the authority of one Bishop, but may transfer to another Bishop’s jurisdiction with Letters Dimissory from the Ordaining Bishop. Deacons and Priests do not have the authority to Ordain others, but they may teach, heal, offer the Sacraments, and operate other ministries. In the Home Temple, Priests and Priestesses are allowed to operate their ministries with total independence under the Home Temple Code of Ethics. Those who distinguish themselves in service and spiritual leadership are invited to become Independent Bishops of the Home Temple Synod. Bishop Keizer’s The Wandering Bishops: Apostles of a New Spirituality describes the history of the contemporary Episcopi Vagantes or Independent Bishops. Link to Publications of the Home Temple Press.
The following lists were edited or compiled by Bishop Bertil Persson, former head of the American branch of the world-wide Apostolic Episcopal Church and Director of St. Ephraim Institute in Sweden. Bishop Persson kept the world’s largest and most accurate record of independent bishops.
There are today eighteen to twenty-two valid extant or surviving Lines of Apostolic Succession (depending upon how they are reckoned), all of which Dr. Lewis and Willa Keizer, Presiding Bishops of the Home Temple, have synthesized through mutual subconditional consecrations with other Bishops for Ordination of Home Temple Subdeacons, Deacons, Priests, and Consecration of Home Temple Bishops. This is the fully reconstituted Priesthood of Melchizedek as it was transmitted through our Master and High Priest, Mar Yeshua.
After the unfolding of the Antiochene (Eastern Orthodox) and Roman (Western Catholic) lineages, we include brief outlines of the other twenty extant Apostolic lineages that have been restored for the Home Temple Priesthood.
In addition to clandestine consecration by Bishop Herman A. Spruit in Pacific Grove, California, on April 14, 1975, Bishop Keizer mutually shared Apostolic lineages with Bishop George Boyer in a public Eucharist with witnesses in Boulder Creek, California, on July 12, 1993, and mutually shared Apostolic lineages with Bishop Ronald Shelton of the Apostolic Celtic Church in a public Eucharist on June 17, 2012, in Asheville, North Carolina with Bishop John Plummer participating. Signed documents for all three events are provided on this web page at the end. The purpose of the shared or subconditional consecrations was to enrich both participants with the full repertoire of Apostolic sub-lineages that had been consolidated in Europe and on the East and West Coasts of the United States within the major twenty-two listed below through activities of other Bishops downline from them.
For a detailed account of Apostolic lineages and sub-lineages, read Bishop Robert Angus Jones’ online .pdf file here: http://pelagios.net/succession.pdf. It is a well-research summary, but I recommend his full published book which can be bought as a paperback or Kindle edition here: http://www.amazon.com/Independent-Sacramental-Bishops-Angus-Jones/dp/1933993839 He explains why he and I do not list questionable sub-lineages like the Order of Corporate Reunion among our lines of succession. These are probably valid, but undocumented. There are also lines claimed by some Bishops that simply are not valid, as well as legitimate sub-lineages that are wrongly represented as major lineages, such as the Jewish-Celtic (and possibly Coptic-Celtic). [Others he lists under the category of Inner Priesthood Lineages are, in my view, not true Apostolic Succession, but in some cases represent truly “contacted” orders like T:.H:.G:.]
THE ORIGINAL JEWISH BISHOPS OF THE CHURCH AT JERUSALEM AS LISTED BY EUSEBIUS:
James, ‘the Lord’s brother,’ First Bishop of Jerusalem
Symeon, Second Bishop of Jerusalem
Justus, Third Bishop of Jerusalem
Zacchaeus, Fourth Bishop of Jerusalem
Tobias, Fifth Bishop of Jerusalem
Benjamin, Sixth Bishop of Jerusalem
John, Seventh Bishop of Jerusalem
Matthias, Eighth Bishop of Jerusalem
Philip, Ninth Bishop of Jerusalem
Seneca, Tenth Bishop of Jerusalem
Justus II, Eleventh Bishop of Jerusalem
Levi, Twelfth Bishop of Jerusalem
Ephres, Thirteenth Bishop of Jerusalem
Joseph, Fourteenth Bishop of Jerusalem
and Judas, Fifteenth Bishop of Jerusalem, and the last Jewish sage to hold that office before the expulsion of all Jews from Jerusalem as a result of the Bar-Kochba revolt in A.D. 135
In 135 C.E., the Emperor Hadrian banished all Jews from Jerusalem and its surrounding area, and he put an end to the Jewish name of the country/province of Judaea, by renaming it Syria Palaestina, known today as Palestine. After that Eusebius lists a gentile (non-Jewish) Episcopal Succession at Jerusalem, which was then subsumed into various other major lines of succession, thus continuing as a sub-lineage of Eastern and Western Apostolic Succession.
As you examine the following traditional lines of succession from Peter transmitted in the Home Temple, please remember that the first Bishop and thus Pope was not Peter, but James the brother of Jesus–later marginalized as “James the Lesser” by the virgin birth to avoid any suggestion that Jesus had brothers and sisters! The primacy of the Jewish Apostles and their successors at Jerusalem was co-opted by gentile Pauline Christianity, which claimed Peter as its founder.
In the Home Temple, we use scholarship to recover the authentic Jewish teachings of Yeshua and his true successors, and we recognize James the Just (Iakob Ha-Tzadik) brother of Yeshua as our first Bishop from whom all Apostolic lineage flows
1. Peter, 38
2. Evodus, 40
3. Ignatius I, 43
4. Aaron, 123
5. Cornelius, 123
6. Eodus, 142
7. Theophulus, 157
8. Maximinus, 171
9. Seraphim, 179
10. Astlediaes, 189
11. Philip, 201
12. Sebinus (Zebinus), 219
13. Babylos, 237
14. Fabius, 250
15. Demetrius, 251
16. Paul I, 259
17. Domnus I, 270
18. Timotheus, 281
19. Cyrilus, 281
20. Tyrantus, 296
21. Vitalius, 301
22. Philognius, 318
23. Eustachius, 323
24. Paulinius, 338
25. Philabianus, 383
26. Evagrius, 386
27. Phosohorius, 416
28. Alexander, 418
29. John I, 428
30. Theodotus, 431
31. Domnus II, 442
32. Maximus, 450
33. Accacius, 454
34. Martyrius, 457
35. Peter II, 464
36. Philadius, 500
37. Serverius, 509
38. Segius, 544
39. Domnus III, 547
40. Anadtasius, 560
41. Gregory I, 564
42. Paul II, 567
43. Patra, 571
44. Domnus IV, 586
45. Julianus, 591
46. Athanasius I, 595
47. John II, 636
48. Theodorus I, 649
49. Severus, 668
50. Athanasius II, 684
51. Julianus II, 687
52. Elias I, 709
53. Athanasius III, 724
54. Evanius I, 740
55. Gervasius I, 759
56. Joseph, 790
57. Cyriacus, 793
58. Dionysius I, 818
59. John III, 847
60. Ignatius II, 877
61. Theodosius, 887
62. Dionysius II, 897
63. John IV, 910
64. Basilus I, 922
65. John V, 936
66. Evanius II, 954
67. Dionysius III, 958
68. Abraham I, 962
69. John VI, 965
70. Athanasius IV, 987
71. John VI, 1004
72. Dionysius IV, 1032
73. Theodorus II, 1042
74. Athanasius V, 1058
75. John VIII, 1064
76. Basilius II, 1074
77. Abdoone, 1076
78. Dionysius V, 1077
79. Evanius III, 1080
80. Dionysius VI, 1088
81. Athanius VI, 1091
82. John IX, 1131
83. Athanasius VII, 1139
84. Michael I, 1167
85. Athanasius VIII, 1200
86. Michael II, 1207
87. John X, 1253
88. Ignatius III, 1223
89. Dionysius VII, 1253
90. John XI, 1253
91. Ignatius IV, 1264
92. Philanus, 1283
93. Ignatius Baruhid, 1293
94. Ignatius Ismael, 1333
95. Ignatius Basilius III, 1366
96. Ignatius Abraham II, 1382
97. Ignatius Bacalius IV, 1412
98. Ignatius Behanam I, 1415
99. Ignatius Kalejih, 1455
100. Ignatius John XII, 1483Ignatius Noah, 1492
101. Ignatius Jesus I, 1509
102. Ignatius Jacob I, 1510
103. Ignatius David I, 1519
104. Ignatius Abdullah I, 1520
105. Ignatius Naamathalak, 1557
106. Ignatius David II, 1577
107. Ignatius Philanthus, 1591
108. Ignatius Abdullah II, 1597
109. Ignatius Cadhai, 1598
110. Ignatius Simeon, 1640
111. Ignatius Jesus II, 1661
112. Ignatius Messiah, 1661
113. Ignatius Cabeeb, 1686
114. Ignatius Gervasius II, 1687
115. Ignatius Isaac, 1708
116. Ignatius Siccarablak, 1722
117. Ignatius Gervasius III, 1746
118. Ignatius Gervasius IV, 1768
119. Ignatius Mathias, 1781
120. Ignatius Behanam, 1810
121. Ignatius Jonas, 1817
122. Ignatius Gervasius V, 1818
123. Ignatius Elias II, 1839
124. Ignatius Jacob II, 1847
125. Mar Ignatius Peter III, 1872
126. Paulose Mar Athanasius (Kadavil Kooran) was consecrated on 4th December 1907 by Mar Ignatius Peter III as Syrian Antioch Bishop of Kottayam and Metropolitan of Malabar (India).
127. Mar Julius I (Antonio Francis Xavier Alvares) was consecrated on 28th July 1889 by Paulose Mar Athanasius, under authority of the Latin Rite Independent Catholic Church of Ceylon, Goa and India.
128. Joseph Rene Vilatte was consecrated on 29th may 1892 in Columba, Ceylon at Our Lady of Good Death Cathedral by Mar Julius I, under authority of a Bull of Mar Ignatius Peter III, to serve as Archbishop of North America.
129. Frederick E. Lloyd, 1915
130. Samuel Gregory Lines, 1923
131. Justin Boyle, 1927
132. Lowell Paul waddle, 1940
133. Herman Adrian Spruit, 1957
134. Lewis S. Keizer, 1975
135. Vernon Marshall, 2017
136. Akanmu Rufus Ogundijo, 2021
1 Peter, 38
2. Linus, 67
3. Amcletus (Cletus), 76
4. Clement, 88
5. Evaristus, 97
6. Alexander I, 105
7. Sixtus I, 115
8. Telesphorus, 125
9. Hygimus, 136
10. Pius I, 140
11. Anicetus, 155
12. Soter, 166
13. Eleutherius, 175
14. Victor I, 189
15. Zephyrinus, 199
16. Callistus I, 217
17. Urban I, 222
18. Pontian, 230
19. Anterus, 235
20. Fabian, 236
21. Cornelius, 251
22. Lusius I, 253
23. Stephen I, 254
24. Sixtus II, 257
25. Dionysius, 259
26. Felix I, 269
27. Euthychian, 275
28. Caius, 283
29. Marcellinus, 296
30. Marcellus I, 308
31. Eucebius, 309
32. Melchiades (Miltiades), 311
33. Sylvester I, 314
34. Marcus, 336
35. Julius I, 337
36. Liberius, 352. Liberius was expelled from Rome by the Arian Emperor Constantius. During his absence, the See of Rome was held by Felix II, who resigned upon the return of Liberius from his two year exile.
37. Damasus I, 366
38. Siricius, 384
39. Anastasius I, 399
40. Innocent I, 401
41. Zosimus, 417
42. Boniface I, 418
43. Celestine I, 422
44. Sixtus III, 432
45. Leo I, 440
46. Hilary, 461
47. Simplicius. 468
48. Felix III, 483
49. Gelasius I, 492
50. Anastasius II, 496
51. Symmachus, 498
52. Hormisdus, 514
53. John I, 523
54. Felix IV, 526
55. Boniface II, 530
56. John II, 535
57. Agapitus, 535
58. Sylverius, 536
59. Vigilus, 537
60. Pelagius I, 556
61. John III, 561
62. Benedict I, 575
63. Pelagius II, 579
64. Gregory I, 590
65. Sabinianus, 604
66. Boniface III, 607
67. Boniface IV, 608
68. Deusdedit (Adeodatus), 615
69. Boniface V, 619
70. Honorius, 625
71. Severinus, 640
72. John IV, 640
73. Theodore I, 642
74. Martin I, 649
75. Eugene I, 654
76. Vitalian, 657
77. Adeodatus II, 672
78. Donus, 676
79. Agatho, 678
80. Leo II, 682
81. Benedict II, 684
82. John V, 685
83. Conon, 686
84. Sergius I, 687
85. John VI, 701
86. John VII, 705
87. Sisinnius, 708
88. Constantine, 708
89. Gregory II, 715
90. Gregory III, 731
91. Zachary, 741
92. Stephen II, 752
93. Paul I, 757
94. Stephen III, 768
95. Adrian I, 772
96. Leo III, 795
97. Stephan IV, 816
98. Paschal I, 817
99. Eugene II, 824
100. Valentine, 827
101. Gregory IV, 827
102. Sergius II, 844
103. Leo IV, 847
104. Benedict III, 855
105. Nicholas I The Great
106. Adrian II, 867
107. John VIII, 872
108. Marinus I, 882
109. Adrian III, 884
110. Stephan V, 885
111. Formosus, 891
112. Boniface VI
113. Steven VI, 897
114. Romanus, 897
115. Theodore II, 897
116. John IX, 898
117. Benedict IV, 900
118. Leo V, 903
119. Sergius III, 904
120. Anastasius III, 911
121. Landus, 913
122. John X, 914
123. Leo VI, 938
124. Stephan VII, 928
125. John XI, 931
126. Leo VII, 936
127. Stephen VIII, 939
128. Maginus II, 942
129. Agapitus II, 946
130. John XIII, 955
131. Leo VII, 963
132. Benedict V, 964
133. John XIV, 965
134. Benedict VI, 973
135. Benedict VII, 974
136. John XV, 983
137. John XVI, 985
138. Gregory V, 996
139. Sylvester II, 999
140. John XVII, 1003
141. John XVIII, 1004
142. Sergius IV, 1009
143. Benedict VIII, 1012
144. John XIX, 1024
145. Benedict IX, 1032
146. Sylvester III, 1045
147. Benedict IX (Second time), 1045
148. Gregory VI, 1045
149. Clement II, 1046
150. Benedict IX (Third time), 1047
151. Damasus II, 1048
152. Leo IX, 1049
153. Victor II, 1055
154. Stephan IX, 1057
155. Nicholas II, 1059
156. Alexander II, 1061
157. Gregory VII, 1073
158. Victor III< 1087
159. Urban II, 1088
160. Paschal II, 1099
161. Gelasius II, 1118
162. Callistus II, 1119
163. Homorius II, 1124
164. Innocent II, 1130
165. Celestine II, 1143
166. Lucius II, 1144
167. Eugene III, 1145
168. Anastasius IV, 1153
169. Adrian IV, 1154
170. Alexander III, 1159
171. Lucius III, 1181
172. Urban III, 1185
173. Gregory VIII, 1187
174. Clement III, 1187
175. Celestine III, 1191
176. Innocent III, 1198
177. Honorius III, 1216
178. Gregory IX, 1227
179. Celestine IV, 1241
180. Innocent IV, 1243
181. Alexander IV, 1254
182. Urban IV, 1261
183. Clement IV, 1265
184. Gregory X, 1271
185. Innocent V, 1276
186. Adrian V, 1276
187. John XXI, 1276
188. Nicholas III, 1277
189. Martin IV, 1281
190. Honorius IV, 1285
191. Nicholas IV, 1288
192. Celestine V, 1294
193. Boniface VIII, 1294
194. Benedict XI, 1303
195. Clement V, 1305
196. John XXII, 1316
197. Benedict XII, 1334
198. Clement VI, 1342
199. Innocent VI, 1352
200. Urban V, 1362
201. Gregory XI, 1370
202. Urban VI, 1378
203. Boniface IX, 1389
204. Innocent VII, 1389
205. Gregory XII, 1406
206. Martin V, 1417
207. Eugene IV, 1431
208. Nicholas V, 1447
209. Callistus III, 1455
210. Pius II, 1458
211. Paul II, 1464
212. Sixtus IV, 1471
213. Innocent VIII, 1484
214. Alexander VI, 1492
215. Pius III, 1503
216. Julius II, 1503
217. Leo X, 1513
218. Adrian VI, 1522
219. Clement VII, 1523
220. Paul III, 1534
221. Julius III, 1550
222. Marcellus II, 1555
223. Paul IV, 1555
224. Pius IV, 1559
225. Pius V, 1566
226. Gregory XIII, 1572
227. Sixtus V, 1585
228. Urban VII, 1590
229. Gregory XIV, 1590
230. Innocent IX, 1591
231. Clement VIII, 1592
232. Leo XI, 1605
233. Paul V, 1605
234. Gregory XV, 1621
235. Urban VIII, 1623
236. Innocent X, 1644
237. Alexander VII, 1655
238. In 1655, Antonio Barberini, nephew of Urban VIII, was consecrated to the Episcopate under authority of the Bishop of Rome, by Bishops Scanarello, Bottini and Govotti. He was Archbishop of Remes 1657 until his death in 1671, and was made a cardinal. It is from Bishop Barberini that the Roman Succession from Peter branches off from the Bishops of Rome.
239. Michael le Tellier was consecrated by Barberini in 1668. He was confessor to King Louis XIV of France, and a Jesuit Provincial.
240. Jacques Benigne de Bousseut, was consecrated by le Tellier in 1670 as Bishop of Mieux, France.
241. James Coyon de Matignon, was consecrated by de Bousseut in 1693.
242. Dominicus Marie Varlet, consecrated in 1719 by Bishop de Matignon, assisted by the Bishop of Quebec and the Bishop of Claremont. He was named Coadjutor to the Roman Catholic Bishop of Babylon who died on 20th November 1717 and Bishop Varlet succeeded to the title. After a period in Persia at Schamake he was suspended from office for alleged technical irregularities, including the confirmation of 604 candidates in Holland, whom he had confirmed at the request of the Church in Amsterdam. The Dutch Church had been without a bishop for 18 years as a punishment from Rome because the Dutch Church refused to cooperate in the persecution of the Jansenists in Holland.
243. Cornelius van Steenhoven was elected Archbishop of Utrecht, the Primatial See of Holland, and Varlet agreed to perform the Consecration, which he did on 15th October 1724. Van Steenhoven thus became the seventh Archbishop of Utrecht and canonical successor to St. Willibrod the British missionary who had brought the faith to Holland. In this consecration was born the Old Catholic Church.
244. Johannes van Stiphout, 1745
245. Gaultherius Michael van Niewenhuizen, 1786
246. Adrian Brockman, 1778
247. Johannes Jacobus van Rhijin, 1797
248. Gilbertus de Jong, 1805
249. Willibrordus van Os, 1814
250. Johannes Bon, 1819
251. Johannes van Santen, 1825
252. Hermanus Heijkamp, 1854
253. Casparus Johannes Rinkel, 1873
254. Gerardus Gul, 1892
255. Arnold Harris Matthew was consecrated on 28th April 1908 by Archbishop Gul of Utrecht, assisted by Bishop JJ. J. van Thiel of Haarlem, Bishop N. B. P. Spit of Deventer and Bishop J. Demmel of Bonn, Germany, to serve as the first Old Catholic Bishop of Britain.
256. Frederick Willoughby, 1914
257. James I. Wedgwood, 1916
258. Irving S. Cooper, 1919
259. Charles Hampton, 1931
260. Herman A. Spruit, 1957
261. Lewis S. Keizer, 1975
262. Vernon Marshall, 2017
263. Akanmu Rufus Ogundijo, 2021
OTHER APOSTOLIC LINEAGES THROUGH SPRUIT, BOYER, KEIZER TO MARSHALL AND THE ECCLESIA SOPHIANA TO AKANMU RUFUS OGUNDIJO AND THE COMMUNITY OF FRIENDS OF GOD
Chorchurian – Chechamian – Crow – Newman – Maxey – Wadle – Spruit – Keizer – Marshall – Ogundijo
St. Thomas – Shimun XVIII – Antony – Bartlett – Newman – Maxey – Wadle – Spruit – Keizer – Marshall – Ogundijo
Moore – White – Hopkins – Chechemian – Crow – Newman – Maxey – Wadle – Spruit – Keizer – Marshall – Akanmu R.Ogundijo – The Community of Friends of God
Cyril VI – Savoya – Aneed – Spruit – Keizer – Marshall –Akanmu R. Ogundijo –The Community of Friends of God
(Spruit was appointed Patriarch of the Byzantine Orthodox Church by Bishop Aneed, whom he succeeded in that position).
Sergius – Kleefish – Aneed – Wadle – Spruit – Keizer – Marshall –Akanmu R Ogundijo –The Community of Friends of God
Nikon – Makarius – Ortinsky – Kleefish – Aneed – Wadle – Spruit – Keizer – Marshall – Ogundijo
Montaigne – Seabury – Richardson – Newman – Maxey – Wadle – Spruit – Keizer – Marshall – Ogundijo
Alvares – Vilatte – Miraglia – Lloyd – Lines – Raleigh – Wadle – Spruit – Keizer – Marshall – Akanm R. Ogundijo-The Community of Friends of God
Miraglia – Lloyd – Lines – Raleigh – Wadle – Spruit – Keizer – Marshall – Ogundijo
COPTIC; COPTIC UNIATE; ANGLICAN, NON-CELTIC; IRISH; WELSH; MARIAVITE; OLD GREEK MELCHITE (BYZANTINE); OLD ARMENIAN; CORPORATE REUNION:
Mar Georgius (Corporate Reunion) – Maxey – Spruit – Keizer – Marshall – Ogundijo
Wedgwood – Cooper – Hampton – Sheehan – Hadaway – Soruit – Keizer – Marshall – Ogundijo
(This is the clandestine Gnostic, Templar, and Rosicrucian line of Europe that kept no written records for fear of the Inquisition, but whose lineage Bertil Persson of St, Ephraim’s Institute has been able to verify back to 1726)
Benedictus PP XIII (1726) – De Polignac (1735) – De Grammont II (1744) – Von Baldenstein (1759) – De Montenach (1772) – Gobel (1791) – Lamourette (1791) – Royer (1800) – Fabre-Palaprat (1810) – Mauviel (1810) – Machault (1831) – Chatel (1836) – D’Ademar (1857) – De Brion (1860) – De Marraga (1899) – L-F Jean-Maine (1953) – H-F Jean-Maine (1966) – Bertiaux (1979) – Barber (1987) – Persson (1989) – Boyer (1990) – Keizer (1993) – Marshall (2017) – Ogundijo (2021)