Paleo-Orthodoxy & Succession
- James Collazo
- Sep 11, 2020
- 8 min read
Updated: Nov 18
Introduction
This article explains how the genuine "first-century faith" has moved through church history and reached us today. To understand this journey, we examine what it means to be paleo-orthodox and how believers continue the mission Jesus' apostles began. Many Christians believe in progressive revelation—the idea that God reveals new or deeper truths as the church grows in size and influence. Today, people often describe this as spiritual "progress." Supporters of this viewpoint cite Jesus' words, "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear" (John 16:12). However, Jesus did not intend to introduce future doctrines that would contradict the Old Testament or his earlier teachings. The apostle Paul warns us to "learn from us the meaning of the saying, 'Do not go beyond what is written'" (1 Cor. 4:6). We must not change or go beyond the gospel the apostles initially delivered.
As the gospel enters new cultures, it begins to shape art, literature, politics, and everyday life. These changes can protect the church from persecution and expand its influence, but they often weaken the message. Over time, fewer people recognize the authentic Jesus. Paleo-orthodoxy and apostolic succession help protect the original Christian faith as it spreads from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. The story of Scripture and the church starts with Jesus' twelve apostles, and we must begin there as well.
Apostolic Succession
Apostolic succession means "to succeed the apostles." Throughout church history, many theologians have debated whether this doctrine applies to those who appointed the apostles, to the teaching of justification by faith, or to the continuation of spiritual gifts—in its original sense, first defined by Irenaeus of Lyon (c. AD 130–202) in Against Heresies (ch. 3), apostolic succession referred to the apostles choosing leaders to continue their public ministry (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5).
Irenaeus emphasized this doctrine because the Gnostics, a dissident group of traveling teachers, claimed to possess secret knowledge of Jesus passed down outside the apostolic circle (see "Narcissism & False Teachers"). Writing in the mid-second century, when the church had existed for more than a century, Irenaeus rightly challenged the Gnostics for spreading falsehoods. Until that time, Christians had assumed and trusted the faithful transmission of the gospel. Before the rise of textual criticism, Irenaeus recognized the importance of defending the legitimacy of church leaders who helped compile the New Testament after the apostles. In short, we must have confidence that Scripture comes from trustworthy men who either knew the apostles directly or received their teachings through credible eyewitnesses.
However, it is meaningless to trace a line of succession from the apostles if we fail to teach and proclaim the gospel faithfully ourselves in the present. We must understand the good news within its first-century context and recognize what makes it truly "good." The apostles preached the resurrection of Jesus—that he rose from the dead in his physical body, appeared to more than five hundred people, ascended into heaven, and will return for a general resurrection of all humankind (1 Cor. 15). This truth drove each apostle to face persecution and death willingly, for they saw the risen Jesus with their own eyes and the encounter transformed them forever.
Jesus came to launch a revolution, not to make us merely religious. To succeed the apostles, the church must be truly apostolic—driven by a clear mission to proclaim the gospel to our neighbors both at home and across the world, even when that mission leads to persecution or death. Faithfulness to the apostolic call requires action. We must live as doers of the good news, not merely hearers of it (Matt. 7:24; Rom. 2:13; James 1:22–25). The church does not exist to preserve comfort or maintain tradition alone, but to continue the movement Jesus began—a movement that transforms lives and advances the kingdom of God through bold witness and sacrificial love.
Paleo-Orthodoxy
Thomas C. Oden (1931–2016) first coined the term "paleo-orthodoxy." He formed it from three Greek words: palaio (G3820, "old" or "ancient"), orthos (G3717, "straight" or "correct"), and doxa (G1391, "valuable opinion"). Together, these terms describe "ancient correct teaching," or doctrine rooted in the earliest Christian faith.
This idea also includes the shared and faithful beliefs that Christians have held throughout church history, especially beginning with the Council of Nicaea in 325, the Council of Constantinople in 381, and the Council of Chalcedon in 451. The apostle Paul describes the church as "the pillar and foundation of the truth" (1 Tim. 3:15). The church is not a collection of various opinions but a unified body that worships the Lord "in the Spirit and in truth" (John 4:23). For this reason, the fifth-century theologian Vincent of Lérins (c. AD 385–445 AD) wrote:
Moreover, in the universal church, all possible care must be taken that we hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all. That is indeed and, in the strictest sense, "universal," which, as the name itself and the reason of the thing declare, comprehends all universally. We shall observe this rule if we follow universality, antiquity, and consent. We shall follow universality if we confess that one faith to be accurate, which the whole church throughout the world confesses; antiquity, if we in no wise depart from those interpretations which it is manifest were notoriously held by our holy ancestors and fathers; consent, in like manner, if in antiquity itself we adhere to the consentient definitions and determinations of all, or at the least of almost all pastors and theologians (adapt. Rea, p. 40).
Christians see this shared consensus most clearly in the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Chalcedonian Definition—historic statements of faith that shaped the church across the centuries (see "Confessions of Faith").
Paleo-Orthodox View of Succession
Paleo-orthodox churches and traditions may vary in their teachings or areas of emphasis. However, they generally share the following essential doctrines:
Scripture by the historical-grammatical method (John 20:31; 2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20).
The validity of miracles, signs, and the supernatural (John 10:38).
The virgin birth and incarnation of Christ (Matt. 1:18–25; Luke 1:26–37; John 1:1–14).
The bodily resurrection and the physical return of Jesus (1 Cor. 15).
The atonement of our sins on the cross (Matt. 26:39; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42).
Meeting for worship and one another's needs (Acts 2:43–47; Heb. 10:25).
Freedom of the church from politics (Matt. 5–7, 22:21; John 18:36; Rom. 13:1–7).
Emphasis on baptism and a personal confession of faith (Rom. 6:4, 10:9).
Reciprocity of justification and sanctification (Eph. 2:8–10; James 2:24).
Good relations with Jews without the error of Judaizing (Rom. 11:11–32; Gal. 2:15–21).
The Greek word translated as "church" is ekklēsia (G1577), which means "called out." God calls his church out of the world to be his chosen people and to advance his kingdom on earth until Jesus returns (see "Church: Called-Out by Christ" and "Kingdom of God & Heaven"). These shared beliefs show an unbroken line of faith that traces back to the apostles. By keeping these core doctrines, paleo-orthodox churches and traditions continue the apostles' mission and prove that their succession remains genuine and alive today.
Conclusion
The story of the church tells how faith moves from one generation to the next. From the apostles to today's believers, Christians carry the same mission: to proclaim the risen Christ and live out the gospel with integrity and courage. Across the centuries, the church has endured division, heresy, cultural change, and persecution, yet the truth of the apostolic message continues to stand firm. Paleo-orthodoxy calls believers to recover—not reinvent—the wisdom of those who first walked with Jesus and spread his message throughout the world. The unbroken thread of this "first-century faith" urges Christians to rebuild their lives on the same foundations that shaped the earliest communities of believers: truth, humility, generosity, and holiness.
In a time when modern Christianity often bends to cultural pressures or loses sight of its ancient roots, believers must seek renewal through the same Spirit who empowered the apostles. The church's future depends on rediscovering its past—not as nostalgia, but as a guide to authentic discipleship. When the church embraces the faith, courage, and simplicity of the first Christians, it becomes once again a living witness to God's kingdom on earth. By standing firm in truth, serving in love, and holding fast to the gospel handed down through the ages, the church can shine as the light of Christ to a world still longing for redemption.
Prayer
Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of heaven and earth. You call your church from every nation to live as one body in Christ. Renew her with first-century faith, fill her with truth and holiness, and unite her in steadfast love and fellowship. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Bibliography
González, Justo L. From the Beginnings to the Council of Chalcedon. Vol. 1 of A History of Christian Thought. Nashville: Abingdon, 1987.
⸻. Essential Theological Terms. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2005.
⸻. The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation. Vol. 1 of the Story of Christianity. Second ed. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2010.
Irenaeus. "Against Heresies." In Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1885.
Juster, Daniel C. That They May Be One: A Brief Review of Church Restoration Movements and Their Connection to the Jewish People. Clarksville, MD: Messianic Jewish Publications, 2009.
Koperski, Andrew. "Irenaeus and Apostolic Succession." Ad Fontes. November 3, 2022. [link].
MacCulloch, Diarmaid. Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years. New York: Penguin, 2011.
Oden, Thomas C. Classic Christianity: A Systematic Theology. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2009.
Rea, Robert F. Why Church History Matters: An Invitation to Love and Learn from Our Past. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2014.
Shelley, Bruce L. Church History in Plain Language. 5th ed. Edited by Marshall Shelley. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2020.
Tanner, Kenneth, and Christopher A. Hall, eds. Ancient & Postmodern Christianity: Paleo-Orthodoxy in the 21st Century—Essays In Honor of Thomas C. Oden. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2002.
Tate, Dan. "After Modernity . . . What?! The Paleo-Orthodox Agenda for Theology 40 Years Later." Christ & Cosmos (blog). May 17, 2019. [link].
⸻. "After Modernity . . . What?! Part 2: Are We Really Postmodern—or Are We Ultramodern?" May 26, 2019. [link].
⸻. "After Modernity . . . What?! Part 3: What Does Thomas C. Oden Miss in His Book? On the Spirit of the Fathers and the Importance of Philosophy." June 3, 2019. [link].
Thompson, Andrew C. "The Wesleyan Doctrine of Apostolic Succession." Firebrand. September 3, 2024. [link].
Trueman, Carl R. "Paleo-Orthodoxy." First Things. February 1, 2015. [link].
Wright, N. T. How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2016.
⸻. Simply Good News: Why the Gospel Is News and What Makes It Good. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2017.
Wright, N. T., and Michael F. Bird. The New Testament in Its World: An Introduction to the History, Literature, and Theology of the First Christians. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2019.
