apostolic succession
noun
- (in Christian thought) the uninterrupted transmission of spiritual authority from the Apostles through successive popes and bishops, taught by the Roman Catholic Church but denied by most Protestants（基督思想中）使徒统绪（指神权传至历代教皇和主教, 从不间断; 此说为罗马天主教会所坚持, 但新教徒不予承认）。