Page 162 - Orthodoxy Zizioulas

O r t h o d o x y
is not an isolated individual but the first of many brethren, a
community. Therefore, the bishop cannot be conceived apart
from the community of which he is the head.
The context in which this becomes manifest is the Eucha-
rist. There, the Church becomes the image of the Kingdom,
and the bishop, presiding, becomes the icon of Christ. In of-
fering the Eucharist, he acts in persona Christi, pointing be-
yond himself to the coming Kingdom and making Christ
present through his ministry.
Another essential function is the giving of the Spirit. Al-
ready in the Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus, both the offer-
ing of the Eucharist and the imparting of the Spirit are re-
served to the bishop. As the risen Christ gives the Spirit, so the
bishop participates in this Christological function.
Through ordination, the bishop unites and diversifies the
Church. He gathers the many into one and distributes the
ministries that sustain the life of the Body. In and through the
bishop, the one becomes many and the many become one.
For this reason, there can be only one bishop in each local
Church. Two or more bishops imply two Churches. The one-
ness of the bishop is a necessary condition for the catholicity
of the Church.
At the same time, the alter apostolus dimension safeguards
continuity in time. While alter Christus expresses the escha-
tological dimension, alter apostolus secures the link with the
historical apostolic community. Apostolic succession arises
from this: a bishop must be ordained within an unbroken
historical continuity.
Yet this continuity is always linked to the Eucharist. The
bishop becomes alter apostolus precisely by being alter Chris-
tus: he is not only the successor of the Apostles but also the
one who gathers the people of God as Christ will in the last
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