---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That the apostolic office is temporary…"
description: "\"That the apostolic office is temporary, is a plain historical fact.\" — Charles Hodge"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/charles-hodge-9426_apostolic_that-the-apostolic-office-is-temporary-i_1249484.png"
---

#  That the apostolic office is temporary, is a plain…

![“That the apostolic office is temporary, is a plain historical fact.” quote by Charles Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/charles-hodge-9426_apostolic_that-the-apostolic-office-is-temporary-i_1249484.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/charles-hodge-9426_apostolic_that-the-apostolic-office-is-temporary-i_1249484.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/charles-hodge-9426_apostolic_that-the-apostolic-office-is-temporary-i_1249484.png)

> “That the apostolic office is temporary, is a plain historical fact.”

[Charles Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hodge/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The apostolic role was intended as a temporary, historically bound office.

**In simple terms:** Apostolic office was not meant to be permanent.

Key Takeaway

Understand the historical context of church leadership.

Themes

church history apostolic succession temporary roles

Mood

scholarly analytical

Type

historical theological

When to use this quote

- church governance
- mission work
- historical study
- denominational debates

Key Concepts

theology ecclesiology

Questions to Reflect On

- How does recognizing temporariness affect church structure?
- What implications does this have for contemporary leadership?

A Different Perspective

Modern institutions may claim permanence despite original intent.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Apostolic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apostolic/) [Apostolic Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apostolic-office-3931913/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [Historical Fact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical-fact-1141887/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office/) [Office Temporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office-temporary-3931915/) [Plain Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plain-historical-3931914/) [Temporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temporary/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [The Church, during the apostolic age, did not consist of isolated, independent congregations, but was one body, of which the separate churches were constituent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hodge/the-church-during-the-apostolic-age-did-not-consist-of-isolated/)

[Charles Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hodge/)

> [But we cannot just take this historical fact for granted. We must make it live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-willkie/but-we-cannot-just-take-this-historical-fact-for-granted-we-must-make/)

[Wendell Willkie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-willkie/)

> [The occurrence of successive forms of life upon our globe is an historical fact, which cannot be disputed; and the relation of these successive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-occurrence-of-successive-forms-of-life-upon-our-globe-is-an/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It's like saying that two and two equals four, but if you wish to believe it, it could also be five ... Evolution is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/it-s-like-saying-that-two-and-two-equals-four-but-if-you-wish-to/)

[David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/)

> [“Historical fact: people stopped being human in 1913.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/historical-fact-people-stopped-being-human-in-1913/)

[Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/)

> [“Historical fact: people stopped being human in 1913. That was the year Henry Ford put his cars on rollers and made his workers adopt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/historical-fact-people-stopped-being-human-in-1913-that-was-the-year/)

[Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/)

> [It's a historical fact that the Stasi did horrible things and that they monitored a lot of people in East Germany, but I find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-schwochow/it-s-a-historical-fact-that-the-stasi-did-horrible-things-and-that/)

[Christian Schwochow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-schwochow/)

> [An inert historical fact is any fact about a perfectly ordinary arrangement of matter in the world at some point in the past that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/an-inert-historical-fact-is-any-fact-about-a-perfectly-ordinary/)

[Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/)

> [I can't shout out, "Do this." I don't want to be prescriptive. I want to give you facts, and that's the way I've always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/i-can-t-shout-out-do-this-i-don-t-want-to-be-prescriptive-i-want-to/)

[Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/)

> [I have a multivolume history of the world from the 19th century that begins with Noah's flood as though it's as historical a fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-have-a-multivolume-history-of-the-world-from-the-19th-century-that/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [“Spain, for so long a mere geographical expression, was somehow transformed into an historical fact.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-h-elliott-2/spain-for-so-long-a-mere-geographical-expression-was-somehow/)

[J. H. Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-h-elliott-2/)

> [“At best, the line between historical fact and govrnmental fiction is cloudy; in cases of treason it tends to vanish entirely.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lacey-baldwin-smith/at-best-the-line-between-historical-fact-and-govrnmental-fiction-is/)

[Lacey Baldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lacey-baldwin-smith/)

> [There are people who said he killed over a hundred men. Historical fact doesn't corroborate one hundred men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carradine/there-are-people-who-said-he-killed-over-a-hundred-men-historical/)

[Keith Carradine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carradine/)

> [The apostolic writings are of three kinds: historical, didactic, and prophetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/the-apostolic-writings-are-of-three-kinds-historical-didactic-and/)

[Philip Schaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schaff/)

> [I entrust this Twenty-second World Day of the Sick to the intercession of Mary. I ask her to help the sick to bear their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-entrust-this-twenty-second-world-day-of-the-sick-to-the/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

## More by Charles Hodge

> [If the Church is a living body united to the same head, governed by the same laws, and pervaded by the same Spirit, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hodge/if-the-church-is-a-living-body-united-to-the-same-head-governed-by/)

[Charles Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hodge/)

> [As we fell in Adam, we are saved in Christ. To deny the principle in the one case, is to deny it in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hodge/as-we-fell-in-adam-we-are-saved-in-christ-to-deny-the-principle-in/)

[Charles Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hodge/)

> [Christian humility does not consist in denying what there is of good in us; but in an abiding sense of ill-desert, and in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hodge/christian-humility-does-not-consist-in-denying-what-there-is-of-good/)

[Charles Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hodge/)

> [Every man, therefore, who expects justification by works, must see to it, not that he is better than other men, or that he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hodge/every-man-therefore-who-expects-justification-by-works-must-see-to-it/)

[Charles Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hodge/)

> [“Κατὰ τὴν δύναμιν τὴν ἐνεργουμένην ἐν ἡμῖν, according to the power that worketh in us. The infinite power of God from which so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hodge/according-to-the-power-that-worketh-in-us-the-infinite-power-of-god/)

[Charles Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hodge/)

> [True zeal is connected with a holy life. It is remarkable how often the greatest zealots for God, the Church, and sound doctrine (as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hodge/true-zeal-is-connected-with-a-holy-life-it-is-remarkable-how-often/)

[Charles Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hodge/)

> [The sin of Adam did not make the condemnation of all men merely possible; it was the ground of their actual condemnation. So the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hodge/the-sin-of-adam-did-not-make-the-condemnation-of-all-men-merely/)

[Charles Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hodge/)

> [The Independent or Congregational theory includes two principles; first, that the governing and executive power in the Church is in the brotherhood; and secondly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hodge/the-independent-or-congregational-theory-includes-two-principles/)

[Charles Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hodge/)

> [As the Church is the aggregate of believers, there is an intimate analogy between the experience of the individual believer, and of the Church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hodge/as-the-church-is-the-aggregate-of-believers-there-is-an-intimate/)

[Charles Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hodge/)

> [Faith is not a blind, irrational conviction. In order to believe, we must know what we believe, and the grounds on which our faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hodge/faith-is-not-a-blind-irrational-conviction-in-order-to-believe-we/)

[Charles Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hodge/)

> [A Christian is one who recognizes Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, as God manifested in the flesh, loving us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hodge/a-christian-is-one-who-recognizes-jesus-as-the-christ-the-son-of-the/)

[Charles Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hodge/)

> [Prayer is the converse of the soul with God. Therein we manifest or express to Him our reverence, and love for His divine perfection,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hodge/prayer-is-the-converse-of-the-soul-with-god-therein-we-manifest-or/)

[Charles Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hodge/)

> [If Christ has risen the Bible is true from Genesis to Revelation. The kingdom of darkness has been overthrown. Satan has fallen like lightning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hodge/if-christ-has-risen-the-bible-is-true-from-genesis-to-revelation-the/)

[Charles Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hodge/)

> [Foolish talking and jesting are not the ways in which Christian cheerfulness should express itself, but rather "giving of thanks" (Eph. 5:4). Religion is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hodge/foolish-talking-and-jesting-are-not-the-ways-in-which-christian/)

[Charles Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hodge/)

> [Sanctification is not a work of nature, but a work of grace. It is a transformation of character effected not by moral influences, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hodge/sanctification-is-not-a-work-of-nature-but-a-work-of-grace-it-is-a/)

[Charles Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hodge/)

[Explore all 73 Charles Hodge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hodge/)

## More Apostolic quotes

> [I entrust this Twenty-second World Day of the Sick to the intercession of Mary. I ask her to help the sick to bear their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-entrust-this-twenty-second-world-day-of-the-sick-to-the/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [The apostolic writings are of three kinds: historical, didactic, and prophetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/the-apostolic-writings-are-of-three-kinds-historical-didactic-and/)

[Philip Schaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schaff/)

> [Apostolic and missionary fruitfulness is not principally due to programmes and pastoral methods that are cleverly drawn up and "efficient", but is the result…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/apostolic-and-missionary-fruitfulness-is-not-principally-due-to/)

[Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/)

> [The best advice that I can give you is this: Church-traditions- especially when they do not run counter to the faith- are to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/the-best-advice-that-i-can-give-you-is-this-church-traditions/)

[St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/)

> [If anyone in word and mind does not properly and truly confess according to the holy Fathers all even to the last portion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-martin-i/if-anyone-in-word-and-mind-does-not-properly-and-truly-confess/)

[Pope Martin I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-martin-i/)

> [“If we were less of what seems like ease in our lives they would tell more for Christ and souls...We profess to be strangers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-carmichael/if-we-were-less-of-what-seems-like-ease-in-our-lives-they-would-tell/)

[Amy Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-carmichael/)

> [What kind of authority can there be for an 'Apostle' who, unlike the other Apostles, had never been prepared for the Apostolic office in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferdinand-christian-baur/what-kind-of-authority-can-there-be-for-an-apostle-who-unlike-the/)

[Ferdinand Christian Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferdinand-christian-baur/)

> [Contemporary Christianity, diverse and complex as we find it, actually may show more unanimity than the Christian churches of the first and second centuries.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/contemporary-christianity-diverse-and-complex-as-we-find-it-actually/)

[Elaine Pagels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-pagels/)

> [To be a Christian is to be a theologian-a student of God and his will. The contemporary disdain for theological content and emphasis on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/to-be-a-christian-is-to-be-a-theologian-a-student-of-god-and-his-will-2/)

[R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/)

> [Wherefore, by the authority of Apostolic power, We declare inventors of novel notions, which as the Apostle Paul has said are of no edification,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-innocent-i/wherefore-by-the-authority-of-apostolic-power-we-declare-inventors-of/)

[Pope Innocent I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-innocent-i/)

> [I held apostolic succession fully, and the channels of grace to be there only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-nelson-darby/i-held-apostolic-succession-fully-and-the-channels-of-grace-to-be/)

[John Nelson Darby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-nelson-darby/)

> [The best advice that I can give you is this. Church-traditions — especially when they do not run counter to the faith — are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/the-best-advice-that-i-can-give-you-is-this-church-traditions-2/)

[St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/)

> [For me, passion means whatever a person is willing to suffer for.'Apostolic passion,' therefore, is a deliberate, intentional choice to live for the worship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-mcclung/for-me-passion-means-whatever-a-person-is-willing-to-suffer-for/)

[Floyd McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-mcclung/)

> [One of the special marks of the Holy Ghost in the Apostolic Church was the spirit of boldness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-simpson/one-of-the-special-marks-of-the-holy-ghost-in-the-apostolic-church/)

[A. B. Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-simpson/)

> [Apostolic preaching is not marked by its beautiful diction, or literary polish, or Cleverness of expression, but Operates “in demonstration of the Spirit and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-wallis/apostolic-preaching-is-not-marked-by-its-beautiful-diction-or/)

[Arthur Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-wallis/)

[Browse all 82 Apostolic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apostolic/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "That the apostolic office is temporary, is a plain historical fact.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Hodge"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hodge/that-the-apostolic-office-is-temporary-is-a-plain-historical-fact/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Apostolic"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hodge/that-the-apostolic-office-is-temporary-is-a-plain-historical-fact/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/charles-hodge-9426_apostolic_that-the-apostolic-office-is-temporary-i_1249484.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/charles-hodge-9426_apostolic_that-the-apostolic-office-is-temporary-i_1249484.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/charles-hodge-9426_apostolic_that-the-apostolic-office-is-temporary-i_1249484.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“That the apostolic office is temporary, is a plain historical fact.” — Charles Hodge",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Charles Hodge",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hodge/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "That the apostolic office is temporary,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hodge/that-the-apostolic-office-is-temporary-is-a-plain-historical-fact/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hodge/that-the-apostolic-office-is-temporary-is-a-plain-historical-fact/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```