One of the main theses of Felix Circlot’s Apostolic Succession: Is It True? is that, even in the New Testament, the threefold hierarchy of bishop-priest-deacon did exist, just under different names. Prior to the time of St. Ignatius, he argues, what we today think of as bishops were instead known as “apostles,” and it was those who we today call priests who were known as “bishops.” As for the “presbyters,” Circlot understands this as a general term that could be used to signify either an apostle or a bishop (possibly even a deacon), essentially being no different from our usage of the term “minister” today. Now, I’m not attempting to conclusively prove or disprove Circlot’s thesis, but rather use