Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

ap·os·tol·ic       (āp'ə-stŏl'ĭk)  Pronunciation Key  adj.   Of or relating to an apostle. Of, relating to, or contemporary with the 12 Apostles. Of, relating to, or derived from the teaching or practice of the 12 Apostles. Of or relating to a succession of spiritual authority from the 12 Apostles, regarded by Anglicans, Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and some others to have been perpetuated by successive ordinations of bishops and to be requisite for valid orders and administration of sacraments. Roman Catholic Church Of or relating to the pope as the successor of Saint Peter; papal. Of or relating to a succession of spiritual authority from the 12 Apostles, regarded by Anglicans, Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and some others to have been perpetuated by successive ordinations of bishops and to be requisite for valid orders and administration of sacraments. Roman Catholic Church Of or relating to the pope as the successor of Saint Peter; papal. ap'os·tol'i·cal·ly adv., ap'os·tol·ic'i·ty (-stə-lĭs'ĭ-tē) n.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

apostolic
adjective
1.	of or relating to or deriving from the Apostles or their teachings
2.	proceeding from or ordered by or subject to a pope or the papacy regarded as the successor of the Apostles; "papal dispensation" [syn: papal]

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Apostolic

Ap`os*tol"ic\, Apostolical \Ap`os*tol"ic*al\, a. [L. apostolicus, Gr. ?: cf. F. apostolique.]

1. Pertaining to an apostle, or to the apostles, their times, or their peculiar spirit; as, an apostolical mission; the apostolic age.

2. According to the doctrines of the apostles; delivered or taught by the apostles; as, apostolic faith or practice.

3. Of or pertaining to the pope or the papacy; papal.

Apostolical brief. See under Brief.

Apostolic canons, a collection of rules and precepts relating to the duty of Christians, and particularly to the ceremonies and discipline of the church in the second and third centuries.

Apostolic church, the Christian church; -- so called on account of its apostolic foundation, doctrine, and order. The churches of Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem were called apostolic churches.

Apostolic constitutions, directions of a nature similar to the apostolic canons, and perhaps compiled by the same authors or author.

Apostolic fathers, early Christian writers, who were born in the first century, and thus touched on the age of the apostles. They were Polycarp, Clement, Ignatius, and Hermas; to these Barnabas has sometimes been added.

Apostolic king (or majesty), a title granted by the pope to the kings of Hungary on account of the extensive propagation of Christianity by St. Stephen, the founder of the royal line. It is now a title of the emperor of Austria in right of the throne of Hungary.

Apostolic see, a see founded and governed by an apostle; specifically, the Church of Rome; -- so called because, in the Roman Catholic belief, the pope is the successor of St. Peter, the prince of the apostles, and the only apostle who has successors in the apostolic office.

Apostolical succession, the regular and uninterrupted transmission of ministerial authority by a succession of bishops from the apostles to any subsequent period. --Hook.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Apostolic

Ap`os*tol"ic\, n. [L. apostolicus.] (Eccl. Hist.) A member of one of certain ascetic sects which at various times professed to imitate the practice of the apostles.