TTHHEE WWAANNDDEERRIINNGG BBIISSHHOOPPSS AAppoossttlleess ooff aa NNeeww SSppiirriittuuaalliittyy Meditation by Fr. John-Brian Paprock of the Mar Thomas Church By LEWIS KEIZER WANDERING BISHOPS 2 PROLEGOMENA The term Episcopi Vagantes was applied to independent Successors of the Apostles and their chosen Successors who traveled as missionaries far and wide to teach the Gospel of Mar Yeshua, the Master Jesus Christ. The term Vagantes meant “traveling” or “wandering.” The Greek term Episcopos meant Shepherd or Overseer. It was first applied to the elected Head of the Apostles, the Successor to Master Jesus in the Jerusalem Church, James Zaddik or the “Just,” the brother of Jesus. The for this high office that finally came into use was “Bishop.” The title of this book, The Wandering Bishops, refers to the rich history of the modern Episcopus Vagans or Independent Bishop whose wandering is viewed as “straying” and heretical by Catholic and Orthodox hierarchies. Jesus Consecrated perhaps seventeen of his closest and most competent disciples as MeBasrim or Apostles (later Greek Apostoloi). The term meant, “those who are sent forth,” even as Jesus had been sent forth, to proclaim the Basor (later Greek Euangelion) or Divine Message. Each of these Apostles wandered far and wide proclaiming the Message, baptizing, organizing churches, training leaders, and establishing worship—each in his own way and understanding of the Divine Message. They imparted a portion of Apostolic authority to their own disciples, who were known as Nabi (later Greek Prophetai) or Prophets and Presbyteroi or Elders of the early churches, who served under the authority of the Apostles. Each Apostle selected his or her best disciple for Consecration as his/her Successor. I say “her,” because archaeological and other evidence shows that there were female disciples and Apostles, foremost of whom was Mary of Magdala, whose traditions were not supported in the male-dominated church organizations. The Successors of the Apostles, and their Successors in turn, were Consecrated by laying-on of hands and exsufflation or other pneumatic transmission. The separate lines of Apostolic Succession were carried forward in geographically, politically, and theologically diverse locations such as Asia Minor, Rome, and Alexandria. In the diversity of their individual Apostolic traditions it was inevitable that there were to be increasing divisions among the early churches. Beginning with the division between “Hebrew” and “Hellenists” recounted in the Acts of the Apostles, through the gentile church excommunication of the Nazoroi, Ebionim, and other original Jewish Christian churches by the end of the first century, and continuing through the fourth century, when Constantine established Byzantine state Christianity, the Apostolic traditions of many churches were declared non-orthodox or even heretical by the politically dominant churches. Yet their traditions had devolved from only one Apostle, such as Peter in Rome (although most scholars admit that the only historical Petrine tradition probably developed in Antioch of Syrian—not in Rome.) The separate churches often authorized and sent forth independent missionary Bishops to evangelize other territories. These Bishops established missionary churches that were virtually autocephalous or self-ruling. For example, St. Arius and his Bishops established Celtic Gnostic Christianity in Europe, and Nestorius established so-called Monophysite Christian churches in India. Later these churches were considered to be non-conforming and their founders were declared heretics, when in fact they merely transmitted the Apostolic Gnosis as they had received it. In this century, all the extant lines of Apostolic Succession and tradition have been recovered through the work of legal and valid Independent Bishops. These contemporary Episcopi Vagantes are both men and women who have broken all ties with institutional Christianity. They WANDERING BISHOPS 3 have opened new and vibrant dimensions of the Divine Message with which they have been entrusted—dimensions that are not limited to Christianity, but derive from shamanism, the mystery schools, all world religions. Just as Christianity emerged as a heresy of Temple Judaism, so the many new and diverse forms of contemporary spirituality are emerging as a heresies of Christian and other religious institutions. The Wandering Bishops are not only heralds of an emerging new world spirituality, but custodians of the most ancient and powerful continuous spiritual lineage that still exists—the Apostolic Succession from the Great Master Jesus. This is the universal Priesthood of Melchizedek. It is not the exclusive property of Christianity, but belongs to the faithful of all nations and all religions. WANDERING BISHOPS 4 CONTENTS PROLEGOMENA ......................................................................................................................................2 CONTENTS.................................................................................................................................................4 INDEX OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................................6 INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................11 CHAPTER ONE: THE STOLEN BLESSING ......................................................................................14 NON-CATHOLIC APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION ..............................................................................................14 THE VALIDITY OF ANGLICAN EPISCOPAL ORDERS.................................................................................14 THIRD-WORLD ORDERS AND ORTHODOXIES .........................................................................................15 THE SYRIAN-ANTIOCHENE SUCCESSIONS ..............................................................................................15 ORIGINAL INDIAN AND NESTORIAN APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION ...............................................................16 OTHER VALID NON-ROMAN APOSTOLIC SUCCESSIONS .........................................................................17 OLD CATHOLIC, THEOSOPHICAL, AND OTHER RECENT LINES OF VALID SUCCESSION .........................18 THE GNOSTIC-TEMPLAR SUCCESSION ....................................................................................................18 ARCHBISHOP MATHEW ...........................................................................................................................18 Figure 2 CONSECRATION OF BISHOP MATHEW BY ARCHBISHOP GUL OF UTRECHT, 1908.................................................................................................................................................19 Figure 3 BISHOP MATHEW........................................................................................................ 20 THE VILATTE SUCCESSIONS....................................................................................................................21 CHAPTER TWO: A NEW APOSTOLIC MYSTICISM......................................................................24 THE QUEST FOR A WORLD RELIGION .....................................................................................................24 BISHOP LEADBEATER AND THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY......................................................................25 Figure 6 ANNIE BESANT in the Sanctuary of the Liberal Catholic Church. Was she the first modern woman Bishop?..................................................................................................................26 Figure 7 BISHOP CHARLES HAMPTON is Enthroned..............................................................27 CHAPTER THREE: THE PERIOD OF EPISCOPAL SYNTHESIS.................................................30 ETHNIC MISSIONS AND INDEPENDENT ORTHODOXIES ...........................................................................30 MAR JOANNES AND MAR GEORGIUS ......................................................................................................31 ARCHBISHOP WOLSEY AND THE ANGLO-CANADIAN SUCCESSIONS ......................................................32 ARCHBISHOP SPRUIT AND THE FEDERATION OF CATHOLIC AND ORTHODOX BISHOPS .........................32 CHAPTER FOUR: CONTROVERSY, CORRUPTION, INNOVATION AND REFORM .............37 THE APOSTLES OF DISHONOR .................................................................................................................37 INNOVATION AND REFORM .....................................................................................................................40 CHAPTER FIVE: APOSTLES OF A NEW AGE: THE NEW VAGANTES .....................................42 Torkom Saraydarian (1917-1997) .....................................................................................................45 Richard, Duc de Palatine (1916-1977)..............................................................................................48 Rosamonde Miller ..............................................................................................................................55 Father Paul ........................................................................................................................................58 Stephan Hoeller, Tau Stephanus.......................................................................................................60 Archbishop