God-established apostolic succession and church hierarchy in the context of the works of the venerable Justin (Popovi'c) and bishop Athanasius (Jevti'c)

The article is devoted to the field of Orthodox ecclesiology, which has topical issues in modern church life, since the doctrine regarding the hierarchical structure of the Church is one of the foundations of Orthodoxy, which is not subject to transformation and modernization in connection with the latest ecclesiological challenges. Based on the Orthodox teaching about the Church and on the writings of the Venerable Justin (Popović) and Bishop Athanasius (Jevtić), the study shows the unity of the Christological and pneumatological aspects of the apostolic succession, substantiates the objective and continuous principle of apostolicity and hierarchy. Using the original terminology of the theological formulations of these apostolic successors, an attempt was made to express the inviolability of the establishment of the Orthodox Church hierarchy as a God-established given, which applies to all members of the Orthodox Church. Using the example of modern holy fathers and ascetics of piety, this article shows the soteriological necessity and importance of the traditional principle of hierarchy for the spiritual life of every Orthodox Christian.