「When, therefore, the blessed apostles had founded and built up the Church, they committed the ministry of the bishopric to Linus. Of this Linus Paul makes mention in his epistles to Timothy. And Anencletus succeeds him.」
「And after him, in the third place from the apostles, Clement obtains the bishopric by lot—he who had both seen the blessed apostles and conferred with them, and still had the preaching of the apostles ringing in his ears and the tradition before his eyes; and not he alone, for many still survived at that time who had been taught by the apostles.」
「In the time, then, of this Clement, when no small dissension had arisen among the brethren in Corinth, the church in Rome sent a most adequate letter to the Corinthians, reconciling them unto peace, and renewing their faith and the tradition which they had lately received from the apostles.」
And after a little he says: 「And this Clement is succeeded by Evaristus, and Evaristus by Alexander. Then thus Xystus is appointed sixth from the apostles; and after him Telesphorus, who also gloriously bore witness; then Hyginus, then Pius, after whom Anicetus. And Soter having succeeded Anicetus, now Eleutherus holds the lot of the bishopric in the twelfth place from the apostles.」
「By this same order and by this same teaching, both the tradition in the Church from the apostles and the preaching of the truth have come down to us.」