Definitions for "Apostolic Succession"
The doctrine that the authority of Jesus was passed down in an unbroken line from the apostles to their successors, the bishops. (Lynch, Joseph H. The Medieval Church: A Brief History, 359)
The handing on of apostolic preaching and authority from the Apostles to the Church through their successors, the bishops.
The doctrine that the authority and the mission given by Jesus to the Apostles have descended in a direct and unbroken line of bishops to the bishops of today.