"Apostolic" lineage after a thousand years of sworn vows and violence against unbelievers?

[jonathanbrickman0000]

For one thousand years, the formal authorities of the churches, killed everyone they could who dissented, or who refused to bow the knee. All of these authorities, were defined according to sworn vows; no one was allowed formal authority without.

33 Again, you have heard that it was said to those in ancient times, 'Do not swear a false oath, but carry out your oaths to the Lord.' 34 But I say to you, swear not at all, neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God; 35 nor by the earth, for it is the footstool for his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Neither swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your speech be 'Yes, yes,' or 'No, no.' Anything that is more than this is from the evil one.
Matthew 5:33-37

Given these two, is there any reason to respect statements of "apostolic" lineage today?

 

[follower]

Seek God's Righteousness and God's Approval, resulting in being rejected by peers.
Seek man's/peers approval, results in being rejected by God.
Simple.
Rare finding anyone seeking God's Approval, but possible by God's Doing.
As written, seek those who are faithful to Jesus. A small remnant. Holy and Truthful.

 

[jonathanbrickman0000]

Hallelujah!

 

[Bruce.Leiter]

For one thousand years, the formal authorities of the churches, killed everyone they could who dissented, or who refused to bow the knee. All of these authorities, were defined according to sworn vows; no one was allowed formal authority without.

Given these two, is there any reason to respect statements of "apostolic" lineage today?

I think that the main mistake of the early church was to accept establishment as the only favored religion of the Roman Empire that therefore was hand-in-glove with the government, thus setting the pattern for all the countries of Europe. As a result, anyone who believed or acted differently from the established church was a traitor to the state.

This tragic mistake caused the travesties of the crusades and Inquisition among other persecutions until the French and American Revolutions separated church and state.