Were the Fathers in conflict with succession?

[Eaglejet23]

Hello throughout this month, I read Jimmy Akin’s Father Know Best, and it’s a great book, however, I noticed something. It seems as though the Church fathers and early Christians disagree on the order of pope succession. The consensus view is Peter then Linus then Cletus/Anacletus, then Clement, etc. However, Tertullian asserts that Clement was ordained by Peter himself disregarding both Linus and Cletus. Eusebius says Linus succeeded Peter but then says Clement is the third bishop of Rome and nowhere mentions Cletus. Augustine does mention all Peter successors but in a different order. He stats Peter then Linus then Clement then Anacletus then Evaristus. This time Clement and Cletus’s places are reversed. This isn’t meant to be an I gotcha thing. I am genuinely confused because the book or resources here make no error to reconcile this.

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[Vico]

Hello throughout this month, I read Jimmy Akin’s Father Know Best, and it’s a great book, however, I noticed something. It seems as though the Church fathers and early Christians disagree on the order of pope succession. The consensus view is Peter then Linus then Cletus/Anacletus, then Clement, etc. However, Tertullian asserts that Clement was ordained by Peter himself disregarding both Linus and Cletus. Eusebius says Linus succeeded Peter but then says Clement is the third bishop of Rome and nowhere mentions Cletus. Augustine does mention all Peter successors but in a different order. He stats Peter then Linus then Clement then Anacletus then Evaristus. This time Clement and Cletus’s places are reversed. This isn’t meant to be an I gotcha thing. I am genuinely confused because the book or resources here make no error to reconcile this.

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Being ordained and being the Pope are not necessarily the same act.

 

[Dan_Defender]

St Irenaeus placed St Linus directly after St Peter as pope and that has been traditionally accepted as the true succession.

 

[Eaglejet23]

Then why does early Christian Tertullian say “as also the church of Rome, which makes Clement to have been ordained in like manner by Peter.” Is this a reference to Clement’s ordination of a priest?

 

[Eaglejet23]

Okay, that would explain Tertullian. But Eusebius of Caesarea calls Clement the “appointed third bishop of the church at Rome.” This seems to be more of a simple ordination. Augustine says " Peter was succeeded by Linus, Linus by Clement, Clement by Anacletus, Anacletus by Evaristus . . . ” ( Letters 53:1:2 [A.D. 412])." Eusebius and Augustine seem convinced that Clement is the third pope not the fourth.