Timothy 4:14 says that Timothy was ordained by priests. Doesn that contradict the Catholic teaching that only bishops can confer Holy Orders?
This verse does not say that Timothy was ordained by priests. At most, it says that priests laid their hands on him at the time of his ordination, but this does not mean that it was they who conferred the sacrament upon him. When someone is ordained to the priesthood, the bishop imposes hands on the candidate, followed by any already-ordained priests who are present. These impositions of hands have different significance. The bishop places his hands on the candidate to impart the Holy Spirit to him for ministry, to confer on him the sacrament of holy orders. When the new priest’s colleagues lay their hands on him, it is not to confer the sacrament, but to symbolize their union with him in the priesthood and their sharing a common Spirit through the sacrament. This explanation of the two impositions can be found as early as the Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus, which was written in the early 200s. In 2 Timothy 1:6 Paul states, “Hence I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is wit
