In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus gives the power to Bind and Loose to the Apostles and some scholars have pointed out by parallels to language in Jewish literature that the power to interpret legal matters by Rabbi's was called Binding and Loosing. Others have found parallels between the ordination of Rabbis and Christian clergy by the laying of hands. With this in mind, based on scholarly research and knowledge, what figures would the author of the Gospel of Matthew in their time of about 80 AD would have considered to hold this power of Binding and Loosing? Some have argued that this passage of those with the powers to Bind and Loose reflects ideas and organizational structure that is ancestral to the historic ideas of Christian clergy and apostolic succession. Would you say that this is true? Would love to to hear people's thoughts..