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Ignatius of Antioch to the Smyrnaeans from The Apostolic Fathers, Lightfoot & Harmer, 1891 translation
St. Ignatius of Antioch, also called Theophorus (ho Theophoros); born in Syria, around the year 50; died at Rome between 98 and 117.
CHAPTER 8
" 8:1 [But] shun divisions, as the beginning of evils. Do ye all follow your bishop, as Jesus Christ followed the Father, and the presbytery as the Apostles; and to the deacons pay respect, as to God's commandment. Let no man do aught of things pertaining to the Church apart from the bishop. Let that be held a valid eucharist which is under the bishop or one to whom he shall have committed it.
8:2 Wheresoever the bishop shall appear, there let the people be; even as where Jesus may be, there is the universal Church. It is not lawful apart from the bishop either to baptize or to hold a love-feast; but whatsoever he shall approve, this is well-pleasing also to God; that everything which ye do may be sure and valid."
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There is a lot of contoversy as to whether ANY of the writings we now possess, attributed to Ignatius, were truly his. Others think they were his, but that there was a lot of interpolation by later catholics.
I don't think there was a "power grab" in the first century, or the second either, for that matter.
However, there WAS a lot of power in the church which Jesus founded ---- including the power to loose and to bind: "Whatever is loosed on earth is loosed in heaven. Whatever is bound on earth is bound in heaven"
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