The flow of divine authority from the Father to the Son to the Apostles to the Church was the default position until the Protestant "Reformers" rejected the authority of the Catholic Church as the Body of Christ. But from whom did the "Reformers" get their authority? They claimed from God himself, but there are serious problems with that claim.

Works referenced:
Francis de Sales, The Catholic Controversy
John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion
William A. Jurgens, ed., The Faith of the Early Fathers