Chickens, Eggs, and Notaries Public

Factual Questions
1

I renewed my notary public commission the other day. So I am a public officer who is authorized to administer oaths. To become a notary, I had to take an oath. Which was administered by another public officer.

This got me to thinking . . . who was the first public officer authorized to administer oaths? Who swore him in? Is there an unbroken chain of oaths stretching back from me to the provincial governer of New York? To King George? To Emporer Nero?

2

It seems to me that religious officials would “swear in” political types back in the day. Coronations of kings in near about any country, for example. If I understand it right, religious leaders were generally seen as having the proper authority from the popular god types to be able to hand status and responsibility to the secular leader.

But, IANAHistorian.