Does a Paladin's Divine Bond stack with levels from Holy Vindicator?

Question

I am unsure as to the answer to this myself. It states in the description of the Paladin's Divine Bond that you gain a +1 bonus every 4 levels, but it doesn't say this is restricted to Paladin levels. Is it restricted to levels in the Paladin class, or does it also accrue with changes in prestige level, such as Holy Vindicator, or even from levels of other classes, such as Fighter?

Answer 1

Unfortunately the divine bond doesn’t stack. Only spells and channel energy.

Spells per Day: At the indicated levels, a vindicator gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in a divine spellcasting class he belonged to before adding the prestige class. He does not, however, gain other benefits of that class other than spells per day, spells known, and an increased effective level of spellcasting.

Channel Energy (Su): The vindicator’s class level stacks with levels in any other class that grants the channel energy ability.

(APG page 263)