The contributors to this volume, as Dr Kirk tells us in his foreword, ‘found themselves, some six years ago, united in the conviction that the whole subject of the Christian ministry, its doctrine, its continuity, its place in the full scheme of Christian doctrine, was ripe for a fresh survey’. Convinced that one of the most hopeful features of modern religion is the movement towards reunion, and persuaded that the crux of this movement is the doctrine of the ministry, they agreed to collaborate in the production of a constructive historical and theological survey of the origins, meaning and importance of the episcopacy in the Christian Church. The whole is considered with special reference to the interests of the Church of England and to the difficulties in this regard felt by non-episcopal communions. This involves a large variety of subjects of research in the ten essays of the volume. All the essays are by well-known scholars of the Catholic school of thought in the Church of England.