Ordination Rites of the Ancient Churches of East and West

This is a study of the early texts used in ordination to the offices of greatest antiquity in the Christian churches of East & West. These offices include bishop, presbyter, deacon, deaconess, subdeacon, acolyte, & reader. The Rev. Dr. Paul Bradshaw, assoc. prof. of theology at Notre Dame Univ., introduces the primary sources of the texts. He outlines the nuclear structure of the ordination ritual & comments on the prayers & ceremonies proper to each order. Then, in the second part of the book, he offers English translations of the texts available.