"These essays, spanning four decades of Ferguson's scholarship, sum up major discussions of ministry and canon in early Christianity. Especially useful for exploring the terminology surrounding ordination, these essays are vintage Ferguson." --Elizabeth A. Clark, Duke University, Durham, NC For Volume 2: "This volume is another great contribution by Everett Ferguson toward a better understanding of the practices of the early church. Because of his vast and thorough knowledge of the original documents, as well as scholarly studies that contribute to one's understanding of their context,...

The rule of faith was a summary of apostolic preaching and teaching made by writers of the early Christian centuries. As such it carries great importance for what the early church considered basic to its being and identity. It was not a fixed text, like a creed, but varied in wording and content according to circumstances. Yet, despite this flexibility and diversity, there is a clear Christ-centered, Trinitarian core at the heart of the rule shared by the early apostolic churches.
In this short guide, Everett Ferguson introduces readers to the primary sources of our knowledge of the rule, the...