This is the first volume of Ferguson's collected essays, and includes some of his most memorable work, especially on ""laying on of hands."" ""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, Professor of Religion, Duke University Everett Ferguson is Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Abilene Christian University. He was editor of The Encyclopedia of Early Christianity (2nd edition 1997) and is author of many works including Early Christians Speak (2 volumes 1999, 2002); Backgrounds of Early Christianity (3rd ed., 2003); Inheriting Wisdom: Readings for Today from Ancient Christian Writers (2004); Church History, vol. 1: From Christ to Pre-Reformation (2005); and Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries (2009). Ferguson received the ""Distinguished Service Award"" from the North American Patristics Society (2008) and the ""Vestigia Award for Excellence in Early Christian Studies and Service to the Church"" from the Wheaton Center for Early Christian Studies (2020).