Course of Ecclesiastical Studies
” As early as 1801, the House of Deputies had tried to standardize the academic preparation of candidates for ordination by requesting the House of Bishops to prepare an official course of theological studies. This was necessary since there were no Episcopal theological seminaries at the time. Presiding Bishop William White drew up such a course. It was approved by the House of Bishops in 1804. The list contained about fifty books divided into seven categories: apologetics or Christian evidences; scripture; church history; systematic theology; homiletics; liturgics; and pastoral theology. It remained unchanged until 1889. Even after theological seminaries were established, the course list was used as the reading for courses in the seminaries.
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.