ABSTRACT
At the consecration of a bishop, prior to the making of promises, there appears an exhortation outlining the responsibilities and challenges relating to the office of bishop. Familiarity with the promises made by a bishop at consecration indicates how important the sacred Scriptures are for the office of a bishop. Episcopal vows concerning the study, interpretation and teaching of Holy Scripture may seem simple enough though the fulfilment of the same requires an investment of time, energy and disciplined prayer (as the Ordinals repeatedly make clear). In John Henry Newman's preface to the re-publication of his famous essays on the Via Media of the Anglican Church (1879), first published as the Prophetical Office of the Church in 1837, Newman identified theology as one of the three fundamental powers of the Church. It is not enough to seek a scholarly informed episcopate. It is equally important to understand what kind of scholarly work might be required of bishops today.
