The climax of this book is a celebrated study by Professor Schillebeeckx, which has already attracted much attention among those able to read it in the original Dutch, on the development of ministry in the church and the consequences that should be drawn from this development for the present day. Much of the traditional image of the priest, he argues, derives from the Middle Ages, with its hierarchical and feudal background, and the assumption that the priest derives some special 'character' from his ordination, by virtue of which he has power, for example, to celebrate the eucharist. For the New Testament and the early church, however, the minister was a representative of the local community, chosen and instituted by that community and acting on its behalf. Given this, the way forward in a situation where there is a chronic lack of priests and candidates for the priesthood is to review the situation from the grass roots, and recognize officially the ministry of those, like catechists and pastoral workers, men and women, who are in fact performing already most of the functions of ordained priests.