The object of this edition is to furnish a historical survey of the Confessions of Faith, indicating its origin, its contents, and its inter-relationships, together with some brief reflections, suggested by the survey, upon their uses and their influence for good and evil in the religious world. It also focuses on the development of the three great Catholic Creeds of Christendom, and of the meeting of the historic authoritative assemblies of the Church. Under this title, it will not be possible to deal in detail with documents of a private, individual, or tentative character; these will be mentioned only when they are of special interest. The public Confessions which have been or still are authoritative in the various sections of the Christian Church will be treated comprehensively, though their great number—exceeding 150—makes it necessary to dismiss many of them with the briefest notice.