William Cunningham was one of the remarkable galaxy of theologians who graced the Faculty of New College, Edinburgh in the early years, where he served as Professor of Church History, and, from 1847, as Principal. A scholar of profound learning and acute judgment, Cunningham was also personally committed to knowing and following the truth, wherever it might lead him in this studies. Consequently his work is characterized by wide-ranging scholarship, by vigorous questioning and, supremely, by a sense of spiritual robustness rarely seen in modern theological writing.