The volume presented here gathers some of the contributions of the 1996 meeting in Bologna. In addition to essays of a more methodological approach, important work is presented on the bishoprics, the sources and on the bodies of the council. Bringing the studies together reveales how they complement each other. This, in turn, not only identifies gaps in our documentation which might be filled with further effort but also indicates new paths for further research. Futhermore, these essays demonstrate the variegated seriousness with which the many participants in this international undertaking have interpreted the work of the historian vis-a-vis Vatican II. Therefore, it was possible for the Bologna study to explore the roles of groups and episcopal conferences whose institutional shape and whose self-awareness must be traced back to that fundamental experience represented by the Council. It has been possible to examine the role of leading figures and to give private sources their due. Through them it is possible to understand better not only the dynamics of the events but also the degree of self-awareness with which they were lived through. Finally, other articles, which are partial results of studies in progress, reconstruct how the discussions went in some of the Council commissions.