Ecclesiastical history exam (8)
I believe the answer is:
pastoral
'ecclesiastical' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'history exam' is the wordplay.
'history' becomes 'past' (I've seen this before).
'exam' becomes 'oral' (oral exam is a kind of exam).
'past'+'oral'='PASTORAL'
(Other definitions for pastoral that I've seen before include "Country style" , "To do with shepherds, or concerned with spiritual guidance" , "Of shepherds or spiritual guides" , "(Poem) of country life" , "Regarding teacher's responsibility for pupil" .)