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Nice idea here. Strictly speaking, the ladder is one step more than necessary, but I guess that was needed to make real words throughout.

This challenging puzzle from a new (?) setter was much more enjoyable than most of Doc's, as it was error-free and did not oblige the solver to have the newest editions of Chambers and/or Brewer, nor did it resort to using foreign words to fill the grid.

31, 32 Helveticus?!

eumolpus set number 2753 (about Paradise Lost)

No foreign words in the grid – is Latin an exception?

Also, one of the chain words is more likely to be heard in another country, je crois.

Great fun, well constructed and a good challenge I thought.
My thanks to the legendary king of Thrace!

@Hounds & Mr. Codger: I should have been more precise and written "no foreign words or expressions which are not in Chambers in the grid". I am thinking of e. g. Doc's inclusion of a German verb which is not in Chambers in last week's grid. Presumably a word from any other modern European language could appear as an answer in one of Doc's puzzles even if it is not in the Big Red Book, which is hardly fair.

I was surprised by the German word but it was in the OED.

Part of the fun of a Doc crossword is looking for the deliberate mistake.

Having ruled out the religious one, I have two possible entries for 36d. One is someone performing a particular role, another is an obsolete spelling for equipment they may be using. Any thoughts?

Mattrom
I took it as your 1st choice - synonym for penultimate word in the chain