The ideal structure of C ( X ) C(X) , the algebra of continuous functions from a completely regular Hausdorff space X X to the scalars is analyzed by examining for fixed A ⊂ β X A \subset \beta X (the Stone-Čech compactification of X X ) the structure of the quotient I A / F A {I^A}/{F^A} , where I A [ F A ] {I^A}[{F^A}] is the ideal of maps f ∈ C ( X ) f \in C(X) for which \[ A ⊂ cl β X Z ( f ) [ A ⊂ int β X cl β X Z ( f ) ] . A \subset {\text {cl} _{\beta X}}Z(f)\quad [A \subset {\operatorname {int} _{\beta X}}{\text {cl} _{\beta X}}Z(f)]. \] Unless it vanishes, I A / F A {I^A}/{F^A} has no minimal or maximal ideals, and its Krull dimension is infinite. If J J is an ideal of C ( X ) C(X) strictly between F A {F^A} and I A {I^A} , there are ideals J _ \underline {J} and J ¯ \bar J of C ( X ) C(X) for which F A ⊂ J _ ⊂ J ⊂ J ¯ ⊂ I A {F^A} \subset \underline {J} \subset J \subset \bar J \subset {I^A} with all inclusions proper. For K ⊂ C ( X ) K \subset C(X) , let Z ( K ) = ∩ { cl β X Z ( f ) : f ∈ K } Z(K) = \cap \{ {\text {cl} _{\beta X}}Z(f):f \in K\} . If J ⫋ I J \subsetneqq I are ideals of C ( X ) C(X) with Z ( J ) = Z ( I ) Z(J) = Z(I) and if I I is semiprime, there is an ideal K K strictly between J J and I I . If I I and J J are Z Z -ideals, K K can be chosen to be of the form P ∩ I , P P \cap I, P a prime ideal of C ( X ) C(X) . The maximal ideals of a semiprime ideal I I of C ( X ) C(X) are of the form I q ∩ I , q ∈ β X − Z ( I ) {I^q} \cap I,q \in \beta X - Z(I) . If A ⊂ β X A \subset \beta X is closed, I A {I^A} is a finitely generated ideal iff A A is open.