Acknowledgments
I wish to thank my best friend and wife, Bonnie, for her patience, love, and unwavering support especially through the decade I spent researching and writing this tome.
I wish to thank my first Greek teacher, Rev. Ian Hall for his patient forbearance and my friend and teacher, Dr. Deborah Gill of AGTS (Assemblies of God Theological School) for making Greek come alive to me and for teaching me how to teach. My colleague and friend, Dr. Amy Anderson of North Central University in Minneapolis, taught me to collate and, using her personal and professional influence, opened massive doors of opportunity for me. Dr. David Parker of The Institute for Textual Scholarship and New Testament Editing (ITSEE) in Birmingham, England, was helpful and extremely patient throughout this endeavor. Although I am just a pastor, he always treated me as a real scholar. I have benefitted more than I can say from his creativity, friendship, and support. Dr. Ulrich Schmid (also of ITSEE) was very helpful and patient in teaching me so many aspects of Textual Criticism, and was also very hospitable during my study in Münster. Dr. Klaus Wachtel of The Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforshung (INTF) was also very kind, helpful, and a generous resource during my month of study at the center in Münster. In Birmingham, Dr. Hugh Houghton (ITSEE) was most accessible and patient in answering all kinds of questions. His great mind and wonderful personality distinguish him as a uniquely gifted individual and friend. In the United States, Dr. Daniel Wallace of The Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts (CSNTM) was of instrumental assistance in key areas, especially in obtaining images of the Albanian witnesses and in helping to acquire permission to use many color photos. It was also wonderful to have him fill my pulpit on Sunday morning to speak to my congregation about the reliability of the Greek New Testament. Dr. Bruce Morrill (ITSEE) was also helpful in obtaining manuscript images and so much more. Dr. Paul Foster’s (University of Edinburgh) comments also made this a much better book. Dr. Peter Robinson (formerly ITSEE, but now the University of Saskatchewan) brilliantly wrote and re-wrote the various iterations of his COLLATE software and was a creative font of genius about how to adapt and use several other programs to achieve this analysis. Dr. David L. Swofford, (Department of Biology, Duke University), the creator of PAUP* was more than happy to help me by making himself available to answer my questions via email. I appreciated his droll wit as well.
I am especially grateful to Professor Eldon Jay Epp (Case Western Reserve University, emeritus, and frequent adjunct professor at Harvard Divinity School) and to Professor Bart D. Ehrman (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) for accepting this work for publication in their prestigious series and for their kindness and support of this project. Professor Epp kindly guided me through the maze of formatting and editing concerns, both esoteric and mundane. There are many others whom I would thank if space permitted.
I wish finally to thank the Church Board and congregation of Eden Prairie Assembly of God church who so kindly invested time and financial support for my Ph.D. and for this book which resulted from my studies. They are great people who love and appreciate biblical scholarship. Their investment in this effort proves it.