Acknowledgments
It is a great honor to study God’s word. This monograph is a revision of my Ph.D. dissertation at McMaster Divinity College (MDC). Many people have helped and supported me directly or indirectly. First and foremost, I would like to thank my doctoral supervisor and mentor, Dr. Stanley E. Porter, for offering great courses in linguistics. I have had the pleasure and privilege of studying with him. Second, I want to thank my second supervisor, Cynthia Long Westfall, for offering her expertise in biblical studies and valuable critical comments. Third, I thank other important people at MDC, including the staff (headed by Nina Tomas), for their intellectual and spiritual support. Fourth, I must thank friends in the community of MDC who give me thoughtful and helpful ideas. Fifth, I wish to thank my family in different places and friends in churches (in North America and Asia) for their prayers and support. With these amazing people who receive precious faith through the righteousness of our God, I have the privilege to learn to follow the example of Jesus in his step. Trying to balance my study and ministry allows me to grow mentally and spiritually. Upon the Rock, we can keep ourselves from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Sixth, I want to thank my colleges and friends in China Evangelical Seminary in Taiwan for their support and prayer. In particular, I want to thank Dr. Clement Yung Wen, for his helping me edit the manuscript and staying a close friend and brother in Christ. Seventh, my utmost gratitude goes to my wife, Hsin-Sun Huang, who has fully supported me and walked with me all these years. Finally, I want to thank God for seeing me through the whole journey to which I would like to dedicate this dissertation. I could not have done this with my Lord and Savior, who loves me so much. Praise the Lord!