I am indebted to many people for their deep wisdom, immense generosity, and gracious assistance in this decade-long project into the life and theology of John Ponet. First and foremost, my thanks are due to Diarmaid MacCulloch, for not only guiding and encouraging me through postgraduate research at the University of Oxford but also for his sustained interest and warm support ever since. His modelling of meticulous archival work, appreciation for the role of theological rigour in the discipline of ecclesiastical history, and ability to write with elegance and exactitude (with a good dose of humour) has been inspirational. Thanks are also due to Ashley Null in these regards. His willingness to share insights from his superb grasp of Thomas Cranmerâs theology and marginalia has been invaluable. I have enjoyed his cheerful fellowship for nearly twenty years, and the Foreword he has contributed to this volume attests to his collegiality and kindness.
I am most grateful to various other scholars for their invaluable assistance along the way: Alec Ryrie, Sarah Apetrei, Andrew Pettegree, Andrew Atherstone, Richard Rex, Henry Woudhuysen, Glyn Redworth, Gerald Bray, Paul Needham, Jon Reimer, Steven Gunn, Steven Foster, Anne Overell, Seumas MacDonald, Joe Mock, Rachel Ciano, Mark Garcia, Peter Bolt, Paulina Kewes, Simon Kennedy, Madeleine Pennington, Steven Wedgeworth, and Tim Patrick. Special gratitude is due to Stephen Tong, whose academic camaraderie during postgraduate research was as indispensable as it was great fun, and whose rich fellowship cannot sufficiently be put into words. Having an Antipodean friend simultaneously undertaking mid-Tudor Reformation studies at âThe Other Placeâ was, and remains, an immense blessing.
There are many others whose editorial work and supportive environments contributed to this book. Bridget Heal, as Editor of the series in which this volume is published, and Ivo Romein, Associate Editor, are both due thanks for their patient assistance in the production of this book. The anonymous reviewers of the manuscript supplied superb advice, and Greta Morris applied her excellent editorial eye to bring the project to fruition. Alex MacDonald generously gave his time to carefully proofread the manuscript and gave vital suggestions, especially those regarding Justin Martyr. Several ideas in this book were presented at the Society for Reformation Studies conferences, and I am thankful to Charlotte Methuen for her organisation of these events which played an important role in my broader thinking. Lastly, I wish to the Principal, the Faculty, and the Staff of Moore Theological College in Sydney, for the years of support and fellowship, without whom none of this work would have started
I have an enduring sense of gratitude and an enormous appreciation for the small army of librarians and archivists who made this research possible. There are too many to name personally, but credit is certainly due to them. The noble institutions in which they serve include: the British Library (London), Bodleian Libraries (Oxford), The Queenâs College Library (Oxford), Corpus Christi College Library and Archives (Oxford), Christ Church Library (Oxford), Cambridge University Library, Queensâ College Library (Cambridge), Parker Library at Corpus Christi College (Cambridge), Kingâs College (Cambridge), St. Johnâs College Library (Cambridge), Peterhouse Library (Cambridge), Middle Temple Library (London), The Huntingdon Library (San Marino, CA), LâEglise Protestante Church Library (London), Marshâs Library (Dublin), Lambeth Palace Library (London), Royal College of Physicians Library (London), Chethamâs Library (Manchester), John Rylands Research Institute and Library (Manchester), Eton College Library (Windsor), Ossolineum Library (Wroclaw), Palace Green Library (Durham), Salisbury Cathedral Library, Exeter Cathedral Library, The National Archives (Kew), Archives de la Ville et de lâEurométropole de Strasbourg, Canterbury Cathedral Archives and Library, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Hauptstaatsarchiv (Stuttgart), Hampshire Record Office, Lincolnshire Archives, East Sussex Record Office, and the Denbighshire Record Office.
Finally, I am profoundly thankful to my family. Grace, Simeon, Sophia, and Zoe have brought immense delight and joy throughout the course of this work. But my most heartfelt thanks go to my dear wife Tanya, whose patience, strength, and love have steadied, upheld, and cared for me and for our children over the last decade. It has been an extraordinary journey together, and I would do it all again with you in a heartbeat. I am deeply grateful to our Father for the privilege of walking in Christ alongside you, and doing so bound together with the Holy Spirit. Sweetheart, I dedicate this work to you as a humble token of my sincere gratitude and appreciation.
St. Bartholomewâs Day, 2024
Deo gratias ago, a quo omnia benedictiones fluunt