Acknowledgements
No list of acknowledgements can do justice to the many people through whom Godâs grace has been given to me in the course of my life. From childhood Sunday school teachers to graduate school professors and mentors, I have been shaped by many vessels of mercy into the person I am today. My deepest gratitude to you all. The Lord has truly been good to me.
Still, several people deserve special mention. To my parents: Thank you for providing a home of stability and support and instilling in me through your example what it means to walk in the way of Christ. To Yoshua Galo: This entire journey began with you and an hour commute to UAB. To my friends in Wheaton, especially Richard Moomjian and Zach Fallon: I am certain my presentation here was made clearer by your patient listening, piercing questions, and gracious challenges. To all of those in the Wheaton Ph.D. community, especially Josh Maurer, Ty Kieser, Matt Monkemeier, Benjamin Smith, Mason Lancaster, Kevin Wong, and Ben Dally: You all have played no small role in my own theological development and thinking today.
To Drs. Paul House, Allen Ross, and Frank Thielman: Your encouragement gave me courage to pursue a Ph.D., and your instruction equipped me with what I would need to succeed. To Drs. Marc Cortez, Benjamin Schliesser, Erin Heim, and Joshua Jipp: Our conversations and your careful feedback have no doubt sharpened my own thinking and improved the present project. To Dr. Daniel Treier: You opened me up to the field of hermeneutics and challenged me to read Scripture theologicallyâI have not read Scripture the same way since.
To Dr. Richard Schultz: Thank you for serving as my second reader. Your careful reading and insightful feedback have without a doubt made this project strongerâand cleaner! And thank you for how you have encouraged me to become an integrative biblical scholar, which is no âtriflingâ thing. To Dr. Andrew Das: Thank you for the ways you have sharpened my argument and articulation in your role as my external reader, and for your continued guidance and counsel in the years since then. To Dr. Doug Moo: Your dedication to the text of Scriptureâwith its unique balance of academic rigor and scholarly openness, all undergirded by genuine Christian faithfulnessâshould be an example to us all. Thank you for your immense patience and grace, and for your engagement not only with my work but with me as a person. I will always remember with fondness my time in Wheaton and the joy of getting to know and work alongside you and Jenny.
Thank you to the team at Brill, including Akiko Hakuno, Noor Otten, and Emma de Looij, for all the various ways you have helped bring this work to publication. To Paul Anderson and the editorial team for showing interest in and ultimately accepting my work for publication, and for your editorial scrutiny that has brought the manuscript to its present quality. Of course, any shortcomings that remain are attributable to me alone.
Finally, to Cohen and Shepherd: You two have given up more than you will ever realize in allowing daddy to complete his doctoral work. I pray that you will see Christ in me, hear from me the good news that God has acted in him to restore all things to himself, and grow up to be godly men that proclaim this gospel to all nations in word and deed. Oh yeah, and May the Fourth be with you. And to Rachel: None of this would be possible without your support, your companionship, and your sacrifice. Thank you for going on this adventure with me. I look forward to the next. You are a constant reminder to me that I have a creator who loves me. I am happy to dedicate this work to you, my love, fellow worker, and friend.
Johnathan F. Harris
May 4, 2023
S. D. G.