Acknowledgments
The ideas represented in this monograph are the culmination of nearly half a decade of work, beginning with the final project of a master’s degree. So many have been a support to me during what seems like a lifetime. Above all, I could not have made it far past the starting line if it were not for my family. My wife, April, has been my greatest advocate and the one to keep me grounded when the vicissitudes of life tried to deter me. My children continually brought a smile to my face amidst the challenges of moving across the sea to a new culture and country. Birthing and raising a newborn only one month into our new living arrangements is also a feat of which my wife deserves untold credit. For the days spent with our children in that small, “insane-asylum white” apartment while I was away putting this research together, I will always be grateful. For bearing with me in an intense season of chronic pain during my studies, and ultimately helping me to finally overcome it, what could I say?
Without the academic mentoring and partnership of Larry Perkins it is very possible that this project’s hypothesis would have remained hidden for some time. My thanks belong to him for guiding me in the earlier stages of our work together. Likewise, I am astonished at the dedication of Dr Alison Salvesen who took me on in doctoral supervision while at the same time dealing with so many other unexpected and pressing matters. Never once did I feel neglected, and the final year and edition of my project was successful thanks to her. Appreciation must also be expressed for scholars who have come alongside me over the years. Here the advice, opportunities, and friendship from Robert Hiebert and more recently Benjamin Wright stand out. To them can be added others who showed me both personal and professional concern while living in Oxford. For this I owe thanks to John Screnock, Jean Maurais, Hindy Najman, and the late James Aitken. Part of this research’s success is owed to the editorial support provided by Steel Lane and Jacob Cerone. Thank you both for your assistance.
This project could not have been completed without the doctoral fellowship provided to me by The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. I am grateful for their support in my doctoral studies. Similarly, thank you, dad (and Susan), for helping me get off on the right foot in my first year. Thank you, mom, for assisting with our housing as we lived in Oxford. Both of your support means the world to me. Thank you, Chandehl and David, for your early financial support.
Learning to succeed in a project like this under the circumstances I faced is the result of a family taking me in as a young man. Thank you, Bentley, for helping me discover the wisdom to get here. The endless days and nights you and Stella gave to me taught me how to walk in the world.
Finally, my thanks go out to Northwest Seminary & College (particularly to Howard Andersen and Jonathan Numada) for believing in my scholarship, encouraging me to publish this monograph, and providing me with the means and time to write.
ἐξ αὐτοῦ καὶ δι’ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν τὰ πάντα· αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας