Acknowledgments
The following is a revised version of my doctoral thesis submitted to the University of Aberdeen and Trinity College Bristol. Writing a doctoral thesis is the culmination of a long and arduous process, and I am grateful for the people who have helped me on my academic journey. First, I would like to thank Paul Anderson and the editorial board at Brillâs Biblical Interpretation Series for accepting my thesis for publication. I am grateful to Paul Anderson and the reviewers for their comments and proposals for improving my work. It has been a pleasure to work with Marjolein van Zuylen and Christina Uy. I am thankful for their patience and guidance regarding edits and typesetting.
I also wish to thank the theology faculty at Vanguard University of Southern California, who not only poured into me personally but also sparked my initial passion for biblical scholarship. A special thanks to Bill Dogterom, Frank Macchia, April Westbrook, Jerry Camery-Hoggatt, and William C. Williams. In addition, I owe a great deal to the dedicated librarians at Vanguard University, who worked tirelessly with my abundant requests for inter-library loans. Many thanks to Steven Valdez, Jack Morgan, and above all, Pam Crenshaw. Pamâs willingness to go beyond the call of duty to acquire books for me has been invaluable.
I owe more than I still realize to my supervisor, Craig A. Evans. His encyclopedic knowledge of the New Testament and its Umwelt is awe-inspiring. I could not have asked for a more knowledgeable supervisor. Thanks to Craig for his patience with me, and for allowing me to form my own ideas and opinions without imposing his own. I am especially grateful for his unwavering faith in me and my project, even when I doubted. J.P. Davies also deserves recognition for his astute comments and help to rein in my research when it became too convoluted, lengthy, or superfluous. Without him, I probably would have written two dissertations rather than one. I am also indebted to Dan Gurtner, Bruce Henning, and Nate Ridlehoover for their incisive feedback and comments.
The journey of post-graduate research, especially part-time and distance- based, is often lonely. I appreciate my friends and colleagues at Vanguard University for their continued support and encouragement throughout the project. I am particularly thankful for the numerous friends I made on this journey, and I owe much to Jason Miller, Brian LePort, Michael Spalione, Erica Mongé-Greer, Bruce Henning, Nate Ridlehoover, Jarrett Van Tine, Matthew Moravec, Nate Collins, Alicia Jackson, and Aaron Woods. Without these friendships, invigorating talks, laughter, and support, I am not sure I would have seen this project to its completion. Many thanks to Trinity College, particularly Justin Stratis, for making the annual post-graduate conference fun and stimulating. My examiners, Steve Walton and B.J. Oropeza, also deserve my sincerest appreciation for their inspired and supportive comments, which helped improve the final product and opened up avenues for further research.
And finally, my wife, Jenelle, deserves special recognition for her unwavering support, belief in me, and encouragement to pursue my dream. Her endless overtime work has allowed me to pursue post-graduate studies without added financial pressures and restraints. I am beyond grateful and exceedingly lucky to live with her in service to Jesus.