Acknowledgments
“We are beggars. This is true.” Legend has it that these were Martin Luther’s last words. Writing my dissertation certainly reminded me of how much of a beggar I am, but reflecting on the time it took to finish my dissertation and turn it into a monograph also reminds me of how much of a debtor I am. “I am a debtor. This is true!” The only way I can begin to pay off my academic debts is to thank those who have helped me complete this project.
I must express my gratitude to my doctoral supervisor, Doug Moo, for guiding this project with his wise and timely feedback. Being his student has made me a better scholar and, more importantly, a better husband and father. I also thank my dissertation examiners, Richard Schultz, Marc Cortez, and Mariam Kovalishyn, whose perceptive insights and thoughtful engagement enhanced my work. Marc Cortez and Dan Treier deserve a word of thanks for helping me think more theologically in my attempt at biblical and theological integration in the final chapter.
My friends in the Wheaton College Ph.D. program greatly enriched my studies through their delightful camaraderie. My cohort (Amy Allan, Sam Ashton, Stephen Wunrow, and Heather Zimmerman) and my fellow Moo students (Johnathan Harris, Josh Maurer, Ben Mandley, Stephen Wunrow, Felipe Chamy, Jason Liu, and Steve Selke), better known as the “Moo Crew,” gave me the gift of close friendship. Our lively classroom and lunchtime discussions taught me much about God, Scripture, and life. Additional gratitude goes to Sam Ashton, Ty Kieser, Benjamin Smith, Cooper Smith, and Heather Zimmerman for entertaining my desire to talk about baseball and football whenever I needed a break from thinking about lament.
Several scholars (Craig Blomberg, Keith Campbell, Peter Davids, Rebekah Eklund, and Darian Lockett) graciously agreed to meet with me and talk about my dissertation at annual conferences or over Zoom. I am grateful that they responded to an unknown Ph.D. student’s email and took the time to share their wisdom with him. A special word of thanks goes to Channing Crisler, who ignited a passion in me for the NT when I was a freshman in college and read drafts of some of my chapters. It is a gift that my first NT professor has become a friend.
I thank the editors of the Biblical Interpretation Series, Paul Anderson and Jennifer Koosed, for accepting this monograph for publication, in addition to the editorial staff at Brill, especially Laura Morris and Nitzan Shalev, who helped bring this project to completion. I consider it an honor to have my work published in this series.
This project was made possible through the generosity of several people who deserve special mention. My tuition and the R. Kent and Barbara J. Hughes Research Fellowship that I received at Wheaton College were generously funded by Dr. and Mrs. David Gieser. Matt and Jessica Briggs provided additional financial support during my doctoral studies and fed us Chick-fil-A whenever we drove through Louisville to see family. The initial stages of communicating with Brill about publishing my dissertation took place during my postdoctoral visiting assistant professor post at Wheaton College, which would not have existed without the generous donation of Jill and Martin Baumgaertner. I thank God for the generosity of these brothers and sisters.
Finally, I must thank my family. My parents and in-laws displayed unwavering support over more than a decade of theological education and through two moves northward—first to Louisville, then to Wheaton—that took us farther from home. My kids and wife deserve more credit and gratitude than anyone. My two boys, Leland and Elias, have been sources of unending joy and have taken my mind off this project in all the best ways. From breakfast together every morning to wrestling matches every night, they remind me that there is more to life than word counts and deadlines. My wife, Cierra, kept me going both physically and emotionally over the many years it took to go from starting my dissertation to getting it published. From always making sure I had good food to eat to encouraging me when self-doubt crept in, she never gave up on me. Her patience and sacrificial love made this project possible. She deserves more appreciation than I could possibly express. I joyfully dedicate this work to her.
Grant Flynn
December 31, 2024