| dc.description.abstract | This book represents a revision of my 2000 doctoral dissertation for the University of Chicago Divinity School. As such, there are several important faculty and mentors without whom I would have never developed the skills or the insights necessary to see this study through. Most important among these are my dissertation co-advisors, Peter Homans and John J. Collins, two scholars from very different fields who, together, were exactly the professional guides I needed for my time in graduate studies. It is to them that I dedicate this book. Other faculty who made important contributions to the development of this thesis were Adela Yarbro Collins, Martin Riesebrodt, Don Browning, and Charles Elder, who is responsible for teaching me the key meaning of the word ‘critique.’ I would also like to acknowledge the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the participants and leaders of the 2007 Summer Seminar “The Middle East Between Rome and Persia: Early Christianity on the Path to Islam” held at Notre Dame University, where I was able to revise substantial portions of the dis-sertation, paving the way for the publication of the current volume. | en_US |
