As with any major project this book could not have been written without the support and encouragement of many colleagues, friends, and family. First, I would like to thank Chris Rowland and Judith Kovaks for the opportunity to participate in the Wiley Blackwell project by contributing the volume on 1, 2 Peter and Jude. Chris, I thank you especially for your kind and patient guidance through the entire writing process – noting where something could go further or sometimes even in a more productive direction. Your insights have been invaluable as I sometime struggled through difficult topics. Thank you to the editing staff, particularly Mohan Jayachandran for your guidance through the rigors of the editing process with its technological challenges and confusions. Your patience is indeed a gift – thanks for sharing it with me. Juliet Booker, your kind words of encouragement came always at exactly the right time … thank you! Shyamala Venkateswaran you worked so kindly with me through the final processes of proofreading, queries, final formats, etc. Your patience has been invaluable; bless you for keeping me informed as to possible delays, deadlines, etc.

Thank you to Patten University (where I taught for almost 40 years), for their financial support at the beginning of this project; in spite of experiencing their own crisis, they kept me on the payroll for several years, which allowed me to focus on this research. My church community also provided encouragement and moral support with their prayers and encouraging words.

Thank you also to the Library staff at the Graduate Theological Union Library in Berkeley, Ca., particularly Naw San Dee: you always responded to my queries about remote sources with patience and efficiency … I wouldn’t have made it without your support.

There is no way to convey the deep gratitude to all of my dear friends and colleagues who encouraged me with everything from dynamic discussions and debates to personally supportive meals and outings. I want to particularly thank my colleague and friend, Dr. Hannah Harrington, for her support and encouragement through this project.

All of this began with my mother, who instilled in me the delight in studying scripture, and my twin sister who shared my life and academic journey. She was a living example of Peter’s words about grace in suffering as she battled cancer during the time when I first began working on 1 Peter. Both have gone on but they left a lasting effect on my life and work.

I want to express special gratitude to my friend and colleague Father Thomas Doyle (Metanoia Ministries, El Cerrito, Ca.) who regularly took time from his own ministry to “chew on” theories, the early church fathers, and various theological positions. He did some valuable editing on 1 Peter until his health precluded further work. I will always cherish not only what I learned from him about editing, but what I learned about friendship and the joys of collaboration. I also want to thank my husband’s nephew Tyson Frederick, a technological “whiz” who patiently introduced me to the technology I needed to prepare my manuscript and to obtain things such as high resolution images for the art I wanted to include. Tyson, you saved me countless hours, thank you! Thank you also, Charmaine (my lovely niece) who took time from her busy life to answer my desperate calls for help with some computer glitch. Thomas Moncher, I do not know what I would have done without your help on various computer issues – you make all of it seem so simple. I also want to express thanks to Victor Rojas, a former student and now owner of his own computer business … you rescued me from two major computer catastrophes … words cannot express my gratitude.

I also want to express thanks to my husband, John Skaggs, a wonderful artist and my best friend who gladly explored with me the art in my project, providing insightful information particularly on art history and art as exegesis. Chapters 3, 6, and 7 are the results of your expertise and our collaboration (see his website at Johnskaggs.com). Thanks too for sharing those long hours on our vacation which finalized my manuscript and created your chart that adds so much to my project.

Finally, to all of my students through the last almost 40 years, thank you for all the joy you brought as I watched you grow in your study of the New Testament, its language, history, and some use of critical methodology. Many of you have gone on in Academia and/or ministry – God bless you. I truly cherish the memories we share. To you I dedicate this volume.