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Acknowledgments k C ompleting this project has put me in a reflective mode, awed at the way life’s disparate threads meet. Although this endeavor began as a dissertation at the University of Minnesota, my interest in Spain had its roots in my superb Spanish classes at the Academy of the Holy Cross in Kensington, Maryland , with Victoria Thompson, a proud native of Burgos who told us (jokingly . . . I think) that Spanish was the language of God and that proper use of the imperfect subjunctive was simply not optional. The college year in Sevilla transformed a high school interest into a lifelong one, thanks to all the many sevillanos whose spirit keeps their city so enchanting. The interest in Christian-Muslim dialogue in the Middle Ages I owe to an independent study in medieval philosophy and theology that David Burrell for some reason generously agreed to direct during my senior year at the University of Notre Dame. David has been a cheerleader for me in many ways since and has enthusiastically supported this project, even spending a certain long afternoon over cookies and tea and some tortured Latin helping me unravel the meaning and significance of some of Juan de Segovia’s comments on Islamic theology. And of course, my parents, Michael and Kathleen Wolf, made possible, through their priorities and sacrifices, the educational opportunities that put Mrs. Thompson, Sevilla, and David in my path. At the University of Minnesota, I was even luckier than I then knew to be a student of William Phillips and Carla Rahn Phillips, whose wise guidance and solid support I still value and call upon, ix and whose circles were blessedly free of the drama that I later learned can plague one’s graduate school years. The university also supported my work through a fellowship for my first year, a Graduate School Dissertation Fellowship, a Humanities Institute Fellowship, and summer grants for archive forays. The taxpayers of the United States and Spain funded a Fulbright grant to me for a dissertation research year, during which the congenial Árabe department of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas in Madrid graciously gave me desk space and library access . Special thanks to Mercedes García Arenal, Manuela Marín, and Cristina de la Puente for their interest, support, and good cheer. José María Soto Rábanos, downstairs with the medievalistas, became almost a third advisor through his generous leads, questions, and encouragement . My thanks to Adeline Rucquoi for her helpful suggestions early on and for introducing me to the Consejo crowd. Ana Echevarría offered leads and ánimo. Fellow becarias Ana Carballeira Debasa and Elisa Mesa provided a social component to the research day and remain good friends. Klaus Reinhardt took an early interest in this project and provided a very welcome transcription of Juan de Segovia’s 1426 repetitio . Tom Burman has encouraged my studies since early grad school years, read chapters, and helped with Qur’ānic citations from Latin manuscripts. And then some. Jesse Mann and I exchanged e-mails for years about Juan de Segovia matters before meeting in person. His comments on this manuscript improved it significantly. Frank Mantello went far beyond the normal in his passionate preparations for our Latin and paleography classes over two summers I spent at Notre Dame’s Medieval Institute and in his availability to students for help. His teaching made it possible for me to work with the manuscripts that are the foundation of this book, and his student Damon Smith later provided invaluable assistance ironing out many confusing sentences. Obviously, any errors here remain mine. The following people helped me to keep body and soul together over these research and writing years: Janet Wheelock in Minneapolis and beyond, Mary Louise Gude from South Bend years on, Allegra Grawer for our frequent walks in Retiro, Norah Martin and Anissa x Acknowledgments Rogers during the UP years, Julie Lawrence and Tonya Garreaud in Portland, and Deb Salata and Anne Huebel from Minnesota years and since. Finally, this project benefited from funding provided by the following sources not already mentioned: Saint Louis University’s Mellon grant program to work at the Vatican Microfilm Library, the Butine fund at the University of Portland, and the Programa de Cooperación Cultural. My thanks to all. Acknowledgments xi Juan de Segovia and the Fight for Peace ...

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