Religious Rivalries and the Struggle for Success in Sardis and Smyrna

Preface

This project has received innumerable kinds of support. First, the participants in the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies’ Religious Rivalries seminar have, over the past nine years, provided deep insight and provocative discussion on the issues raised by the papers presented in the seminar sessions. I am grateful to the members of the seminar’s steering committee who have served with me since 1995: Leif Vaage, Steve Wilson, Michele Murray, Phil Harland, Steve Muir, and especially Terry Donaldson, who was chair of the seminar from 1995 to 2000, when he handed me the leadership opportunity. Noteworthy help in bringing this volume to publication was provided by my research assistants over the past few years. Erin Vearncombe tracked down important publications and did significant work in putting together the Works Cited. Elaine Reid insured conformity in the in-text citations. Helena Medeiros provided a thorough proofreading of an early version of the manuscript . Rachel McRae was invaluable in compiling the indexes. I am grateful to Queen’s University and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for providing funding to employ these talented students. Peter Richardson has been a great source of help and encouragement on this project, both through his ongoing participation in the seminar itself and in his role as editor of the Wilfrid Laurier University Press ESCJ series. As the volume neared publication, the role of ESCJ editor was taken over by Stephen Wilson, who, as always, provided helpful guidance. Finally, I am grateful for subvention support for this volume, provided in part by Bishop’s University. This book has been published with the help of a grant from the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, through the Aid to Scholarly Publications Programme, using funds provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Richard S. Ascough Kingston, ON, Canada PREFACE
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