I WOULD LIKE TO THANK a number of people who selflessly helped me in the writing and editing of this book: my brother, classical scholar at Kent State University, Radd Ehrman; one of my closest friends in the field or out of it, Jeffrey Siker at Loyola Marymount University; one of my other closest friends in the field or out of it, Judy Siker at San Francisco Theological Seminary; my esteemed colleague at crosstown rival Duke University, Mark Goodacre; my student and research assistant extraordinaire from the graduate program at Duke, Maria Doerfler; my student and research assistant extraordinaire from the graduate program at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, Jason Combs; my unusually perceptive daughter, Kelly Ehrman; and my industrious and sharp-eyed editor and friend at HarperOne, Roger Freet. All of these have carefully read my manuscript and suggested that I make (innumerable) changes. When I have listened to them, the manuscript is much improved; when I have not, the fault is all mine. I would also like to thank the other members of the HarperOne team who have made this book possible, especially Julie Burton, Claudia Boutote, and Mark Tauber. It’s an amazing ensemble and I’m privileged to work with them.
I would also like to thank the attendees of the CIA—the Christianity in Antiquity reading group of faculty and graduate students in New Testament/Early Christianity at both UNC and Duke—for a lively evening of conversation on two of the chapters.
New Testament translations throughout the text are my own; I have taken translations of the Hebrew Bible from the New Revised Standard Version.