This project began fourteen years ago as an idea for a lecture on the passion narrative in one of the first courses I taught. I was a green adjunct professor trying to find my way in the complex and challenging world of academia. For the students that heard this idea for the first time and received it well and for all subsequent students who bore with me as the idea evolved and matured, I am thankful. I thank Dan Reid, former academic editorial director at IVP, who first accepted my proposal for an academic book on what has become the central thesis of this novel. And I thank Anna Gissing, also at IVP, for not scoffing at the idea of transforming that academic book into a novel! To trust an academic to write a work of historical fiction is surely an act of bravery by any measure. Thank you for believing in me and this project, Anna! I also thank the editorial board at IVP, who also believed in this project. I thank my mother-in-law, Syl Field, who saw the first draft of this novel, with its many warts, and proofread every page. Thank you to David Wilhite, Amy-Jill Levine, David Sandmel, and Tim Brookins, all of whom read early drafts of this project and provided invaluable feedback. Their wisdom led to a much-improved final product. I thank my wife, Molly, and my daughter, Brennan, for their daily love and support, even when writing projects like this take up precious time. You both are the loves of my life! Finally, I thank the God and Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, through whom I have received blessing beyond measure. May this book play even the slightest role in the ongoing establishment of your kingdom.