SIMCHA
I would like to thank my co-writer and friend Professor Barrie Wilson. They say co-writing can be a difficult process, but Barrie made it always enjoyable and a learning experience. He’s driven by nothing less than a search for the truth. I also want to thank Professor Tony Burke for his masterful translation of the Syriac text and for his patient and detailed notes on our book. I would like to thank my assistant Nicole Austin who literally spent hundreds of hours on the text, flying to different corners of the world trying to catch up with me, researching, editing and generally making the whole endeavor possible. Thank you also to Suzan Yum for her meticulous research.
I am fortunate to have not one but two great agents, Elaine Markson and Joelle Delbourgo. Elaine has been a friend, strategist, supporter and ally for years, and Joelle stepped up to the plate when we needed her most with both professionalism and grace. I’m also fortunate to have two great editors: in Canada, Jim Gifford (HarperCollins) and in the US, Jessica Case (Pegasus). They have been patient, supportive and insightful.
I have been blessed with friends who dare to think, many of them scholars who have selflessly given me their time and shared with me their vast knowledge. Thank you James Tabor, Rami Arav, Richard Freund, James Charlesworth, Noam Kuzar and Eldad Keynan.
I learned the art of thinking outside the box at the supper table growing up. My father Joseph, of blessed memory, my mother Ida, my sister Sara and I were an ongoing forum for debate and intellectual argumentation. I thank them; especially my mother who taught me a love of books and my father who taught me to take nothing for granted and examine every issue from multiple perspectives. I want to thank my children: Ziva, Nava, Iosefa, Adin and Michaela who enrich my life, provide me with invaluable feedback, make me so proud and tolerate a dad who is constantly on the phone debating strange ideas such as the meaning of virginity in the Mary the Magdalene tradition.
Finally, I want to thank my wife Nicole without whom nothing would be possible.
Jerusalem, Israel
Shevat 22, 5774
BARRIE
When we started this project, we agreed we would follow the ancient manuscript wherever it led. Manuscript #17,202 took us on a remarkable journey and there were many surprises along the way. I’ve enjoyed traveling this fascinating route with my friend and co-author, Simcha Jacobovici. His honesty, integrity and insights have immensely enriched our work. His breadth of knowledge is truly phenomenal, drawing upon the resources of a huge variety of texts buttressed by first-hand knowledge of archeological sites in Israel and around the world. He is a remarkable detective. A special thanks to Simcha’s assistant, Nicole Austin, who did travel far and wide, as we wove together our narrative and spliced together various additions and changes. She was literally the gatekeeper of the book manuscript and we owe her immense gratitude. Her cheerful and dedicated commitment to the project was truly amazing. Also sharing the journey has been Tony Burke. His Syriac to English translation, based on the most accurate restoration of the original text using state-of-the-art digital imaging techniques, represents an enormous contribution to the study of Joseph and Aseneth.
We are fortunate to have an excellent publishing team. My agent—and, subsequently, Simcha’s agent as well—Joelle Delbourgo, stood with us along the way, as our manuscript evolved and our insights proliferated. With good humor, persistence and the occasional nudge, she helped keep us focused on the task at hand, to complete the book in a timely fashion. Through her efforts, we were steered to two very supportive and enthusiastic editors, Jim Gifford at HarperCollins Canada and Jessica Case at Pegasus in the US. They—literary agent and editors—are a publishing “dream team.”
My children are now grown up and they have their families. I thank them and their spouses for constantly asking, “How is the book coming along?” I have appreciated their sustained interest along the way. Thanks, too to the many friends, students and scholars who in their own way have tried to keep track of the book’s progress.
I’d like to dedicate my portion of this book to my young grandchildren, Jacob, Noah, Eden, Thalia, Jackson and Ryder and to those grandchildren yet to be born. Hopefully some day they will read this book and finally understand what “Saba” was doing during the day when they were at school.
A special thanks goes to my wife, Linda, who has been involved in every phase of the project from the start. Her good humor, patience and critical interest has been evident throughout the process as we opened up and explored various avenues along the way. Months ago, she asked the toughest question, “So what is it that we now know that we didn’t know before?”
My final thanks are to you, the reader of this book, for having journeyed with us. You are now best equipped to answer Linda’s question.
Toronto, Canada
January 23, 2014