Of those who have helped me in my research, the most important is my wife, Colette, who allowed me to work undisturbed, and whose curiosity about my topic provided many stimulating conversations. Robin Darling Young was the first to suggest that the topic would be fertile; her intuition was correct, probably far more than she knew. Early drafts of chapters were read by Kevin Corrigan, Andrew Hill, Christoph Markschies, William McCarthy, Ellen Muehlberger, John Nesbitt, Philip Rousseau, Janet Timbie, John Turner, Susan Wessel, and Michael Williams, who each in his or her own way provided welcome remarks. I appreciate the comments of my (alas) anonymous readers and of the professionals behind the editorial and design phases of the book: Scott Johnson, Jill Curry Robbins, and David M. Weeks. I thank everyone above for their stimulating suggestions and criticism, which have been critical to a narrative that I hope is comprehensible, intellectually engaging, and a pleasure to read.

 

[Note: Coptic characters in Chapter 3 and Excurses C have been displayed in Antinoou font, which can be downloaded here.]