Acknowledgments

This study has been completed with the help of many people, and I am grateful to all concerned. Some contributions must, however, be noted. The thesis phase of this book was kindly supported at different times by the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission and the American Association of University Women. The final production has been undertaken with the gracious assistance of the American Council of Learned Societies, the University of Rochester, and Brown University.

I began my work with John of Ephesus for a doctoral thesis, and I remain deeply indebted to my supervisors, Sebastian P. Brock and Frances M. Young. They have taught, exhorted, encouraged, and inspired me to an extent I can hardly measure; and they continue to do so, with deep generosity. Were my debt to them less, I would feel less keenly the inadequacies of this study. Peter Brown, Martin Goodman, Robin Anne Darling Young, Marjorie Curry Woods, Ella Schwartz, Sidney Griffith, and John V. A. Fine, Jr. have all given freely of their knowledge, skills, and time, while also providing nourishment for the spirit and great gifts to the heart. I thank all of them; needless to say, shortcomings remain my own. In addition, I am grateful to Doris Kretschmer, Mary Lamprech, and Franci Duitch of the University of California Press for their patient and good-natured guidance in the production of this book; to Timothy Seid of Brown University for his kind technical assistance; and to Susan Lundgren for her thoughtful skill in preparing the index. Finally, my husband Jim has been unfailingly supportive; his sustaining presence accounts for more than I can say.