This book is a revised and abbreviated version of a doctoral thesis presented to the Faculty of Theology of the University of Durham in October 1987. The thesis was prepared under the supervision of Professor James Dunn to whom I owe an immense debt of gratitude for his wise guidance, insightful comments and not least for his warm friendship.

I have profited greatly from discussions with a number of scholars. I would particularly like to thank Professor Thomas Kraabel,. Drs Tessa Rajak and Anthony Sheppard, and the late Dr Colin Hemer. In preparing the thesis for publication I have benefited from improvements suggested by my examiners, Professor Fergus Millar and Dr Robert Hayward. Dr Judith Lieu, Dr Chris Ehrhardt and Ron Mills read the whole manuscript and made many helpful comments. I would also like to thank Professor Graham Stanton for his encouragement and for including this work in the SNTS Monograph Series.

I am very grateful for financial support received from the University Grants Committee of New Zealand, the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of the Universities and Colleges in the United Kingdom, and the University of Otago. This work would not have been possible without such generous assistance. I am also indebted to the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara for awarding me a Travel Grant which enabled me to visit a number of the sites discussed in this book.