This study is a revised version of my doctoral thesis submitted to King's College London in October 1991. It was examined by Professors Leslie Houlden and John Riches, to both of whom I am much indebted for their encouraging reception of the thesis and their helpful comments. The birth of a study such as this, especially when the period of gestation has been some twelve years, brings with it many debts of gratitude. I should like to acknowledge some of those here.

My interest in social aspects of earliest Christianity goes back to my days as an undergraduate and early postgraduate at Macquarie University in Sydney, under the instruction and supervision of Robert Banks and Edwin Judge. They introduced me especially to the world of Paul. At Lancaster University, in the Religious Studies Department, David Catchpole initiated me into the traditio-historical study of the gospels. Under his supervision I wrote a short dissertation on ‘Discipleship, Family Ties and Jesus of Nazareth in the Synoptic Tradition’, which became the genesis of the present work. Then at King's College London, Graham Stanton became my supervisor and mentor. With great patience, he has nurtured my work, allowed me to develop my own style, and provided unfailing encouragement. For instruction in the social sciences, especially the anthropology of religion, I am indebted to Nancy Lindisfarne of the School of Oriental and African Studies in the University of London.