My attention was first drawn to the intercessory prayers of the New Testament, particularly in the letters of Paul, by what seemed to be an acute ‘crisis of piety’ in the Christian church. Men can no longer pray. Even those for whom God remains a reality find prayer an unreality. It is within that context that the present study was begun.

The basis of this monograph is a doctoral dissertation presented to the Yale University faculty in 1965, ‘The Function of Intercessory Prayer in Paul's Apostolic Ministry with Special Reference to the First Epistle to the Thessalonians.’ The material from that study, in revised form, constitutes about third of the present work, which has been extended to include all seven recognized Pauline epistles.

I am deeply indebted to many for guidance and encouragement at all stages of the research: to Professors Nils A. Dahl, Paul Schubert, Paul Meyer, Floyd V. Filson, and especially to my dissertation adviser, Professor Paul S. Minear. Professor C. F. D. Moule has been unfailingly helpful. My thanks are due also to colleagues at Connecticut College who have willingly assisted in matters of style and in preparing the manuscript for publication, Professor Robert W.Jordan, Mrs Glenis Mollegen, and Professor Garrett D. Green; and to various students who have assisted in the typing and preparation of numerous drafts.

Finally, I express my gratitude to my wife, who has suffered through the growth of this work, and to whom it is affectionately dedicated.