An earlier draft of this work was a doctoral dissertation accepted by the University of Durham, England in 1981. I am greatly indebted to Professor C.K. Barrett for his efforts at every stage in the writing of this study. His lucid and erudite comments and suggestions were invaluable to me. I should also like to thank my examiners, Dr John McHugh and Professor A.T. Hanson, as well as the editors of this series, Professor R. McL. Wilson and Dr M.E. Thrall, whose suggestions made the revision of this work a great deal easier than it might have been. For the financial support which made these years of study possible I wish to thank A Fund for Theological Education, based in Marshall, Texas, under the leadership of Dr Edmund Robb. Finally, I should like to dedicate this work to my wife, Ann, who typed each draft and helped in more ways than can be enumerated to produce this manuscript in good time and order.