Dr. Timothy S. Laniak (ThD, Harvard Divinity School) studied in the Middle East and worked as a missionary in Europe and Asia before taking his current position as professor of Old Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC. His writings reflect both his passion for studying Scripture and his scholarly approach to social anthropology. Laniak’s works include: While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks, Shepherds after My own Heart, Shame and Honor in the Book of Esther, and Esther in the Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther volume of the New International Biblical Commentary series. Gary M. Burge (PhD, King's College, Aberdeen University) is visiting professor of New Testament at Calvin Theological Seminary. Gary has authored a number of books, including Who Are God’s People in the Middle East? What Christians Are Not Being Told About Israel and the Palestinians; John and Letters of John in the NIV Application Commentary series; The New Testament in Antiquity (coauthored with Gene Green); and the first three volumes in the Ancient Context, Ancient Faith series: The Bible and the Land, Jesus, the Middle Eastern Storyteller, and Encounters with Jesus. Gary specializes in the Middle East, its churches, and its history in the Hellenistic period.