Offering the Light: Essays in honour of Philip E. Satterthwaite on the occasion of his retirement

It gives us, the Editors, great pleasure to introduce this volume—“Offering the Light”—in Philip’s honour on the occasion of his retirement. In cricket, the game Philip loves, to “offer the light” is “the act of the umpires giving the batsmen the choice of whether or not to leave the field during times of dimming light.” Thus, the title of this volume, along with its cover picture, is first a reference to the occasion of Philip’s retirement, and also to his ardent desire to continue to serve God, Church, and the world post-retirement—to play on, so to speak! In addition, “offering the light” also refers to another dimension of Philip’s life. In his years leading BGST—as well as in his scholarship, teaching, and churchmanship—Philip has always sought to bring the life-giving light of Scripture to bear on all aspects of life. This is especially evident in the ideals demonstrated in Philip’s research on the historical books and his more recent focus on justice and wisdom. It is our hope that the essays collected here reflect on the many ways that Christian scholarship illuminates the church and a broken world in need of the gospel.