Download or read book How to Read the Bible as Literature written by Leland Ryken and published by Zondervan Academic. This book was released on 2016-11-22 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why the Good Book Is a Great Read If you want to rightly understand the Bible, you must begin by recognizing what it is: a composite of literary styles. It is meant to be read, not just interpreted. The Bible’s truths are embedded like jewels in the rich strata of story and poetry, metaphor and proverb, parable and letter, satire and symbolism. Paying attention to the literary form of a passage will help you understand the meaning and truth of that passage. How to Read the Bible as Literature takes you through the various literary forms used by the biblical authors. This book will help you read the Bible with renewed appreciation and excitement and gain a more profound grasp of its truths. Designed for maximum clarity and usefulness, How to Read the Bible as Literature includes * sidebar captions to enhance organization * wide margins ideal for note taking * suggestions for further reading * appendix: "The Allegorical Nature of the Parables" * indexes of persons and subjects
Download or read book Dark Alphabet written by Jennifer Maier and published by SIU Press. This book was released on 2006-08-25 with total page 95 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In works whose subjects range from the religious to the carnal, the whimsical to the foreboding,Jennifer Maier’s debut collection of poems,Dark Alphabet, explores the everyday mysteries of our common experience with humor, lucidity, and an unblinking yet compassionate eye. Whether occasioned by a song overheard on the car radio, a packet of risqué postcards from the 1920's, a conversation with a dead parent, or the behavior of ducks in mating season, each poem sets off on a journey that ranges far from its origins, arriving with the reader in a clearing at dusk, in a place of wise good humor and somber grace.
Download or read book The Literary Guide to the Bible written by Robert Alter and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 1990-09 with total page 700 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rediscover the incomparable literary richness and strength of a book that all of us live with an many of us live by. An international team of renowned scholars, assembled by two leading literary critics, offers a book-by-book guide through the Old and New Testaments as well as general essays on the Bible as a whole, providing an enticing reintroduction to a work that has shaped our language and thought for thousands of years.
Download or read book A History of the Bible written by John Barton and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2020-08-04 with total page 642 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A literary history of our most influential book of all time, by an Oxford scholar and Anglican priest In our culture, the Bible is monolithic: It is a collection of books that has been unchanged and unchallenged since the earliest days of the Christian church. The idea of the Bible as "Holy Scripture," a non-negotiable authority straight from God, has prevailed in Western society for some time. And while it provides a firm foundation for centuries of Christian teaching, it denies the depth, variety, and richness of this fascinating text. In A History of the Bible, John Barton argues that the Bible is not a prescription to a complete, fixed religious system, but rather a product of a long and intriguing process, which has inspired Judaism and Christianity, but still does not describe the whole of either religion. Barton shows how the Bible is indeed an important source of religious insight for Jews and Christians alike, yet argues that it must be read in its historical context--from its beginnings in myth and folklore to its many interpretations throughout the centuries. It is a book full of narratives, laws, proverbs, prophecies, poems, and letters, each with their own character and origin stories. Barton explains how and by whom these disparate pieces were written, how they were canonized (and which ones weren't), and how they were assembled, disseminated, and interpreted around the world--and, importantly, to what effect. Ultimately, A History of the Bible argues that a thorough understanding of the history and context of its writing encourages religious communities to move away from the Bible's literal wording--which is impossible to determine--and focus instead on the broader meanings of scripture.
Download or read book The Complete Literary Guide to the Bible written by Leland Ryken and published by Zondervan Academic. This book was released on 2010-08-10 with total page 535 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Complete Literary Guide to the Bible is consideration of the Bible from a literary perspective, reflecting contemporary interest in the academic world of the Bible as literature. This collection of essays addresses both specific books of the Bible and general topics dealing with the Bible. The four main sections of the book are; The Bible as Literature, The Literature of the Old Testament, The Literature of the New Testament, and The Literary Influence of the Bible. The editors for A Complete Literary Guide to the Bible are Leland Ryken and Tremper Longman III. Contributors include: Fredrick Buechner, Novelist John Sailhamer, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Wilson G. Baroody, Arizona State University William F. Gentrup, Arizona State University Kenneth R.R. Gros, Louis Indiana University Willard Van Antwerpen, Indiana University Nancy Tischler, The Pennsylvania State University Michael Hagan, North American Baptist Seminary Richard L. Pratt, Jr., Reformed Theological Seminary Douglas Green, Yale University Wilma McClarty, Southern College Jerry A. Gladson, First Christian Church, Garden Grove, California Raymond C. Van Leeouwen, Calvin Theological Seminary Richard Patterson, Liberty University James H. Sims, The University of Southern Mississippi Branson L. Woodard, Jr. Liberty University Amberys R. Whittle, Georgia Southern University John H. Augustine, Yale University Michael Travers, Grand Rapids Baptist College Marianne Meye Thompson, Fuller Theological Seminary John W. Sider, Westmont College Carey C. Newman, Palm Beach Atlantic College William G. Doty, The University of Alabama/Tuscaloosa Chaim Potak, Novelist Gene Warren Doty, University of Missouri-Rolla Sidney Greidanus, Calvin Theological Seminary XXXXXXX
Download or read book The Bible and Literature The Basics written by Norman W. Jones and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-11-19 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Bible and Literature: The Basics provides an interpretive framework for understanding the significance of biblical allusions in literature—even for readers who have little prior knowledge of the Bible. In doing so, it surveys the Bible’s influence on a broad range of English, American, and other Anglophone literatures from a variety of historical periods. It also: offers a "greatest hits" tour of the Bible focuses as much on 20th- and 21st-century literatures as on earlier periods addresses the Bible’s relevance to contemporary issues in literary criticism such as poststructuralist, postcolonial, feminist, queer, and narrative theories includes discussion questions for each chapter and annotated suggestions for further reading This book explains why readers need a basic knowledge of the Bible in order to understand and appreciate key aspects of Anglophone literary traditions.
Download or read book The Cambridge Companion to the Bible and Literature written by Calum Carmichael and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-03-26 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines the varied, enormously sophisticated contents of the Bible and sees how certain Western authors were inspired by them.
Download or read book Literary Study of the Bible written by Christopher Hodgkins and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2019-04-29 with total page 501 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The most comprehensive and accessible introduction to scriptural art yet written Literary Study of the Bible: An Introduction approaches each book of the Bible (including several of the apocrypha) with non-sectarian literary questions, exploring the meanings that the Bible reveals when we read it like a poem, narrative, or play. As a unique hybrid of introductory guide, essential handbook, historical survey, and absorbing commentary, this book fills a gap in literary Bible study with its fresh perspectives on the biblical writers’ many arts. Readers will engage in wide range of textual approaches and interpretive traditions through this broadly informed, accessibly written text. Dr. Christopher Hodgkins has taught Literary Study of the Bible for 25 years, over which time he has field-tested the many lenses—of genre, image, language, characterization, plot, and craft—used throughout this book. Tracing the sources, composition, and influences of the Biblical text, this book places the Bible in a tradition of ancient near eastern, Hebrew, and Hellenistic literary art, giving new depth to the way we understand the familiar stories of scripture. Unlike other literary introductions to the Bible, this book uniquely combines these elements: Approaches the Bible as a richly collaborative and coherent work of literary art, exploring how earlier books influence the creation and interpretation of later ones Provides illuminating commentary supplemented by explanatory textboxes, maps, illustrations, and study questions to enhance interest and expand learning Introduces poetic and narrative devices like doubling, juxtaposition, and irony within the context of scriptural art and editorial design Gives extensive attention to each biblical book, resulting in the most comprehensive introduction to literary Bible study to date Presents these materials through an accessible and lively text permeated with references to both high and popular culture Literary Study of the Bible will be a welcome addition to personal, school, college, and congregational libraries, as well as an excellent text for students of the Bible in both secular and faith-based settings.
Download or read book Symbols and Reality written by Leland Ryken and published by Lexham Press. This book was released on 2021-10-21 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the fifth of a six-volume series called Reading the Bible as Literature. In this volume, the author not only explores the intersection of the Bible and literature, but he also shows pastors, students, and teachers of the Bible how to appreciate the craftsmanship of visionary literature and prophetic oracles and how to interpret them correctly. Dr. Ryken goes one step further than merely explaining the genre by including exercises to help students master this rich literary treasure. Speaking of the entire series, Ryken says, "The niche that these volumes are designed to fill is the literary approach to the Bible. This has been my scholarly passion for nearly half a century. It is my belief that a literary approach to the Bible is the common reader's friend, in contract to the more specialized types of scholarship on the Bible."
Download or read book Reading the Bible as Literature written by Jeanie C. Crain and published by Polity. This book was released on 2010-08-09 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides the ideal entry-point to the process of reading, understanding, and assessing what many recognize to be the important and powerful literature of the Bible. The book introduces the tools of literary analysis, including: language and style, the formal structures of genre, character study, and thematic analysis.
Download or read book The Bible and Poetry written by Michael Edwards and published by New York Review of Books. This book was released on 2023-08-15 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fresh, provocative look at the link between poetry and Christianity, both as it relates to the Bible itself as well as to Christian and religious life, by an accomplished scholar. The Bible is full of poems. In the Old Testament, there are the Psalms and the Song of Songs, the great exhortations and lamentations of the Prophets, and passages of poetry woven in throughout. In the New Testament, Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven with poetic epithets such as “a treasure hid in a field,” calling the Son of God “the true vine,” “the light of the world,” “the good shepherd,” and “the way, the truth, and the life.” The Gospels reverberate with allusions to the poetry of the Old Testament; the last book of all is Revelation, a visionary poem. The Bible, in other words, asks to be read poetically from start to end, and yet readers have rarely considered what that might mean, much less heeded that call. In The Bible and Poetry, the poet and scholar Michael Edwards reshapes our understanding of the Bible and religious belief, arguing that poetry is not an ornamental or accidental feature but is central to both. He speaks personally of his early, unanticipated, transformative encounters with scripture. He offers close, insightful, and resonant readings of biblical passages. Poetry, as he sees it, is the vital and necessary medium of the Creator’s word, and the truth of the Bible is not a question of precepts and propositions but of a direct experience of its poetry, its power.
Download or read book Enjoying the Bible written by Matthew Mullins and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2021-01-19 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many Christians view the Bible as an instruction manual. While the Bible does provide instruction, it can also captivate, comfort, delight, shock, and inspire. In short, it elicits emotion--just like poetry. By learning to read and love poetry, says literature professor Matthew Mullins, readers can increase their understanding of the biblical text and learn to love God's Word more. Each chapter includes exercises and questions designed to help readers put the book's principles and practices into action.
Download or read book The Hebrew Bible as Literature A Very Short Introduction written by Tod Linafelt and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2016-04-12 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Hebrew Bible, or Christian Old Testament, contains some of the finest literature that we have. This biblical literature has a place not only in the synagogue or the church but also among the classics of world literature. The stories of Jacob and David, for instance, present the earliest surviving examples of literary characters whose development the reader follows over the length of a lifetime. Elsewhere, as in the books of Esther or Ruth, readers find a snapshot of a particular, fraught moment that will define the character. The Hebrew Bible also provides quite a few high points of lyric poetry, from the praise and lament of the Psalms to the double entendres in the love of poetry of the Song of Songs. In short, the Bible can be celebrated not only as religious literature but, quite simply, as literature. This book offers a thorough and lively introduction to the Bible's two primary literary modes, narrative and poetry, foregrounding the nuances of plot, character, metaphor, structure and design, and intertextual allusions. Tod Linafelt thus gives readers the tools to fully experience and appreciate the Old Testament's literary achievement. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Download or read book Approaching the Bible as Literature written by Thomas E. Schmidt and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2016-04-28 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What do you think the Bible says? How does the way the Bible is written affect its meaning? Here is a concise introduction that invites you to interact with the primary text. Interspersed with brief explanations of biblical background and writing techniques are thought-provoking questions about specific readings with space provided for response. This user-engaging approach is enhanced by its sensitivity to readers across the spectrum of belief, from atheist to devout believer. So whether you come to the subject to satisfy historical interest or to appreciate the artistry of Scripture, Approaching the Bible as Literature will deepen your understanding.
Download or read book The Bible Designed to be Read as Living Literature written by Ernest Sutherland Bates and published by Poseidon Press. This book was released on 1993 with total page 1258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Brief background information precedes each chapter of this King James version of the Bible
Download or read book The Hidden Book in the Bible written by Richard Elliott Friedman and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-06-23 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Renowned biblical sleuth and scholar Richard Elliot Friedman reveals the first work of prose literature in the world-a 3000-year-old epic hidden within the books of the Hebrew Bible. Written by a single, masterful author but obscured by ancient editors and lost for millennia, this brilliant epic of love, deception, war, and redemption is a compelling account of humankind's complex relationship with God. Friedman boldly restores this prose masterpiece-the very heart of the Bible-to the extraordinary form in which it was originally written.
Download or read book The Bible for Students of Literature and Art written by George Bagshawe Harrison and published by Anchor. This book was released on 1964 with total page 612 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
