First Testament Profiles in Poetry is a companion volume to New Testament Profiles in Poetry published in 2023. By comparison with the New Testament, the First Testament (or Old Testament) is much less often read and therefore less known. This manuscript features the main actors in the story of the people of God, before Jesus came to earth. There are one hundred biblical people profiled in this book. Many of their individual stories express what God is saying to humanity as a whole. Each person tells their story in their own words. With a little imagination, join them in building an ark, facing a powerful king, battling against great odds, administering justice, and listening to God’s voice. These people from ancient times have much to share with a modern audience. We may live a millennia or three later, but we face the same issues today. Poetry is the medium of communication, the vehicle for people to tell their stories succinctly and interestingly. Enjoy seeing through the eyes of patriarchs, judges, kings, prophets, and the Apocrypha.

The poetic books of the Old Testament--Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon--are often called humankind's reach toward God. The other books of the Old Testament picture God's reach toward man through the redemptive story. Yet these five books reveal the very hear of men and women struggling with monumental issues such as suffering, sin, forgiveness, joy, worship, and the passionate love between a man and woman. C. Hassell Bullock, a noted Old Testament scholar, delves deep into the hearts of the five poetic books, offering readers helpful details such as harmeneutical considerations for each book, theological content and themes, detailed analysis of each book, and cultural perspectives. Hebrew is a language of "intrinsic musical quality that naturally supports poetic expression," says Bullock in his introduction. That poetic expression comes from the heart of the Old Testament writers and reaches all of us exactly where we are in our own struggles and joys.

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.

Do you ever wonder if there is a simpler or more interesting way to learn about the Bible? In "The Bible in Poetry," the books of the Bible are condensed into concise, enjoyable and easy-to-read poems. Enjoy biblical teachings in simple, beautifully-written poems.

This vol ume by the author of “The Bible in Verse” has each of the people who feature in the story of Jesus’ ministry give their own perspective of what it was like to walk and talk with Jesus, or to lead the church in the first century. There were thirteen disciples, and many such as Paul, Barnabas, Luke and Silas who led the early church. There were also angels who conveyed messages from God, and men who opposed Jesus. Some Romans believed Jesus was the Son of God, others persecuted and killed Christians. Among the most grateful for the life of Jesus were the many he healed of recent or lifelong diseases and infirmities, or even death. It was the most transformative day of their lives. No other person has impacted human life and history more than Jesus. See him through the eyes of those who knew him best!

Written for pastors with a relatively elementary knowledge of the Old Testament. Includes accounts of how this portion of the Bible has been interpreted throughout history. Easily incorporated into individual sermons.

“The vividness and beauty of the language emerge in a fresh way . . . with evocative simplicity.” —Robert Alter, professor emeritus of Hebrew and comparative literature, University of California, Berkeley The world’s greatest poetry resides in the Bible, yet these major poets are traditionally rendered into prose. In this pioneering volume of biblical poets translated in English, Willis Barnstone restores the lyricism and power of the poets’ voices in both the New and Old Testaments. In the Hebrew Bible we hear Solomon rhapsodize in Song of Songs, David chant in Psalms, God and Job debate in grand rhetoric, and prophet poet Isaiah plead for peace. Jesus speaks in wisdom verse in the Gospel, Paul is a philosopher of love, and John of Patmos roars majestically in Revelation, the Bible’s epic poem. This groundbreaking volume includes every major biblical poem from Genesis and Adam and Eve in the Garden to the last pages of Alpha and Omega in Paradise.