An Invitation to Biblical Poetry

An Invitation to Biblical Poetry is an introduction to the aesthetic dimensions of the ancient poetry of the Bible. It argues that, as art, biblical poems engage their readers in embodied encounters that accomplish intellectual work. It examines how this is achieved through the poems' various techniques of voicing and address, lines, formal patterns, figures such as metaphor, personification, and symbol, and the crucial but elusive dimensions of historical and readerly context. Its broad survey of biblical poetry and accessible style will benefit anyone interested in becoming a better reader of poetry.

Elaine James is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey. She studies the ancient literature of the Bible with particular attention to its aesthetic and ecological dimensions.

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1: Voices
Emotion
Ascription and Authorship
Multiplicity and Dialogue
Prophetic Voicing
Gender
Psalm 55: A Reading
Chapter 2: Lines
Parallelism
Enjambment
Psalm 19: A Reading
Chapter 3: Forms
Terms
Hymns
Laments
Love Poems
Parody
Acrostic
Psalm 119: A Reading
Chapter 4: Figures
Metaphor and Simile
Personification and Anthropomorphism
Metaphors for the Deity
Symbols
Psalm 65: A Reading
Chapter 5: Contexts
Three Worlds of the Text
Worlds Behind the Text
Allusion
Prophetic Poetry's Refusals
The Poetry of Exile
Psalm 137: A Reading
Conclusion
Index