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Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation  By  cover art

Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation

By: Craig R. Koester, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Craig R. Koester
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Publisher's summary

Rightly recognized as one of the world's most important spiritual texts, the Bible has shaped thousands of years of faith, art, and human history. Yet for all its importance to believers and nonbelievers alike, we rarely engage with the Bible as a collection of unique narratives that were only later united into what we now know as the Old and New Testaments. And these different texts - historical narratives, dramatic visions, poems, songs, letters - speak to a broad range of experience, from joy and wonder to tragedy and mystery.

The diversity of material in biblical books like Exodus, Isaiah, Psalms, Mark, and Revelation has prompted people throughout history (from religious scholars to celebrated artists to everyday worshippers) to ponder and debate the meaning of these classic texts. To truly understand and appreciate the Bible's many perspectives on faith, war, suffering, love, memory, community, and other enduring themes, it is enlightening to use a literary approach to reading and thinking about these separate books.

Enjoy an intellectual adventure like no other in Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation, which offers a comprehensive, book-by-book analysis of the Bible from the fascinating perspective of literature and narrative. Delivered by acclaimed religion scholar Professor Koester of Luther Seminary, these 36 lectures guide you through ancient stories, empowering you to engage with the books of the Bible as richly meaningful texts. From the lives of figures like Moses and King David to the Gospel accounts of Jesus and the formation of the earliest Christian communities, you get an unforgettably vivid sense of the Bible as a tale filled with complex characters, dramatic conflicts, universal themes, inspirational wisdom, hidden meanings, revolutionary crises, and powerful life lessons. No wonder it's considered the greatest story ever told.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2016 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2016 The Great Courses

What listeners say about Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation

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Masterful literary overview

As a literature professor of many decades, and a lifetime biblical scholar, I appreciated this masterful overview of the Bible. It’s disappointing that a few negative reviewers entirely miss the point of a literary study of the most alluded to book in history. It’s a massive task, and this author brings a tremendous amount of knowledge, and if I may, hope to the subject. Bravo.

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really enjoyable

really enjoyed this book and would strongly recommend it to everyone A pulse presentation as well

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4 people found this helpful

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Covers the Bible as literature

I thoroughly enjoyed this presentation and perspective. It is an easy listen, but I recommend not doing too much at a time. It provides a good summary of the many books with historical and religious context. The course recognizes the stories in the Bible as literature. I do not recommend this course for fundamentalists who read the Bible as the literal word of God.

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Wonderful Overview of the Bible

I would highly recommend this lecture series. Prof. Koester gives valuable explanations of the contexts of the various books of the Bible, giving me insights I have not received in other Biblical textbooks or lectures.

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8 people found this helpful

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Well done!

What made the experience of listening to Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation the most enjoyable?

Organized, precise, in depth presentation about the Bible. Well done!

What about Professor Craig R. Koester’s performance did you like?

Calm, organized presentation.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.....best digested by chapter

Any additional comments?

Can he do individual books of the Bible? For instance, the Gospel of John?

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1 person found this helpful

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A great listen!

I really enjoyed this series of lectures. I even laughed quite a few times! The author/narrator does a great job and walks you through the Bible in a way that is informative and enjoyable.

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Well Done! Perfect summary with excellent hist

Perfect summary with excellent historical and theological context. Good experience for all faiths. Delight to listen to.

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12 people found this helpful

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scholarly and listenable

insights made me want to return to the actual texts for more study. professor was credible throughout without seeming dogmatic. Thanks

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9 people found this helpful

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Informational, and very enlightening.

A wonderful perspective to the Book in a non-denominational, non-judgmental way. Highly recommended for the biblical student

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1 person found this helpful

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excellent

a course everyone should listen to whether they are christians or nor. the author/ lecturer helped to the audience to understand the bible in its proper context without all the drama that is today associated with the biblical text. he stripes away the divisiveness that it can engender and helps us to see what the text was really saying, he challenges the listeners to think differently too and that is really good.

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1 person found this helpful