Called By God Stories from the Jewish and Christian Bibles

Called by God tells of the life and work of thirty characters in the Bible who were convinced that they had received a divine calling. The author, a well-known poet and former lecturer in Religious Studies, has set these stories in a modern verse style, and in accessible language. The text brings out, in a poetic and highly readable way, the personal thoughts and tribulations of the characters as they seek to fulfil God's command and to follow the path of their vocation. While the text follows the Old Testament and Jewish biblical narratives, it adds dimensions of poetic license to bring out the characterization of the personalities and their stories in a way that highlights their conviction that God supports them in all their activities. Essentially, the text is a celebration of the imaginative powers and insight of these characters, achieved through a structured, rhythmical, poetic verse form. The book is an ideal introduction to the Old Testament stories, and can be used for teaching purposes prior to reading the Bible proper, or as verse prose in their own right. These beautifully written stories introduce the reader to characters who have left their mark upon biblical history. The text, which does not lose sight of the narrative form of the biblical originals, includes interpretations of the thoughts of the classical prophets of Ancient Israel.