The discourse of prayer responds to the abiding lure of transcendence. From Gilgamesh to the primordial human beings in Eden to Odysseus, the quest for ultimate truths has summoned forth all manner of human effort. In this volume, Samuel E. Balentine shows how inviting, let alone commanding God to speak may be the "acme of bardic pretention," but in the ancient world such transgression characterizes the audacity of prayer.

Autorentext
Born 1950; Professor of Old Testament Emeritus at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, VA.

Inhalt
Part I. The God of Prayer: "I Am Not a Human Being"
1. Isaiah 45: God's "I Am," Israel's "You Are"

2. "I Am a god and Not a Human Being": The Divine Dilemma in Hosea

3. Written on the Heart, Erased from the Mind: Rewriting Moral Agency in Jeremiah

   Part II. Enthroned on the Praises, Laments, and Penitence of Israel
   4. Enthroned on the Praises and Laments of Israel

4. Jeremiah, Prophet of Prayer
5. The Prophet as Intercessor: A Reassessment
6. My Servant Job Will Pray for You

7. "I Was Ready to Be Sought Out by Those Who Did Not Ask"

   Part III. Prayer as a Vehicle of Theodicy
   9. Prayer in the Wilderness Traditions: In Pursuit of Divine Justice

8. Prayers for Justice in the Old Testament: Theodicy and Theology

9. "You Can't Pray a Lie:" Truth and Fiction in the Prayers of Chronicles

   Part IV. Preaching and Praying the Prayers of the Hebrew Bible
   12. Preaching the Prayers of the Old Testament

10. "Turn O Lord! How Long?"

11. Praying East of Eden

    Part V. Retrospectives and Prospectives
    15. Prayer in the Hebrew Bible: Retrospectives and Prospectives