The Poetry Of The Bible

What is poetry?

Poetry is the calcification of thought and feelings, emotion and energy, observations and objections,opinions and oscillations given expression and being. Crafted and caressed into the cast of alphabets, tense, syntax and elegant device, these obscure ephemeral energies become solid, they become distinct, they become words.

These words are then sewn together with great care and precision, beaten, shaped and sharpened into iron cast sentences to cut at issues and capture intuitions eloquently. These are used as the bricks to erect what we call poems as monuments to the to and fro of our everyday lives, the lives of others, the world we live in and the universe it lives in. Put another way, poetry is human expression given form in the written word.

What is the bible?

The Bible is less of a book and more of a compendium with a dense hyperlinked spiritual through-line. The books present as historical, political, educational, philosophical, romantic and poetic and often combine all of these themes.These books combine to tell one story of God's redemption of humanity. Put another way, the Bible is God's holy and living expression given form in the written word.

What is this workshop?

This workshop is an exploration of the 6 poetic books of the bible. 

My aim here is to examine and provide you with the context of each book, looking at the time period they were written, in some cases the personal circumstances of the writer and unpack the literary devices, the emotive themes and other elements present in these writings.

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SECTIONS

Inspiration,POETIC DEVICE AND SELECT POEMS

This section is an explanation and discussion about where inspiration flows from. The authors of these poetic books, their style, poetic use of language, as well as the context they're written in. 

(Writing activity to write in the style of one of these authors)

Lost in translation, found in revelation 

Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek and Latin. The English language is limited and therefore our perception of what is communicated is to a degree, limited in its poignancy and weight. Discovering the richness of a poem written in its original language captures the purest essence, meaning and potency of what the author is trying to communicate.

I travel through a history of translation, looking at historical figures, interpretation and revelation of text to arrive at the core meaning of these texts apart and together, as one linking narrative with a thematic beautiful through line.

(Writing activity to translate a phrase or sentence from one language to another whilst attempting to hold onto  the weight of meaning)

The Bible as The Living Word

A book that reads you and therefore has the ability to reveal understanding and depth and reveal glory (worth). In this section I look at the poetic poignancy of these texts. I examine them as a life affirming mirror, that communicates challenges and triumphs that resonate with and parallel our own. 

(A writing activity to craft a piece of writing that examines the reader or gets them to reflect,)

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ACTIVITIES 

Write a Psalm

Write a proverb

Write a song

Write a lamentation

Write an ecclesiastical musing

Ask God a question 

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FREEBIES

FREE eBook of poetry worth £15

Optional 30 min Activity Consultation