Oral Reading of the Scriptures

From the author's Introduction: This book is for anybody with some acquaintance with the Bible who finds that acquaintance pleasurable and the sharing of biblical reading with others a satisfying and challenging experience. Some attention is given to the reader's use of voice and body, since voice and body make up the twofold instrument through which we reach one another. The Bible, like all good literature, must be read aloud to realize its full potential. Our voices serve us to achieve verbal communication with others, and our bodies give out equally important nonverbal signals to our listeners. The chapters deal with the literary qualities that are characteristic of the various types of writing abounding within the Bible and with the fostering of a deeper comprehension and fuller appreciation of the literature when read aloud, whether for one's own pleasure or that of one's listeners. The approach then, is to the demands of the page before us, not to what has always been said about the page. Samples for analysis and discussion have been drawn from numerous versions, including the King James, The Torah, The Revised American, The Anchor Bible, The New English Bible and the Jerusalem Bible. They were selected for their literary interest.