Paul K Hooker

This book is a rendering in poetry of the ancient Christian practice of the Easter Vigil, held over the night between Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. Readings from the vigil become the point of departure for poems that reflect on the reading, and then short prose ""ruminations"" that reflect on themes in the poems. The poems and ruminations are deeply informed by both the Christian story of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus and the great tradition of Jewish and Christian mysticism about the creation and redemption of the world.

These poems seek to be playful with faith. Their aim is to expose the underlying sacredness of events that form the liturgy of living and to do so with sensitivity toward mystery, wonder, and occasionally suspicion. Some of them seek to tell stories left untold by the narratives of faith; others prod the narratives of ordinary life to see where faith may be hiding. These poems do not understand faith as an intellectual choice but rather as an involuntary trust in something beyond us, something always unclear, ill-lit, and inadequately characterized by the language religious people use to describe ultimate realities. They seek not so much to dismantle that language as to subvert its self-assuredness, to find words that surprise and compel different ways of seeing. ""Paul Hooker--a Renaissance man equally at home in the annals of music or political science or the Hebrew Bible or the corpus of Reformed theology or the noble principles of ecclesial polity--has become possessed in recent years by the charm and profundity of poetry. He has accessed a new sanctuary in his heart from which he mines such beautiful insight. I have been honored to hear him read to me much of his material while the ink is still wet. I am glad that now you get to encounter it, too."" --Theodore J. Wardlaw, President, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary ""Paul Hooker stands between the sturdiness of words and order on one hand and on the other the astounding wonders that still haunt this world, despite rumors to the contrary. In Days and Times, Paul receives God's gifts and returns his fitting worship, words wrapped in wonder. Paul teaches us that this economy gifting is not only for professional poets, but for any with eyes to see and ears to hear that God is afoot."" --David F. White, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary ""Paul Hooker writes poetry like a surgeon wields a blade, probing clefts between tenet and myth, perception and proof, human and holy concourse. With stunning precision, he lays bare the viscera of the soul and invites the reader to witness the wonders within. Though he states, 'These skittish truths we harness to our stars come uneasily to words, ' for Paul Hooker, the words flow with urgent grace and must be read."" --Dana Hughes, Professional Interim Pastor in the Presbyterian Church Paul K. Hooker is Associate Dean for Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He is the author of several books and articles in the field of biblical studies, including 1 and 2 Chronicles (Westminster Bible Companion) and A New Chronology for the Kings of Israel and Judah (with John Hayes).

These poems seek to be playful with faith. Their aim is to expose the underlying sacredness of events that form the liturgy of living and to do so with sensitivity toward mystery, wonder, and occasionally suspicion. Some of them seek to tell stories left untold by the narratives of faith; others prod the narratives of ordinary life to see where faith may be hiding. These poems do not understand faith as an intellectual choice but rather as an involuntary trust in something beyond us, something always unclear, ill-lit, and inadequately characterized by the language religious people use to describe ultimate realities. They seek not so much to dismantle that language as to subvert its self-assuredness, to find words that surprise and compel different ways of seeing. ""Paul Hooker--a Renaissance man equally at home in the annals of music or political science or the Hebrew Bible or the corpus of Reformed theology or the noble principles of ecclesial polity--has become possessed in recent years by the charm and profundity of poetry. He has accessed a new sanctuary in his heart from which he mines such beautiful insight. I have been honored to hear him read to me much of his material while the ink is still wet. I am glad that now you get to encounter it, too."" --Theodore J. Wardlaw, President, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary ""Paul Hooker stands between the sturdiness of words and order on one hand and on the other the astounding wonders that still haunt this world, despite rumors to the contrary. In Days and Times, Paul receives God's gifts and returns his fitting worship, words wrapped in wonder. Paul teaches us that this economy gifting is not only for professional poets, but for any with eyes to see and ears to hear that God is afoot."" --David F. White, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary ""Paul Hooker writes poetry like a surgeon wields a blade, probing clefts between tenet and myth, perception and proof, human and holy concourse. With stunning precision, he lays bare the viscera of the soul and invites the reader to witness the wonders within. Though he states, 'These skittish truths we harness to our stars come uneasily to words, ' for Paul Hooker, the words flow with urgent grace and must be read."" --Dana Hughes, Professional Interim Pastor in the Presbyterian Church Paul K. Hooker is Associate Dean for Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He is the author of several books and articles in the field of biblical studies, including 1 and 2 Chronicles (Westminster Bible Companion) and A New Chronology for the Kings of Israel and Judah (with John Hayes).

For generations, scholars have attempted to solve the chronological problems associated with ""the mysterious numbers of the Hebrew kings."" In this volume, the authors provide a coherent, sensible, and believable chronology for the Israelite and Judean kings. In their reconstruction, Hayes and Hooker take into consideration not only all of the biblical data but also all relevant ancient Near Eastern sources. Utilizing all available and reliable evidence, they establish not only regnal years for all the rulers but also specific dates for numerous events in Israelite and Judean history. In their opening chapters, the authors explain the scheme of chronological reckoning found in the books of 1-2 Kings. Their calculations are then computed without recourse to shifting understandings of the methods of reckoning or to a theory of co-regencies. The value of this work is not limited to purely chronological matters. Its implications extend to the dating of biblical sources such as the Book of the Covenant, D, P, and the Deuteronomistic History. The volume also provides insights into the socio-cultic life of biblical times. ."" . . a lucid, carefully constructed new chronology . . . packed with fresh ideas and daring proposals . . . offering dates for many of the major events in the life of Israel and Judah, setting these events in their international context . . . making much more precise than is customary the dates of the biblical events."" - - Walter Harrelson, Vanderbilt University John H. Hayes is Professor of Old Testament at Emory University's Candler School of Theology. He is also the author of Understanding the Psalms and coauthor of A History of Ancient Israel and Judah (2006). Paul K. Hooker is an ordained Presbyterian minister and currently Executive Presbyter, Presbytery of St. Augustine, Jacksonville, Florida.

Presents the first and second Chronicles as a theological reflection on the story of Israel's faith, using the narrative of Samuel and Kings, reaffirming Israel's position as the chosen people of God, and tracing the role of worship in Israel's history as a nation. Original.