Bible Characters

Talmage, T. De Witt (Thomas De Witt), 1832-1902Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 698K words
Chapters: 70

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. Bible Characters by Dwight Lyman Moody, Joseph Parker, and T. De Witt Talmage. Author: Talmage, T. De Witt (Thomas De Witt), 1832-1902. Language: English. Class: BS: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity: The Bible, Old and New Testament. Release Date: May 17, 2017

Editor's review

This volume gathers sermons by three renowned nineteenth-century British and American preachers—Moody, Parker, and Talmage—taking biblical figures as their thread. Its value lies in capturing the typical character of popular religious preaching of that era: using personality and fate as entry points, it turns scripture into moral exhortation that can act directly on listeners' lives. Talmage and the others favor vivid description and dramatic development, so the rhythm of live preaching comes through easily. For readers studying homiletic literature, religious rhetoric, or nineteenth-century Anglo-American religious life, it is a usable primary text; for general readers, it also serves as a sample of how biblical character narratives were interpreted. It is best read as a historical text rather than a systematic theological treatise, noting the era's context and individual views.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying nineteenth-century homiletic literature and religious rhetoric
Readers interested in how biblical figures are interpreted in popular sermons
Readers interested in the history of Anglo-American religious life and popular preaching
General readers who wish to survey biblical narrative through its figures

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking systematic theology or scholarly commentary
Readers expecting modern biblical scholarship and critical methods
Purely literary readers with no interest in the sermon genre

Reading tips

Read by figure, choosing one at a time, and note how each sermon moves from character to lesson.
Record the metaphors and scene descriptions used, observing the rhetorical strategy.
If familiar with the biblical text, compare the scripture behind each sermon with its interpretation.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this a systematic theology book?

No. It is a collection of sermons by three preachers on biblical figures, emphasizing moral exhortation and vivid interpretation rather than systematic theological argument. Readers wanting dogmatics or commentaries should choose specialized works; those wanting to understand nineteenth-century popular preaching style will find this book more suitable.

How do the three authors' styles differ?

The available information confirms only that Moody, Parker, and Talmage are jointly credited; specific attribution of each piece requires consulting the original table of contents. Generally, Moody emphasizes direct exhortation, Parker is known for literary expression and thought, and Talmage for vivid description; when reading, check the contents first, then compare each piece's style.

Can I read it without biblical background?

Yes, but understanding will be reduced. The sermons center on specific figures; without basic familiarity with their stories, it may be hard to grasp the turns and intent of a sermon. It is advisable to read summaries of the relevant biblical figures first, or begin with better-known figures and gradually expand.

Comments

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About the author

Talmage, T. De Witt (Thomas De Witt), 1832-1902 Author

T. De Witt Talmage (Thomas De Witt Talmage, 1832–1902) was a well-known nineteenth-century American preacher and religious writer. Public information about him is limited, and the details of his life are difficult to verify, but the five works held in the collection reveal the focus of his writing. He was concerned with the character and fate of biblical figures, as shown in Bible Characters; New Tabernacle Sermons reflects the publication of his sermons in book form; The Wedding Ring deals with marriage and family ethics; and The Abominations of Modern Society offers criticism of the social customs of his day. Another work, T. De Witt Talmage as I Knew Him, records his words and deeds as remembered by those close to him. His writing has a strong sermonic tone, with plain argument and abundant examples, addressed to ordinary believers, and it found a readership among the religious literature of his time.