September 1, 2006

MINNEAPOLIS – Fortress Press is happy to announce the release of Like Fire in the Bones: Listening for the Prophetic Word in Jeremiah, a collection of essays by Walter Brueggemann, edited by Patrick D. Miller.

"Brueggemann is unabashed about overlaying his careful reading of texts with powerful claims about their significance for our lives. He is unable to speak about them simply as ancient words. Indeed, while he seeks to uncover the resonance of the texts with their times and circumstances, that is finally only in order to convey the powerful and often abrasive impact of these texts on our times and circumstances. He never quits preaching and is always meddling. That was Jeremiah's way. So what choices does the interpreter have? I think Brueggemann is right. The only thing that matters about the prophetic word is its relevance." – From the Foreword

"No scholar of this generation has had a greater fire in his bones for communicating the word of God than Walter Brueggemann. These essays on Jeremiah exemplify his insistence that criticism should lead to interpretation, and remind us again why prophets like Jeremiah still matter in the 21st century." – John J. Collins, Holmes Professor of Old Testament, Yale University.

"Like Fire in the Bones is a gift to the churches and to anyone interested in prophetic literature with its harsh rhetoric, blazing visions, and demanding yet merciful God. Jeremiah may have had fire in his bones, but Brueggemann sets fires with his pen. He shows how Jeremiah speaks into the abyss of historical catastrophe with speech that matches experience. He underlines the disputatious political character of theological speech. He reiterates Jeremiah's call to covenant loyalty even in the face of religious and government forces that suppress and silence words of life. He illuminates Jeremiah's bare-boned hope for a world in the thrall of empire and social amnesia. If ever there was need for imaginative rereading of Jeremiah and of the texts of common life, it is now. At this, Brueggemann is a master." – Kathleen M. O'Connor, William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary.

"Jeremiah, the longest book in the Bible, is neglected much too often by preacher and teacher alike. That neglect is due, in significant part, to the prophet's often-sharp words that strike too close to home, in his own generation and in ours. It is telling that the prophet Jeremiah, the focus of these essays that span much of Walter Brueggemann's prophetic ministry, has been in his head and heart for such a long time. Again and again, Brueggemann's own words have mirrored Jeremiah to us, and the times in which we presently live could profit from hearing them again." – Terence E. Fretheim, Elva B. Lovell Professor of Old Testament, Luther Seminary.

Walter Brueggemann is Emeritus Professor of Old Testament in the William McPheeters chair at Columbia Theological Seminary (Decatur, Georgia). He is the author of numerous Fortress Press books on Old Testament theology including the award-winning Theology of the Old Testament: Testimony, Dispute, Advocacy (Fortress Press, 1997), The Land: Place as Gift (2002), David's Truth in Israel's Imagination and Memory, 2nd ed. (2002), and The Prophetic Imagination, rev. ed. (2001) He is a widely sought-after preacher, teacher, and lecturer.

Patrick D. Miller is the Emeritus Professor of Old Testament Theology in the Charles T. Haley Chair at Princeton Theological Seminary. His Fortress Press books include Interpreting the Psalms (1986), The Cried to the Lord: The Form and Theology of Biblical Prayer (1994), and The God You Have: Politics, Religion, and the First Commandments (Facets, 2004).

Like Fire in the Bones: Listening for the Prophetic Word in Jeremiah, By Walter Brueggemann, Format: 6" x 9," hardcover, 256 pages, Item Number: 0-8006-3561-2, Price: $35.00.

To order Like Fire in the Bones please call Fortress Press at 1-800-328-4648 or visit the Web site at http://www.fortresspress.com/.

Fortress Press