Isaac Watts' 'A Short Essay Toward the Improvement of Psalmody' is a groundbreaking work that revolutionized English hymnody in the 18th century. Watts utilizes a scholarly approach to hymnody, providing critical analysis on the limitations of psalm singing and proposing innovative ways to enhance congregational worship through the creation of original hymns. As a prominent figure in the Enlightenment era, Watts emphasizes the importance of creativity and individual expression in religious music, paving the way for future hymn writers. His eloquent writing style and profound theological insights make this book a must-read for scholars of religious poetry and music history. Watts' work marks a significant shift in the way Christians engage with music in worship, influencing generations of hymn writers and composers. 'A Short Essay Toward the Improvement of Psalmody' serves as a timeless guide for those seeking to deepen their understanding of the intersection between faith and artistic expression.

Horgan analyses the importance of songs in British eighteenth-century culture with specific reference to their political meaning. Using an interdisciplinary methodology, combining the perspectives of literary studies and cultural history, the utilitarian power of songs emerges across four major case studies.

In the first full-length study of Christopher Smart’s translations and the place and function of translation in Smart’s poetry, Rosalind Powell proposes a new approach to understanding the relationship between Smart’s poetics and his practice. Drawing on translation theory from the early modern period to the present day, this book addresses Smart's translations of Horace, Phaedrus and the Psalms alongside the better-known religious works such as Jubilate Agno and A Song to David. Five recurrent threads run throughout Powell’s study: the effect of translation on the identity of a narrative voice in a rewritten text; the techniques that are used to present translated texts to a new literary, cultural and linguistic readership; performance and reading contexts; the translation of great works as an attempt to achieve literary permanence; and, finally, the authorial influence of Smart himself in terms of the overt religiosity and nationalism that he champions in his writing. In exploring Smart’s major translation projects and revisiting his original poems, Powell offers insights into classical reception and translation theory; attitudes towards censorship; expressions of nationalism in the period; developments in liturgy and hymnody; and the composition of children’s books and school texts in the early modern era. Her detailed analysis of Smart’s translating poetics places them within a new, contemporary context and locality to uncover the poet's works as a coherent project of Englishing.

In "Christian Hymns of the First Three Centuries" by Ruth Ellis Messenger, readers are presented with a comprehensive collection of early Christian hymns dating back to the first three centuries of Christianity. Messenger meticulously examines the lyrical content and musical structure of these hymns, shedding light on the rich literary tradition of early Christian worship. This book provides a valuable resource for scholars and enthusiasts of early Christian literature, offering a unique insight into the religious fervor and spiritual expression of the early church. Messenger's scholarly approach delves into the historical and cultural context of each hymn, providing a deeper understanding of the theological themes and poetic devices employed by the earliest Christian poets. Her meticulous research and thorough analysis make this book an essential addition to any library of early Christian texts. Ruth Ellis Messenger, with her background in ancient languages and religious studies, brings a wealth of expertise to this study of early Christian hymnody. Her passion for the subject is evident in the thoroughness of her research and the clarity of her analysis. Readers who are interested in the origins of Christian liturgy and the development of Christian worship practices will find "Christian Hymns of the First Three Centuries" to be a valuable and enlightening read.

While many evangelical congregations have moved away from hymns and hymnals, these were once central fixtures in the evangelical tradition. This book examines the role and importance of hymns in evangelicalism, not only as a part of worship but as tools for theological instruction, as a means to identity formation, and as records of past spiritual experiences of the believing community. Written by knowledgeable church historians, Wonderful Words of Life explores the significance of hymn-singing in many dimensions of American Protestant and evangelical life. The book focuses mainly on church life in the United States but also discusses the foundational contributions of Isaac Watts and other British hymn writers, the use of gospel songs in English Canada, and the powerful attraction of African-American gospel music for whites of several religious persuasions. Includes appendixes on the American Protestant Hymn Project and on hymns in Roman Catholic hymnals. Contributors: Susan Wise Bauer Thomas E. Bergler Virginia Lieson Brereton Esther Rothenbusch Crookshank Kevin Kee Richard J. Mouw Mark A. Noll Felicia Piscitelli Robert A. Schneider Rochelle A. Stackhouse Jeffrey VanderWilt

Heaven in Ordinary is like a love affair with poetry that engages with religious questions, for good or ill, concerned with five poets who are haunted by God. Poets, in times of great faith and times of doubt, have expressed for us their sense of both the presence and absence of God in language that is sometimes almost sacramental in its weight of beauty, love, fear, anger or despair. The poets considered in this book all relate, in some way, to the traditions of Anglicanism through the centuries. They reflect both a common humanity and a wide breadth of human experience as it is anguished by God and the divine mystery. The work is deliberately autobiographical in approach, inasmuch as it is grounded in David Jasper’s own lifetime experience of reading poetry since his school years, and over four decades as an Anglican priest. All the poets here represented reflect an Anglican background, but they are not simply ‘religious’ poets: they are poets who have related both positively and negatively to the Christian faith and to the Anglican tradition. Some are deeply religious, others are haunted by God but fight against it. These are poets with whom one might live and explore matters of faith in both joy and struggle.