The Bible is obviously not a prayer book in the more commonly understood sense of that term, though one of its books, Psalms, has been used as a treasury of prayers down the ages. However, it does contain a great many prayer texts outside Psalms, and other passages describe how central biblical figures pray, even if they give no indication of the content of their prayers.

Here Professor Clements examines the nature of prayer in the Bible, not least the question whether prayer was felt to be something that anyone could engage in or whether the help of priest or minister was needed in an approach to God. He then goes on to study the texts of more than twenty extended prayers, from Abraham to the Book of Revelation.

Here are prayers attributed to Moses and Hannah, David and Solomon, Jeremiah and Ezra, Job and Daniel, Mary and Simeon, Jesus and Paul. Discussion of them not only opens up many of the concerns of contemporary biblical criticism, but also shows how study of devotional texts, like studies of art or music, can open our eyes to new riches and make words speak at a deeper level than before.