This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. This fascinating, informed guide to Handel's Messiah shows how the oratorio's text constitutes a magnificent theological statement in artistic form. Taking the fifty-three sections of the score in sequence, Roger Bullard explains each part of the oratorio text in terms of (1) how the language differs from the King James Version of the Bible or the Book of Common Prayer, (2) what the passage of Scripture meant in its original context and how it contributes to the Christian message, and (3) how the citation fits in the artistic and religious structure of the oratorio as a whole. Bullard's guidebook will help performers and listeners alike to appreciate Handel's choral masterpiece even more.