The Bible has been the most influential text in all of Western culture. It's difficult to understand medieval or early modern or much of modern literature without knowing it...
Prof. Barbara Newman, Northwestern University
from 2006 Bible Literary project
It's not that it's impossible to read some writers without a Biblical background, but that you would miss a whole dimension to their work.
Prof. Steven Goldsmith, University of California at Berkeley
from 2006 Bible Literary Project
I can only say that if a student doesn't know any Bible literature, he or she will simply not understand whole elements of Shakespeare, Sidney, Spenser, Milton, Pope, Wordsworth
Prof. Robert Kiely, Harvard University
from 2006 Bible Literary Project
...there is truth in the remark. "without Tyndale[Bible translator], no Shakespeare"...
Prof. David Daniell, University College London
from The Bible in English
You can't really study Western literature intelligently or coherently without starting with the Bible.
Prof. Gerald L. Bruns, University of Notre Dame
from 2006 Bible Literary Project
...a familiar understanding of Christian doctrine in historical perspective thus contributes to a fuller appreciation of Shakespeare's art, but Shakespeare's art
Prof. Roland M. Frye
from Shakespeare and the Christian Doctrine
In English tradition and also for an American tradition begun by Puritan writers, a knowledge of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament is even more crucial than classical references.
Prof. Ulrich Knoefplmacher, Princeton University
from 2006 Bible Literary Project
There is no book more important for our culture than the Bible, and it is fundametal to the study of English literature and language.
Prof. David Jasper and Prof. Stephen Prickett
from the Bible and literature
图片说明： Adam
图片版权： V.
“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19) “你必汗流满面才得糊口，直到你归了土，因为你本是从土而出的。你本是尘土，仍要归于尘土。”（创3：19）
Sweat of your brow表示艰辛的劳动。
当亚当和夏娃偷吃了禁果后，他们被逐出伊甸园。自此，男人必汗流满面才得糊口。上帝对亚当说，“你必汗流满面才得糊口，直到你归了土，因为你本是从土而出的。你本是尘土，仍要归于尘土。”Sweat of your brow表示艰辛的劳动。 sweat of your brow这个英语成语其实源自希伯来圣经中的“sweat of your nose”但是不知道为什么就会把鼻子换成了眉毛的说法。可能是因为鼻子寓意不好所以委婉地改成了眉毛。 “Sweat of Your Brow”是Jully Black在2005年发行的首张专辑《这就是我》中的第二首单曲名字，在加拿大曾一度流行。
Sometimes, the sweat of your brow isn’t enough to get you good pay at work. 有时候，辛劳工作不一定与报酬成正比。
NIV official site
Chinese Bible (???)
英语中许多习语都源于圣经，比如"Two edged sword 双刃剑","an eye for an eye 以眼还眼"，学习这些成语故事不但有趣，而且还能扩大你的词汇量。点击这里学习更多的成语故事吧。
