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
Picture description: Cemetery in Manila, Philippines
Picture copyright: V. Gilbert and Arlisle F. Beers
“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.” (Gen 3:19)
In the Burial section of the first English Book of Common Prayer completed in 1548 is this line: “Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” This phrase does not come directly from the Bible, though it is derived from it.
In funerals where burial is practiced, bodies are buried in the ground because this is where we come from according to the Bible. God created Adam from dust. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil which God forbade, God banished them from the Garden of Eden. Since then, people could no longer enjoy the free fruit in the garden but now need to work hard in search of food. This is what God said to Adam, “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.” (Gen 3:19)
NIV official site
Chinese Bible (???)
A lot of phrases, such as "two-edged sword" and " an eye for an eye", are taken from the English Bible. Learning the stories behind these idioms is fun, and can help boost your vocabulary. Click here to find out now!
This website is your perfect companion for looking up idioms and names originated from the Bible. You can sort it by alphabetical order or by the book in the Bible.
