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: Forbidden fruit
Picture copyright: V. Gilbert and Arlisle F. Beers
And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17)
When we say that someone has eaten a forbidden fruit, it is generally referred to the taste of something tempting but immoral. Sometimes, it refers to the first taste of sex.
What is a forbidden fruit? In the beginning of creation, God asked Adam not to eat from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, “for when you eat of it you will surely die.” (Gen 2:17) Adam and his wife Eve did not take heed, and after the first bite, their knowledge began and realized that they were naked. They felt ashamed of their exposure and since then, human beings made coverings for themselves.
The forbidden fruit has been described as an apple in a lot of paintings and literary works since the late Middle Ages. In Paradise Lost, John Milton writes, “Good and evil we know in the field of this world grow up together almost inseparably…It was from out the rind of one apple tasted, that the knowledge of good and evil, as two twins cleaving together, leaped forth into the world”. But according to the bible, the type of fruit is not specifically spelt out.
forbidden fruit immoral knowledge love sex
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.
