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
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“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.” (Matthew 23:27) “你們這假冒偽善的文士和法利賽人有禍了！因為你們好像粉飾的墳墓，外面好看，裡面卻裝滿了死人的骨頭和一切的污穢。” （馬太福音23：27）
Whited sepulcher是偽君子的意思。
耶穌警告眾人和他的門徒要小心法利賽人與律法師的虛偽行徑。他用“whited sepulchres來形容他們的“hypocrisy”(虛偽)。 Whited sepulchres是指粉飾一新的墳墓，外面雖裝飾著漂亮的鮮花和豐碑，但里面卻是污穢一團。在那時，法利賽人和律法師倍受尊敬，他們的額頭上似乎寫著經文，他們的臂彎也隨身攜帶著經文，即便如此，他們卻從不按他們鼓吹的那樣做，他們內心墮落而虛偽。耶穌說這些偽君子，是應受到譴責。
NIV official site
Chinese Bible (???)
英語中許多習語都源於聖經,比如"two edged sword(雙刃劍)","an eye for an eye(以眼還眼)",學習這些成語故事不但有趣,而且還能擴大你的詞彙量,點擊這裡學習更多的成語故事吧
