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
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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
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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
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...there is truth in the remark. "without Tyndale[Bible translator], no Shakespeare"...
Prof. David Daniell, University College London from The Bible in English
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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
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...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
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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
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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
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” (Genesis 1:26)
meaning
Son of Adam is referred to mankind in general and man in the specific.
origin and application
Adam is the first person created by God in the order of creation. Adam was created on the sixth day after the plants and animals were created so that mankind had food to eat. Originally, the Hebrew word for Adam is Ha’adam, meaning “earthling”. God formed Adam from the dust of the earth, who came to life after God breathed life into its nostrils. After the first generation of man and woman came generations of their offspring. Son of Adam is referred to mankind in general and man in the specific. In The Chronicles of Narnia written by C.S. Lewis, the four children who penetrated the land of Narnia are called sons of Adam and daughters of Eve.
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!
Common names such as Joseph and Rachel have their origins in the Bible. Want to know their stories before picking the right name for yourself? Click here to find out.