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
今天, 市面流行的英文圣经版本包括The Living Translation (1971年),它是由American Standard Version（1901）按照现代英语修订而成;The Good News Bible (1976)-由现代美国圣经学会（American Bible Society）出版,行文浅白易懂。而 New International Version (1978)所使用的英语，则介于King James Bible和浅白的Good News Bible之间。
关于英文圣经译本的大事年表
威克里夫(Wycliffe)圣经
按历史学家的说法, 威克里夫不是最早的英文圣经翻译者,但却绝对是那个时期最有影响力的圣经翻译者.。
对于威克里夫及他的同工,最重要是将圣经翻译成适合普罗大众的浅白英语。
他们的圣经以手抄本的形式广泛流传,被罗马天主教会认为是异端。
尽管威克里夫译本在当时影响深远,但当时的英语已难以为现代读者所识别。
当时的英语是这样的：
在马太福音第五章第四节， Blessed ben thei that mornen, for they schulen be coumfortid (新国际版:哀恸的人有福了!因为他们必得安慰!)
Blessed ben mylde men, for they schulen welde the erthe (新国际版:温柔的人有福了!因为他们必承受地土!)
马太福音第七章第一节: Nile ye deme, that ye be not demed (新国际版:你们不要论断人,免得你们被论断.)
在这个译本中首次出现的词有: “wordy”、“zeal”、“persuasion”
丁道尔（Tyndale）圣经
丁道尔(William Tyndale) (1494-1546)首次把整本圣经翻译成英文原版。
1515年丁道尔于牛津大学毕业，并取得硕士学位。
他精通八种语言，包括希伯来语和希腊语，他希望把圣经翻译成连“耕犁的小伙”也可读得懂的语言。
1536年他因为翻译英文圣经而被判死罪，他说的最后一句话是“主啊，请睁开英格兰国王的眼睛吧”
他死后三年，即1539年，英王亨利八世钦订由科弗戴尔编订的 Great Bible（大本圣经），当中收录了丁道尔的翻译。Great Bible是第一本由英王御准使用作普及用途的英文圣经。
丁道尔版所用的英语较为接近现代的英语：
在马太福音第五章第四节：Blessed are they that morne, for they shalbe comforted（哀恸的人有福了!因为他们必得安慰!）
“Blessed are the meke: for they shall inherit the erth.” Blessed are the meke: for they shall inherit the erth.（温柔的人有福了!因为他们必承受地土!）
马太福音第七章第一节: “Iudge not lest ye be iudged” Iudge not lest ye be iudged （你们不要论断人,免得你们被论断）
在这一译本中首次出现的词语和习语有：“stiff-necked”, “Eat, drink and be merry”, “double-edged sword”
Some verses in Shakespeare are directly taken from the Bible. Let’s look at these parallels:
Malless, Stanley and Jeffrey McQuain. Coined by God : words and phrases that first appear in the English translations of the Bible. New York : W.W. Norton, 2003.
Daniell, David. The Bible in English: Its History and Influence. Yale University Press, 2003
Search idiom or name
FIND THE ORIGIN OF IDIOMS
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.
