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, 市面流行的英文聖經版本包括The Living Translation (1971年),它是由American Standard Version（1901）按照現代英語修訂而成;The Good News Bible (1976)-由現代美國聖經學會（American Bible Society）出版,行文淺白易懂。而 New International Version (1978)所使用的英語，則介於King James Bible和淺白的Good News Bible之間。
影響後世的早期聖經翻譯
威克裏夫(Wycliffe)聖經
按歷史學家的說法, 威克裏夫不是最早的英文聖經翻譯者,但卻絕對是那個時期最有影響力的聖經翻譯者.。
對於威克裏夫及他的同工,最重要是將聖經翻譯成適合普羅大眾的淺白英語。
他們的聖經以手抄本的形式廣泛流傳,被羅馬天主教會認為是異端。
盡管威克裏夫譯本在當時影響深遠,但當時的英語已難以為現代讀者所識別。
當時的英語是這樣的:
在馬太福音第五章第四節， Blessed ben thei that mornen, for they schulen be coumfortid (新國際版:哀慟的人有福了!因為他們必得安慰!)
Blessed ben mylde men, for they schulen welde the erthe (新國際版:溫柔的人有福了!因為他們必承受地土!)
馬太福音第七章第壹節: Nile ye deme, that ye be not demed (新國際版:妳們不要論斷人,免得妳們被論斷.)
在這個譯本中首次出現的詞有: “wordy”、“zeal”、“persuasion”
丁道爾（Tyndale）聖經
丁道爾(William Tyndale) (1494-1546)首次把整本聖經翻譯成英文原版。
1515年丁道爾於牛津大學畢業，並取得碩士學位。
他精通八種語言，包括希伯來語和希臘語，他希望把聖經翻譯成連“耕犁的小夥”也可讀得懂的語言。
1536年他因為翻譯英文聖經而被判死罪，他說的最後壹句話是“主啊，請睜開英格蘭國王的眼睛吧”
他死後三年，即1539年，英王亨利八世欽訂由科弗戴爾編訂的 Great Bible（大本聖經），當中收錄了丁道爾的翻譯。Great Bible是第壹本由英王禦準使用作普及用途的英文聖經。
丁道爾版所用的英語較為接近現代的英語：
在馬太福音第五章第四節：Blessed are they that morne, for they shalbe comforted（哀慟的人有福了!因為他們必得安慰!）
“Blessed are the meke: for they shall inherit the erth.” Blessed are the meke: for they shall inherit the erth.（溫柔的人有福了!因為他們必承受地土!）
馬太福音第七章第壹節: “Iudge not lest ye be iudged” Iudge not lest ye be iudged （妳們不要論斷人,免得妳們被論斷）
在這壹譯本中首次出現的詞語和習語有：“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
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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.
