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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

Get Involved in…

Website

SELBL is a volunteer-based, non-profit organization. 

The making of this website is totally a volunteer project – from writing the idioms, to editing and translating, to making the lesson plans. It is the volunteers that make SELBL happen! 

We need volunteers such as:

Contributors who love to share their poems, songs or other original Christian works
Translators to translate idioms and names into different language versions
Editors to review the translation and write-ups
Teachers to contribute lesson plans that help people learn English through the Bible

It is our vision this website can become truly global, so that people coming from non-English speaking countries can learn idioms quickly and effectively by understanding their origins written in their mother tongue. 

Whoever, whichever country you are from, YOU can make this happen!


Volunteer teaching

SELBL organizes English camps and English corners from time to time to help people learn English more effectively by reading the source of inspiration of great writers – the Bible. 

Setting up English corners


Whichever part of the globe you are, if you are to set up an English corner in your school or workplace, you are more than welcome to contact us for advice. We hope that our vision is reached globally, while touching the hearts locally.

Teaching in English camps


SELBL sends volunteers to teach English in places where English is a foreign language. In 2009, we lead a team of volunteers to teach English in China.

Since 2014, we have organized  English camps in different countries including Turkey, Israel, Jordan etc. Please click here for more details. Please click here for more details. Promotion video available here:

Volunteer activities such as these will be organized on a regular basis. Stay tuned and join us as members to receive regular updates on our upcoming volunteering opportunities!

Download summer camp volunteer application form here.

Download church recommendation form here.

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!

What's in a name?

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.