Classic Literature and the Bible
By Adriana
Welcome to the beginning of a very long series called "Classic Literature and the Bible". I could have already written a hundred posts on this subject with the short list of classic titles I've read in the last several months. I'm starting to see that the debt classic literature owes the Bible is massive.
Why is hardly anyone writing about this? Is it because little children no longer go to Sunday School and learn to chant their thees and thous? Perhaps. I think we can all agree that the Bible is fading from our cultural subconscious.
If you are a college student reading this post,
pay attention here: If you plan to study the Western canon of literature in school, start by reading the King James Bible from cover to cover. I promise you will have a
major edge when it comes to understanding nuances, themes, symbols, references, characterization, and on and on and on. (I do confess: I
am a Christian, so if you become converted along the way, I'm not going to be sad about that!)
Seriously. It should be required reading. Nearly every book I've read on this list of "History's Greatest Hits" has had
one common thread: references to Scripture.
I came to the classics feeling very unworthy and unprepared. I'm still humbled by the great thoughts I absorb every day from some of the greatest minds in the world; however, I'm discovering I was more prepared than I thought I was.
When I was a child, my parents read the Bible to me every night in the King James Version. In hind sight, I can see that, other than learning to read, knowledge of the Bible has given me the best possible advantage in terms of comprehension.
I've researched this subject online and though
I did not find much, the following two articles are well worth your time:
The New York Times Book Review (Just before Christmas 2011, the NY Times reviewed
the Bible. Isn't that cute?),
"The Book of Books: What Literature Owes the Bible", by Marilynne Robinson.
The Bible is the model for and subject of more art and thought than those of us who live within its influence, consciously or unconsciously, will ever know.
National Geographic,
"The Bible of King James", by Adam Nicolson. I have a hard copy of this article, which is also available at the website in it's entirety. After you read the article, don't forget to look at
the photo gallery.
First printed 400 years ago, it molded the English language, buttressed the “powers that be”—one of its famous phrases—and yet enshrined a gospel of individual freedom. No other book has given more to the English-speaking world.
Classical Quest now publishes a "Classics and the Bible Sundays" post each Sunday right here. You can also find the same posts at the Classics and the Bible blog. Visit
Classics and the Bible to search all archived posts in which I make a connection between the Bible and classic literature.
How well do you feel your education prior to reading the classics has served you?
