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1、毕业论文On the Significance of Biblical Stories in English Study1.Introduction12. The influence of the Bible on English32.1 Culture and language32.2 Christianity and western culture52.3 The Bibles influence on English63. Some stories in the Bible73.1Absaloms hair73.1.1 The background of the idiom73.1.2T
2、he actual meaning of the idiom in western countries83.2 Cains mark83.2.1 The background of the idiom83.2.2 The actual meaning of the idiom in western countries83.3 Judas kiss93.3.1 The background of the idiom93.3.2 The actual meaning of the idiom in western countries93.4 Moses staff103.4.1The backgr
3、ound of the idiom103.4.2The actual meaning of the idiom in western countries103.5 Noahs ark113.5.1 The background of the idiom113.5.2 The actual meaning of the idiom in western countries114. The reasons for the Bibles impact on English115. Conclusion14References151.IntroductionIn the College English
4、 (Sub-Band) Book 1 lesson 12 “The Perfect Match”, there is a sentence: I regretted not having a bath and dressed in my Sunday best. As for the meaning of “Sunday best”, there is no other explanation except “wearing splendid dress on festivals”. It is not enough for the teacher to tell the students t
5、he meaning of the idiom. “Sunday best” is an expression originating from the Roman Catholic Church. Every morning on Sunday, people all over America go to church for religious services, neatly dressed and piously. Theology is one of the two mainstays of modern American civilization. Ninety percent o
6、f Americans living in the modern society have religious beliefs（董小川，2000） In Europe, religious faith is weakened by the advancement of science, economic development, and the never-ending improvement of material living standards, but in America, it is not affected so much as it is in Europe（朱永涛，1991：
7、345）Christianity and the Bible are essential parts of western traditional culuture and fundamentally foundations in many aspescts throughtout the western world. Christians believe that the Bible is the “word of God” to mankind. God speaks to them through his “word” and thereby gives them wisdom, kno
8、wledge, and guide line in daily life. The Bible is the ultimate authority on God and all matters of the Christian life and salvation. It reflects politics, history, law, philosophy, biology, custom, literature, etc., in ancient Hebrew and ancient Greece. It is called an encyclopedia to antiquity. Th
9、is thesis fucous on the relationship between the biblical stories and English study. First, it shows the Bibles influence on English. Language is the carrier of culture. Because of cultural differences, different kinds of languages have their own characteristics with the development of history. Then
10、 it gives some biblical stories as examples to support the following analysis of the Bibles impact on English study. 2. The influence of the Bible on English 2.1 Culture and languageWith the advancement of human civilization and the development of science and technology, people with different langua
11、ges intercourse more and more frequently. Each language has its own culture. Cultural differences may raise misunderstandings. The same words or expressions may not mean the same things to different peoples. For example, in China, it is very common to greet people by “你吃了吗”. The greeting can not be
12、translated literally into English as “have you eaten yet ” or “have you had your lunch”. The Americans may think the greeting could indicate an invitation to a meal. Because of cultural differences, a common greeting may lead to misunderstanding. So the conflicts and problems resulting from cultural
13、 disparity have drawn prevalent attention in the course of communication. With respect to the definition of culture, there are relatively more controversies in literary circles, but culture indeed ranges widely which is the truth beyond dispute. Culture consists of all the shared products of human s
14、ociety. This means not only such material things as cities, organizations and schools, but also non-material things such as ideas, customs, family patterns and languages. Culture refers to the entire way of life in a society. In China one renowned culture historian Feng Tianyu (1994: 1) divided cult
15、ure into three levels: the concept level, the conscious level and the material level, among which the concept level and the conscious level play a conspicuously restrictive role in intercultural communication. Therefore, it is very importance for English learners to understand both the concept level
16、 and the conscious level of the culture of the English-speaking cuntries.Xu Guozhang thinks that foreign language learners should be intellectual. If teachers only teach language and students only learn vocabulary and grammar, the process of teaching will become castles in the air, it will become mi
17、sguided（姜广辉，1997：1346）According to Wang Zuoliang （1999：2），the interpreters must be real intellectuals in the process of intercultural exchange. Its not enough for them to master only two kinds of languages. No one can master a kind of language without understanding the social culture in it.Claire Cr
18、amsch goes deeper into the environment and culture of language teaching. In his book Context and Culture in Language Teaching, he (1990: 5) emphasizes that culture in language teaching is the essential skill besides listening, speaking, reading and writing. Culture always plays an important role in
19、foreign language studying. An excellent language learner may have limited communication with little cultural knowledge so that the learner may meet an obstacle to the understanding of the outside society.Language is a part of culture and the keystone of culture. Without language, it is impossible to
20、 maintain human culture. On the other hand, language is influenced and shaped by culture. Language is the symbolic representation of a people, and it comprises their historical and cultural background as well as their approach to life and their ways of living and thinking.Learning a foreign language
21、 well means more than merely mastering its pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary. It also means learning to see the world as native speakers of that language see it，learning the ways in which their language reflects the ideas, customs, and behavior of their society, and learning to understand their
22、language of the mind. Learning a language, in fact, is inseparable from learning its culture. The understanding of the culture background will help the learner to comprehend the language and improve the skill to use the language. 2.2 Christianity and western cultureChristianity is one of the biggest
23、 religions in the world. There are more than one billion Christians located in one hundred and fifty countries and areas all over the world. From its appearance till now, Christianity, which has a history of more than two thousand years, has a significant influence on the social lives and political
24、areas in different periods of history（陈麟书，朱森溥，1986：1） In Christian countries, people have intimate relation with Christianity in their whole life time. When a baby is born, he or she must receive baptism at the church, and their parents use the babys name from the Bible. Christians think that the ma
25、rriage is matched by God, so the wedding should be presided in church by the priest who is behalf of God. When people die, Christian funerals will be held in order to release souls from purgatory and let the dead go to Heaven. As a kind of languages in Christian culture, English, which is deeply inf
26、luenced by culture, includes all kinds of religious factors.2.3 The Bibles influence on EnglishModern English was formed in the 16th and 17th century, when the Renaissance was pervading in Europe. Under the impact of the Renaissance, peoples racial consciousness awakened. The English humanist, dissa
27、tisfied with Latin, the academic language, began to use English to write. Before this, the predecessor of modern Englishmedieval English was only some disunities of local dialects. The effort of the Humanist and the Classicist in unifying English plays an important role in the transition of medieval
28、 English evolved into modern English.However, in the area of academy and literature, their work was limited and had little effect on the society. The most significant thing in effecting the transition of medieval English to modern English was the appearance of the Authorized Version of the Bible, wh
29、ich appeared during the European Reformation. Up to that time, the Bible is written in Latin; most of common people can not understand and read it. They depend on the Roman Catholics missionary who tells the meaning of the Bible. The representative of Reformation Matin Luter thinks that everyone can
30、 hear Gods voice directly, not just depend on Roman Catholic ( 赵林，2005：334 ). Due to the influence of the Reformation, Europeans begin to translate the Bible into their own language. The Authorized Version was published in 1611 and had a deep influence when it appeared. In 1604, King James I held th
31、e Hanpton meeting. He decided to edit Bible which would be accepted by all kinds of denomination in English. It was made up by 54 scholars who were elegants and chief bishops for seven years, and was so called Unequalled Masterpiece. Its appearance not only establishes the standard of unified Englis
32、h, but also enlarges its field of usage, which makes English not academic and literary, but known by everyone. The success of Authorized Version establishes the foundation of modern English. Besides, another religious work needed to be mentioned is The Book of Common Prayer and Application of the Sa
33、craments, which is as famous as Authorized Version and affects both the educated and the uneducated. In 1712, when Swift reviewed these two books, he said, “they became the standard of our language, especially to the common people” (费尔南德，1990：12). That is to say, the Reformation and the English tran
34、slation of the Bible promote the early development and the final formation of Modern English effectively.3. Some stories in the Bible Since the Bible is read by many different people for more than a thousand years, the original meanings of some words or phrases have been used to express other meanin
35、gs in modern English. Five examples will be given to study it.3.1Absaloms hair3.1.1 The background of the idiomIn ancient Israel, Absalom was the third and most beloved son of David. Having beautiful thick hair, Absalom used to cut his hair once a year. An attractive but lawless man, he killed his h
36、alf-brother Amnon as revenge for the latters rape of Tamar, Absaloms sister, and was banished from the kingdom for a time. He later raised a rebellion against his father, capturing Jerusalem but meeting defeat in the forest of Ephraim, where he was killed by his cousin Joab, who found him caught by
37、the hair in an oak tree. Despite Absaloms treachery, David greatly lamented his death.3.1.2The actual meaning of the idiom in western countriesNowadays “Absaloms hair” means something that may incur misfortune from its beautiful appearance or excellence.3.2 Cains mark3.2.1 The background of the idio
38、mIn the Old Testament, Cain and Abel were sons of Adam and Eve. According to Genesis, Cain, the first-born, was a farmer, and his brother Abel was a shepherd. Cain was enraged when God preferred his brothers sacrifice of sheep to his own offering of grain. One day Cain asked Abel to go into the fiel
39、d and made an attack on his brother Abel and put him to death. When God asked where Abel was, Cain pretended ignorance, saying, “I have no idea. Am I my brothers keeper?” God punished Cain by sending him into exile but marked him with a sign as a warning to others, promising that he would be avenged
40、 if he were killed. Then Cain went away from before the face of the God, and made his living-place in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.3.2.2 The actual meaning of the idiom in western countriesNowadays “Cains mark” means the mark of a murderer or the dirty brand which can never be obliterated. “C
41、ain” is also the synonym of murder.3.3 Judas kiss3.3.1 The background of the idiomWhen the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover, the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill Jesus; for they feared the people. Then Judas went his way and communed with the chie
42、f priests and captains about how he might betray Jesus to them. And they were glad and covenanted to give him money. Judas promised and sought opportunity to betray Jesus to them in the absence of the multitude. When the hour of the dinner came, Jesus sat down with twelve apostles. And while he yet
43、spoke and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near to Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said to him, “Judas, do you betray the son of God with a kiss?” Then the chief priests, the captains of the temple and the elders caught Jesus and questioned him. They were instant
44、with loud voice, requiring that Jesus might be crucified. After crucified and mocked by the soldiers, Jesus cried with a loud voice, he said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”. Having said this, he gave up the ghost.3.3.2 The actual meaning of the idiom in western countriesNowadays “Juda
45、s” is a synonym of a traitor or quisling and “Judas Kiss” means hypocritical and malignant activities.3.4 Moses staff3.4.1The background of the idiomIn prophet of Judaism, according to the Book of Exodus, Moses was born in Egypt to Hebrew parents, who set him afloat on the Nile in a reed basket to s
46、ave him from an edict calling for the death of all newborn Hebrew males. Found by the pharaohs daughter, he was reared in the Egyptian court. After killing a brutal Egyptian taskmaster, he fled to Midian, where Yahweh (God) revealed himself in a burning bush and called Moses to deliver the Israelite
47、s from Egypt. With the help of his brother Aaron, Moses pleaded with the pharaoh for the Israelites release. The pharaoh let them go after God had visited a series of plagues on Egypt, but then sent his army after them. God parted the waters of the Red Sea to allow the Israelites to pass, and then d
48、rowned the pursuing Egyptians. God made a covenant with the Israelites at Mount Sinai and delivered the Ten Commandments to Moses, who continued to lead his people through 40 years of wandering in the wilderness until they reached the edge of Canaan. He died before he could enter the Promised Land.
49、Authorship of the first five books of the Bible is traditionally ascribed to him.3.4.2The actual meaning of the idiom in western countriesNowadays “Moses staff” means the tool which can bring or make magic and “the Promised Land” means paradise or the field full of hope.3.5 Noahs ark3.5.1 The background of the idiomNoahs ark is aBiblical character from Genesis. The son of Lamech and nin