It\u2019s true that children can learn to read without ever touching the classics or the ultimate classic, the Bible.\u00a0 However, much of our modern (here I refer to anything written from the Renaissance forward) literature uses allusions, or references, to previous literary works.\u00a0 Allusions to the Bible are prevalent until mid-20th Century writing.\u00a0 A smattering of Biblical knowledge is not enough.\u00a0 Let\u2019s look at a few examples to see why.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The phrase \u201cout of the mouths of babes\u201d is used in both Psalms (8:2) and Matthew (21:16).\u00a0 Most modern references change the original meaning to convey the idea of just total naivety or ignorance.\u00a0 But the thorough reading of the Biblical text shows that the phrase refers to the praise of children being the most honest and deserved because children see purely.\u00a0 It is really saying that children have a kind of untainted wisdom worthy of attention.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Without careful attention to Scripture reading, how would one know that Henry David Thoreau, the premier naturalist of the 19th Century, completely missed the point in Walden when he quoted 1 Corinthians 15:55, \u201cO death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?\u201d\u00a0 Thoreau related this text to mean that anyone who studies nature (early morning light in spring specifically) realizes that death is not to be feared but accepted as the law of life, the natural course of events, the ever-continuing cycle of life.\u00a0 He claims this to be the proof of immortality.\u00a0 Had he read verse 56, he would have known that the sting of death is not fear, but rather a result of sin, and he obviously never grasped the concept that victory over the grave is the knowledge of the believer in eternal salvation.\u00a0 Thoreau\u2019s victory is that he has conquered the fear of death by accepting it, by categorizing it into his cycle of nature philosophy.\u00a0 He never knew the real victory of death, that it is a stepping stone to life eternal.\u00a0 Only the Biblically educated reader catches this kind of mistake.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Note:\u00a0 For a real shock, see how many Biblical allusions you can find in any children\u2019s literature written in the last fifty years.\u00a0 You won\u2019t need paper and pen to keep track.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"template":"","categories":[132],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8279","catbird-seat","type-catbird-seat","status-publish","hentry","category-from-the-catbird-seat"],"yoast_head":"\n