A Book Review—the Holy Bible

張貼日期：Apr 14, 2010 7:9:28 AM

Recommanded by Ms. Sophia Chen

If you struggle to improve your English writing skills, why not read the Bible and pore over every word, phrase, or sentence in it? You’ll find that the Bible is one of the greatest writings of all time. You’ll be attracted by the beautiful language there in the Bible. You’ll know some sentence structure secrets, such as Variations in Climactic Order, Repetition Emphasizes Key Elements, Combine Repetition with Climactic Order, Inversions, etc. Here are some examples:

Love is patient, love is kind; love does not envy, love does not parade itself, it is not puffed up; it is not rude, it is not self-seeking; is not provoked; thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

(From The Bible, 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8)

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

(From The Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:11)

For now we see as through a glass, darkly; but then face to face; now I know in part; but then shall I know fully, even as I am fully known.

(From The Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:12)

Beyond a reasonable doubt, Bible reading will strengthen your grammar, writing, and spelling skills. Moreover, it will bring confidence and better grades.

If you intend to cultivate a taste for English literature, the Bible can be your best choice to broaden your literary mind. The Bible is partly in prose and partly in verse. It contains lots of stories, love lyric, epigram, psalms, elegy, and letters. The themes of the Bible are among the greatest that literature can treat: God, humanity, the physical universe, and their interrelations. The characters in the Bible are all fascinating. Some are heroic, others are villains, and many occupy the intriguing grey area in between – good men who do something awful (Moses, who kills a man; Peter, who denies knowing Jesus) or cowards whose find courage (Jonah, who tries to run away from God). Moreover, the Bible is rich in language. Whenever we read the words of the Bible, we are faced with a choice: literal meanings or figurative meanings? Does God intend this passage to be taken literally, or is the meaning symbolic or metaphorical? Is the language used strictly literal or is it a figure of speech? In a word, the high literary value of many parts of the Bible has been almost universally recognized. But, the Bible is written at a popular grade level and is consequently very easy to understand. As an aspiring English major, you’ll probably miss out on so much richness in English literature if you can’t pick up the Biblical references. So, why not start reading the Bible right now?

Or, if you mean to sublimate your mind and soul, I believe that God inspired every word of the Bible. If you read the Bible, you will be able to see what God tries to tell us. His intent is to purify one’s mind by returning to that of a little child who has not yet developed a mature ego. A child, although also touched by the primordial fall, is closer to the true source of knowing than an adult. Simple and spontaneous, he knows without knowing how he knows. He can be happy without knowing he is happy. What adults often consider happiness is in reality the emotional excitement of the ego; while a little child's happiness consists in the simple, selfless joy of being alive. Or, you’ve just got a devotional revelation from God when reading Psalm 65:9-13:

You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its ridges abundantly, you settle its furrows; you make it soft with showers, you bless its growth. You crown the year with your goodness, and your paths drip with abundance. They drop on the pastures of the wilderness, and the little hills rejoice on every side. The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered with grain; they shout for joy, they also sing.

The psalms speak of nature’s bounty, a gift from a righteous, gracious, merciful, and loving Creator. Then, you are overwhelmed with gratitude, satisfied, and happy.

Bible Reading is beneficial, isn’t it?