The Bible as Literature

       Macaulay says in one of his essays, "If everything else in our language should perish, the English Bible alone would suffice to show the whole extent of its beauty and power." There are so many passages of high literary quality in the "Book of Books" that innumerable citations could be made to show the beauty and power of its language. Several passages from Isaiah, for example, were used by Handel as a setting for the matchless music of his Messiah, and the rhythm in each case is perfectly adapted to the noble melody The Psalms, too, have been chanted and sung for centuries.

       There are countless examples of beautiful figures of speech in the Bible, and practically every form of literature is found in its pages - the epic, the allegory, the parable, the short story, the historic narrative, the song of rejoicing, the dirge, and so on. Secular literature is permeated with allusions to the Bible, and whoever would aspire to a general culture cannot afford to ignore this great literary monument.