The Sacred and the Secular
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Part 3 The Sacred and the Secular Allegory of Fleeting Time, c. 1634. Antonio Pereda. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria. “I write of groves, of twilights, and I sing L The court of Mab, and of the Fairy King. I write of hell; I sing (and ever shall) Of heaven, and hope to have it after all.” —Robert Herrick, “The Argument of His Book” 413 Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY 00413413 U2P3-845482.inddU2P3-845482.indd 413413 11/29/07/29/07 10:19:5210:19:52 AMAM BEFORE YOU READ from the King James AKG Images Version of the Bible he Bible is a collection of writings belong- ing to the sacred literature of Judaism and- TChristianity. Although most people think of the Bible as a single book, it is actually a collec- tion of books. In fact, the word Bible comes from the Greek words ta biblia, meaning “the little books.” The Hebrew Bible, also called the Tanakh, contains the sacred writings of the Jewish people and chronicles their history. The Christian Bible was originally written in Greek. It contains most of the same texts as the Hebrew Bible, as well as twenty-seven additional books called the New Testament. The many books of the Bible were written at different times and contain various types The Creation of Heaven and Earth (detail of writing—including history, law, stories, songs, from the Chaos), 1200. Mosaic. Monreale proverbs, sermons, prophecies, and letters. Cathedral, Sicily. Protestants living in Switzerland; and the Rheims- “I perceived how that it was impossible Douay Bible, translated by English Roman to establish the lay people in any truth Catholics living in France. By 1603, when James I except the Scripture were plainly laid became king of England, at least seven English translations of the Bible were in use. In 1604 a before their eyes in their mother tongue.” conference of churchmen proposed that the English Bible be revised. King James agreed and —William Tyndale gathered a group of forty-seven scholars to create a new English Bible. The group was instructed to correct the Bishops’ Bible—a version of Coverdale’s Great Bible—by comparing it with the Before the Protestant From Latin to English original Hebrew and Greek texts. These scholars Reformation began in the early 1500s, the Christian turned to Tyndale’s masterful prose in preparing Bible was ordinarily read in Latin. As a result, few their new version. The result of their efforts, first people had direct knowledge of the Bible. One of printed in 1611, was the King James—or the most important goals of Protestant leaders, such Authorized—Version of the Holy Bible. as Martin Luther, was to translate the Bible into the languages that common people could read. In 1525 The Legacy of the King James Bible the English Protestant William Tyndale completed For centuries, the King James Bible was not only his translation of the New Testament, the first the most widely read English Bible, but the most English version of the Bible to be printed. Tyndale’s widely read English book. Thus it exerted an enor- work on the Hebrew Bible ended abruptly, however, mous stabilizing influence on the English language, when authorities banned his translation and exe- which had been changing steadily since the cuted him for heresy. Norman Conquest in 1066. The language and Other English translations appeared soon after, style of the King James Version of the Bible have notably the Great Bible of Miles Coverdale; the had a profound influence Aut honor EnglishSearch Flanguageor more about and Geneva Bible, translated by a group of English literatureAuthor Name, up goto tothe www present.literature.glencoe.com day. 414 UNIT 2 THE ENGLISH RENAISSANCE 4414-42314-423 U2P3App-845482.inddU2P3App-845482.indd 414414 66/21/06/21/06 12:11:1712:11:17 PMPM LITERATURE PREVIEW READING PREVIEW Connecting to the Selections Reading Strategy Analyzing Text Structure The King James Version of the Bible has long been Analyzing text structure—the organization of ideas admired for its simplicity and beauty. As you read within a work—can help you to understand the logic the selections, ask yourself why the King James Bible and message of a text. Recognizing the pattern of became the first widely accepted translation. organization will focus your attention on important ideas in a selection. Some basic types of text structures Building Background include chronological order (order of time), cause-and- The Bible opens with the book of Genesis. This title is effect order, comparison-contrast order, and spatial order. derived from the Greek word gignesthai, meaning “to be born.” The book of Genesis begins with God’s Reading Tip: Taking Notes Use a chart like the one creation of the world. Genesis is the first of five books below to identify clues to the text’s structure. known as the Pentateuch (pen tə took¯¯¯ ), Greek for “five books.” These books narrate the early history of the Jewish people and present their religious laws. Genesis The Jewish people refer to these five books as the Clue Words or Phrases Type of Connection Torah (Hebrew for “law”). The King James Version of the Bible is written chiefly in prose, but some portions use poetry. In fact, the book of Psalms consists of poems intended to be sung. The 150 psalms, or songs of praise, form the last part of the Hebrew Bible, called the Writings. Many of the psalms are traditionally attrib- uted to King David, who ruled Israel from about 1000 to 962 B.C. Vocabulary Setting Purposes for Reading abundantly (ə bun dənt le¯) adv. plentifully; p. 417 The storeroom was packed with provisions, Big Idea The Sacred and the Secular ensuring that we would be abundantly provided for As you read, think about the effects this translation during the long winter. might have had on laypeople, who could now read replenish (ri plen ish) v. to refill or make com- the Bible on their own. plete again; to add a new supply to; p. 417 Seeing the nearly empty candy bowl, the hostess Literary Element Style replenished it, filling the bowl to the rim. Style is the way language is used to convey an idea beguile (bi ¯l) v. to mislead by trickery; or concept. It involves word choice and the length and to deceive; p. 420 The sly suitor beguiled the arrangement of sentences, as well as the use of naive heiress with flattery. figurative language and imagery. As you read, note enmity (en mə te¯) n. ill will; hostility; p. 420 how the translators of the King James Bible use repeti- The cruel girl’s bullying earned her the enmity tion and other devices to create a distinct style. of all her classmates. • See Literary Terms Handbook, p. R17. Vocabulary Tip: Synonyms Words that have the same or nearly the same meaning are called synonyms. Synonyms are always the same part Interactive Literary Elements of speech. Handbook To review or learn more about the literary elements, go to www.glencoe.com. OBJECTIVES In studying these selections, you will focus on the following: • analyzing style and parallelism • analyzing literary periods • analyzing text structure KING JAMES VERSION OF THE BIBLE 415 4414-42314-423 U2P3App-845482.inddU2P3App-845482.indd 415415 11/8/07/8/07 2:07:442:07:44 PMPM Tate Gallery, London/Art Resource, NY. Gallery, Tate Elohim Creating Adam, 1805. William Blake. Watercolor on paper, 431 x 536 cm. Tate Gallery, London. Chapter 1 I n the beginning God created the heaven was light. And God saw the light, that it and the earth. And the earth was without was good: and God divided the light from form and void; and darkness was upon the the darkness. And God called the light face of the deep. And the spirit of God Day, and the darkness he called Night. moved upon the face of the waters. And And the evening and the morning were God said, “Let there be light”: and there the first day. Reading Strategy Analyzing Text Structure What does Reading Strategy Analyzing Text Structure What is this phrase tell you about how the story is structured? created on the first day of Genesis? 416 UNIT 2 THE ENGLISH RENAISSANCE 4416-42016-420 U2P3U2P3 SeSel-845482.inddl-845482.indd 416416 22/13/06/13/06 33:21:33:21:33 PM And God said, “Let there be a firmament1 in and fowl that may fly above the earth in the the midst of the waters, and let it divide the open firmament of heaven.” And God created waters from the waters.” And God made the great whales, and every living creature that firmament, and divided the waters which were moveth, which the waters brought forth abun- under the firmament from the waters which dantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl were above the firmament: and it was so. And after his kind: and God saw that it was good. God called the firmament Heaven. And the And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and evening and the morning were the second day. multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let And God said, “Let the waters under the fowl multiply in the earth.” And the evening heaven be gathered together unto one place, and and the morning were the fifth day. let the dry land appear”: and it was so. And God And God said, “Let the earth bring forth called the dry land Earth; and the gathering the living creature after his kind, cattle, and together of the waters called he Seas: and God creeping thing, and beast of the earth after saw that it was good.