The Bible's Influence On Western Culture

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Riches’ seventh chapter, “The Bible in High and Popular Culture,” attempts to explain the extent of the Bible’s influence on Western culture. This chapter seemed to be pretty self-explanatory, as almost all paintings, music, and writings in the Western fashion have allusions to the Bible and expand upon the themes and symbols presented in it. Riches describes specific situations in which the Bible has influenced Western art, but the extent of this inspiration from the Bible is no way limited to the examples mentioned. The Bible has become so integral to Western culture that most of our classic and modern stories have motifs and allusions to Biblical event, to the extent of some of them being retellings. Examples of this include the works of Shakespeare, especially The Merchant of Venice and Macbeth, and spanning centuries to the writing of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, in particular The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Though Riches attempts to explain the overwhelming effect the Bible has had on the art of Western culture, it is not possible to explain in just one chapter because of the sheer volume of works inspired by the Bible over hundreds of years. The chapter gives excellent examples of these works, but I feel as it does not stress enough the extent of these allusions and …show more content…

Jewish people tend to argue that the sacrifice is a test of Abraham’s loyalty and God’s ban on human sacrifices. Christians tend to view it as a prophecy for what is to come in the New Testament, although many also agree with the Jewish interpretation of the story. Muslims disagree with Jews and Christians, disputing the son that was named in the text and interpreting it to be Ishmael. This is an example of different groups interpreting the same Biblical story to confirm their worldviews and justify their faith, which is a major theme of this

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