The Bible is the central text in Western culture, the most widely known book in the English speaking world. No one in our culture can be considered literate without a basic knowledge of this book.
How conversant are you with the central characters, events, places, quotations, and references of the Bible? Check your knowledge by reviewing this list from The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy (ed. By E.D. Hirsch, Jr, Joseph Kett, and James Trefil. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1988). An understanding of these terms will help you to more fully participate in literate English.
Abraham and Isaac
Adam and Eve
alpha and omega
Am I my brother's keeper?
angels
Annunciation
Antichrist
Apocalypse
Apocrypha
the Twelve Apostles
Ararat
Noah's ark
Armageddon
Ask, and it shall be given you
Tower of Babel
Babylon
Beatitudes
In the beginning
Bethlehem
Bible
burning bush
Cain and Abel
Calvary
Cast thy bread upon the waters
chapter and verse
cherubim
Chosen People
Christ
Christian
coat of many colors
covenant
Creation
crown of thorns
The Crucifixion
Damascus
Daniel in the lions' den
David
Day of Atonement
Let the dead bury their dead
Delilah, Samson and
disciples
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
doubting Thomas
Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return
Ecclesiastes
Garden of Eden
Egypt
Elijah
Esther
Eve
Exodus
an eye for an eye
eye of a needle
faith, hope, and charity
Fall of Man
Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do
kill the fatted calf
forbidden fruit
Four Horsemen
By their fruits ye shall know them
Genesis
Gentile
Get thee behind me, Satan
It is more blessed to give than to receive
go the extra mile
gold, frankincense, and myrrh
golden calf
Golden Rule
Golgotha
Good Samaritan
Good Shepherd
gospel
Gospels
the handwriting on the wall
He that is not with me is against me
heaven
Hebrew
Hebrews
hell
Holy Spirit
In the Beginning
Isaac
Isaiah
Israel
Israelites
Jacob and Esau
Jacob's ladder
Jehovah
Jeremiah
Battle of Jericho
Jerusalem
Jesus
Jews
Jezebel
Job
Job's comforters
The Gospel According to John
John the Baptist
Jonah and the whale
Jordan River
Joseph, the husband of Mary
Joseph and his brothers
Joshua
Judas Iscariot
Judge not, that ye be not judged
Judgment Day
Lamb of God
lamb shall lie down with the lamb shall lie down with the
wolf
land flowing with milk and
honey
The last shall be first
The Last Supper
Lazarus
Let him who is without sin cast the first stone
Let there be light
The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life
Leviathan
Consider the lilies of the field
loaves and fishes
Lord's Prayer
Lot's wife
Love thy neighbor as thyself
Love your enemies
Lucifer
The Gospel According to Luke
Magi
mammon
Man shall not live by bread alone
manna from heaven
Many are called but few are chosen
The Gospel According to Mark
Mary, the mother of Jesus
Mary Magdalene
The Gospel According to Matthew
The meek shall inherit the earth
Messiah
Methuselah
millennium
Mosaic law
Moses
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Nativity
Nazareth
New Testament
No man can serve two masters
Noah and the Flood
nothing new under the sun
lamb shall lie down with the
wolf
land flowing with milk and
honey
The last shall be first
The Last Supper
Lazarus
Let him who is without sin cast the first stone
Let there be light
The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life
Leviathan
Consider the lilies of the field
loaves and fishes
Lord's Prayer
Lot's wife
Love thy neighbor as thyself
Love your enemies
Lucifer
The Gospel According to Luke
Magi
mammon
Man shall not live by bread alone
manna from heaven
Many are called but few are chosen
The Gospel According to Mark
Mary, the mother of Jesus
Mary Magdalene
The Gospel According to Matthew
The meek shall inherit the earth
Messiah
Methuselah
millennium
Mosaic law
Moses
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Nativity
Nazareth
New Testament
No man can serve two masters
Noah and the Flood
nothing new under the sun
Old Testament
olive branch
original sin
Paul
pearl of great price
Cast not pearls before swine
Pentecost
Peter
pharaoh
Pharisees
Philistines
Physician, heal thyself
Pontius Pilate
plagues of Egypt
Prodigal Son
Promised Land
prophet
A prophet is not without honor save in his own country
Book of Psalms
Queen of Sheba
Rachel
Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's
Resurrection
Book of Revelation
Ruth and Naomi
Sabbath
Salome
Ye are the salt of the earth
salvation
Samson
Satan
Second Coming
Sermon on the Mount
serpent
Queen of Sheba
shibboleth
Mount Sinai
Sodom and Gomorrah
Solomon
Song of Solomon
Song of Songs
The doubting apostle, Thomas
through a glass darkly
A time to be born and a time to die
tithe
tree of knowledge of good and evil
Turn the other cheek
Twenty-third Psalm
valley of the shadow of death
Vanity of vanities; all is vanity
The voice of one crying in the wilderness
walking on water
Whither thou goest, I will go
Wise Men
The wolf shall also dwell with the lamb
wolves in sheep's clothing
Ye cannot serve God and mammon
Zion, Mount
Temple
Ten Commandments
thirty pieces of silver
The doubting apostle, Thomas
through a glass darkly
A time to be born and a time to die
tithe
tree of knowledge of good and evil
Turn the other cheek
Twenty-third Psalm
valley of the shadow of death
Vanity of vanities; all is vanity
The voice of one crying in the wilderness
walking on water
Whither thou goest, I will go
Wise Men
The wolf shall also dwell with the lamb
wolves in sheep's clothing
Ye cannot serve God and mammon
Zion, Mount