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An Analysis on the Influence of Christianity on English Language

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I.Introduction

The diversity of culture is a reminder that the history of English is a story of culture during the past 1,500 years. The English language people use today went through three stages. Namely, old English ,middle wnglish and modern English. if people look back to the history of English, it’s certain to say that many elements have helped to shape the language, but one element that so crucial that we should pay special attention to is the influence of Christianity.

II.on English General Vocabulary

In the west, Christianity has always been an important part of ideology, and infiltrated into all aspects of English vocabulary.

2.1.Day-to-day Words

The word breakfast originally came from the Christian habbit of …show more content…

Many allusions are household, but not everyone necessarily knows that they came from Bible.

3.1 From Matthew

The salt of the earth . Salt serves a dual role of seasoning and preservative in the world and salt must be dissolved in order to make the food tasteful. Jesus warned Christians to prevent people’s moral depravity. Cast pearls before swine. Jesus told his disciples to have insight, but not arbitrarily judge others, not waste energy passing gospels to those ungrateful people, it will only fall on deaf ears in vain. Judas’s kiss Students greeting their teachers with a kiss is a practice for jews. But judas’s kiss implied officers and men: this person is the one they want to arrest. This kiss made clear the hypocrisy and shifty and Judah, and later refers to betrayal. It is thus evident that to know more about Bible stories can both increase our understandings about western culture, and grasp the authentic English idioms and mottoes, both entertain and inform.

3.2 From Exodus

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.This is an ordinance to punish the atrocities of the OldTestament.In ancient times, the concept of punishment was based on equivalent compensation. Not only the Hebrews of the Old Testament time comply with this principle , but also the rather civilized societies.

3.3 From Book of Job

The patience of Job Refers to great patience.God preached to Satan, Job's virtue and piety, Satan disapproved. Job, of course,

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