Holy Shakespeare!

"HERE is a great little book to pop under the Christmas tree for someone you know will appreciate it. Holy Shakespeare! is evidence that the Great Bard was certainly familiar with the Bible's stories, teaching and wisdom. His work is peppered with scriptural sentiments and biblical imagery that 16th century audiences would have easily understood because they lived in a biblical culture. Children grew up learning to read by reading the Bible; and people stopped to listen as travelling actors performed plays based on Bible stories. Scripture permeated Shakespeare's day, so when he sat down to write, it's no wonder that it appeared in his works. This book captures 101 of these instances, juxtaposing Shakespeare's lines with the biblical sources on which they are based. Interspersed throughout are noteworthy facts about the life of Shakespeare and the era in which he lived. Here's a quote from King Richard 11 (act v, scene 2) which seems apposite for our present time:

'Oh! If you reare this House

against this House

It will the woefullest division prove,

That ever fell upon this cursed Earth.'

Now read Matthew chapter 12. 25 and what Jesus had to say about a kingdom divided against itself. The author admits that she probably would have received a much better grade in her high school English Literature class if she had only detected that Shakespeare's works contained many of the Bible stories and teachings she was learning in Sunday school. I can empathise with that. John Singleton is a local preacher in the Tower Hamlets circuit."—John Singleton, Methodist Recorder Expand reviews