Facts on File Dictionary of Classical and Biblical Allusions (Writers Reference)

465 Pages·2003·1.58 MB·English

by  Martin H. Manser

THE FACTS ON FILE DICTIONARY OF
Classical
and
B A
iblical llusions

THE FACTS ON FILE DICTIONARY OF
Classical
and
B A
iblical llusions
MARTIN H. MANSER
David H. Pickering, Associate Editor
The Facts On File Dictionary of Classical and Biblical Allusions
Copyright © 2003 by Martin H.Manser
Biblical quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible
All rights reserved.No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by
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mation storage or retrieval systems,without permission in writing from the publisher.For
information contact:
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Manser,Martin H.
The Facts On File dictionary of classical and biblical allusions / [edited by] Martin H.
Manser:associate editor,David H.Pickering.
p. cm.
Companion to:Facts On File dictionary of cultural and historical allusions.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8160-4868-1
1.Allusions—Dictionaries.2.Allusions in literature—Dictionaries.3.Mythology,
Classical,in literature—Dictionaries.4.Bible—In literature—Dictionaries.I.Title:
Dictionary of classical and biblical allusions. II. Manser, Martin H. III. Pickering,
David,1958–IV.Facts On File,Inc.
PN43 .F16 2003
809—dc21 2002192752
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Co n te n ts
Acknowledgments
vii
Introduction
ix
Entries A–Z
1
Bibliography
423
Index
425

A c k n o w l e d gm e n ts
The Editors wish to thank Rosalind Desmond and Lynda Drury for their
very careful checking and typing of the manuscript, and Martin Selman,
Stephen Curtis,John Barton,and Angela Gluck Wood for their helpful com-
ments on earlier drafts of the text.
Martin H.Manser
David H.Pickering
vii

In tro d u c ti o n
An allusion is a reference that evokes a certain set of aspects or features of a
person or thing.A kind and selfless person,for example,may be referred to
as a Good Samaritan;harsh or severe action may be described as draconian;a
place that offers happiness and security may be thought of as a promised land
or a place that is notorious for its depravity and vice likened to Sodom and
Gomorrah;one’s conscience may be regarded as a still small voice;a fatal weak-
ness may be referred to as a person’s Achilles’heel;something complex may
be described as labyrinthine; and something that rises anew in the face of
defeat may be compared to a phoenix rising from the ashes.
The Facts On File Dictionary of Classical and Biblical Allusionsis a companion vol-
ume to the Facts On File Dictionary of Cultural and Historical Allusions.This dic-
tionary contains allusions drawn from the Bible and Greek, Roman, and
Norse mythology,as well as a few Egyptian and Celtic allusions.None dates
after A.D.1000.
Arrangement of entries
Allusions are listed in their original form and under the source of the origi-
nal reference.Entries are listed in strict letter-by-letter alphabetical order:
go and do thou likewise
God save the king/queen
Godwin’s oath
go from strength to strength
ix