The influence of Christianity on Western Civilization Western Civilization refers to the civilization that has developed in the western world, while traditional western civilization is said to have been created by three main historical factors: Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, and Christianity. For the important role Ancient Greece and Roman Empire in human civilization, the influence of them on the western civilization is easily to be understood. However, in which aspects, or how Christianity, the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, influenced Western Civilization? In this article, I will discuss some influence of Christianity on the Western Civilization. Christianity is the religion of the followers of Jesus Christ. The beliefs and practices of the first Christian churches, established in the Middle East and around the Mediterranean Sea 2000 years ago, are recorded in the New Testament of the Bible.Today, Christians make up over one third of the worlds population. Christianity is the major religion in Europe, the Americas and Australia. It also has followers in Africa and Asia. Christianity is the core of Western Civilization. Till now, people still use Christian Civilization to symbolize western civilization. Christianity have great influence on many fields,such as language, literature, art, music, education, law, ideology, morality, family unit, social structure, and etc.1.The influence on language Christianitys influence on language is often overlooked and even taken for granted. Without the Bible much of what we enjoy today would be non-existent. The English language incorporates many words and phrases taken from the Bible when first translated. In 1380 John Wycliffe translated the Scriptures in its entirety and from it appears many of the words we still use today including the words adoption, ambitious, cucumber, liberty, and scapegoat among others. William Tyndale translated the first English translation from the original texts. A renowned scholar on the literature of the Bible, Alistair Mc推荐精选grath notes, “Without the king James Bible, There would have been no Paradise Lost, no Pilgrims Progress, no Handels Messiah, no Negro spirituals, and no Gettysburg Address”. 2.The influence on literature Over the ages, writers have loved to mine the Bibles narrative riches, taking a Bible story and retelling it in a new form: a long novel, a stage play, a musical, an opera, or a screenplay. Sometimes, a writer uses a Bible story as a starting point and then expands it with new characters and events not in the original. The most abundant kind of inspiration that the Bible has provided for Western literature is, of course, the many themes to be found in its stories and teachings. Often the use of a Biblical phrase in the title of a novel or play will indicate the presence of such a theme. Other times, there is no explicit reference in the particular literary work, yet those familiar with the Bible will recognize the source of the themes. Even works that seem to be in direct opposition to certain Biblical concepts have none the less been influenced by the Biblical material. Biblical symbols and Christian philosophies appear very frequently in literature works. Traditional English drama has its fountainhead in the enactment of biblical narrative, and usually the central theme also has a strong biblical connotation推荐精选. Modern, even contemporary English literature still has frequent symbolic reference to the bible, for example, although the author never admitted it, Hemmingways The Old Man and the Sea has a huge number of “coincidental” timeframe clashes with the Bible, which literature critics argue that “undeniably reflects the authors philosophy that everyone in himself is a Christ”. In addition, the Old Testament also ranks top one in the most influential books of All-Time, according the many sources. From Dante to Milton to Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the words and themes found in the Scriptures have made their way into much of the literature we study and enjoy today. Other great writers in the history of Western Civilization include Chaucer, William Shakespeare, John Donne, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, William Blake, T.S. Eliot, and William Faulkner .It is generally accepted that the Bible have great influence on western literature.3.The influence on art While speaking of art, Christianity made its unique influence. The Christian Art was creative with its own impressive characteristics. The highest achievement in art is believed to be in construction. With the church becoming the center of peoples life, building churches gained more and more attention and support. Nymphaeum and Gothic architecture are two distinguished innovations in architecture. The art of painting in Middle Ages was also born under the influence of Christianity. The themes of paintings at that time are all concerned with Christianity. Though, finally paintings mo