""Beside oneself," "As old as the hills," "The kiss of death," "See eye to eye," "Raising Cain." You've heard these phrases. You probably use them yourself. Do you know where they come from? The Bible. Mostly from the King James Version. David Van Biema, Time's Senior Religion writer, describes the Bible as the bedrock of Western culture. In Raising Cain, How the Bible Shapes the Things You say, Wayne Harvey provides evidence for this claim. Through careful research, Harvey demonstrates that the influence of the Bible continues to be pervasive and profound. He identifies more than 900 expressions in current use that can be traced to the Bible. For each of these expressions he provides a broad definition, cites a biblical text in which the expression occurs, documents a relatively recent use of the expression. Raising Cain is a fun reference tool presented in a style that will keep you turning pages longer than you ever thought you ever would in a reference book"--Page four of cover.