"舊約和新約的聖經"，早在14世紀就來自盎格魯拉丁語 biblia，13世紀的古法語 bible "聖經"，也指一般的大書，來自中世紀和晚期拉丁語 biblia "聖經"（中性複數被解釋爲女性單數），來自 biblia sacra "聖書"的短語，這是希臘語 ta biblia to hagia "聖書"的翻譯。拉丁詞來自希臘詞 biblion "紙張，卷軸"，也是“作爲更大作品的一部分的書”的普通詞彙； 參見 biblio-。
基督教經文在公元223年左右就被稱爲希臘語 Ta Biblia。 Bible 取代了古英語 biblioðece（參見 bibliothec)，成爲“聖經”的普通詞彙。"任何權威書籍"的比喻意義始於1804年。Bible-thumper "嚴格的基督徒"來自1870年。Bible belt 指美國南部基督教原教旨主義者主導的地區，始於1926年； 可能是由 H.L.門肯創造的。
Her first husband was a missionary to China, and died miserably out there, leaving her with a small baby and no funds. Her second seems to have left her nearly as quickly, though under his own steam: her souvenir was another infant. For years she toured the Bible Belt in a Ford, haranguing the morons nightly under canvas. [H.L. Mencken, review of Aimee Semple McPherson's "In the Service of the King: The Story of My Life," The American Mercury, April 1928]
她的第一任丈夫是一位中國傳教士，在那裏痛苦地死去，留下了一個小嬰兒和沒有資金。她的第二任丈夫似乎離開得也很快，儘管是自己的力量：她的紀念品是另一個嬰兒。多年來，她在一輛福特車上巡迴演出，每晚在帳篷下向白癡們演講。[H.L.門肯，《美國水銀報》，1928年4月]
Walter Scott and Pope's Homer were reading of my own election, but my mother forced me, by steady daily toil, to learn long chapters of the Bible by heart; as well as to read it every syllable through, aloud, hard names and all, from Genesis to the Apocalypse, about once a year; and to that discipline — patient, accurate, and resolute — I owe, not only a knowledge of the book, which I find occasionally serviceable, but much of my general power of taking pains, and the best part of my taste in literature. ... [O]nce knowing the 32nd of Deuteronomy, the 119th Psalm, the 15th of 1st Corinthians, the Sermon on the Mount, and most of the Apocalypse, every syllable by heart, and having always a way of thinking with myself what words meant, it was not possible for me, even in the foolishest times of youth, to write entirely superficial or formal English .... [John Ruskin, "Fors Clavigera," 1871]
沃爾特·斯科特和蒲柏的荷馬是我自己選的讀物，但是我的母親通過每天的刻苦勞動，強迫我背誦長篇章節的聖經，每年大約一次，從創世記到啓示錄，每個音節都要大聲朗讀，包括難讀的名字； 我不僅因此瞭解了這本書，發現它偶爾有用，而且還有很多關於我的耐心、準確和決心的一面，以及我在文學方面最好的品味。...[O]nce knowing the 32nd of Deuteronomy, the 119th Psalm, the 15th of 1st Corinthians, the Sermon on the Mount, and most of the Apocalypse, every syllable by heart, and having always a way of thinking with myself what words meant, it was not possible for me, even in the foolishest times of youth, to write entirely superficial or formal English .... [約翰·拉斯金，《Fors Clavigera》，1871年]
