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When Timothy Beal, a religious studies professor at Cleveland's Case Western Reserve University, watched "The Godfather: Part II," he noticed a biblical narrative woven throughout the film.
"It's totally modeled on the New Testament," he said. "You've got this Italian mobster trying to kill his rival's son. It's all modeled on Herod trying to make sure Jesus doesn't get to adulthood."
Beal, who compiled need-to-know Bible stories in his new book, "Biblical Literacy" (HarperOne, $25.99), talked about how these Sunday school stories are ingrained in pop culture. Edited for length and clarity.
Q: Why did you write the book?
I've always worked with smart and curious college students - most of whom don't know much about the Bible. I make connections between biblical stories and how they show up in pop culture. I'm looking to be a guide or an interpreter.
Q: How might first-time readers of the Bible be surprised by what they find in your book?
A lot of readers will just be surprised by how completely human and engaging these stories are, how pervasive the connections are between biblical stories and the culture: Why Barack Obama made allusions to Scripture in his inaugural speech, why the group Black Sabbath sounds like a biblical prophet, or why you can't listen to two U2 songs in a row without a biblical reference.
Q: How do biblical stories translate into contemporary times?
There is a disconnect between the view of the Bible and the reality of it. Murder. Drunkenness. Incest. Sex. Lying. Cheating. It's not really tame at all. At times, it can be downright immoral.
Q: What is the most important biblical story for a dinner party?
I'm not sure too many of them are appropriate for dinner conversation. At a dinner party, religion and politics are on the tips of everyone's tongues. People who argue in favor or against gay marriage draw interpretation from biblical stories. Yet, how do you go deeper in that conversation unless you know those stories deeper? It might not be light banter, but they are there in the room, at the table, even if we're not talking about them.
Q: Which biblical stories are people most likely to quote without realizing their origin?
"Drop in the bucket," "reaping the whirlwind," "cast the first stone." There are so many. They are testimony to how pervasive the biblical idiom is in our everyday speech.
