Don Quixote and the Bible

A book to discover what two great works of literature, Don Quixote and the Bible, have in common. And how the Bible influenced the ideas and values in Don Quixote.

Don Quixote has been handled by specialists from all branches of human knowledge, and its text has been meticulously analyzed, criticized, and commented on by the greatest literary minds, both Spanish and foreign. No Spanish writer worthy of the name will leave this world without having left us their written opinion on Cervantes' brilliant work, and many non-Spanish writers share this same fervor.

Yet, the subject is inexhaustible. As Gallardo said, "This is a big book!" It is true that the centuries have accumulated a multitude of comments of all kinds and wise erudite exegeses. But there is no need to fear; not everything has been said, and everything will never be said as long as there is life on earth. The potential of great works like Don Quixote is inexhaustible. This novel itself, with the passage of time, can be better understood, more deeply experienced. Don Quixote does not suffer – and should not suffer – from the rigidity of statues and the immobility of museums.

In this book, Juan Antonio Monroy structures the result of his copious research on the mentions of the Bible in Don Quixote and Miguel de Cervantes' spirituality into several parts:

The first part consists of four chapters: The first two are dedicated to discussing Cervantes' knowledge of the Bible and his favorable opinion of it; the third is a list of Bibles in Romance languages that Cervantes could have known, and the fourth establishes a parallel between the Bible and Don Quixote. 

The second part traces and compiles all the citations, allusions, reminiscences, and traces of the Bible found in Don Quixote, including those phrases which, due to their proverbial form and distinctly sapiential style, were part of the common, and even popular, repository of biblical knowledge, and which, therefore, do not offer particular interest when it comes to highlighting the figure of Cervantes, and which, for this very reason, and due to the obvious lack of space, Father Antolín does not include in his article "The Use of the Holy Scriptures in Cervantes." 

Finally, a historical part completes this great work written by Juan Antonio Monroy.

All those who have had the privilege of having read the adventures of "The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha" will love this book: it will help them understand many things that remained obscure and will open new horizons of interpretation. For those who have not yet read them, it will be a motivation to read them without fail, something that will not only unquestionably elevate their cultural level but will also substantially enrich their knowledge and mastery of the Spanish language.

ISBN: 9788494495588