New Source for Sundays With Mark Twain
You Probably Didn't Know This About Twain (Sundays with Mark Twain #66)
My long-running series "Sundays with Mark Twain" went on a very short hiatus (a week or two); starting today, it returns with excerpts from my 2021 compilation MARK TWAIN, BIBLE SCHOLAR: 919 Bible Quotations, References, and Allusions from Mark Twain’s Writings
Without further ado or adon't, here's the Introduction, Acknowledgements, and the first decade (1850s).
INTRODUCTION
This is not a book of conjecture. Nor is it a psychoanalysis of Mark Twain, or a treatise on his thoughts about God, or religion, or his Presbyterian upbringing. It is simply a chronological listing of all the times Twain quoted from, made reference to, or alluded to Bible accounts or characters, or borrowed its distinct phraseology.
I do not include among these hundreds of examples all the times Twain mentioned God, the devil, the Savior, heaven, hell, church, or suchlike somewhat vague nods to the basic religious knowledge and customs he was taught as a youth and which were part of the culture. Rather, entries herein appear only when he seemed to be quoting from a particular scriptural passage or referring or alluding to a specific event, account, or teaching. The reader may at times think I have been too willing to see a Biblical connection here or there; on the other hand, he or she may feel that I have omitted other excerpts from Twain’s works that would fit in this list.
As an example of where I was conservative in my selecting, I did not add this phrase to the list of quotations, references, and allusions:
...he lives comfortably yet not ostentatiously; dresses well, but plainly; abides by all laws, human and divine;
...because, although the quote above references the divine law, it does not reference a specific scripture or Bible account. If suchlike phrases were included, this book would have been much more voluminous than it already is. Another common idiom Twain used was “a Sabbath stillness,” referring to the Sabbath, when no work was to be done. These instances have also been left out of this volume.
If I had included every single instance of such comments and observations, some might conclude that Twain was positively obsessed with the Bible.
And, in fact, Twain did tell his brother Orion once, “I never had but two powerful ambitions in my life. One was to be a [steamboat ] pilot, & the other a preacher of the gospel.” And to his namesake nephew Samuel Moffett he wrote, “I wanted to be a minister myself—it was the only genuine ambition I ever had.”
Was Twain’s entire career one long sermon in disguise? If you reject that thought, take a look at Twain’s article The Indignity Put Upon the Remains of George Holland by the Rev. Mr. Sabine here: http://www.twainquotes.com/Galaxy/187102g.html
Make of it what you will.
Note that the King James Version of the Bible is used throughout, not because it is the easiest translation to understand (far from it, due to its archaic language), but because it is the translation with which Twain was most familiar.
Each entry in this volume begins with a compound identifier in the format [YYYY].[N].[N], such as 1867.2.129. This indicates that the entry is from the year 1867, it is the second one for that year, and the 129th one overall. So the first element of the compound identifier is the year, the second is a running total for the year, and the third and final element is a running grand total.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In researching this work, I read everything I could find that had been written by Rambler, Grumbler, Josh, Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass, W. Epaminondas Adrastus Blab, W. Epaminondas Adrastus Perkins, Sergeant Fathom, and Mark Twain – in other words, all the nom de plumes and “nom de guerres” that Samuel Langhorne Clemens used throughout the almost six decades of his writing life, from 1852 to 1910. He even signed his birth name to his writings at times, and I have read that material, too. The works I have examined include newspaper articles, short stories, sketches, essays, speeches, letters, as well as his full-length books, both fiction and non-fiction.
It would have been virtually impossible to assemble this tome without numerous invaluable resources. Three in particular need to be acknowledged, namely Barbara Schmidt’s website twainquotes.com; the online repository of books in the public domain gutenberg.org; and the book The Oxford Companion to Mark Twain, edited by Gregg Camfield, with its exhaustive and comprehensive bibliography. The latter resource showed me what to look for, and the former resources provided access to the actual texts of many of Mark Twain’s works, including the hard-to-find and obscure ones – practically everything that flowed in such profusion from Twain’s brain and quill.
1852
1852.1.1) Quote, Reference, or Allusion: The first Blab lived in Adam’s time … but Adam was no more respectable than Blab—he never had a mother!
Scripture: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created he him; male and female created he them. – Genesis 1:27
Work; Date: Blabbing Government Secrets!; September 16, 1852 [Signed “W.E.A.B.” (a previous sketch penned the same day had been signed “W. Epaminondas Adrastus Blab”)]
Source: Collected Tales, Sketches, Speeches, & Essays: 1852-1890
1853
1853.1.2) Quote, Reference, or Allusion: Vanity of Vanities!
Scripture: Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. -- Ecclesiastes 1:2
Work; Date: Letter from Peter Pencilcase’s Son, John Snooks; May 12, 1853
Source: Early Tales and Sketches, Volume 1: 1851-1864
1855
1855.1.3) Quote, Reference, or Allusion: I thought, too, of the passage in the Bible instructing the disciples to carry their good works into all the world--beginning first at Jerusalem.
Scripture: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. -- Luke 24:47
Work; Date: Letter to the Muscatine Tri-Weekly Journal; February 16, 1855 [Signed “S.L.C.”]
Source: Mark Twain’s Letters, Volume 1: 1853-1866
1856
1856.1.4) Quote, Reference, or Allusion: Presently Mr. Brutus come a marchin in as grand as a elephant in a menagerie of monkeys, and then the people stamped like Jehu.
Scripture: ...and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously. -- 2 Kings 9:20
Work; Date: Letter to the Keokuk Saturday Post; October 18, 1856
Source: Early Tales and Sketches, Volume 1: 1851-1864
1857
1857.1.5) Quote, Reference, or Allusion: He ain’t dead, but sleepeth.
Scripture: ...she is not dead, but sleepeth -- Luke 8:52
Work; Date: Snodgrass, In A Adventure; March 14, 1857
Source: http://www.twainquotes.com/Keokuk/18570410.html
1857.2.6) Quote, Reference, or Allusion: Of such is the kingdom of Heaven.
Scripture: But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. -- Matthew 19:14
Work; Date: Snodgrass, In A Adventure; March 14, 1857
Source: http://www.twainquotes.com/Keokuk/18570410.html
1858
1858.1.7) Quote, Reference, or Allusion: I seldom venture to think about our landed wealth, for ‘hope deferred maketh the heart sick.’
Scripture: Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life. -- Proverbs 13:12
Work; Date: Letter to Orion and Mollie Clemens; March 9, 1858
Source: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3193/3193-h/3193-h.htm
1858.2.8) Quote, Reference, or Allusion: I, even I, have humbled myself to the ground and prayed as never man prayed before, that the great God might let this cup pass from me
Scripture: O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me – Matthew 26:39
Work; Date: Letter to Mollie Clemens, June 18, 1858
Source: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3193/3193-h/3193-h.htm
1858.3.9) Quote, Reference, or Allusion: May God forgive them, for they know not what they say.
Scripture: Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. -- Luke 23:34
Work; Date: Letter to Mollie Clemens; June 18, 1858
Source: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3193/3193-h/3193-h.htm
1859
1859.1.10) Quote, Reference, or Allusion: ...the Sergeant may have already numbered the allotted years of man, still his form is erect…
Scripture: The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away – Psalm 90:10
Work; Date: River Intelligence; May 8, 1859
Source: Early Tales and Sketches, Volume 1: 1851-1864
1859.2.11) Quote, Reference, or Allusion: At the dinner table—excellent symptom—I am still as ‘terrible as an army with banners.’
Scripture: Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners? – Song of Solomon 6:10
Work; Date: Letter to Aunt Betsey; October 31, 1859? (year uncertain)
Source: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3193/3193-h/3193-h.htm
Such research …….research applied…..etc. very interesting!