BIBLE

[CS Lewis FAN]

I know that Lewis converted to christianity but did the bible play a big part in his conversion? I am studying Lewis's life and his writings and am trying to trace the influence of the bible on him.

[Leslie]

Surprised by Joy contains Lewis' account of his conversion. After skimmiing through it quickly, I didn't spot anything where he specifically says that the Bible had influenced him to become a Christian. (Of course, after his conversion, the Bible had a huge effect on him.) As I understand it, his conversion came about through reading a great many, very diverse books, thinking about the philosophical questions that arose from his reading, and talking with his friends and colleagues.

[Arwen]

[A#minor]

[carol]

[Pete]

Regardless of whether the Bible had an influence on Lewis's conversion, it's clear to see that the Bible had a strong influence on him after his conversion.

[Visitor]

[Sven]

[Solomons Song]

[jo]

[Josh]

[Josh]

[Esther]

According to Lyle Dorsett in Seeking the Secret Place, Jack's mother gave both him and Warrnie a Bible just before she died. He goes on to say that Jack did try to read it after his mother died, but that his faith was so shaken that it had little meaning for him and he eventually abandoned faith altogether. So he was certainly familiar with it to an extent, and probably much more than most people today because (I believe) it would also have been included as part of his regular curriculum at public school (someone correct me if I'm wrong).

Furthermore, Surprised By Joy talks about how he and Tolkien had several talks about how Jesus and how the life of Jesus was the "true myth." So, while they may not have been doing deep Biblical studies, they were certainly being influenced by Scripture.