Study the Bible! : The Use of Biblical Allusions in Literature Biblical references are a technique used in literature by authors to alter readers' perceptions. Readers' beliefs are challenged by using biblical references in literature. In “The Gospel According to Mark” by Jorge Luis Borges, Borges uses many biblical references to give readers a different view of the main character. With the biblical references used in “The Gospel According to Mark,” readers are able to portray the main character, Baltasar Espinosa, as a Christ-like person. Borges' use of biblical references is important because it allows him to challenge the reader's religious beliefs. In "The Gospel According to Mark" by Jorge Luis Borges, the main character, Baltasar Espinosa, is sent to the countryside to teach and live with the Gutre family. Espinosa read them a Bible since the Gutre family could not read it all. Along the way, Borges begins to describe things about Espinosa's life and events that occurred during his journey, such as a massive flood that inundated the land. Many of the things Borges describes are strongly linked to the Bible. Borges uses elements of the Bible to compose his story “The Gospel According to Mark”. The use of biblical references in literature serves to bring out the special meaning the author is trying to give to his readers. In the article “What is the Function of an Allusion in Literature” by Daniel Liden, Liden states “The use of biblical allusions serves not only to communicate verses from the Bible, but also to evoke the many emotions and ideas that people they associate those passages." Borges tries to get his readers to have an experience that relates to the Bible by implementing illusions in...... middle of paper ......Espinosa both had an effect on the reader that made the story unique. The biblical references were very helpful in making the story what it is. It gave the characters in the story a whole new importance and the story itself was more meaningful than it would have been without the references. Works Cited Bartel, Roland. Biblical images in literature. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1975. Print.Village, Andrew “Biblical Literalism in the Anglican Clergy: What is the Role of Psychological Type? Mental health, religion and culture. 2012. Web.Lester, Brooke G. Theological Library “Inner-Biblical Allusion.” 2009. WebRobinson, Marilynne “The Book of Books: What Literature Owes the Bible” The New York Times. 2011. WebLiden, Daniel “What is the Function of Allusion in Literature?” Society by conjecture. 2014. Web