a vague expression

[peng huang]

This is a sentence quoted from The Closing of the American Mind, by Allan Bloom: (bear with me, it is long!)

"In the United States, practically speaking, the Bible was the only common culture, one that united the simple and the sophisticated, rich and poor, young and old, and, --as the very model for a vision of the order of the whole of things, as well as the key to the rest of Western art, the greatest works of which were in one way or another responsive to the Bible --provided access to the seriousness of books."

The sentence structure is not complicated. It goes: A is B, B that united ...., and provided....

The vague part is the expression: "provide access to the seriousness of books". Are there any other words can express the same idea without using "provide access to the seriousness of books"?

My suggestions:

A, gave opportunities to books to express serious ideas
B, provided important ideas to those who write books
C, made books very important to our lives

What is your suggestion and understanding of the expression: "provided access to the seriousness of books"?

[peng huang]

Is the question too hard to answer?

[SoothingDave]

C is the closest. He means something like the Bible is the basis of Western culture, and an understanding of the Bible allows one to expand out to other works (books) and to see how the ideas in other books flow from this basis.

[peng huang]

thanks very much!

[Tdol]

Is the question too hard to answer?

No, but patience is a virtue.