How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
[He] could form no decided opinion upon her looks, her position being almost beneath his eye, so that he saw her in a bird's eye view, as Milton's Satan first saw Paradise. (2.22)
It might seem strange that the narrator compares Gabriel Oak's watching Bathsheba with Satan first seeing the Garden of Eden, but this is probably more to establish Bathsheba as Eve than it is to establish Gabriel as Satan. After all, Gabriel is named after an super-good archangel who is pretty much as far from Satanic as possible.
Quote #2
"O you see, mem, his pore mother, not being a Scripture-read woman made a mistake at his christening, thinking 'twas Abel killed Cain, and called en Cain meaning Abel all the time." (10.58)
Poor Cain Ball has an unfortunate name, since Cain is one of the biggest villains in all of the Bible. In the story of Cain and Abel, Cain killed Abel for being the better, more moral brother. But Cain Ball's mother got the story mixed up and thought Abel was the killer and Cain the innocent one. People in Weatherbury tend to know the Bible in general… but they are a bit fuzzy on the particulars.
Quote #3
"Benjy Pennyways were not a true man or an honest baily—as big a betrayer as Joey Iscariot himself." (15.5)
When establishing that Pennyways is a cheat, Joseph Poorgrass compares him to Judas Iscariot, the man who betrayed Jesus and got the guy crucified. But poor Poorgrass, not knowing his Bible specifics, calls Judas "Joey" instead. And yes, there might be a few Joseph's in the Bible; but there are definitely no Joeys.