William Shakespeare used the phrase “in the twinkling of an eye” in his play “The Merchant of Venice” in 1596. Launcelot, in speaking with his father Bassanio, says:
“Well, if Fortune be a woman,
she’s a good wench for this gear.
Father, come; I’ll take my leave of the Jew
in the twinkling of an eye. “
However, Shakespeare was not the first to use the phrase in his literary work. Robert Manning of Brunne, wrote Handlyng Synne in 1303 in which the phrase was used: “Yn twynkelyng of an ye”
However, Manning was not the first to use this phrase either. The phrase can be found in the Bible in 1 Corinthians 15:52 where you can find the following written:
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
Historically Speaking 