Facts about The Book – Bible Illuminated (Gamla Testamentet):
- contains the exact, unedited text from the Old Testament in the most recent update of the Swedish Bible from 2000.
- was conceived and designed to be accessible, neutral, ethical and aesthetic.
- includes 450 pages, with photographs, in magazine format.
- has had 30,000 copies printed (there are about 70,000 traditional Bibles sold in Sweden annually).
- targets an urban middle class aged 25-50 years.
- is planned to be translated into English and to have a New Testament sequel.
- is available in Sweden from major bookstores as well as from the official website for The Book.
What is The Book? It’s the normal Bible in Swedish, but with a new modern design, that has pictures.
Who came with this idea? Dag Saderberg, a man with a background in advertising. He says Most people have issues with the Bible. They have never gotten into it. They don’t find it accessible. But it’s our history, our heritage. And for most of us, we relate to it more than we think. Religious or not, it shapes much of our moral codes. The Book project seeks to eliminate this inaccessibility by presenting the Old Testament in magazine format. There are millions of magazines sold every month across Europe, so this format is familiar to many people. It’s closer to the way people read today. People prefer a text that is journalistic laid out: split into articles, with headlines, quote boxes, pictures and captions. This way they can more easily pick the parts they’re interested in reading.
My opinion is that this is a good thing. In the 1st place the good thing is that the text was not changed. The format indeed is more attractive to young people to read it. There were a few earlier attempts to put The Bible in fresh format.
When it will be in English and if it will be affordable I’ll buy it.
hi, i’m actually working on this project now for the U.S. version launching fall 2008.
here’s a link to a fantastic video of the visionary behind the project, you mentioned him in your blog post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlWHAGjHUBs
i’m glad you think this is a good thing, we’re all very excited for the English version. feel free to email me with your addition thoughts/ideas. we need more people like you to embrace The Book.
Thanks!
Kat
Thank you Kat for your comment.
I try to promote the Bible. If you need any help in this field please let me know. I’m in to computer science, graphic design and marketing. So, just say if you need any help.
May God help you with the translation!
This “Book” is supposed to be God’s inspired Word. How can you say that you would buy it and regard yourself as a Christian?
It is an abomination. I thought we were not to be OF this world but IN this world. This dumbing down of Christianity to engineer the Holy Spirit’s work is why Christianity is in the trouble it’s in, but it is also what is separating the wheat from the tares.
You might want to do some praying and see which you are. What’s next? Pornography in the Bible? Well perhaps, as long as they didn’t change any of the words or meaning? Crazy.
Jason, it seems that you are angry. Could you please explain me what is it ab out, but in more words, because I didn’t get it. I might be wrong. Please explain to me what is it about the Holly Spirit.
Thank you Jason!
HI. This new book is interesting. I’ve studied an interview of Dag Söderberg, the author.
You can see it here: http://www.illuminatedworld.com/.
Listen very carefully what he says – how he sees the Bible. He does not sees the Bible as the living word of God, a word that changes lives, making us born again. He does not mention the Gospel: We are sinners, Christ died for our sin, We have salvation through Him.
He sees the Bible as a powerful object and describes its power (Christless). He says that this book is for people who have bibles but are uncomfortable showing it (what kind of people are they? are they christians? why this new book makes it more comfortable?)
Does the Bible relate to the modern time? Yes, it does relate (because it was God’s project). Dag says it does not. The Bible isn’t just a text as he tell us. It Isn’t just a history book.
God’s project is not a failure. People fail but not God.
He want to make us emotional by giving the example of the little girl. I don’t think Dag Söderberg knows Christ. From his words he hasn’t a personal relationship with Him or His word.
Catalin… things start to change… It’s always good to see all the sides of the coin. And I must agree with you plea.
i’m sorry to be sceptical but no one can just take a papir and write a Bible..speacily if he doesn’t have needed theological adjucation..unless Lord told im to..
untill Vatikan aproves it, it’s not a modern Bible!
Thank you Vinka about your reply.
I have a question for you. What does Vatikan have to do with it?
Jason. I agree with you 100%
I agree as well!!! God’s word was never meant to be added to or taken away from. It stands on its own without people’s help. (Rev. 22:18-19) Daniel was absolutely correct!!! We are not to conform to this world or try to make God a part of our worldly values. Christianity is not just some fad, the Bible is not just some book, God is not just some character! We need a personal relationship with Christ. That is the main focus of the Word.
God bless!
@Lea
I disagree wholeheartedly. If this book gets the Bible in more hand I’m happy. Why would you be opposed to more people being able to read it?
Um… aBible, really? Is that what the world has come to? I think it’s ridiculous that people think that the Bible needs updating, that the Bible needs pictures of shirtless guys and people making out. Christianity doesn’t need this .
Pictures really are worth a thousand words. The publisher himself stated his hope that these images would invoke discussion.
Pictures really are more powerful than words. Images hang in our minds when they evoke an emotional response.
And here, we have a publication that a secular man is calling a Bible. It contains only the New Testament. It has none of the original structure that every Bible reader is familiar with. It does not name the books of the Bible, but instead divides the books into chapters. It is shaped like a magazine, it feels like a magazine and it looks like a magazine.
It is filled with full-page, glossy, contemporary pictures. There are pictures of famous people, pictures of animals, pictures depicting American culture and a few special pictures worthy of mention: the UN Agenda, a close-up of wet lips before a kiss, a man on fire and a child holding a gun. The pictures are associated with select scriptures printed on them in artistic fashion.
Now, just think for a moment about what I have just described and consider the source of this magazine. A secular American publisher has taken several shocking and controversial pictures and associated them with bible scripture and put the whole mess in a glossy magazine form. They themselves have chosen which pictures to associate with Holy Scripture. They have stated that they do not have a religious agenda. But like most of the world, they fail to recognize that God does. What is God’s agenda? You can find it in the Holy Scriptures. And they are standing in opposition to God’s agenda by filling his sacred Word with worldly images and actually linking scripture to these photos. Do they have the wisdom to rightly discern the meaning of God’s Word and properly associate it to a picture? Does this publishing company have a desire to accomplish God’s will, or will they do anything they can to make a profit from this publication?
This magazine demonstrates they have no respect for God, for the Word of God, for the Son for God, or for the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a Gospel they have weighted down with disturbing, striking, sexy, controversial, glossy photos.
Anyone who is familiar with Christianity knows that the answer to attaining eternal life and escaping from eternal suffering in hell lies within the pages of the Holy Bible which contains the Word of God. Will you entrust the souls of your children or grand children to something like this? Will people use this medium to try to reach out to their loved ones for the sake of Christ?
Ladies and Gentlemen, with the hundreds of choices of sound Bible publications available to us, why would any Christian risk the selection of such a conglomeration of worldly images to carry the good news of the Gospel to our precious children?
How can the immature and uneducated separate their carnal nature from their spiritual calling when their passions are being inflamed by the images sitting side by side with the admonition to be in the world but not of the world?
The stark contrast is so shocking! I am appalled by the wide acceptance this publication is receiving. This magazine should be rejected by the Christian community as a ploy to make money by a worldly business man at the expense of the Word of God, as well as a ploy by satan to take away from God the souls that are rightly His, paid for by the blood of the cross.
I say shame on them and shame on us for allowing it to be distributed.
I agree with Jason…and others. People talk about “getting the Bible into more hands”, but that’s now what they’re doing, they’re just selling a book. The Bible is still a “bestseller”, so many have desired to copy it, but will never be able to. I understand reading other translations of the original text, but when we take the truth of God’s word and change it, it is no longer His word, and therefore man’s worthless babblings (no matter the title you put on the front).
Open God’s word, and tell me the parts you don’t understand. I’ll bet you (yes, I know we shouldn’t gamble
)…it’s the parts that you DO understand that you have a problem with, not the ones you don’t.
God bless those that eagerly strive to understand Him, because, though they never will, it’s in the journey that lies the greatest blessing!