THE Bible is already one of the most widely translated texts in history, and now it has been given a modern update for millennials – by being translated into emoji.
.@BibleEmoji – Follow, retweet like and share! pic.twitter.com/U0hYsQt6xK
— Bible Emoji (@BibleEmoji) March 29, 2016
Bible Emoji has gone on sale on the iTunes iBooks Store, and is based on the King James Version of the ancient text. The book is a mixture of text and the now frequently used icons, retelling each of the 66 books within the Bible, though in a way much more familiar to those of the social media generation.
Published by Scripture 4 Millennials, they describe the new book as a “great and fun way to share the gospel”.
of Genesis: 01:007:010
& it came 2 pass after 7 s, that the of the flood were upon the .
— Bible Emoji (@BibleEmoji) March 29, 2016
The creator of the book, who identified themselves to The Guardian Australia only as the smiling, sunglasses-wearing emoji said that many of the verses and emoji used in the book were first tested out on social media as a way of crowd proof-reading each line.
To create the final book, a program was built that linked 80 emoji with around 200 corresponding words, helping to replace them with the icons and cut down on characters used.
The attempt to reach a new audience comes a week after a new report claimed that people who identify as having no religion outnumber those who identify as Christian for the first time.