The first true page of the IKEABIBLE (IKB), simplified Genesis 1:1 has arrived! Here we get our first look at how we represent god. The top half of the pictogram shows a human form, while the lower half of the form is a cloud. This indicates the being’s heavenly origin.
This verse depicts god in the act of creation. A starburst represents the objects it contains as being created from nothingness. Again, a cloud is used to represent the heavens. Three straight lines arranged together represents the earth. There is a “plus” symbol in between them. This indicates that no only are the created in juxtaposition, but their creation is linked.
As we mentioned previously, these pictograms will become the basis of the vocabular for the rest of the testament. We are hopeful that the pictogram we created for God will be conserved across the entire document. The same could be true for the “heaven” and “earth” pictograms as well. A starburst always represents the concept of creation. However, this will only be true where the creation is of divine origin. A different symbol represents creation by humans.
We made the decision starting with the first verse to only depict one verse per page. This is in order to help keep the pictograms from becoming to cluttered. Giving each verse a single page would be prohibitive in a print edition. Fortunaely, this works great in a digital format! We would love to eventually see the IKB in a print format. For now though, the internet is a great tool for disseminating the good word!
Simplified Genesis 1:2 is next!
In the meantime, you could take a look at the whole IKEABIBLE, or check out some of our other blog articles. Or, maybe take a look at Patheos? Either way, take care, and we’ll be back with more soon!