Brits and the 2.1 <strong>BiBle</strong> It’s easy to get the impression that the Bible is unpopular and viewed negatively by most British people. However, Bible Society’s own research shows that this is not necessarily the case. Many imagine the Bible to be a book written in old-fashioned language, containing lists of rules and regulations that some people try to force upon others. They are very negative about this idea of the Bible. However, most people are surprisingly open to modern translations of the Bible, agree that it contains timeless stories and are intrigued by new, creative ways of bringing it to life. Audiences respond well to the Bible if it’s presented like this. So if you’re considering depicting the Bible on screen, in print or over the airwaves, it can be helpful to consider some of the following questions: is the <strong>BiBle</strong> Best descriBed as an encyclopaedia of rUles, regUlations and teachings? The Bible certainly does contain legal material, letters and instructions, but most of it is actually made up of either advice material (‘hints and tips’) or relationship stories. In fact, it’s estimated that up to 75% of the Bible is narrative. In many ways, it resembles a collection of biographies rather than an official rulebook. is the <strong>BiBle</strong> Best depicted as a Black leather Book, written in old-fashioned langUage, with gold lettering on the front? Of course, there are lots of Bibles like that. But the most common Bibles for sale in the UK and the USA are modern-language versions with other kinds of covers. The Bible also exists in many other formats and its stories are represented in a variety of different ways (see 7.7, back to the old school for some examples). Nowadays, the Bible really is multimedia. is the <strong>BiBle</strong> very similar to lots of other holy Books? Sometimes, people assume that the holy books of different religions are pretty much alike in terms of their size and subject matter, but this isn’t actually the case. Of course, there are similarities, but the Bible is fundamentally different. The important difference is that for the most part, the Bible is a book full of relationship stories. The Qur’an (which is a fifth of the length of the Bible) does contain some biographical material but focuses far more on questions and answers about specific religious matters. The sacred texts regarded as revealed within Hinduism (the Vedas and the Bhagavad-Gita) contain philosophies, hymns, poems and ritual texts. The Bhagavad-Gita may only be a tenth the size of the New testament, but the Vedas are far larger than both the Old and New Testaments put together. The Tipitaka (the collection of holy books within Buddhism) has three sections and is around 11 times the size of the Bible. It includes practical teachings of the Buddha, as well as stories about (and guidelines for) Buddhist monks and nuns. Comparing sacred texts and highlighting similarities can be important, but it’s a mistake to think that they are all much of a muchness. 2.0 fAcTuAl AccurAcy And The <strong>BiBle</strong> This section includes some broad principles to consider if you are depicting the Bible on screen, in print or over the airwaves. The <strong>BiBle</strong> <strong>STyle</strong> <strong>Guide</strong> 5 bible society 2008
christmas chUrch 3.0 codex covenant creationist crUcifixion dead sea scrolls denomination deUterocanonical devil directory disciple easter sUnday eBionites end-times environmentalism epistle eschatology essenes 6 The <strong>BiBle</strong> <strong>STyle</strong> <strong>Guide</strong> bible society 2008
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