The Manga Bible: From Genesis to Revelation is an original English-language manga adaptation of the Bible created by British artist Ajinbayo "Siku" Akinsiku, who was responsible for the concept and the art and the scripter Akin Akinsiku. [1] It was released in July 2007 by Galilee Trade. [2] They summarize the narrative of the Bible in a 200-page graphic novel including the Old Testament and the New Testament. With their work, they combine the Western and the Japanese culture to tell the Bible in a new way. The book is especially aimed at readers between the ages of 15 and 25. Church representatives were praising the graphic novel, as opening up the ideas of the Bible to a new target group. [3] Ajinbayo Akinsiku was born in England and grew up in Nigeria; he now lives again in England. He thus represents different cultures in his artistic work, which becomes also apparent in The Manga Bible. He became known for his work on 2000 AD and Judge Dredd. [4]
The text and quotes in The Manga Bible are from The Holy Bible, Today's New International Version that was first published in 2004. [5] For those people who want to read further in the Bible, the artists have included "Want to know more?" links indicating the references that help to find the passage in the original scripture. [6] Those links are also a good indicator for the reader to know which passages from the original Bible are included in The Manga Bible and which passages were left out. At the end of the book commentaries about key scenes are included. They give away some of the ideas that inspired Siku and Akin to write The Manga Bible, as well as the influences they had during the process. There are also sketches included that show the development of the art process.
Siku is one of many artists living in the West who has been open to the manga style in his work and he uses it in his own way. [7] He is influenced by his own cultural background, thereby creating a manga in English based on a book commonly associated with Western culture, namely the Bible.
By using manga, Siku is not just influenced by the Japanese comic style, but also by its aesthetics and culture, with which manga is closely connected. One of those aesthetic concepts is a three-part development called shin-gyo-so. It comes from the Japanese calligraphy, where the formal alphabet of kanji is represented by shin. The semi-formal characters are called kana and stands for the gyo. Finally, the least formal script is the cursive and is represented by the so. This formula is also applied in other aspects of the Japanese culture, for example in gardens or tea ceremonies. Applying this concept to The Manga Bible, the book can be seen as an informal Bible, whereas the Bible in the church would be the formal one and the Bible people read at home would be seen as semi-formal. [8] Within the manga itself, Siku also uses different levels of formality; there are pages, where he stays within the panels and other times where no panels at all exist. To illustrate the disorder of a war or the prophecies of the revelation, he also uses the technique of bleeding, which means that the drawing appears to continue over the edge of the page. [9]
Another example for the close connection between the Japanese culture and its aesthetic is shown in the silent wandering of Jesus through the wilderness, triggering on the sensory memory of the reader. [10] Siku describes the appearance of Jesus for example as "a Samurai stranger, who's come to town, in a silhouette". [11] He also works with facial expressions of his characters. When the Egyptians are punished with the death of their first born, because the Israelites are not freed, Siku draws the characters with a facial expression that also elicits compassion in the reader, an effect that is often used in manga. [12]
The Manga Bible is a summary of the Bible, which implies that many parts are left out, altered a bit, or only partially used. The text and the drawings are based on the original scripture, but they also use free interpretation. [13] Even though many of the important stories from the Bible are included, there are also some that would be expected, but are left out. For example, the building of the Tower of Babel and the whole Book of Esther are missing, In the Old and the New Testament only about half of the books are used as a source for The Manga Bible. Many of the books that are left out would give only little to the development of the narrative, such as the Leviticus or books from the second part of the Old Testament, such as Micah or Habakkuk. This is mostly due to the style of manga, where the use of epic stories and action play an important role. [11] Thus, The Manga Bible focuses on books that provide action and it also shows the violence and sexuality that is portrayed in the Bible. In the Book of Joshua the bloody fall of the Israelites' enemies is shown. The weakness of different characters is illustrated with the examples of the moral downfall of David with Bathshebe or when Samson is deceived to give away the secret of his power.
In The Manga Bible's rendition of the Old Testament entitled "The Book of God's People", Moses narrates the story of Genesis to a group of children. For a less conventional narrative style, the chronology of the books is sometimes changed or parts of one book are inserted in another one. So that for example the Book of Jonah is put between the two Books of Kings. The Book of Jonah is called "A Comedy Short" and is supposed to bring comic relief between the heavy issues of war and destruction that are persistent in the Old Testament. To emphasize the difference Siku uses a subgenre of manga called super deformed, in which the drawing is very simple or minimalist. [14]
The story line is set up with many traditional images from the Bible. Siku shows the reader how the relationship between God and the people changed over the course of the Old Testament, so that he would no longer talk to his chosen people directly. After the Exodus, the Book of Judges plays a prominent role. The Book of Ruth is drawn in a different style and is mostly told as a love story. The stories of Samson and David are developed in more detail. The Old Testament ends with Prophets such as Daniel and leads over to the New Testament.
The second part, consisting of the New Testament is shorter than the first. The story of Jesus' birth is only told through the three kings, who were ordered by King Herod to look for a newborn. The events between the first encounter of Jesus with his disciples and his death are told in less than thirty pages, including the Parables of the Good Samaritan, the Unforgiving servant and the Prodigal Son. Those Parables are also drawn in a more informal style to indicate that the stories are, although important, not necessarily part of the overall chronology. This summary of Jesus' life requires many omissions, such as of the miracle of the loaves and fish, or most of the Parables. The narrative after the death of Jesus is mostly taken from the Acts of the Apostles.
The Book of Revelation differs from the rest of the New Testament, because it contains mostly visions and prophesies. [15] Siku represents this by telling the revelation through the dreams of a girl in a hospital in the 21st century.
There are also several examples where contemporary ideas come in. In the Book of Job, Job asks himself, how he could have deserved his faith, when a bomb labeled "Fat Man" hits his house. [16] Siku also includes maps in the Old Testament for example to show the journey of the Exodus. In the New Testament Jesus is tempted by the devil, who promises him the power over the world represented by contemporary New York and parts of other modern cities.
The book also makes use of irony or jokes, for example, when Adam sees the tree of good and evil in the Garden of Eden and his response is "Cool!". [17] Noah later loses count of the animals heading to the ark, when he is up to 11,344, so he has to start all over again. [18]
The critique that Siku does not use a traditional style of manga, but rather a style that is close to English independent comics, appears in several reviews. [19] The Manga Bible is definitely influenced by the English culture, especially because it retells the story of a book that most people in the West are at least somewhat familiar with.
Another point of critique is that The Manga Bible is too wordy for a traditional manga; Siku sees the need for that in the fact that he condenses the Bible in a 200-page graphic novel. To convey the message, more text is needed, or it would be difficult to follow the story line. [20] It was also pointed out that due to the dense summary, the story moves in a fast pace and causes some theological flaws in The Manga Bible. [21]
While most manga fans and reviews seem to be disappointed by the book and point out its weaknesses, the church praised the work. They see it as a book that opens up new ways of looking at the Bible. The archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, says about The Manga Bible: "It will convey the shock and freshness of the Bible in a unique way." [11]
Siku himself sees in Jesus a superhero and not the traditional blond Christ, people know from Hollywood movies. [11] He is currently working on a three volume book called The Manga Jesus. The first volume was released in November 2008. [22]
Christian mythology is the body of myths associated with Christianity. The term encompasses a broad variety of legends and narratives, especially those considered sacred narratives. Mythological themes and elements occur throughout Christian literature, including recurring myths such as ascending a mountain, the axis mundi, myths of combat, descent into the Underworld, accounts of a dying-and-rising god, a flood myth, stories about the founding of a tribe or city, and myths about great heroes of the past, paradises, and self-sacrifice.
The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people but is rejected by them and how, after his resurrection, he sends the disciples to the gentiles instead. Matthew wishes to emphasize that the Jewish tradition should not be lost in a church that was increasingly becoming gentile. The gospel reflects the struggles and conflicts between the evangelist's community and the other Jews, particularly with its sharp criticism of the scribes and Pharisees with the position that through their rejection of Christ, the Kingdom of God has been taken away from them and given instead to the church.
The Gospel of John is the fourth of the New Testament's four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "signs" culminating in the raising of Lazarus and seven "I am" discourses culminating in Thomas's proclamation of the risen Jesus as "my Lord and my God". The gospel's concluding verses set out its purpose, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name."
Antisemitism and the New Testament is the discussion of how Christian views of Judaism in the New Testament have contributed to discrimination against Jewish people throughout history and in the present day.
A parable is a succinct, didactic story, in prose or verse, that illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles. It differs from a fable in that fables employ animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature as characters, whereas parables have human characters. A parable is a type of metaphorical analogy.
Throughout history, printers' errors, unconventional translations and translation mistakes have appeared in a number of published Bibles. Bibles with features considered to be erroneous are known as Bible errata, and were often destroyed or suppressed due to their contents being considered heretical by some.
The rich man and Lazarus is a parable of Jesus from the 16th chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Speaking to his disciples and some Pharisees, Jesus tells of an unnamed rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. When both die, the rich man goes to Hades and implores Abraham to send Lazarus from his bosom to warn the rich man's family from sharing his fate. Abraham replies, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead."
Siku is the pseudonym of British/Nigerian artist and writer Ajibayo Akinsiku, best known for his work in 2000 AD.
Typology in Christian theology and biblical exegesis is a doctrine or theory concerning the relationship of the Old Testament to the New Testament. Events, persons or statements in the Old Testament are seen as types prefiguring or superseded by antitypes, events or aspects of Christ or his revelation described in the New Testament. For example, Jonah may be seen as the type of Christ in that he emerged from the fish's belly and thus appeared to rise from death.
Luke 13 is the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records several parables and teachings told by Jesus Christ and his lamentation over the city of Jerusalem. Jesus resumes the journey to Jerusalem which he had embarked upon in Luke 9:51. This chapter, taken with Luke 12:54-59, begins to outline and illustrate "the problem with the Jewish nation" which accounts for the urgency of his journey to Jerusalem. The book containing this chapter is anonymous, however early Christian tradition generally accepts that Luke the Evangelist composed this Gospel as well as the Acts of the Apostles.
Richard John Bauckham is an English Anglican scholar in theology, historical theology and New Testament studies, specialising in New Testament Christology and the Gospel of John. He is a senior scholar at Ridley Hall, Cambridge.
The bride of Christ, or the lamb's wife, is a metaphor used in number of related verses in the Christian Bible, specifically the New Testament – in the Gospels, the Book of Revelation, the Epistles, with related verses in the Old Testament.
Alcoholic beverages appear in the Hebrew Bible, after Noah planted a vineyard and became inebriated. In the New Testament, Jesus miraculously made copious amounts of wine at the wedding at Cana. Wine is the most common alcoholic beverage mentioned in biblical literature, where it is a source of symbolism, and was an important part of daily life in biblical times. Additionally, the inhabitants of ancient Israel drank beer and wines made from fruits other than grapes, and references to these appear in scripture. However, the alcohol content of ancient alcoholic beverages was significantly lower than modern alcoholic beverages. The low alcohol content was due to the limitations of fermentation and the nonexistence of distillation methods in the ancient world. Rabbinic teachers wrote acceptance criteria on consumability of ancient alcoholic beverages after significant dilution with water, and prohibited undiluted wine.
Manga Bible is a six-volume manga series based on the Christian Bible created under the direction of the non-profit organization Next, a group formed by people from the manga industry. Though first published in English, the books are originally written in Japanese and each volume is illustrated by a Japanese manga artist. Each book is adapted from the Bible by Hidenori Kumai. The first two books were illustrated by manga artist Kozumi Shinozawa, while the remaining four were by Ryō Azumi.
This is a glossary of terms used in Christianity.
The Books of the Bible is the first presentation of an unabridged committee translation of the Bible to remove chapter and verse numbers entirely and instead present the biblical books according to their natural literary structures. This edition of the Bible is also noteworthy for the way it recombines books that have traditionally been divided, and for the way it puts the biblical books in a different order.
Revelation 1 is the first chapter of the Book of Revelation or the Apocalypse of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is traditionally attributed to John the Apostle, but the precise identity of the author is a point of academic debate. This chapter contains the prologue of the book, followed by the vision and commission of John.
The Hebrew Bible and the New Testament both contain narratives, poems, and instructions which describe, encourage, command, condemn, reward, punish and regulate violent actions by God, individuals, groups, governments, and nation-states. Among the violent acts referred to are war, human sacrifice, animal sacrifice, murder, rape, genocide, and criminal punishment. Violence is defined around four main areas: that which damages the environment, dishonest or oppressive speech, and issues of justice and purity. War is a special category of violence that is addressed in four different ways including pacifism, non-resistance, just war and crusade.
The Action Bible is a retelling of the Christian Bible in comic book form written and edited by Doug Mauss and illustrated by Sergio Cariello for David C. Cook, published in 2010. Andre LeBlanc's 1978 The Picture Bible was a major influence on the project.
Mary Ann Beavis is a professor emerita, St. Thomas More College, the University of Saskatchewan. She co-founded the peer-reviewed academic journal, S/HE: An International Journal of Goddess Studies, together with Helen Hye-Sook Hwang in 2021.