Scripture in a Digital Age: Out with King James, In with Emoji Bible

Given the many caveats, it is estimated that there are about 900 different translations of the Bible in the English language.

This week, a new "Bible Emoji" will be added to that list and made available in Apple iBooks. 

The master-mind behind this new translation, who simply goes by the smiley face wearing sunglasses emoji, believes that "as we communicate more and more in emoji, perhaps it will become the universal language, the most accessible of all."  

The translator also hopes that the incorporation of emoji will make the Bible more approachable. The translation is being marketed as "Scripture 4 Millennials", and is an adaptation of the King James Version of the Bible. 

According to The Memo, the author created an actual translator program with a list of 80 different emoji icons and 200 corresponding words. In addition, some common shorthand was incorporated so that words like "and" became & and "first" became 1st.

The end result was a shorter yet complete version of the entire Bible with about 10 to 15 percent of the total characters cut out.

The Emoji Bible is sure to get polarizing reactions from readers since nearly all Bible translations have had some sort of backlash when initially released. 

The church was not pleased by William Tyndale for his translation of the Bible into English in the 1500s and the original King James Version of the Bible didn't gain overwhelming popularity for several decades after it appeared.  

Nevertheless, it's all worth the goal of making the Bible more approachable.