En 1998, des parents bénévoles ont initié un enseignement biblique avec les arts plastiques (aquarelle, pastel, origami, etc.) en milieu catholique lors de la déconfessionnalisation scolaire au Québec. La pratique appelée la Bible illustrée (BI) inclut dix récits annuellement sur un cycle de six ans. De 2005 à 2022, l'activité a rejoint 144 jeunes de 5 à 14 ans provenant de 82 familles. La durée de participation moyenne est de 2,5 ans; quatorze jeunes ont participé pendant six ans. Cette pratique aide-t-elle les jeunes, leurs parents et les bénévoles à approfondir la Bible et à rencontrer le Christ? En janvier 2022, 26 personnes (4 anciens jeunes, 22 parents ou bénévoles) ont complété un questionnaire. La motivation à participer repose largement sur une invitation personnelle et le plaisir de créer. La conservation d'un cahier de créations est source de fierté. Les jeunes viennent d'abord pour la création artistique, mais apprécient à la longue la réflexion. D'autres expériences chrétiennes après la préadolescence doivent être renforcées. La BI à elle seule ne maintient pas un intérêt à long terme pour la Bible et le témoignage chrétien. Une corrélation critique à partir d'Éphésiens 6,1-4 montre que la BI est un cadeau qui permet de réfléchir aux relations avec les autres, Dieu et l'existence, une réflexion souvent taboue actuellement. La Lettre aux artistes de Jean-Paul II invite à reconnaître le talent comme un don de l'Esprit. Le pape François sollicite tous les artistes, croyants ou non, à chercher la vérité, la beauté et l'espérance. Le réinvestissement de la pratique montre des avantages d'une prise en charge bénévole sur la durée et le développement d'une communauté joyeuse, réflexive et créative. La BI pourrait s'intégrer dans d'autres lieux (paroisses, camps d'été, bibliothèques) mais un futur guide et des trousses de bricolage seraient un atout pour sa diffusion. / In 1998, volunteer parents started biblical teaching in combination with arts and crafts (watercolour, pastel drawings, origami, etc.) in a catholic church during secularization of schools in Québec. The practice called “Bible illustrée” (Illustrated Bible) includes ten biblical stories yearly over a six-year cycle. Between 2005 and 2022, 144 youths aged 5 to 14 coming from 82 families attended on average 2.5 years; 14 youths completed the full 6-year program. Does this practice contribute to a deepening of the Bible and meeting Christ for participating youths, parents, and volunteers? In January 2022, 26 persons (4 former youths, 22 parents or volunteers) completed a questionnaire. The main incentives to participate were a personal invitation and the pleasure of doing artwork. The preservation of the artwork in a personal book is much appreciated. Youths come primarily for the arts, but they realize over the long term the value of biblical reflection. Other Christian experiences are needed in teenage years and early adulthood. The practice of Illustrated Bible does not suffice to maintain long term interest in Bible study and Christian testimonial. Critical correlation based on Ephesians 6:1-4 shows that Illustrated Bible is a gift allowing thoughtful discussion on relationships with others, God and the world, a reflection often considered taboo in the current society. The Letter to Artists by Pope John Paul II reminds us that artistic skills are a gift of God. Pope Francis invites all artists, believers and non-believers, to search for truth, beauty and hope. Reinvesting in the practice shows advantages of a volunteer-based activity over time and the development of a small joyful, thoughtful, and creative community. The practice of Illustrated Bible could be integrated in other environments (parishes, summer camps, libraries) while the development of a practical guide and artwork kits would be beneficial for further outreach.

Thesis (MPhil(Visual Arts. Illustration))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / This thesis is a critical analysis of Afrikaans illustrated children’s Bibles as cultural texts in Afrikaner nationalist discourse. Christian Calvinism was a distinct signifier in Afrikaner nationalism and served as an instrument in the construction of Afrikaner national identity. I propose in this study that Afrikaans children’s Bibles encoded the principles of Afrikaner nationalism and were used as didactic tools for the configuration of an exclusive national consciousness. A potential pitfall in the analysis of Afrikaans children’s Bibles as nationalist texts is the fact that these books were translated from Dutch or English into Afrikaans. However, the act of translating the Bible, ‘the Word of God’, into Afrikaans served to confirm the ‘totem’ of Afrikaner Christian-Nationalism. The appropriation of the Bible re-contextualized the ‘Holy Scriptures’, placing them within the milieu of Afrikaner national identity and consciousness: language and religion thus became interrelated catalysts in the social construction of Afrikaner national consciousness. Finally, my own reinvention of the Afrikaans picture Bible – in opposition to conventional illustrated children’s Bibles – is put forward and discussed as a postmodern text that encodes a radically different post-Apartheid conception of identity.