Before the light
In the beginning, Genesis tells us, the earth is still without form. Darkness covers the deep, while the spirit of God moves over the waters.
Genesis 1:1–2
Stories and traditions in images
Ancient stories
and new stories.
For centuries we have passed down stories about origins, choices and life together. Here we revisit them through images and words, taking the time to follow them.
Explore the traditionsStories to discover
The traditions
Each tradition has its own texts, gestures and stories. Some intersect; others follow very different paths. We have begun gathering a few, without claiming to tell everything on one page.
Buddhism
Attention to what is happening, suffering, and the possibility of understanding it.
Christianity
An injured traveller and someone who stops. A parable about what it means to help.
Judaism
A prepared table, Friday evening candles, a time set apart from the working week.
Hinduism
A chariot pauses before battle, and a difficult question arises about how to act.
Islam
The transmitted word, reading, and the search for the meaning of texts.
Sikhism
An open kitchen and a shared meal, without distinctions among those who sit together.
From the Book of Genesis
Creation
In the beginning, the earth is formless, darkness covers the deep and the spirit of God moves over the waters.
And light appeared
Then God brings light into being. He separates it from darkness, naming the light day and the darkness night. Evening and morning come: the first day.
Genesis 1:3–5
Between the waters, the sky
The waters are separated and a space opens between them: the sky. Then the waters below gather together, allowing dry land to appear.
Genesis 1:6–10
The earth sprouts
God makes vegetation grow from the earth: plants bearing seed and trees bearing fruit according to their kinds. God sees that it is good. Evening and morning follow: the third day.
Genesis 1:11–13
Lights in the sky
God sets lights in the firmament to separate day from night, mark seasons, days and years, and shine upon the earth. The greater light rules the day and the lesser the night; there are also the stars.
Genesis 1:14–19
The sea and air fill with life
The waters fill with living creatures and birds cross the sky. It is the fifth day: life moves through water and air.
Genesis 1:20–23
Life on land
God makes the land animals according to their kinds and creates humanity in the divine image, male and female. God blesses them, gives them dominion over living creatures and assigns plants and fruit for food.
Genesis 1:24–31
The seventh day
God completes the work of creation and on the seventh day ceases from that work. God blesses the seventh day and makes it holy.
Genesis 2:1–3Genesis belongs to the Torah and the Christian Bible. This account is an original paraphrase of Genesis 1:1–2:3, not a quotation or canonical translation. The images are artistic interpretations.