[sword-devel] Creating a module of the Companion Bible

[DM Smith]

On Jul 8, 2006, at 12:14 AM, Greg Perry wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I hope this is the right list to ask this question.


Yes this is the right list.


> I am currently
> working with another developer on transcribing E.W. Bullinger's
> Companion Bible into the OSIS XML format.


Fantastic. And is the material free of any copyright or have you  
obtained permission from the copyright holder? Since the work was  
originally released in 1898 it certainly may be old enough to be free  
of copyrights. Current publishers often claim copyrights for very old  
works and can enforce them by making minor alterations in the text to  
show it is their material.


> The Companion Bible is the
> 1611 KJV, and includes the Massorah as well as a verse by verse
> commentary by Bullinger.

My guess is that it is a 1769 KJV. The 1611 version is very  
distinctive. You can see it here: http://dewey.library.upenn.edu/ 
sceti/printedbooksNew/index.cfm?TextID=kjbible

For example the text of Gen 1.1-2 reads:
IN the beginning God created the heauen, and the Earth.
2 And the earth was without forme, and voyd; and darkeneffe [was]  
vpon the deepe: and the Spirit of God mooued vpon the face of the  
waters.


> The Companion Bible also includes a lengthy
> preface, as well as headnotes for each chapter; in addition, there  
> is a
> collection of appendices that contain graphics and various timelines.
>
> Our first attempt at transcribing the Companion Bible into OSIS format
> isn't working out too well - it doesn't appear that there is any  
> type of
> support for a preface or appendix with a Bible module, only a Genbook.

These are two different issues:
1) Does OSIS support prefaces, appendixes and the like.
	preface and appendix. - Use div for these.
	notes - Use the note element for these
	cross refs - Use a note element with these and contain each passage  
in a reference.
	graphics/images - use figure
	other materials - use "a"

2) Does Sword support these features?
	The versification of the KJV is fully supported by Sword.
	Alternate versifications are currently being worked.
	There is support for introductory material.
		For a book this is chapter 0, verse 0.
		For a chapter it is verse 0.
		Not sure what it is for a testament or the bible as a whole.
		Very few Sword applications support introductory material.
	To my knowledge there is not support for appendices.
	The support for images is limited. And exposed by very few front ends.

It appears that the history of the Sword engine is that it gains  
features as they are needed. So as we get richer and richer OSIS  
support will grow. (As user's volunteer their effort.)

> To avoid having the Companion Bible be ranked with Josephus or an
> apocryphal work, I think it's important to make a Sword Bible  
> module as
> opposed to a Genbook.

The big question is how an appendix would be presented to the user so  
that the user could find it.
Currently, there is no mechanism, but alternate versification holds  
some promise and it is getting close to being done. It is being  
implemented with the GenBook mechanism, but Bibles encoded with it  
will be Bibles and listed among the Bibles.

> So the question would be this:  with a regular
> bible module, can you include a preface, headnotes for each chapter,
> notes and commentary on each verse, and an appendix?
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Greg

I hope this helps.

In His Service,
	DM Smith