What is Tyndale STEP?
Tyndale STEP is an offline and online Java web application which aims to make ancient texts and maps as well as timeline data, genealogies, ... accessible to everyone, scholar and non-scholar alike, so that the Bible is illuminated by its full ancient context. [see roadmap below]. Tyndale House will also distribute the online version to pastors in the third world, who often can't afford commercial Bible software.
A wiki page has been set up here: http://crosswire.org/wiki/Frontends:TyndaleStep which has a lot more information!
Who are we looking for?
We need lots of help!
• Java developers: this code base is mainly in Java so we can do with all the help we can get!
• User Interface designers: there is currently a sketch of the user interface, created more to prove a point. We need proper guidance to make the software as user friendly and rich as possible
• Data harvesters: Tyndale House could do with a few extra pairs of hands to helpcollate the data and make it available to the wider CrossWire community
How do I start?
• Get in touch!
• Read through the wiki page: http://crosswire.org/wiki/Frontends:TyndaleStep
• Build the code from: http://crosswire.org/wiki/Frontends:TyndaleStep_Build_Environment
• Check out our feature/bug repository: http://crosswire.org/bugs/browse/TYNSTEP
• Have a look at the proof of concept sketches at http://crosswire.org:8080/~chrisburrell/ (including timelines and interlinears on strong-tagged Bibles)
• Peruse the blogs mentioned on the wiki to get a feel for the data and programming
As you can see, there's plenty to do!
What does the roadmap look like?
1st phase: build a multi-platform structure for standard Bible-study tools:
• Bible texts, including original languages, translations and interlinears
• Language aids, including lookup-dictionaries concordance searches
• History tools, including an expandable timeline with scripture links
• Dictionary articles, culled from various sources and edited
2nd phase: add detailed geographic, historic & linguistic data
• Gazetteer of all named places, with short articles and links to pictures
• Co-ordinates of identifiable places to GoogleEarth
• Map overlays of high-ref 1:20,000 maps of pre-urbanised Palestine
• Flexible timelines which can be altered at key points of uncertainty
• Full-text lexicons linked to the lookup dictionaries in tagged texts
3rd phase: add translation aids and links to modern publications
• different possible translations for words and passages
• differences in manuscripts, with evidence for each variant
• expositions in modern and older commentaries, articles and books
4th phase: adds link to extra-biblical literature with searching:
• search other ancient literature for similar passages in a similar context
• look up Greek and Hebrew words in other ancient literature
• view ancient texts with translations where possible
These tools will put centuries of research into the hands of non-scholars. When the information is laid open like this, it is easy to see that the Bible is well preserved and translated, reflecting historical events in real places, and dealing with issues current in the ancient and modern work alike.
If you have any more questions or want to get involved, please do let me know!
Chris
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