Bible in Esperanto - La Sankta Biblio

Francis Taylor has provided a new Bible version for BW users. La Sankta Biblio (1926) is the Bible translated into Esperanto. Esperanto is a "constructed international language" that is used for intercultural communication. This text has been placed into public domain.

Download La Sankta Biblio, and unzip into your /BibleWorks/userdb/ folder. Read your help files on how to install a new version.

Download La Sankta Biblio (1.5MB)

Customer service, upgrades and backwards functionality?

I'm hesitant to even post anonymous comments, but I could not let this comment go unanswered. Regarding the ability to create custom CHM modules in BW7, "Anonymous" said:

I know that this is not a Bibleworks forum but I find this very disappointing that previous versions of Bibleworks do not support these modules. I bought BW6 only a couple of months before BW7 came out so that probably only adds to my disappointment.

I understand your frustration not having the added functionality of v.7, but please consider the following:

1. The upgrade is well worth the price (even if you paid for v. 6 a few months earlier). To get the same texts, resources and added functionality that you get in the upgrade in any other Bible software, you would have to pay far and above the $150 upgrade (See this BW Forum post.)
   
2. BibleWorks does their best to help users in your situation. In fact they offer a 30 day trial period with a money-back guarantee. They also allowed users who had purchased v.6 right before purchasing v.7 to recieve a substantial discount. (See this BW Forum thread.)
   
3. It is unrealistic to expect ANY software company to make new features of new versions automatically a part of older versions. If companies did so, there would be no reason to purchase the upgrade; they would not recieve new revenue for the purchase of the new versions, and eventually the software company would fold.
   
4. Again and again BibleWorks has released free updates (including added texts and functionality that would be worthy of holding for a new-version). For instance, they have added Robertson's Greek Grammar free of charge to users of v.7. You would have to pay extra for this anywhere else.

Overall I have never been disappointed with BibleWorks' customer service. BibleWorks has done their absolute best to pack the most important original language resources into a program that is underpriced even at full price.

On Modules

It seems a number of people have lately asked whether the Custom modules which are available for download here work in versions other than BibleWorks 7. The answer is no, Custom HTML help modules that work within the BibleWorks are a new feature only to BibleWorks 7.

The longer answer is that it is a really cool feature that is only increasing in value the more the days pass because more users are getting together to make more resources available for other users.

Essentially these modules are HTML Help files which have been tagged by a BibleWorks scripting program which is what makes it possible for the Resource Window to link to a given resource when it is cited in that resource and it also makes Scriptural links within a given HTML help module work as pop-ups. I'll talk more about how to make these files in a future post, but for now, how about showing how they work in BibleWorks 7.

Cool Feature #1:

Custom Modules act as footnotes within the Bible, by alerting you to the fact that a given module references a specific Bible verse.

They do this by showing up in the Resource Summary Window when you are on a given Bible verse.

So in the picture above (click on it to make it larger), in the Browse Window I am looking at Psa 51:5 (English / Psa 51:7 (MT) / Psa 50:7 (LXX)), but I see in the Resource Window to the right of the Browse Window that there are a number of resources that have citations to this verse. Specifically, I see that Bente's Book of Concord has a reference to Psa 51:5 in the Smalcald Articles. Now since I don't have the Smalcald Articles memorized along with the Small Catechism, I might wonder, Gee, I wonder why Martin Luther was citing Psa 51:5. I could pull out my Book of Concord to figure this one out, but that's way on the other side of the room. Or I could open up my Book of Concord that I have in Logos, but that would take a minute for the program to load and another minute or two of navigation for me to find it in my resources, etc. At that rate, I'd be better off getting up and picking up the book. Or since I have this resource in BibleWorks, I could just click on it!

Genius idea! So I click.
And bingo. The link not only opens the resource, but it brings you to the exact spot of the reference. Now if you wish to read more, simply scroll around in the module itself. Nice.

Cool Feature #2:

Not only does the BibleWorks scripting tool make links for the Resource Summary window (Cool Feature #1), but it also makes pop-up windows that work within the HTML module. So, I see that in this part of the Smalcald Articles, Luther also lists a few other Scriptural citations. Now since I only have the Bible memorized up through Genesis, I'm not quite sure what all these verses are referring to simply by seeing their Scriptural reference. Now one way to fix this problem would be to close or minimize the module and type in the reference, but that would take like 15 seconds. 15 seconds? Come on that's way too time consuming. How about if you just place your mouse on the reference *in* the module. Now you don't have to do anything at all, BibleWorks produces a pop-up window which will tell you what that verse says.


Classy. Now if you dislike the pop-up Bible versions, you can easily change which versions show up in these little pop-ups in BibleWorks (Go to View on the main menu and then Choose Popup Versions).

And what if you weren't interested in all this goose-chasing, but what you wanted was to quickly see what was in another one of those resources, let's say, Kretzmann's Popular Commentary. What would you do? Well you could surf on over to the Kretzmann Commentary website, but maybe you left your internet connection at home. So what are you to do? Oh I know, click the link!


And there you have it. Go have some fun and see what the commentary has to say.

So to review. Custom HTML modules = Cool. Custom HTML modules = BibleWorks 7. Ergo, BibleWorks 7 = Cool.

New Module - Book of Concord (Bente, Triglotta ed.)

More fun for Lutherans out there. I finally finished cleaning up an edition of Bente's Book of Concord, a public domain text which is available at the Book of Concord website. Of course this edition is spruced up a little bit more, with the most useful part for BibleWorks users being the fact that the Book of Concord Scripture references will now link up in BibleWorks in the Resource Summary Window.

There are a few spotty places where the links don't work completely (a large number of them come at the end of the Small Catechism), because the links are for entire chapters rather than specific verses. I may get these cleaned up in the future, but it's not a really high priority on my list right now because of other things I have going. The files are certainly available for others to edit, correct and tweak.

If there is anyone ambitious enough to make more Concord-related files out there available, let me know. I'm currently working on a lectionary commentary project, but if anyone knows if there would be any copyright issues with making a module out of Bul's Notes, let me know. I'd love to add that to the bunch.

DOWNLOAD!

New Module - Kretzmann's Popular Commentary

While this may be of more excitement to Lutherans out there, it still is a major addition for all BibleWorks users. I have finally completed the finishing touches on Paul Kretzmann's famous Popular Commentary series so that it now works in and with BibleWorks in the Resource Summary window or stand-alone as an HTML Help file.

The text is all from the Kretzmann Project and my thanks go to them for making this resource available to online users.

This compilation is available as per their provisions: We do claim the copyright on the electronic edition, but only to assure that it is not tampered with. We give full permission to replicate and distribute the text in any form whatsoever, printed or electronic, so long as the content itself is not altered, other than to correct scanning errors, fix formatting, change fonts, etc.

No content has been altered except what was necessary to adapt it for use in HTML Help and BibleWorks.

DOWNLOAD! (20 MB!)

Module - Chrysostom's Works Final Revision

Says Pasquale, "St. Chrysostom BibleWorks module final release is developed. This CHM module contains the public domain text of Chrysostom's works as found on the Christian Classics Ethereal Library site. The module is tagged to work with BibleWorks, so that if the editor cites any verse of Scripture, a link will be displayed in your Resource Summary Window.

All of the following texts are included:

Volume I: On the Priesthood, Ascetic Treatises, Select Homilies and Letters, Homilies on the Statutes
Volume II: Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew
Volume III: St. Chrysostom: Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistle to the Romans
Volume IV: St. Chrysostom: Homilies on the Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians
Volume V: St. Chrysostom: Homilies on Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, and Philemon
Volume VI: St Chrysostom: Homilies on the Gospel of St. John and the Epistle to the Hebrews

What a great work!

DOWNLOAD! (12 MB)

Coming soon: a massive commentary on the whole Bible designed for the laity.

New Module - St. John of the Cross

Pasquale has finished another great module for BibleWorks users. This time we have St. John of the Cross' work Ascent of Mount Carmel. The module is tagged to work with BibleWorks, so that if the editor cites any verse of Scripture, a link will be displayed in your Resource Summary Window.

DOWNLOAD!

New Module - St. Chrysostom's Works - 3rd Revision

Pasquale has been hard at work and now released a 3rd revision to his Chrysostom's Works project and he's nice enough to share his labor with all of us! This contains volumes 1-3 of Chrysostom's works from the Ante-Nicene Fathers Collection.

DOWNLOAD!