Web 2.0 eBible?
Some of you are probably well aware of the excellent eBible... but if you are not it's currently in Beta form but already they have ie and Firefox toolbar plug-ins available (search direct from your toolbar) and a blog (and forums) to keep you up to date with new features as and when and to satiate you with tips and tricks etc. It has some great features; linked columns (so you can view different versions side by side), copious footnotes (you can select where they come from from your 'Bookshelf' which contains a number of texts (e.g. Nelson's and Vine's) plus quite a few more for purchase (and no doubt more to come!) The basic set up is fairly standard for those of us who have used Bible Software and on-line Bibles for a while, at the moment it doesn't have quite the bookshelf of BibleGateway.com (certainly not when it comes to Bible translations to Bulgarian etc.) but again I'm sure over time the available texts will multiply! Notable needs will be Hebrew and Greek texts pretty soon I would have thought (not for me I hasten to add... the Message does me fine!)
Perhaps it's best features are; that it utilises the common Tagging system allowing you to search by tag and to save your tags with the passage... building up a cloud of tags and references etc. and the Answers tab, when I entered 'Fish", for example I was presented with loads of info including an entry from Nelson's on the Fish Gate in Jerusalem, which then told me the name of every gate and the corresponding Bible references for each and a drawing of the Golden gate! Of course there is a Bookmark feature which also allows you to build a Tag Cloud from your bookmarks and then to explore each Tag (a la Flickr etc.) I haven't been using eBible that long, but my early explorations have encouraged me to make the switch from BibleGateway.com apart from those not-so-regular moments when I need a Bulgarian version!
The bad news is that the Beta stage is invitation only :( The good-news is that I have 15 invitations to give away :) (do I sound like a local radio presenter???) to the first 15 commenters! In my opinion, this is a great tool, which with some expansion of features and resources will become essential!
Technorati Tags: Blogging: Bible: Spirituality
An invitation would be gratefully received by a budding Anglican emergent priest type person, have been nothing but annoyed with the limitations of bible software I have purchased (except for the palm software I have on my treo) over the years - could this be the answer?
Posted by: Nigel | 10/07/2006 at 22:11
snap - could I have an invite too please
Posted by: Rob | 10/07/2006 at 22:26
Sounds excellent - I'd love an invitation too please.
Posted by: EasyRew | 10/07/2006 at 22:49
Count me in too
Posted by: Jem | 10/07/2006 at 23:19
I'd love a personal invite to try this!
Posted by: Eric Boehmer | 11/07/2006 at 01:08
How about an invite for this seminary student?
Posted by: Kyle Lease | 11/07/2006 at 01:59
I'd love one, mark, if there's still one spare. thanks...
Posted by: cheryl | 11/07/2006 at 02:36
Good tip. If there's still any invites going, I'd certainly appreciate the opportunity to give it a go.
Thanks.
Posted by: david hughes | 11/07/2006 at 10:48
count me in :-)
Posted by: gareth | 11/07/2006 at 11:17
I'd love an invitation too please if there's still one spare. thanks...
Posted by: Steve | 11/07/2006 at 12:19
Please can you invite me? Thanks. Great blog btw!
Posted by: Jason | 11/07/2006 at 12:37
Thought it was great, could you add me too!
Rich
Oxygen, Kingston YFC
020 8547 0566
Skype user: richardbjames
www.oxygen-online.org
www.johnnybravo.org.uk
Posted by: Richard James | 11/07/2006 at 14:10
I'm No.13 if i count correctly. Yay, invite me too plz.
I'm a fan of your blog and especially liked "Christian music is crap?" a few weeks ago.
Wanna know more about me? Go to http://www.kaizenrecords.com/
and hit the 'DJ of the week' link on the left.
Posted by: Chris Killer | 11/07/2006 at 15:58
oooh, id like one of you're lovely invitations please. if im not too late...
Posted by: phil goodacre | 11/07/2006 at 17:34
Would love to be the 15th invite, if it's not too late! Did i mention that I love your meditations and am a subscriber to the way out west podcast?
Posted by: Kelly | 11/07/2006 at 18:45
right... it's gonna take me a bit to process this... if you've missed out Ben Askew has some too :-) http://benaskew.blogspot.com/2006/07/jesus-loves-web-20-ebible-update.html
Posted by: Mark Berry | 11/07/2006 at 23:22
Sorry to those using gmail... it doesn't seem to work, let me have another address if you have one...
Phil & Kelly, I need you E-mail (mail it to me if you don't want it public)
Gareth, for some reason I don't have yours either mate!
Posted by: Mark Berry | 11/07/2006 at 23:44
Hi I seem to have been sent one though my hotmail account so if it was you Mark, thanks if not then I don't need one. thanks any way.;)
Posted by: Steve | 12/07/2006 at 01:46
Invite received - thanks very much, Mark!
Posted by: david hughes | 12/07/2006 at 09:13
Thanks Mark - invite received.
Posted by: EasyRew | 12/07/2006 at 11:17
You wouldn't happen to have one of those snazzy invites left now would you? Thanks bro!
Posted by: Sweaty | 20/07/2006 at 20:03
If anyones interested I have plenty more, having been furnished with another 15!
Posted by: Mark Berry | 21/07/2006 at 21:44
My list of great Bible study tools on the web is at The Best Bible Study Tools on the Web
http://www.andyrowell.net/andy_rowell/2006/02/basic_bible_stu.html
Your readers should know that http://www.biblegateway.com is better than ever. They now have the TNIV (2005), ESV (2001), NLT (2004), NASB (1995), HCSB (2003), The Message (2002), CEV (1995), and the NIrV (1998). You can look up five versions of a passage at a time and view them side by side.
Andy Rowell
Department of Biblical Studies and Christian Educational Ministries
Taylor University
My Blog: Church Leadership Conversations
http://www.andyrowell.net
Posted by: Andy Rowell | 06/09/2006 at 18:59