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Bible API

bible-api.com

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Re: Bible API

#91

Post by goto11 »

wcarey wrote: post #83
goto11 wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Bible was not written as single work the way novels like Persuasion are though. It is really a collection of books of very different origins and genre. Some books are laws where individual rules can be examined and there are collections of proverbs. But there are also parts which are longer narratives.

I think my point, though, that the unit of thought in the scriptures is not the atomic verse, still stands. If you'd like to emend "collected works of Jane Austen" to "collected works of 19th century authors", feel free.

I argue that in some cases the "units of thoughts" are verses (proverbs, laws), in other cases they are longer like psalms, sermons, chapters, letters or books. I totally agree taking a single verse out of a longer narrative rarely makes sense. But the bible is not like a novel or a collection of novels, although some of the books (like Job) is kind of like a novel.

Re: Bible API

#92

Post by seemslegit »

wcarey wrote: post #84
seemslegit wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is "balkanization" really a general term for "dividing into parts" ? I think some sort of both internal and geopolitical strife needs to be involved. And verses are not disconnected logical propositions, they are a structure between a sentence and a chapter aka. a paragraph. If anything - the grouping of verses into chapters is far more arbitrary than that of sentences into verses.

I chose "balkanization" to connote the things you reference; the atomic quoting of verses of scripture does violence to the text. Verses are definitely not functionally paragraphs. Some aren't even complete sentences!

At least in the old testament verses range from sentences to paragraphs, have any interesting examples of a non-sentence verse ?

Re: Bible API

#93

Post by chippy »

TomMarius wrote: post #10
bcgraham wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

http://bible-api.com/ecclesiastes%203:7

I don't take advice from a book that has caused so much physical and mental pain, ruined lives and families.

There is a theory that much of what we think are universal human values such as morality or justice or democracy comes from the book. Indeed many would support the idea that all utopian movements such as the The French Revolution or Communism have their philosophical roots in the book and Christianity.

Humanism and the notion of Progress, could be based on the Christian idea that we are morally autonomous beings and completely different from other animals and that the idea that progress is towards something better is fundamentally Christian. Ironically, much of modern atheism has assumptions about human beings which base themselves on Christian philosophy.

Many would say that you do take advice from such a book even if you don't know that's where the advice you value originates.

Re: Bible API

#95

Post by wcarey »

goto11 wrote: post #91
wcarey wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think my point, though, that the unit of thought in the scriptures is not the atomic verse, still stands. If you'd like to emend "collected works of Jane Austen" to "collected works of 19th century authors", feel free.

I argue that in some cases the "units of thoughts" are verses (proverbs, laws), in other cases they are longer like psalms, sermons, chapters, letters or books. I totally agree taking a single verse out of a longer narrative rarely makes sense. But the bible is not like a novel or a collection of novels, although some of the books (like Job) is kind of like a novel.

Proverbs is certainly the book most amenable to division into verses.

Re: Bible API

#97

Post by mxcrossb »

wcarey wrote: post #58

One of the most interesting things to happen to the scriptures is their balkanization into verses. We generally don't atomize other writings that way, and when folks read the scriptures as a series of disconnected logical propositions all sorts of wackiness ensues. What would it look like to have an API for the collected works of Jane Austen that returned snippets (some of which are not even complete sentences)? How…

I agree that it is a very interesting topic. Even the chapter breaks can be a real issue for a theologian. I believe there are some stories in the gospels which are consecutive in multiple books, but split by a chapter break in others. There are arguments in the epistles which span multiple chapters. But to the modern reader a chapter break implies a stopping point. Which might lead you to misunderstand the author’s intent.

Re: Bible API

#98

Post by ducaale »

nurettin wrote: post #66
millerm wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am sure both of us risk getting our accounts flagged or banned for having an opinion, but perhaps you could use the API to display what concerns you. I can say pretty much all of it concerns me. I don't believe in cherry picking "the good stuff" while avoiding all the atrocities that in there. It's amazing how most don't read their "most important book". They just wait for others to tell them the pretty verses they…

> It's amazing how most don't read their "most important book". They just wait for others to tell them the pretty verses they found. It's sort of like modern day social media. People don't actually read the content, they wait for others to comment on the headline only. This is the case for every major religion out there. I live in the middle east. I've known hundreds of people personally in my life. How many have act…

Well, In Somalia we do read the Quran. In fact, virtually every child memorizes it from cover to cover before starting school. But if you mean understanding what it says, then you have a point.

Re: Bible API

#99

Post by shampto3 »

wcarey wrote: post #58

One of the most interesting things to happen to the scriptures is their balkanization into verses. We generally don't atomize other writings that way, and when folks read the scriptures as a series of disconnected logical propositions all sorts of wackiness ensues. What would it look like to have an API for the collected works of Jane Austen that returned snippets (some of which are not even complete sentences)? How…

tldr; Why not both?

I agree that it's odd that we have atomized the writings in the scriptures. You can find reader's editions if you want to remove the verses structure.

However, I don't agree that the verses are "diametrically opposed to a Christian reading of the Scriptures". I believe that there is room for both reading whole books and reading short quotes.

For instance, I don't think there's anything wrong with taking John 3:16 out of context because it is a very straightforward verse. It's really nice to be able to share verses easily by giving a :. There is danger though when we do that with all verses of scripture, and we should be careful to study the context for verses before coming to any conclusion.

The key is to actually study the scriptures, and not just take the easy route and find verses that make you feel good about yourself. But that's easier said than done.

Re: Bible API

#100

Post by wcarey »

seemslegit wrote: post #92
wcarey wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I chose "balkanization" to connote the things you reference; the atomic quoting of verses of scripture does violence to the text. Verses are definitely not functionally paragraphs. Some aren't even complete sentences!

At least in the old testament verses range from sentences to paragraphs, have any interesting examples of a non-sentence verse ?

Sure - take a look at the first chapter of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. The sentence:

Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

is divided into three (!) verses. That sort of thing is pretty common with the periodic structure of Paul's sentences. English readers, with our weak clause boundaries, struggle with those sorts of sentences anyway.

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