StepBible
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Tyndale House Cambridge Launches Beta-version of Scripture Tools for Every Person (STEP), a new free Bible study resource.
24 July 2013, CAMBRIDGE, UK
Today the STEP development team of Tyndale House Cambridge launched the Beta-test version of a new free Bible study resource at www.StepBible.org.
STEP software is designed especially for
teachers and preachers who don’t have access to resources such as
Tyndale House Library, which specialises in the biblical text,
interpretation, languages and biblical historical background and is a
leading research institution for Biblical Studies.
The web-based program, which will soon
also be downloadable for PCs and Macs, will aid users who lack
resources, or who have to rely only on smartphones or outmoded
computers.
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About STEP
The project began when STEP director Dr David Instone-Brewer created the Tyndale Toolbar
for his own use. It became popular among researchers at Tyndale House
and is now used by thousands of people across the globe. The Beta launch
of STEP invites users to try out the new tools and give suggestions for
improvement.
"STEP represents the most comprehensive
yet user friendly tool for Bible Study I have seen in over 35 years of
research," said Dr Wesley B. Rose. Tim Bulkeley, a contributor to the
project, said "I wish I was just starting to teach in Kinshasa now, with
STEP and a smart phone. Students would find learning Hebrew and Greek,
to read the Bible directly, so much easier."
Almost a hundred volunteers worldwide have
contributed to this work, including 75 who helped to align the ESV,
used with the kind permission of Crossway,
with the underlying Greek and Hebrew. All their work will now be freely
available for other software projects. There are many exciting features
in the pipeline for others to get involved with.
Try it out at www.StepBible.org.
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Further information
The special problems of the Majority World
have inspired some unique technical solutions. The whole
database-driven program is designed to be downloaded onto computers as
diverse as decade-old desktops and Android phones. This download, which
is still being tested, enables it to continue working when internet
access goes down.
Ten language interfaces are available and
another 83 are ready for volunteers to work on. Bibles in many languages
are already present and agreements are in place with the United Bible
Societies and other organisations to add hundreds more. Someone using a
Swahili browser can see buttons, menus and Bibles in their own
mother-tongue.
Some of the features are unavailable on
any other software, and the ease of use belies its extraordinary
complexity. Even in Basic View you can get answers to questions like:
Which other verses use the same original word found here? This works for
every Bible in all the available languages without requiring knowledge
of any Hebrew or Greek. In Advanced View one can see multiple
interlinear texts with word-by-word alignment in English, Chinese,
Hebrew and other languages. Information about grammar and dictionaries
is also given at three levels so that someone wanting quick information
isn't overloaded with the complex details, which are also available.
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Contact for more information
David Instone-Brewer
Tyndale House, 36 Selwyn Gardens
Cambridge, CB3 9BA, UK
Tyndale House, 36 Selwyn Gardens
Cambridge, CB3 9BA, UK
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