The BibleGet project aims to facilitate consultation of Bible quotes and insertion into documents and web pages on various platforms, by offering an API that can handle requests for Bible quotes, and some client implementations that talk to the API to retrieve the Bible quotes for a single application.
Some of the client implementations that have been created so far:
- Microsoft Word add-on
- OpenOffice extension
- LibreOffice extension
- WordPress extension
- Google Docs add-on
The project was an idea of John Romano D'Orazio, a priest in the Diocese of Rome, Italy. The initial idea came from a Word macro that was going around between students and priests, that could retrieve Bible quotes from the BibleWorks software program, but which was not an official macro endorsed by the BibleWorks software, and was not published in a public or open source manner. The BibleWorks software is not free software, and it did not have Catholic editions of the Bible, for reasons of copyright. Catholic editions of the Bible are covered by copyright by Bishops conferences, or by the editors.
I therefore set out to create the API, and contact the rightful copyright holders to gain permission for usage of the biblical texts within the BibleGet project. All biblical texts used in the project which covered by copyright have been secured through written or spoken agreements with the rightful copyright owners, and usage / distribution of the biblical texts is limited to within the BibleGet project.
2 Timothy 2:8-10
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory.
(New American Bible revised edition)
All development of the project is open source, and so far has not received any kind of funding. The server that the API runs on is financed personally by John Romano D'Orazio. Seeing that my financial possibilities are pretty tight, the server offers essential services and is not very reliable: there are no backups, and there is no reliable way of upgrading the Operating System of the server without some risk of losing the project.
Seeing that the project is open source, it is open to contributions from the community of Catholic programmers. Please feel free to join the discussions, open issues, translate the interfaces, or contribute some code.
If you like this project and find it useful, please consider sending a donation to support the project and allow the server to continue running, and to offer more reliable services.
Other than the spaces for discussions and issues here on github within the BibleGet organization, please feel free to join the OpenSourceCatholic community and slack channel where we share ideas and attempt to create a community spirit for Catholic developers.
