Zefania XML

Zefania XML Bible Markup Language is an XML-based language for the description of Bible texts. This enables applications that understand XML, read Bible texts and process. Zefania XML is available under GNU General Public License.

Origin

The Theological Initiative Freiburg with Wolfgang Schultz at the top has set itself the task of promoting the development of a free Bible software, so that the German -speaking area will benefit from good and also free Bible programs. For the English-speaking world there for some time very good and free software, but in the German sector prevailed in this area continues to be a certain emptiness.

A few years ago proposed the Theological Initiative Freiburg to establish a separate Bible program, but there it was decided then to promote foreign programs and gave the Bible its own program. A first step of the group was to develop the Zefania XML Bible format that should be the basis for the functioning of MyBible later. It was also started to search the Internet for freely available Bible texts and convert it to Zefania format and create the so-called Bible modules.

Importance

Today there are a variety of modules in the Bible Zephaniah format. The best-known application that uses XML Zefania, MyBible is.

Unlike other formats, which have also been developed for coding of Bible texts, Zefania XML has now contributed by its simplicity to play an essential role in the digital distribution of the Bible. So within 18 months, more than 1 million Bible texts were distributed in this format. Even in theological education, the advantage of this format is more and more recognized and recommended its use.

Illustration of the text structure of a Bible

The Zefania XML language uses the usual structures of the Bible with book, chapter and verse, and has for specific elements.

Can be described as nesting of these elements Building a Biblical text. The entire Bible text contains the books of the Bible, containing the Bible chapter, which in turn contain Bible verses:

               In the beginning, was the word [ ..].        The same was in the beginning with God.      < / CHAPTER >    XML attributes

Like all XML elements, also Zefania elements in addition to the content can not have attributes that you can assign characteristics to a Zefania Bible module. For example, the element the attribute name with the value Luther Bible 1984. Attributes can ( optionally ) be required (mandatory) or optional.

Important attributes are bible name (name of the Bible ), bNumber ( book of the Bible according to a numbered table of the Bible books) and CNumber ( chapter number ), and MyNumber ( verse number ). With these attributes, the text above looks like this:

               In the beginning was the word [ ..].        The same was in the beginning with God.      < / CHAPTER >    The attributes can, for example, formatting, references to other Bible passages include translation or grammar hints.

XML declaration

For a Zefania XML module is complete, it must, like all XML documents are supplemented with the XML declaration and the reference to the namespace.

In addition, still comes a Zefania - specific INFORMATION element to be in the listed after the Dublin_Core standard bibliographic data encoded Bible text:

        Zefania XML Bible Markup Language < / format >      2005-12-03 < / date>      Jens Grabner      EN < / language>      This text is in the Public Domain                   In the beginning was the word [ ..].        The same was in the beginning with God.      < / CHAPTER >    Web Links

  • Detailed Description of the Zefania elements and their attributes
  • Zefania XML Project Source Forge
  • A Bible Reader application using AJAX and XML Zefania
  • Online Bible based on Zefania XML Bible
  • Biblical medium
  • XML-based language
XHTML#XML declaration
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