Junior Member
I've also had to work with English Greek before, but I'd rather not, as I by no means want to remove the marks from the text.Originally Posted by now john
What I need right now is a was to change a viewable Greek text (so I can edit it) into a compilable BibleWorks file (so I can import it).
That explains how to open the file, but not how to compile it again. As Mard Eddy said above, BibleWorks cannot compile UTF files.
Senior Member
Perhaps you can find a program on the internet that converts Unicode Greek into ASCII text that could then be imported into BibleWorks. I found some web sites that made conversions but what they were converted into was not what BW uses. I have done some of that myself but it has been a while and it was Hebrew not Greek.
If you can't find anything like that, it seems you will be forced to use some method less efficient. If that is the case, someone on the forum might be able help but would likely need details about what you are trying to do, like examples using verses that show what you are doing.
BibleWorks Staff
Hi yordanov,
The best way would be to export the text as CCAT format (no Unicode), make the changes in the CCAT-formatted text, then recompile the CCAT file. If you are only making 40-50 changes, this shouldn't take very long. You will get used to seeing what to change in a short time.
If you already have a Unicode file that you are comparing the STE text against, you might want to export a second copy of the STE in Unicode format so that you can compare more easily the STE text against the 1633 text that you have. Just be sure to make the changes in the STE file that is in CCAT format.
Blessings,
Glenn
Glenn Weaver
Junior Member
I see, thank you for the reply.
So there really is no way to convert a UTF file to CCAT? To import a file that's not BW format? What if I have another file, from a different source, that I want to import to BibleWorks?
BibleWorks Staff
Hi yordanov,
There are no routines in BibleWorks to convert Unicode texts to a format that BibleWorks can import and compile into the needed format. The best format to use is the CCAT format. If you can convert Unicode to CCAT, then you can compile the text. When I worked at BibleWorks I used to write computer programs to convert texts from various publishers so that we could compile them in BibleWorks.
Most texts are different from one another. The BibleWorks compile requires a very specific format for compilation to work. That is the nature of compilers. If the format isn't correct, then an error will result. You can write programs, or convert texts using search-and-replace, or make hand corrections to texts, but before you can compile the text you have to have it in a proper format that BibleWorks can compile. There is no way around that.
There are two types for formatting issues that need to be correct: the character set has to be in extended ASCII (not Unicode or other proprietary format) and in the CCAT format (the best option) or (I think) the BibleWorks propriety format, and the file formatting has to match exactly the BibleWorks specification as spelled out in the Help file. There are no ways around these two items. There are ways to convert texts to these specifications. That's what programmers do.
To see a little of the complexity, a Unicode text can use any of approximately 64,000 characters. The extended ASCII character set, which is used by the BibleWorks compiler, only has 255 characters available for use. A program has to be written to convert the 64,000 characters to the proper 255 characters. For Greek, this means that a single Unicode character, which may contain a consonant, an accent, and a breathing mark in the single Unicode character, has to be converted to three characters--the consonant, the accent, and the breathing mark. And these have to be in the proper order, or the accent and breathing mark may not be placed correctly on the consonant. Unicode also has combining characters, so these have to be taken into account as well.
It would have been nice to have a Unicode converter in BibleWorks for use by the Version Database Compiler, but frankly there was not enough people importing their own texts to justify the time it would take to create the converter, troubleshoot it, etc. If BibleWorks would have continued, it would have been great to be able to compile and use Unicode texts within the program. This would have opened the possibility for including a lot of other languages (such as Hindi, for example) that we could not include in the program.
In other words, you could include any Greek text (and many, many others) that you want, but you will have to do the work or have someone do the work to convert the text to a format that BibleWorks can compile. I'm sorry that I don't have another answer for you, but that is the best that can be done now that BibleWorks has closed.
Blessings,
Glenn
Glenn Weaver
Senior Member
Thank you, Glenn. Your post is a very helpful overview of the Unicode problem.
Senior Member
Word macro: Unicode to BWgreek
The attached word macro convert unicode font to BWgreek font (and after the conversion save the text as txt file and in BW tool Version Database Compiler select: input in BW format).
Comparing STE version with STE-50 (Estienne 1550) Editio Regia 1550 there are 246 verses different. To edit ELZ-33 (Elzevir 1633) Greek New Testament would not use STE version but STE-50 (Estienne 1550 Editio Regia). Every variation (40-50??? I think they are more than 50) from STE (or STE-50) VS ELZ-33 (Elzevir 1633) must be checked with the printed text: https://archive.org/details/ned-kbn-all-00002699-001).
Do you have the List of differences (verse by verse and word by word)? Could you insert the list in this thread?
Pasquale
Last edited by pasquale; 08-26-2018 at 06:51 AM.
Junior Member
Thank you, pasquale! I think I can make this work.
Yes, I have a digital scan of both the 1624 and 1633 Elzevir (sadly I was never able to acquire a physical copy, unlike Estienne 1550, which is more common). But I though the STE in BibleWorks is indeed Estienne 1550? Either way, I'm just interested in having a final ELZ33 file, does it matter what text I start with as base?
It is true, that the differences between STE and ELZ-33 are over 200, but when I said 40-50 it was just an aproximation of the more meaningful ones.
In order to find the differences (I can't code to save my life) I just imported the ELZ text I have and used the BW comparision tool, verse by verse. I can post the list when I finish, after comparing it to the scans, just to be sure itīs accurate.
Senior Member
Yes is Estienne 1550.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ste-50 is also Estienne 1550 with some differences:
οὕτως (Matt. 2:5, 3:15, 5:12, 5:16, 5:19, 5:47. 7:12 STE)
οὕτω (Matt. 2:5, 3:15, 5:12, 5:16, 5:19, 5:47, 7:17 STE-50) as the printed text;
ἵνα τί (Matt. 9:4, 9:11 STE)
Ἱνατί (Matt. 9:4, 9:11 STE-50) as the printed text;
and others.....
Total 246 differences.
Pasquale
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