Innovative app brings biblical history together with modern information

A user can tap a location to bring up pictures, more information and current events taking place in the area.

JULY 20, 2020 18:44

Nahal Me‘arot Caves, Mount Carmel (photo credit: DOTAN DRUCK) — Nahal Me‘arot Caves, Mount Carmel

(photo credit: DOTAN DRUCK)

While the stories in the Tanach (24 books of the Hebrew Bible) may be ancient, they are widely read today. In fact, nearly 1.8 billion people read at least some part of the Bible every week, according to David Sela, chairman of a volunteer organization developing a new interactive app that ties modern technology with the Bible’s ancient history.

“The Bible is the strongest brand in the world,” he said. “There are more than 1.8 billion people who read the Bible each week.”

Sela is chairman of the Council for Promoting the Israeli Heritage Values, the organization developing the app.

One highlighted feature of the app allows for users to tap on the name of a specific location, which brings up information capsules, including contemporary pictures taken at the location, contemporary happenings in the area and explanations that aid in further reading of the Tanach.

“We took the amazing and wonderful content of the Bible and made it accessible in an innovative and pioneering way that adapts it to the technological age that we now live in,” Sela said.

The app is still being developed, but users can receive capsules every few days via email as they get added to the collection.

The process of creating these information capsules began with volunteer researchers scanning in the chapters of all 24 books of the Tanach. Chapters were then broken down into four subjects: places, customs, objects and events.

Currently, an extensive effort is being made to locate all 1,100 of the places mentioned in the Tanach. Professional teams are sent to take photographs of the sites or of objects, customs and events also mentioned in the Tanach.

Following the completion of the first set group of information capsules, the project was launched online for free.

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“We estimate that it will take us another five to six years to complete this enormous project,” Sela said. “But knowing the importance of this mission encourages us to continue working on this unique biblical experience.”

The text is in Hebrew, but the organization hopes to translate the information into English and other languages.

In order to sign up, click on this link: https://www.dailybibleimage.org/