How would you like to see scripture linked?

Question

I'm guessing linking scripture will be pretty popular, so I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on it. I just used biblegateway.com to quote like this 2 Timothy 3:15

and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Answer 1

It would be awesome if the Stack Exchange guys could create some "shortcut" to make this easier.

For example some syntax like {{2 Timothy 3:15|NIV}} that automatically creates the link and quote that you have included in your question.

It would be great if this was backed up by a toolbar button, but I appreciate that's less likely to be implemented.

Answer 2

I'm personally partial (and of course, a little biased) to the method used as an example in the feature-request thread.

Add Markdown and/or OneBox support for BibleGateway

I suggest using something like this, until the feature can be implemented by SEI site-wide.

Genesis 1:1-5 (NIV)

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Here's the Markdown code for the above:

> **[Genesis 1:1-5 (NIV)][1]**

>  **1** In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. **2** Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

> **3** And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. **4** God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. **5** God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. 

  [1]: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%201:1-5&version=NIV

Regardless of whether the above is followed exactly or not, here are some key items that should be covered when quoting scripture:

1. Complete separation of scripture from commentary. Using the blockquote feature is ideal. In any case, commentary should not reside on the same line as quoted scripture.
2. Book, Chapter, Verse, and Version citation. This is to ensure that there is no ambiguity in definition of the source.
3. Link to quote in BibleGateway or other web reference of choice is preferable.
4. In-line identification of individual verses is preferable. Ideally, there should also be some distinction (bolding, superscripting, or other symbolic separation) between verse numbers and text.

The first two are absolute musts in order to preserve the integrity of the quoted scripture, and eliminate ambiguity. Linking to the verse in a reference is a nice addition for convenience to the reader. Labeling of the verses is handy for anyone wishing to note them in a reply to the citation.

Answer 3

For references (not quotes) I would like to see something like reftagger. The references are automatically converted to links. When you mouse-over the link, the Bible verse appears in a popup box. This allows quick viewing of the verse without leaving the page. But it also gives you the option of clicking on it which opens up the verse in its own page if you want.

I don't think the 'automatic conversion' of verse references is not particularly necessary. I think it actually makes it more ambiguous when it doesn't do what you want. Reftagger doesn't know what to do when you reference whole chapters. Perhaps more guided approach for the user is to have a widget that allows you to select the book and verse reference from the available list, and the standardised abbreviation and formatting is generated by the widget.