Unresolved theological issues (gaps & rough plans)
Large fidelity or education gaps that cannot be closed in a single UI tweak. Each item has: problem, why it matters, current state, rough plan. Priority is pastoral honesty and Scripture fidelity — not feature bloat.
U1 — Dual (or multi) Greek NT bases (SBLGNT vs TR / Byzantine)
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| Problem | KJV users often expect TR-type Greek; ZVBible ships SBLGNT only. Silent mismatch can confuse or scandalize. |
| Why it matters | Textual tradition is a first-order trust issue for many believers. |
| Current state | MorphGNT SBLGNT only; missing-verse notices; wiki Greek text traditions. |
| Rough plan | (1) Keep SBLGNT default. (2) Research open TR/Byzantine datasets with redistribution rights. (3) Optional downloadable Greek pack (Globe), labeled clearly. (4) Side-by-side or toggle — never merge apparatuses into one unlabeled text. (5) Unit tests that both packs map by KJV ref without inventing words. |
| Size | Large (data licensing + pipeline + UI + tests). |
U2 — Latin Vulgate as an optional version (not as Greek)
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| Problem | Western Christian history is Latin-saturated; curious users may want Vulgate, but Latin must not replace Greek. |
| Why it matters | Historical literacy vs. mislabeling original language. |
| Current state | Excluded from original-language panes by design (Greek text traditions). |
| Rough plan | (1) If added, new optional version pack (like FR/AR), labeled “Latin (Vulgate family)”. (2) Never under Greek menu. (3) License audit (Clementine vs Nova Vulgata rights differ). (4) Wiki chapter on Vulgate history with footnotes. |
| Size | Medium–large. |
U3 — Transparent variant education for famous passages
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| Problem | Mark 16:9–20, John 7:53–8:11, 1 John 5:7–8 (Comma), etc. differ by tradition; UI shows one Greek line without a “variants” teacher. |
| Why it matters | Surprise online can erode trust if users think the app “deleted” verses. |
| Current state | No per-verse variant apparatus; SBLGNT wording only. |
| Rough plan | (1) Curate a small wiki + optional info chips for well-known passages (not full NA apparatus). (2) Link to external critical editions. (3) Never auto-hide KJV English verses to match critical Greek. |
| Size | Medium (content + careful UX). |
U4 — Pictograph / Greek-picto over-trust
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| Problem | Letter symbolism can be treated as secret inspired code. |
| Why it matters | Can displace grammar, context, and gospel plain sense. |
| Current state | Optional aids; some caution in help; Debate notes §1–2. |
| Rough plan | (1) Stronger always-visible “study layer” label on pictograph panels. (2) One-tap link to debate notes. (3) Default Greek pictographs off (verify settings defaults). (4) Audit dedication copy for overclaim. |
| Size | Small–medium. |
U5 — Strong’s glosses mistaken for full lexical truth
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| Problem | Single English gloss under a Greek/Hebrew word looks authoritative. |
| Why it matters | Word-study fallacies. |
| Current state | Strong’s JSON + external BLB. |
| Rough plan | (1) UI microcopy: “Traditional Strong’s gloss — check context.” (2) Wiki already notes limits. (3) Do not scrape copyrighted BDAG into the app. |
| Size | Small. |
U6 — Red-letter source asymmetry (BSB markers on mixed views)
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| Problem | Red-letter flags come from BSB USFM while user may read KJV/WEB. |
| Why it matters | Quotation boundaries may not match the on-screen English edition. |
| Current state | Experimental; Settings toggle. |
| Rough plan | (1) Label “BSB-based marking”. (2) Prefer applying highlight only when reading BSB, or document cross-edition limitation. (3) Keep default off. |
| Size | Small–medium. |
U7 — Culture pack theology quality at scale
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| Problem | Many themes × packs = large surface for imbalance, stereotype, or soft prosperity/legalism drift. |
| Why it matters | Study notes sit next to real verses on Fellowship. |
| Current state | Generator + disclaimers + pastoral notes in wiki; original prose. |
| Rough plan | (1) Periodic human review checklist per pack (gospel centrality, sin/grace balance, no ethnic essentialism). (2) Flag packs that need rewrite in GitHub issues. (3) Keep PD/original-only rule. (4) Optional “hide culture notes” already possible via enable toggles. |
| Size | Ongoing / large content. |
U8 — Interlinear alignment limits
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| Problem | Click-align English↔Hebrew/Greek is imperfect; users may assume word-for-word inspiration of the alignment. |
| Why it matters | Alignment is a tool, not revelation. |
| Current state | Documented in Interlinear alignment. |
| Rough plan | (1) Keep warnings. (2) Prefer improving map data over aggressive UI inference. |
| Size | Medium (data science + UX). |
U9 — Deuterocanon / Orthodox OT / different canons
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| Problem | ZVBible follows Protestant 66-book KJV navigation; no deuterocanonical books. |
| Why it matters | Catholic/Orthodox users may expect Tobit, etc. |
| Current state | Out of scope for PD Protestant-shaped navigator. |
| Rough plan | (1) Explicit wiki note: canon scope. (2) Do not silently add deuterocanon without a major product decision + licenses. (3) If ever: separate mode, never mix into KJV numbers without a clear canon switch. |
| Size | Very large if pursued; document-only for now. |
U10 — Systematic theology gaps in roadmaps
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| Problem | Equipping / Sword / Encounter paths touch baptism, gifts, suffering, end times without full confessional apparatus. |
| Why it matters | Denominational dispute. |
| Current state | Pedagogical journeys; not a confessional handbook. |
| Rough plan | (1) When journey copy asserts contested doctrine, add “Christians differ — see debate notes / pastor.” (2) Prefer Scripture quotes over slogans. (3) No single-denomination lock-in unless product explicitly rebrands. |
| Size | Ongoing. |
Suggested improvement backlog (scripture handling)
| # | Item | Status |
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| 1 | Source badges OSHB / SBLGNT on Hebrew & Greek panes | Done — ScriptureSourceBadge |
| 2 | Study layer chrome for pictographs, culture, red-letter, Strong’s | Done — StudyLayerChrome |
| 3 | Deep-link from Greek/Hebrew unavailable → wiki | Done — MissingOriginalLanguageNotice |
| 4 | Share URLs include ?ref= for Read / Fellowship / Search / etc. | Done — lib/zvbible-share-url.ts |
| 5 | Display verification after pipeline changes | Ongoing — npm run verify:display |
| 6 | Optional TR Greek research | Spike doc — optional-greek-latin-research (no dataset yet) |
| 7 | Famous variants mini-articles | Done — famous-textual-variants |
| 8 | Red-letter BSB-based labeling | Done — Settings + Greek interlinear |
| 9 | Latin not as Greek; optional version later | Policy + research doc (no pack yet) |
| 10 | Pipeline policy check | Done — npm run data:check:policy |
| 11 | Culture pack review checklist | Done — culture-pack-review-checklist |
Working agreement
- Ship Scripture pure; document the debate.
- Prefer wiki honesty over quiet product theology.
- Escalate large gaps here rather than half-fixing them in UI.
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