Davide's Notes

Here are some programs I tend to use frequently these days (in addition to others I have mentioned already in other posts):

• Mozilla Firefox
  Version 1.0 has been released today. I am now trying to use it as my only browser, to see if I can let go of the Mozilla Suite (which does not seem to receive a lot of developer's attention anymore - see a recent version of the Suite roadmap for an example). As theme, I am using Noia 2.0 Lite.
  
• Nvu
  This seems a more complete html editor than Mozilla Composer; Composer was probably the main reason why I was still using the Suite rather than Firefox (I normally compose my blog posts with an html editor.) The real-time spell checker in Nvu is a nice tool (not present in Composer), as are the tabbed editor, a cleaner html markup, the CSS editor, and so on. Now, if I only could understand how to use the site manager to make it publish correctly via ftp... (this was a problem with Composer as well, and it seems that Nvu has just inherited code in this area; on a positive note, I read they are working on a new version of the site manager for Nvu). For the time being, then, I'll keep on using the excellent FileZilla to publish things via ftp. UPDATE: I am also trying the Firefox extension fireFTP, a cross-plaform ftp client integrated into Firefox. And I found I can easily edit web pages with Nvu from Firefox using an extension called Launchy.
  
• VocabWorks
  I recently found this freeware flash card program, and I am using it more and more. It has its quirks (like the need of special fonts to render Greek and Hebrew - it does not seem to support Unicode characters), but it does what it is supposed to do: help you learning words using flash cards. I am currently using VocabWorks to create my own vocabulary lists starting from the U of London study guides for Greek and Hebrew.
• e-sword
  Another excellent freeware program. It is certainly not as sophisticated as, say, Logos or BibleWorks, nor does it support the many texts these commercial programs can offer; but for my still limited needs it is currently OK. With e-sword, I am mostly using: the Textus Receptus (w/ Strong's numbers), the Robinson-Pierpoint Byzantine Greek NT (also w/ Strong's numbers), and the Hebrew Tanach. Too bad the latter does not have cantillation marks, nor direct links to Strong's numbers; I have seen I can generally work around the last point using a window comparing the Hebrew text and a KJ version w/ Strong's numbers. For the cantillation marks, I either refer to my printed copy of the BHS, or use (outside of e-sword) the Hebrew-English Bible from Mechon Mamre (downloaded locally). Dated and/or conservative as it may be, the Keil & Delitzsch commentary helps me in my basic philological needs and provides loads of suggestions worth exploring in more detail. If anybody knows of a Nestle-Aland version for e-sword, please let me know.
  

Now for the rest of the subject of this post: as it happens, starting to read and study the text of the Bible (in particular, the OT) in its original languages is having on me the effect of multiplying the perception of how small my understanding is: not so much of the text itself (for this is something that can be somewhat overcome, with multiple translations, commentaries, and so on), but rather of the mindset behind the text and its heritage (and thanks, Tim, for mentioning the article by Conrad Gempf on three things gentile Christians may never understand). So, thinking at this, I cannot but sympathize with the Syrophoenician woman, who says:

(Mark 7:28)

Regardless of how my studies proceed, I believe this is, on its own, something of not negligible value.