True Vineyard is a comprehensive biblical study tool built by John Bigelow, director of True Vine Ministry. It is not just an app — it is a research platform that works on desktop and mobile. You can use it directly within this website or open it in its own window for a full-screen experience.
The platform is organized into interconnected modules: an interactive map, a scripture lookup covering 1,346 chapters, a biblical figures library of 538 profiles, 59 people groups, a family tree from Adam to Zerubbabel, 80 cataloged Bible editions with their ancestry tree, a multi-tradition calendar spanning 25 systems, a full Witnesses section (textual variants, the four Gospels synoptic, 32 councils, 63 carriers, 86 church divisions), a chronology lab comparing LXX/SP/MT patriarch lifespans, a quiz, and a preferences panel including a colorblind-friendly palette. Each module is designed to be used independently or together. John continues to add new features and content — check back often.
New here? Start with the Interactive Map. It is the most visual and intuitive entry point. You do not need any prior knowledge to explore it meaningfully.
The map is the heart of True Vineyard. It plots 292 biblical locations from Eden to Rome — with rich contextual data tied to scripture, history, and the manuscript tradition. Choose from five map styles, explore seven named journey routes, or use the Guided Tours feature to walk through each stop of a journey in order.
292 Locations7 Journey RoutesGuided ToursTerrain ViewSatellite ViewParchment ModeSilhouette ModeMidnight ModeMeasure / Itinerary ToolEra Layer FiltersFilter by BookFilter by FigureSaved Studies
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Open the app — the map loads as the default view. Pins are shaped by era: stars for Primeval, tents for Patriarchal, peaks for Exodus, forts for Canaan, scrolls for Gospels, and early-church markers for the apostolic period.
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Click any pin to open the location panel — it shows the biblical name, modern equivalent, LXX notes, coordinates, area, and key scripture references.
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Switch map styles using the toolbar — Terrain, Satellite, Parchment, Silhouette, or Midnight. Parchment gives an ancient-map feel; Midnight is ideal for extended reading sessions.
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Select a Journey Route (e.g. "Abraham's Migration," "The Exodus Itinerary," "Paul's First Journey") to draw numbered route lines across the map. Then tap "Guided Tour" to step through each stop with commentary.
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Filter by Era using the layer controls — show only Primeval locations, or jump to the Gospels era and see the Holy Land through the eyes of the New Testament writers.
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Use the Measure Itinerary tool to calculate geodesic distances between any two locations — useful for understanding the real-world scale of biblical journeys.
Tip: The seven journey routes are: Abraham's Migration, Jacob's Descent to Egypt, The Exodus Itinerary, The Conquest, The Kingdom Roads, The Gospel Journeys, and Paul's Missionary Journeys. Each has a Guided Tour option that walks you through every stop.
Scripture Lookup covers all 1,346 mapped chapters of the Bible — Genesis through Revelation — each with a chapter summary, an "At a Glance" panel showing figures, places, and people groups, and cross-reference sections for Signs & Wonders, NT Quotations, Textual Variants, and Locations Mentioned. Old Testament books also include a Study Booklet PDF you can download. The Reckoner tool (accessible from any Scripture page) converts weights, money, and measures from biblical to modern equivalents.
1,346 Mapped ChaptersAt a Glance SummarySigns & WondersNT QuotationsTextual VariantsLocations MentionedPeople GroupsStudy Booklet PDFThe ReckonerOpen Chapter Map View
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Select "Scripture" from the navigation. The chapter grid lights up mapped chapters in amber — you can see at a glance which chapters have the richest geographic data.
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Click a book to see its overview — the witnesses, the canon it belongs to, and a grid of all its chapters. Highlighted chapters have location data attached.
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Open any chapter to read its summary: figures mentioned, places mapped, signs and wonders, NT quotations from that chapter, and where the LXX, SP, DSS, and MT diverge.
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Tap "Open on Map" to switch to the map with only that chapter's locations highlighted — instantly see the geography of any passage.
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Use The Reckoner from any Scripture page to convert biblical weights, monetary values, and measures (talents, shekels, cubits, ephahs) into modern equivalents.
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Download the Study Booklet for any OT book — a PDF summary designed for personal study or small-group use.
Tip: Use the grid filter bar to switch between "All Chapters," "Mapped Locations," "Textual Variants," "People Groups," "Tensions," "Signs & Wonders," and "NT Quotations" — each filter highlights only the chapters that have data in that category.
Biblical figures from Adam to the return era — with LXX Greek and Hebrew name forms, biographical summaries, key events, trivia, and — uniquely — a "Common Misconceptions" section that addresses misreadings present in MT-based traditions. Figures are sortable by order of appearance, alphabetically, or by popularity. Each profile includes an "Appears In" list of every chapter where that person is mentioned, with direct links into Scripture Lookup.
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Select "Biblical Figures" from the navigation.
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Browse or search by name. Results show the LXX Greek form of the name — which may surprise you (e.g. "Joshua" in the LXX is "Iesous" — the same as "Jesus").
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Open a figure's profile to read their biography, key scripture references, and how they appear in the LXX vs. MT textual traditions.
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Read the Misconceptions section — this is one of the most valuable features for researchers who want to understand where popular teaching has departed from the oldest textual evidence.
Did you know? The name "Jesus" (Greek: Iesous) is the same word the LXX uses for "Joshua." This connection is referenced in Hebrews 4:8 and Acts 7:45 — the NT authors used it deliberately.
Scripture Lookup lets you browse the Bible book by book and chapter by chapter — with every location, figure, and people group cross-linked directly from the text. Coverage currently runs from Genesis through Proverbs, and John continues to expand it. Each chapter shows its connections to the map, the figures library, and the people groups module, with text-critical notes and LXX/SP variants flagged throughout.
Genesis – ProverbsCross-linked LocationsCross-linked FiguresTextual Variant NotesLXX / SP / MT ContextChapter Tensions
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Select "Scripture Lookup" from the navigation.
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Choose a book from the list — coverage runs Genesis through Proverbs, with each book summarized and its witnesses noted.
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Select a chapter to see the full cross-linked entry — locations, figures, and people groups mentioned all link directly to their profiles.
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Look for Chapter Tensions — these are sections where the LXX, SP, or DSS diverge from the MT in theologically significant ways, with honest scoring of the evidence.
Tip: The command palette (Cmd/Ctrl+K or /) is a global search — chapters appear alongside locations, figures, variants, and people groups so you can jump anywhere from one box.
The Family Tree lays out the lineages of the biblical narrative on one pannable canvas — from Adam through the patriarchs to the houses of David and Saul and the royal line through the exile. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and collapse or expand any dynasty line. Cards with a colored marker open the full figure profile in Figures. Textual divergences in the genealogies (such as the second Cainan of the Greek genealogy) are flagged where they occur, and alternative spellings from the Septuagint and Samaritan Pentateuch appear beneath each name.
From Adam to ZerubbabelPannable CanvasExpand / Collapse LinesProfile LinksLXX Alternative NamesJubilees & Enoch TraditionsSearch & Quick Jump
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Select "Family Tree" from the navigation. The canvas opens centered on Adam with the first four generations visible.
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Drag to pan across the canvas. Use the – and + buttons beneath any person to collapse or expand that line of descent.
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Use the search box or the quick-jump chips (Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, etc.) to fly the canvas directly to a person and highlight them.
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Click a PROFILE link on any card to open that figure’s full entry in the Figures module — biography, name forms, key events, and misconceptions.
Tip: Cards show alternative name spellings from the Septuagint and Samaritan Pentateuch beneath the familiar English name — helping you connect the tree to the manuscript traditions.
The Variant Browser catalogs every significant divergence between the Septuagint, Samaritan Pentateuch, Dead Sea Scrolls, and Masoretic Text — all in one searchable, filterable place. Each entry explains what the difference is, why it matters, and what the evidence says. The Witness Scoreboard at the top gives a running tally of which witness each variant favors, honestly scored across four categories: older witnesses, MT preferred, genuinely divided, and interpretive.
Septuagint (LXX)Samaritan Pentateuch (SP)Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS)Masoretic Text (MT)Filter by BookFilter by WitnessFilter by VerdictWitness Scoreboard
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Select "Variants" from the navigation to open the Variant Browser.
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Read the Witness Scoreboard at the top — it gives you an immediate sense of how the evidence is distributed across the four traditions.
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Filter by book, witness, or verdict to narrow the list to specific areas of interest — for example, all variants from Genesis favoring older witnesses.
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Click any variant’s chapter reference to jump directly to that chapter in Scripture Lookup.
Keyboard shortcut: Press V anywhere in the app to open the Variant Browser instantly.
The Calendar Atlas presents 25 traditions across an interactive wheel — spanning the Torah Aviv Calendar, Samaritan Torah Calendar, Qumran/DSS Calendar, and Rabbinic Fixed Calendar, among others. Ten interactive lenses let you examine the calendar from different angles: holy days, feast dates compared across traditions, lineage of each system, and how they tension against each other at the 12 key points of the year. The sub-tabs are: The Lab, Holy Days, One Feast Many Dates, Lineage, and Traditions of 25.
25 Traditions10 Interactive Lenses28 Holy Days12 Tension NotesInteractive WheelHoly Days ViewOne Feast Many DatesCalendar LineageTraditions of 25
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Select "Calendar" from the navigation. The interactive wheel appears with 12 month nodes and 25 tradition markers arranged around it.
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Select a lens from the ten available — each one highlights a different dimension of the calendar data: holy days, tension points, feast comparisons, and more.
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Open "Holy Days" to see all 28 tracked observances with their dates across every tradition — you'll see at a glance where the 25 traditions agree and diverge.
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Try "One Feast Many Dates" — pick any feast (Passover, Pentecost, Trumpets) and see the date it falls on across all 25 traditions in the same year. The spread can be weeks apart.
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Explore Calendar Lineage — a visual tree showing how each calendar system descends from its predecessors, tracing the history of sacred time-keeping from the Torah forward.
Tip: The "12 tension notes" mark the calendar debates that have divided communities throughout history — including the Passover calculation controversy that separated early Jewish and Christian communities.
The Witnesses section is True Vineyard's most comprehensive text-critical resource. It includes six interconnected tools: the Textual Variants browser, The Synopsis (four Gospels side by side), The Councils (32 councils with reception verdicts by communion), Carriers (63 figures who copied, translated, or debated the Bible), Divisions (86 church bodies on a real-time axis with a 19-communion side-by-side comparison), and The Enemy's Testimony (a gallery of concessions from hostile witnesses — Suetonius, Josephus, Thallus, and others).
Textual Variants · Filter by BookThe Synopsis — 4 Gospels32 CouncilsReception Key63 CarriersFilter by Era / Language86 Church Divisions19-Communion ComparisonEnemy's TestimonySources & Bibliography
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Select "Witnesses" from the navigation, then choose from the six sub-sections using the menu.
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Open "Variants" — filter by book, by witness (LXX, SP, DSS, MT), or by verdict to find every cataloged divergence. Click any chapter reference to jump to it in Scripture Lookup.
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Open "The Synopsis" — the four Gospels appear side by side, passage by passage. See where Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John agree, differ, or add unique material.
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Open "Councils" — 32 councils in chronological order, each with its reception key: Binding, Received, Rejected, Annulled, or Disputed — by communion. The reception of a council often differs by tradition.
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Open "Carriers" — 63 historical figures who carried, copied, translated, or argued over the biblical text. Filter by era, role (scribe, translator, polemicist), language, geography, and communion claimed.
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Open "The Enemy's Testimony" — read how hostile or neutral ancient writers (Josephus, Suetonius, Thallus, Tacitus) inadvertently confirm key events of the biblical narrative.
Tip: The Councils section's reception key is one of the most useful tools in the app for understanding the history of biblical authority. A council that one communion treats as binding, another may consider annulled.
The Chronology Lab puts the three major textual traditions' numerical data side by side — patriarch lifespans from the LXX, the Samaritan Pentateuch, and the Masoretic Text — and lets you see how each one shifts the entire biblical timeline. The Sojourn in Egypt is presented as a live debate: 215 years (supported by the LXX, SP, and Galatians 3:17) versus 430 years (from the MT). A Solomon's Temple anchor date slider (950–980 BC range) lets you adjust the fixed point and watch how the timeline recalculates, then apply the changes and view the full calculation.
Patriarch Lifespans — LXX / SP / MTSojourn Debate (215 vs 430 years)Solomon's Temple Anchor SliderApply & View Calculations
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Select "More → Chronology" from the navigation. The default view shows patriarch lifespans compared across LXX, SP, and MT in a side-by-side table.
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Study the lifespan table — the differences between the LXX and MT are not random. The app's annotations explain the pattern of alteration and its chronological significance.
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Read the Sojourn debate — the app presents both the 215-year and 430-year positions with their primary textual evidence (Galatians 3:17, Exodus 12:40-41 LXX vs. MT).
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Use the Solomon anchor slider to set the Temple dedication date (950–980 BC range) and tap "Apply & View Calculations" to see how the entire biblical chronology cascades from that anchor point.
Advanced tip: This module pairs directly with the "Beyond the Consensus" article — specifically the section on Patriarchal Ages and the Seder Olam Rabbah. Read them together for the full picture.
The Quiz module pulls questions directly from the True Vineyard atlas — locations, figures, people groups, calendar data, and textual variants. It's a way to test and reinforce what you've been studying, with every correct answer tied back to the relevant module for deeper reading.
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Select "More → Quiz" from the navigation.
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Answer the multiple-choice questions — they draw from every area of the app: geography, figures, manuscript traditions, calendar, and more.
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Use wrong answers as study prompts — each question links back to the relevant module entry so you can go deeper on anything you missed.
Tip: The Quiz is a great way to discover parts of the app you haven't explored yet — the questions often introduce you to data you didn't know was there.
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Desktop gives you the most. The map, the Witnesses section, the side-by-side comparison panels, and the Chronology Lab all work best on a larger screen. Use a desktop or laptop for research sessions.
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Mobile works great for map browsing. The map, Figures, and Peoples modules are fully mobile-optimized. Calendar, Witnesses, and Chronology are more comfortable on a larger screen.
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Colorblind-friendly mode is built in. Open Preferences and enable the Okabe-Ito safe palette — all map markers, route lines, and charts switch to shapes and patterns as well as colorblind-safe hues. No information is lost.
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Three layout modes are available. Classic is the default full-featured layout. Reader BETA gives a simplified, distraction-free reading experience. Pedia BETA presents content in a wiki-style format. Switch in Preferences at any time.
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Set your default textual tradition. In Preferences, choose LXX, Samaritan Pentateuch, or MT Variant as your default — the app will prioritize that tradition's name forms and readings throughout your session.
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You can link directly to any location, figure, or group. Copy the URL from your browser — it will link directly to that specific entry. Useful for sharing discoveries or bookmarking your research.