Abrahamic Reference Engine
Find it. Quote it. Compare it. No sermon required.
A neutral, citation-first scripture reference engine for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Browse traditions, look up passages from source-aware APIs, and compare shared themes side-by-side. Browser-only. No login. No preaching. No ranking.
The Reference Gap
Most scripture tools are built for insiders
Devotional apps, denominational study tools, and apologetics platforms assume you already belong. If you're secular, unaffiliated, or just trying to understand a reference -- there's almost nothing built for you.
Cross-tradition comparison requires a scholar
Figuring out how Judaism, Christianity, and Islam treat the same theme -- mercy, justice, covenant, creation -- means switching between six different apps, three translation frameworks, and a denominational minefield.
AI models hallucinate scripture
Ask a language model for a verse and it will confidently invent one. There is no neutral, API-backed, source-first reference layer designed specifically for agents and AI builders to use safely.
Translation choice is invisible
KJV, NABRE, NIV, NRSV, Yusuf Ali, Sahih International -- each carries different denominational assumptions. Most tools pick one silently. This one names the choice and lets you see the difference.
Four modes. One engine.
Browse traditions and denominations
Explore Judaism, Christianity (five denominational lenses), and Islam with scope notes, canon boundaries, key texts, and neutral summaries. Every tradition gets identical visual dignity -- no ranking.
Look up passages from real sources
Retrieve scripture by reference. Sefaria for Jewish texts. bible-api.com for Christian scripture across translations. Quran.com with AlQuran.cloud fallback for Qur'an. Quote from sources, not model memory.
Compare shared themes across traditions
Twenty pre-seeded themes -- justice, mercy, creation, covenant, prayer, forgiveness, and more -- shown side-by-side across all three traditions. Similarities matter. Differences matter. The nuance gremlins are the whole point.
Track religious holidays across all three traditions
Year-selectable religious observance calendar for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Powered by three live calendar APIs: Hebcal for Jewish observances, AlAdhan for Islamic dates, and a built-in Computus implementation for Western and Orthodox Christian holidays. Download any event as a .ics file, or export the full year for all three traditions in one file. No account required.
Built for humans. Packaged for agents.
ARE ships four reusable Markdown skill files so any AI agent can use the same reference logic. No API key. No backend dependency. Compatible with Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, and any platform that supports skill injection. Distributed via OKHP3/skillz.
okhp3-verse-lookup
Fetch scripture from Sefaria, bible-api.com, or Quran.com by tradition and reference. Includes endpoint patterns, translation ID map, fallback logic, and normalization rules.
okhp3-tradition-reference
Compact structured metadata for all three traditions and five Christian denominations. Canon scope, key texts, US Pew share, API provider, out-of-scope table.
okhp3-cross-tradition-compare
Twenty pre-seeded cross-tradition themes with passage references for all three traditions, a neutral bridging note style guide, and the proportional representation rule.
okhp3-tradition-observance-calendar
Fetch, compute, and format religious observance calendars for all three traditions. Covers Hebcal API (Jewish), AlAdhan API (Islamic), and TypeScript Computus (Christian, Western and Orthodox). Generates iCalendar (.ics) output. Includes emoji assignments, holiday filter lists, and session caching strategy. All sources are free and require no API key.
Why these three traditions?
The scope is set by two criteria that must both be met. A tradition must have Abrahamic lineage AND represent approximately 1% or more of the US population per Pew Research Center.
| Tradition | US Share | In Scope | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christianity | ~63% | Yes | Five denominational lenses |
| Judaism | ~2% | Yes | Tanakh / Jewish textual reference |
| Islam | ~1% | Yes | Qur'an-focused reference |
| Hinduism | ~1% | No | Important -- not Abrahamic |
| Buddhism | ~1% | No | Important -- not Abrahamic |
| Baha'i | ~0.1% | No | Abrahamic -- below threshold |
Exclusion is a methodological boundary, not a judgment of worth.
The rules the engine runs on.
Neutrality first
No winners, no losers, no superior doctrines. Every tradition is presented with identical visual dignity and identical structural respect.
Attribution always
Every passage includes translation, source, provider, and licensing context. The engine cites its sources the same way a library does.
Context without preaching
The project may explain how a passage is commonly understood. It does not tell you what to believe or how to live.
Difference is data
When traditions disagree, the engine names the difference plainly and respectfully. Similarity does not mean sameness.
Free and open where possible
All APIs are free and anonymous. No account required, no data collected, no paywall. MIT license throughout.
A reference engine. Not a religion.
This project is not:
- --a devotional assistant
- --a preacher or a moral authority
- --an apologetics engine or debate platform
- --a tradition-ranking tool
- --a replacement for clergy, scholars, or religious communities
- --a claim that all traditions mean the same thing
It is a reference engine. It helps you find text, compare themes, and understand context. What you do with that is up to you.
Where it came from.
ARE began as a GPT design conversation in October 2025 -- a single-session sprint that produced the full product architecture: scope decisions, API strategy, knowledge-file allocation, brand placement, denomination logic, tone constraints, and a 27-file asset bundle. That bundle is the concrete v0.1 prototype. The SPA you are using now is the direct production descendant of what was designed there.
Full executive summary of the origin conversation. Scope decisions, API strategy, brand placement rationale, knowledge allocation, competitive positioning, and functional requirements.
Read the thread summary ↗In-app museum page with the v0.1 artifact bundle download, all 15 knowledge scaffolds, 5 OpenAPI stubs, and a "designed vs built" comparison table.
Open Origin Archive ↗