okhp3-tradition-reference

OverKill Hill P³ · overkillhill.com · github.com/OKHP3

Execution contract

• Apply the scope test before adding a tradition, denomination, translation, or

API: Abrahamic lineage and the 1% US threshold are both required by ARE.

• Use the focused knowledge/ file for the question at hand. Do not load every

primer when one denomination or one API gap is sufficient.

• Separate canonical or historical description from ARE implementation policy,

provider availability, and user-facing UI guidance.

• Preserve variation within a tradition. Do not turn one denomination's canon,

practice, or interpretation into a universal claim.

• Treat Pew shares and provider coverage as time-sensitive. Cite the source and

date, record known gaps in reserve-02-api-gap-register.md, and verify live availability before promising that an endpoint currently works.

• This is a neutral reference layer, not spiritual or doctrinal authority. Do

not rank traditions or recommend a translation without stating its license and coverage limits.

Scope criteria

Two criteria must BOTH be met for a tradition to be in scope:

1. Abrahamic lineage -- traceable descent from the Abrahamic scriptural family (Judaism, Christianity, or Islam, and their direct derivatives)
2. 1% or greater US population -- per Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study

Failing either criterion excludes the tradition regardless of global significance, historical importance, or US cultural presence.

Pew Research Center citation: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/ (2023)

In-scope traditions (3 total)

| Tradition | US Share (Pew 2023) | In scope | Abrahamic | Meets 1% | |-----------|---------------------|----------|-----------|----------| | Christianity | ~63% | YES | YES | YES | | Judaism | ~2% | YES | YES | YES | | Islam | ~1% | YES | YES | YES |

Explicitly out of scope

| Tradition | US Share | Abrahamic | Meets 1% | Reason excluded | |-----------|----------|-----------|----------|-----------------| | Hinduism | ~1% | NO | YES | Not Abrahamic | | Buddhism | ~1% | NO | YES | Not Abrahamic | | Sikhism | <0.5% | NO | NO | Not Abrahamic; below 1% | | Baha'i | ~0.1% | YES | NO | Abrahamic but below 1% threshold | | Druze | <0.1% | YES | NO | Abrahamic but below 1% threshold | | Wicca / Paganism | <0.5% | NO | NO | Not Abrahamic; below 1% | | Unaffiliated / Secular | ~26% | N/A | N/A | Not a scriptural tradition |

Exclusion is a methodological boundary, not a judgment of worth or spiritual validity.

Judaism

US population share: ~2% (Pew Research Center, 2023) Pew URL: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/

Canon

| Division | Contents | Books | |---------|----------|-------| | Torah | The Five Books of Moses (Pentateuch) | Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy | | Nevi'im | The Prophets | 8 books (Joshua through Malachi) | | Ketuvim | The Writings | 11 books (Psalms, Proverbs, Job, etc.) | | Tanakh total | | 24 books |

Secondary authoritative texts: Talmud Bavli, Talmud Yerushalmi, Midrash Rabbah, Mishneh Torah (Maimonides), Zohar, Shulchan Arukh

Key themes

• Covenant (brit) between God and Israel
• Tikkun olam -- repair of the world
• Shabbat and sacred time
• Torah study as lifelong obligation
• Justice (tzedakah) and ethical monotheism

Interpretive traditions

• PaRDeS: Peshat (plain), Remez (allegorical), Derash (homiletic), Sod (mystical)
• Talmudic dialectic: argument and counter-argument preserved, not resolved
• Maimonidean rationalism vs. Kabbalistic mysticism
• Modern movements: Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist

Key passages

| Reference | Lookup key | Note | |-----------|------------|------| | Genesis 1:1 | Genesis 1:1 | Opening of the Torah | | Deuteronomy 6:4-5 | Deuteronomy 6:4-5 | The Shema -- central prayer | | Exodus 20:1-17 | Exodus 20:1-17 | The Ten Commandments | | Psalms 23 | Psalms 23 | The Lord is my Shepherd | | Isaiah 6:1-8 | Isaiah 6:1-8 | Isaiah's call | | Micah 6:8 | Micah 6:8 | Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly |

Available translations

| ID | Name | License | Notes | |----|------|---------|-------| | sefaria-en | Sefaria English | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Default; mixed from public domain sources | | sefaria-he-en | Sefaria Hebrew + English | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Bilingual display |

API provider

Sefaria.org -- free, no authentication required

• Endpoint: GET https://www.sefaria.org/api/texts/{ref}?lang=en
• Reference format: {Book} {Chapter}:{Verse} (e.g. Genesis 1:1)
• Documentation: https://developers.sefaria.org/

Christianity

US population share: ~63% total (Pew Research Center, 2023) Pew URL: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/

Christianity is subdivided by denomination. Five denominations meet the 1%+ US threshold.

Canon overview by denomination

| Denomination | US Share | Canon | Books | Deuterocanonicals | |-------------|----------|-------|-------|-------------------| | Evangelical Protestant | ~25% | Protestant | 66 (39 OT + 27 NT) | Excluded | | Catholic | ~20% | Catholic | 73 (46 OT + 27 NT) | Included (7 books) | | Mainline Protestant | ~16% | Protestant | 66 (39 OT + 27 NT) | Excluded | | LDS / Restorationist | ~2% | Standard Works | 66 (KJV) + 3 additional | Excluded from Bible; additional LDS scriptures | | Orthodox Christian | ~1% | Orthodox | Varies by jurisdiction (typically 76-78) | Included (broader set) |

Denomination reference

Evangelical Protestant (~25% US)

• Description: Personal conversion, biblical inerrancy/infallibility, centrality of Christ's atonement, evangelism imperative. Includes Baptist, Pentecostal, non-denominational.
• Distinctives: Born-again experience, sola scriptura, believer's baptism (typically by immersion).
• Key texts: Holy Bible (66 books)
• Representative passages: John 3:16 (john 3:16), Romans 10:9-10 (romans 10:9-10), 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (2 timothy 3:16-17)
• Preferred translations: KJV, ESV (key req.), NIV (key req.), WEB
• API translations (free): kjv, web, asv, bbe, darby

Catholic (~20% US)

• Description: Apostolic succession, Eucharist as central sacrament, Magisterium as teaching authority. Seven sacraments. Largest single denomination worldwide.
• Distinctives: Scripture + Tradition + Magisterium; 73-book canon; veneration of Mary and saints.
• Key texts: Holy Bible (73 books), Catechism of the Catholic Church
• Representative passages: Matthew 16:18-19 (matthew 16:18-19), John 6:51-58 (john 6:51-58), Luke 1:46-55 (luke 1:46-55)
• Preferred translations: NABRE (key req.), Douay-Rheims, WEB (has deuterocanonicals)
• API translations (free): web (includes deuterocanonicals), kjv (excludes deuterocanonicals)

Mainline Protestant (~16% US)

• Description: Historic denominations (Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopal/Anglican, United Church of Christ). Ecumenical, critical-scholarly, social justice oriented.
• Distinctives: Theological diversity; many ordain women and LGBTQ+ clergy; Wesleyan Quadrilateral (Scripture, Tradition, Reason, Experience).
• Key texts: Holy Bible (66 books), Westminster Confession, Book of Common Prayer
• Representative passages: Micah 6:8 (micah 6:8), Matthew 25:31-46 (matthew 25:31-46), Romans 12:1-2 (romans 12:1-2)
• Preferred translations: NRSV (key req.), WEB, KJV
• API translations (free): kjv, web, asv, bbe

LDS / Restorationist (~2% US)

• Description: Restoration movement founded by Joseph Smith. Modern prophetic revelation, pre-mortal existence, eternal family relationships sealed in temples.
• Distinctives: Standard Works (four-volume canon); continuing prophetic succession; temple ordinances.
• Key texts: Holy Bible (KJV), Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price
• Representative passages: James 1:5 (james 1:5), John 17:3 (john 17:3), 2 Ne. 2:25 (Book of Mormon), Moses 1:39 (Pearl of Great Price), D&C 76:22 (Doctrine and Covenants)
• API translations (free): kjv (Bible only via bible-api.com)

Canon scope -- Standard Works (4 volumes):

| Volume | Contents | Books / Sections | |--------|----------|-----------------| | Holy Bible (KJV) | Old and New Testament | 66 books | | Book of Mormon | Narrative scripture from ancient American prophets | 15 books (1 Nephi -- Moroni) | | Doctrine and Covenants | Modern revelations, primarily through Joseph Smith | 138 sections + Official Declarations | | Pearl of Great Price | Moses, Abraham, Joseph Smith -- History, Articles of Faith | 5 texts |

LDS scripture API for non-Bible volumes: scriptures.nephi.org -- community-maintained, no authentication required.

• Base URL: https://scriptures.nephi.org
• Covers all four Standard Works
• Reference examples: 1 Ne. 3:7 (Book of Mormon), D&C 76:22 (D&C), Moses 1:39 (Pearl of Great Price)
• No uptime guarantee -- implement graceful fallback when unavailable
• Official text (no API): https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures

Orthodox Christian (~1% US)

• Description: Eastern Orthodox traces apostolic continuity through seven Ecumenical Councils. Theosis (participation in divine nature) as the goal of Christian life. Highly liturgical.
• Distinctives: Divine Liturgy (John Chrysostom / Basil); icon veneration; Septuagint (LXX) as authoritative OT; broader canon than Protestant.
• Key texts: Holy Bible (Orthodox canon), Church Fathers, Philokalia
• Representative passages: John 1:1-14 (john 1:1-14), 2 Peter 1:4 (2 peter 1:4), Matthew 3:13-17 (matthew 3:13-17)
• API translations (free): web (closest to Orthodox usage -- includes deuterocanonicals but not full Orthodox OT), kjv

Canon scope -- Septuagint-based (LXX):

| Canon layer | Contents | Books | |-------------|----------|-------| | Protestant OT core | Shared with all Christian traditions | 39 books | | Catholic deuterocanonicals | Tobit, Judith, 1-2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch + Greek additions to Esther/Daniel | 7 books + additions | | Orthodox additions | 3 Maccabees, Psalm 151 | Present in Greek Orthodox and most Eastern Orthodox canons | | Extended (some jurisdictions) | 4 Maccabees (appendix in Georgian/Slavonic traditions), 1 Esdras, Prayer of Manasseh | Varies by jurisdiction | | New Testament | Shared with all Christian traditions | 27 books |

Typical total: 76-78 books (varies by jurisdiction -- Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, etc. differ slightly).

API gap: No free public unauthenticated API covers the full Orthodox OT. bible-api.com web covers the seven Catholic deuterocanonicals but omits 3 Maccabees, Psalm 151, and 4 Maccabees. Surface this limitation explicitly when a user requests those texts.

Available translations (Christianity -- all denominations)

| ID | Name | License | Denominations | Notes | |----|------|---------|---------------|-------| | kjv | King James Version (1611) | Public domain | Evangelical, LDS, mainline, Catholic | Standard for Evangelical and LDS use | | web | World English Bible | Public domain | All | Includes deuterocanonicals; best for Catholic/Orthodox | | asv | American Standard Version (1901) | Public domain | Evangelical, mainline | Formal equivalent | | bbe | Bible in Basic English | Public domain | All | Simplified vocabulary | | darby | Darby Translation | Public domain | Evangelical | Literal; 19th century | | akjv | American King James Version | Public domain | Evangelical | Modernized KJV spelling | | ylt | Young's Literal Translation | Public domain | Academic | Highly literal; 1862 | | dra | Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition | Public domain | Catholic, Orthodox | Traditional Catholic translation from Latin Vulgate; use dra -- drc returns HTTP 404 | | esv | English Standard Version | Licensed | Evangelical | Requires API key; NOT in free build | | nrsv | New Revised Standard Version | Licensed | Mainline, academic | Requires API key; NOT in free build | | nabre | New American Bible Revised Edition | Licensed | Catholic | US liturgical standard; requires API key |

API provider (Christianity)

bible-api.com -- free, no authentication required

• Endpoint: GET https://bible-api.com/{reference}?translation={id}
• Reference format: {book} {chapter}:{verse} (lowercase; e.g. john 3:16)
• Documentation: https://bible-api.com/

Islam

US population share: ~1% (Pew Research Center, 2023) Pew URL: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/

Canon

| Text | Contents | Structure | |------|----------|-----------| | Quran | Direct word of God as revealed to Prophet Muhammad | 114 surahs (chapters), 6,236 ayat (verses); organized by descending length, not chronology | | Hadith | Sayings and actions of the Prophet (secondary source) | Six major collections (Kutub al-Sittah); Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are most authoritative |

Major Hadith collections: Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abu Dawud, Jami' at-Tirmidhi, Sunan an-Nasa'i, Sunan Ibn Majah

Key themes

• Tawhid: the absolute oneness of God
• Prophethood (Nubuwwah): Adam to Muhammad as final messenger
• The Five Pillars: Shahada, Salat, Zakat, Sawm, Hajj
• Akhirah: the afterlife and Day of Judgment
• Submission (Islam) and peace (Salam) as core meanings

Interpretive traditions

• Tafsir: exegetical commentary on the Quran
• Fiqh: Islamic jurisprudence derived from Quran and Hadith
• Four major Sunni law schools: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali
• Shia tradition: authority of the Imams alongside scripture
• Sufi tradition: mystical and devotional interpretation

Key passages

| Reference | Surah:Ayah key | Note | |-----------|----------------|------| | Al-Fatiha 1:1-7 | 1:1 | The Opening; recited in every prayer | | Ayat al-Kursi 2:255 | 2:255 | The Throne Verse | | Al-Ikhlas 112:1-4 | 112:1 | The Sincerity; on the oneness of God | | An-Nur 24:35 | 24:35 | The Light Verse | | Al-Baqarah 2:285-286 | 2:285 | The Messenger believes | | Al-Alaq 96:1-5 | 96:1 | First revelation: "Read" |

Available translations

| ID (Quran.com) | Name | Style | |----------------|------|-------| | 20 | Sahih International | Modern; balanced; default | | 21 | Pickthall | Early 20th c.; archaic style -- WARNING: currently returns no translations array from Quran.com v4; use AlQuran.cloud fallback edition en.pickthall instead | | 22 | Yusuf Ali | With explanatory notes | | 23 | Arberry | Literary; "The Koran Interpreted" | | 24 | Shakir | More literal |

Use translationId values as the integer in the Quran.com translations query parameter. In this codebase, prefix with quran- (e.g. quran-20) and strip the prefix before passing to the API.

API provider (Islam)

Primary: Quran.com API v4 -- free, no authentication required

• Endpoint: GET https://api.quran.com/api/v4/verses/by_key/{surah}:{ayah}?language=en&translations={id}&words=false
• Reference format: {surah}:{ayah} (e.g. 2:255)
• Documentation: https://api-docs.quran.com/

Fallback: AlQuran.cloud

• Endpoint: GET https://api.alquran.cloud/v1/ayah/{surah}:{ayah}/{edition}
• Editions: en.asad, en.arberry, en.sahih, en.pickthall

Hadith: fawazahmed0/hadith-api -- free via jsDelivr CDN (CC BY-4.0)

• CDN: https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/fawazahmed0/hadith-api@1/
• Working endpoint (collection-level): https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/fawazahmed0/hadith-api@1/editions/eng-{collection}.min.json -- fetch the full collection JSON and extract the hadith by hadithnumber from the in-memory result
• Broken endpoint (per-hadith): /{number}.json URL pattern -- returns HTTP 404 as of 2026-06-25; do not use
• Collections: bukhari, muslim, abudawud, tirmidhi, nasai, ibnmajah
• No authentication required

Quick lookup table

| Tradition | US% | API | Base URL | Ref format | Default translation | |-----------|-----|-----|----------|-----------|---------------------| | Judaism | 2% | Sefaria | sefaria.org/api/texts | Genesis 1:1 | Sefaria English | | Christianity | 63% | bible-api.com | bible-api.com | john 3:16 | KJV | | Islam | 1% | Quran.com v4 | api.quran.com/api/v4 | 2:255 | Sahih International (ID 20) |

Knowledge scaffold file inventory

All files live under knowledge/ in this skill directory. Load only the file(s) relevant to the current task -- do not load the full set upfront. The SKILL.md above is sufficient for most queries; reach for these files when you need deep-dive tradition or denomination detail.

| File | Description | |------|-------------| | judaism-primer.md | Tradition overview: canon, themes, interpretive schools, key passages | | islam-primer.md | Tradition overview: Quran and Hadith structure, Five Pillars, tafsir traditions | | christianity-overview.md | Christianity as a whole: US share, denominational breakdown, canon summary | | christianity-catholic.md | Catholic denomination: Magisterium, 73-book canon, sacraments, translation notes | | christianity-evangelical-protestant.md | Evangelical Protestant: sola scriptura, inerrancy, born-again distinctives | | christianity-mainline-protestant.md | Mainline Protestant: Wesleyan Quadrilateral, ecumenism, social-justice orientation | | christianity-lds-restorationist.md | LDS / Restorationist: Standard Works four-volume canon, prophetic succession, temple ordinances | | christianity-orthodox.md | Orthodox Christian: theosis, Divine Liturgy, Septuagint canon, API gap notes | | cross-tradition-compare-method.md | Methodology for neutral cross-tradition comparison: proportional representation, bridging note style | | neutral-glossary.md | Shared Abrahamic vocabulary with tradition-neutral definitions | | translation-metadata.md | Translation ID map, license status, and API availability for all three traditions | | reserve-01-scope-expansion-notes.md | Phase 2 notes: traditions considered for future scope expansion beyond Abrahamic lineage | | reserve-02-api-gap-register.md | API gap register: translations and texts with no free anonymous API coverage | | reserve-03-ui-copy.md | UI copy reference: labels, explainer text, and tone guidelines for the ARE interface | | reserve-04-denominational-distinctives-extended.md | Extended denominational distinctives beyond what fits in the main SKILL.md |

About

Built by Jamie Hill · OverKill Hill P³ Published at github.com/OKHP3 Part of the OKHP3/skillz Agent Skill library. MIT License -- free to use, fork, and adapt. A nod to the source is appreciated.