For example, the Lexham Bible Dictionary, the world’s most advanced Bible dictionary, is getting bigger and better. And since the Lexham Bible Dictionary comes with the Faithlife Study Bible, this means the FSB is getting bigger and better, too.

We’re excited to announce the addition of 58 new articles to the Lexham Bible Dictionary. This update includes articles written by scholars such as Alan J. Hauser, Douglas Stuart, and many others.

These articles cover topics like war in the New Testament, sacrifice in the Old Testament, biblical languages, the history of Mesopotamia, and more. Since October, we’ve added over 150,000 words, making the Lexham Bible Dictionary over 1.7 million words total—all currently free of cost.

How to find Lexham Bible Dictionary articles

As you’re reading in your Faithlife Study Bible app, you may see an icon in the study notes, like the one next to the word “Parousia” in the image below.

That icon indicates that a Lexham Bible Dictionary article on this topic is available. This article happens to be one of the articles included in this update. When you click on it, the article shows up in the notes section, on the bottom half of your screen.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary is currently completely free, along with the Faithlife Study Bible. If you already own the Faithlife Study Bible, simply update your app to receive the new articles.

If you don’t have the free Faithlife Study Bible yet, download it today.

We would love to make Logos available in every language, but we don’t have the in-house language skills to support more than the Spanish versions we currently offer.

If you’re a bilingual Logos user, we’d like your help in translating our software to your native language.

The plan

Our commitment to you is this: if you and other volunteers translate at least 90% of the software, we’ll publish it. You’ll be able to switch between languages in the program settings. Work on more than 20 languages is already underway; the first ones are German, Dutch, Portuguese, Chinese (Simplified & Traditional), Korean, and French.

In addition, we’d like to do complete localization for a handful of languages: translating not only the software itself, but also everything that accompanies it—help files, datasets, web content, and service emails. (Hiring bilingual customer-support staff, too.)

If you’d like to read more about this project, see what Bob Pritchett, our CEO, said in the forums.

What you can do

Translators—we need lots and lots of translators. You don’t have to be a professional translator or programmer. You just need to be willing to invest a little time to translate the software you love into your native language. We’ve partnered with Crowdin.net to keep everything organized on this huge endeavor. If you’d like to translate, visit Crowdin, create an account, and get started.

Editors & localization managers—we’re in search of a few people who are willing to go above and beyond. For each language, we need several people with exceptional language skills to act as editors, double-checking and approving translations. We also need one highly committed translation manager (per language) who can treat this project like a job in exchange for Logos.com credit. If you’d like to help in a bigger way, email Bob directly. Be sure to mention which language(s) you’d like to be involved with, and we’ll get you added to the right list.

Help us make Logos accessible around the world—start translating Logos 5.

Get the newest books by Stanley Porter, Bryan Chapell, Graham Twelftree, Thomas R. Schreiner, and others—not to mention Douglas Moo’s much-anticipated new commentary on Galatians in the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, to be released later this year.

For most of these books, the discount is good for only two weeks, so get your pre-order in now to get the best price. Your card will not be charged until your book is available for download—and we’ll send you a reminder a few weeks before this happens.

Don’t miss out!

40% off for two weeks:

• How We Got the New Testament: Text, Transmission, Translation, Stanley Porter
• Christ-Centered Sermons: Models of Redemptive Preaching, Bryan Chapell
• Paul and the Miraculous: A Historical Reconstruction, Graham H. Twelftree
• Why Study History? Reflecting on the Importance of the Past, John Fea
• The Old Testament Is Dying: A Diagnosis and Recommended Treatment, Brent A. Strawn
• Christian Philosophy: A Systematic and Narrative Introduction, Craig G. Bartholomew and Michael W. Goheen
• The Suffering and Victorious Christ: Toward a More Compassionate Christology, Richard J. Mouw and Douglas A. Sweeny
• Bonheoffer the Assassin? Challenging the Myth, Recovering His Call to Peacemaking, Mark Thiessen Nation, Anthony G. Siegrist, Daniel P. Umbel
• Beginning with the Word: Modern Literature and the Question of Belief, Roger Lundin
• Reading the Bible with Martin Luther: An Introductory Guide, Timothy J. Wengert
• The End of Apologetics: Christian Witness in a Postmodern Context, Myron Bradley Penner
• Calvin and the Reformed Tradition: On the Work of Christ and the Order of Salvation, Richard A. Muller
• Seven Events That Shaped the New Testament World, Warren Carter
• A Peaceable Hope: Contesting Violent Eschatology in New Testament Narratives, David J. Neville
• Essays on Religion, Science, and Society, Herman Bavinck (translated by John Bolt)
• Invitation to the Psalms: A Reader’s Guide for Discovery and Engagement, Rolf A. Jacobson and Karl Jacobson
• Scripture and Tradition: What the Bible Really Says, Edith M. Humphrey
• Encountering John: The Gospel in Historical, Literary, and Theological Perspective, 2nd ed., Andreas J. Köstenberger

In addition to the books above, the following new releases are currently 10% off on Pre-Pub:

• Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Galatians, Douglas Moo
• Interpreting the Gospel of John: A Practical Guide, 2nd ed., Gary M. Burge
• Old Testament Theology: Reading the Hebrew Bible as Christian Scripture, R. W. L. Moberly
• The King in His Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments, Thomas R. Schreiner
• The World of the New Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts, Joel B. Green and Lee Martin McDonald
• Old Testament Commentary Survey, 5th ed., Tremper Longman III

And if you’re really looking to bulk up your library, check out the 85-volume Baker Academic Biblical Studies Bundle, which is available for pre-order for 46% off for just a little while longer. It’s a big collection, but it works out to only $15.76 per book.

Logos makes bibliography creation a snap. It remembers what you’ve been reading, citing and organizing your sources in your chosen citation style automatically. You can add your own custom notes and annotations, and even share your bibliography with friends and colleagues on Faithlife, export to a word processor, or print straight from Logos 5.

The bibliography feature is another way Logos 5 is making Bible study more intuitive. Check out Logos 5′s other intelligent features, and see which base package is perfect for you. 

Picking out a Mother’s Day gift can be a challenge. That’s why we’re presenting a whole range of gift ideas to choose from. These resources will help the mom in your life deepen her Bible study—a gift that will make a lifelong difference.

Pick the gift that’s right for her

1. Women’s Bible Studies Bundle

Save 50% or more*

The Women’s Bible Studies Bundle offers practical, sound biblical advice for women.

Use coupon code MOMSDAY13 at checkout through May 13.

2. Marriage and Family Bundle

Save 50% or more*

The Marriage and Family Bundle’s rewarding, practical titles will give her guidance on marriage and parenting.

Use coupon code MOMSDAY13 at checkout through May 13. 

3. Logos 5 base packages

Get 15% off now!

Give the gift of better Bible study. Logos 5 provides her with the tools to find answers in Scripture. Use coupon code SPRINGSALE to save 15% on base packages.

Whether you give a base package or a collection, you’ll be giving practical ways to study the Bible. These collections are massively discounted—she’ll love a Mother’s Day gift that deepens her study of God’s Word.

Call us toll-free at 800-875-6467 to set up your gift!

*On top of these discounts, you’ll also receive a discount for any resources you already own. Drop the bundle into your shopping cart to see your additional dynamic discount.

Perhaps this is why, when we think of Mary, we struggle to see her as anything other than the mother of Jesus. As we watch her unflinchingly scrap her own hopes and aspirations in service to God, we subconsciously elevate her as someone whose selflessness and grace are so far beyond our own experience that she can’t serve as a realistic role model.

But the Gospels tell a different story. They portray a young woman who sacrificed everything to become God’s servant, yet struggled in ways that feel strikingly familiar. Here are three reasons Mary is someone you should get to know.

1. She made mistakes

Any parent who has accidentally driven off without their child can take comfort, knowing they’re in good company. Imagine what Mary must have felt when she realized that she and Joseph had left Jesus—God’s Son—behind in Jerusalem after the Passover celebrations. It took her three days of frantic searching to locate him. When they finally found him in the temple, Jesus’ calm response showed that Mary had no need to worry: “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49). She probably began to realize that she didn’t  fully understand God’s plan for her son. We can all relate to Mary’s dismay at understanding God’s will. And we can all take a cue from Mary’s humble response: rather than pleading for insight, she simply “treasured up all these things in her heart” (Luke 2:51), marveling at the mystery of God.

 2. She struggled to accept change

Mary’s graceful acceptance of her role in God’s plan may mislead us into thinking that she was never fazed by change. Yes, she may have been a super-mom who endured parenting nightmares with unwavering faith (e.g., giving birth in a stable, fleeing the country to protect her toddler). But when it came time to step back and let her child become the man God intended him to be, Mary struggled to find her new identity. She didn’t fully grasp God’s plans for Jesus, but she knew his path would lead him through pain and conflict. At times, she yielded to her son, stepping back and waiting for him to act (see John 2:1–5). Other times Mary overstepped as she tried to protect Jesus from dangerous accusations (Mark 3:20, 31–35), not understanding the ultimate nature of his mission. Yet in time, Mary learned that God’s will for her involved surrendering her son and learning to walk in his steps. In doing so, she became a model for discipleship.

3. She kept her faith in God through hardship

Our eyes are often so focused on the sight of Jesus hanging on the cross that we fail to notice the woman weeping at his feet. The anguish that Mary must have felt as she watched her innocent son die a criminal’s death is beyond comprehension. She had faithfully followed God’s plan since her teenage years. Gabriel had declared that her child would “reign over the house of Jacob forever” (Luke 1:32–33). And this was the outcome? It would be enough to shake anybody’s faith. But despite it all, we see Mary working along with Jesus’ disciples after his ascension (Acts 1:13–14). In following God’s will, Mary experienced sacrifice, hardship, and indescribable pain, yet she remained a devoted “servant of the Lord” (Luke 1:38).

There is a lot we can learn from Mary and her obedience to God’s plan for her, and now you can learn to do the same for your own spiritual journey. Mary: Devoted to God’s Plan is available to use in your Logos library, and can now be used in Logos’ free Faithlife Study Bible. You can read the outlined Scriptures and the devotional side-by-side, and share your thoughts with friends and family through the Faithlife community—all in one mobile app.

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Join Mary on her journey of faithfulness—start reading Mary: Devoted to God’s Plan today.

Charles Simeon (1759–1836) was a well-known evangelical clergyman. His most notable work, Horae Homileticae, is a collection of sermons published in 1832 to benefit the next generation of young pastors.

“[Horae Homileticae] is the best place to go for researching Simeon’s theology. You can find his views on almost every key text in the Bible. . . . What Simeon experienced in the word was remarkable. And it is so utterly different from the counsel that we receive today that it is worth looking at carefully.” —John Piper

When you download volume 17 of Horae Homileticae, you’ll get 12 chapters of scholarly, spiritually rich insight into Galatians and Ephesians. Simeon breaks down the Scriptures chapter by chapter, which allows his exposition to focus on the books’ important themes: the fruits of the Spirit, freedom through Christ, and more.

“Be Bible Christians, not systems Christians.” —Charles Simeon (click to tweet)

Download Simeon’s Horae Homileticae, Galations to Ephesians today! Then enter to win the entire Horae Homileticae commentary.

Have a quote or another work by Charles Simeon that you’d like to share or recommend? Let us know in the comments!

Augustine and Luther agreed on many things, but the different ways they understood the first sin, its consequences, and its remedy continue to shape Protestant beliefs about sexuality and marriage.

Augustine and Luther’s diverging beliefs

For Augustine, in the late 300s and early 400s, the original sin of pride produced lust, which could be defeated through chastity. From him, the church inherited a sexuality shrouded in shame.

Luther saw original sin as unbelief, which led to pride—epitomized, in his view, by the Roman Catholic Church of the 1500s. For Luther, marriage was the remedy for self-righteous pride, and from him the church inherited an exaltation of marriage and sexuality.

Augustine fought personal issues stemming from his promiscuous pre-conversion lifestyle. His youthful lust drove him to find a lifetime of salvation in his relationship with Christ. He also battled two heretical groups and walked a tightrope of rhetoric. Forced to maintain the precarious balance between them, he didn’t pursue his theology far enough to reach an esteem for marriage and sexuality.

In contrast, Luther waged all-out war against the corruption he saw in the Roman Catholic Church. Believing that clerical vows of celibacy and other acts of spirituality resulted only in pride and hypocrisy, Luther found salvation from such sin in marriage. His sharp words and flaming condemnations posed few additional dangers to those he already faced. Because of this, Luther saw marriage as the remedy for self-righteous pride.

In Augustine versus Luther: On Sin, Sexuality, and Salvation, these giants of the faith are allowed to speak for themselves. The book compares their divergent viewpoints and demonstrates their attempts to understand the issues of their times as they defended what they believed to be the truth of God’s Word.

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Pre-order Augustine versus Luther: On Sin, Sexuality, and Salvation on Pre-Pub today, and save nearly 20% off the original price.

The dating of Easter has always been a complicated issue, going all the way back to the second century. At that time, the main divide was between those who celebrated on precisely the 14th day of Nisan (the Jewish Passover) and those who celebrated on the Sunday following the 14th of Nisan. This variance came to a head at the first Council of Nicaea (AD 325), when that assembly of bishops decided to regulate the celebration to always occur on a Sunday, or what had come to be called “the Day of the Lord” (Rev. 1:10).

A 19-year cycle of celestial calculations was developed, and this cycle, connected with the Julian calendar, has remained in use in the East. An 84-year cycle came to be used in the Western half of the empire, and so the first discrepancy (since the first Council of Nicaea) began to occur. With the assistance of the best astronomers and scientists of the time, Pope Gregory XIII revised the Julian calendar in 1582 in order to improve its accuracy. A reform of the Western lunar calendar—connected with the dating of Easter—also occurred.

Over the course of several centuries, many countries adopted this “Gregorian Calendar,” with the exception of the Eastern Orthodox Church. As a result, there can be anywhere from a one- to a five-week discrepancy between the Eastern and Western celebrations of Easter. They can also occur on the same day, and next year (2014), the celebrations for both East and West will coincide on April 20.

Even when we celebrate on different dates, the focus is much the same. Like that of Western Christians, the Orthodox celebration of Pascha is focused on the triumph of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ over death itself, freeing us from the bondage of sin and restoring our ability to have a relationship with God. The great Paschal hymn refrains: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!”

Preceded by a week of daily services called Holy Week, traditional Orthodox celebrations of Pascha begin late in the evening on Holy Saturday, and conclude at early dawn on Sunday. The midnight vigil is often followed by an Agape feast, in which parishioners share delicious foods with one another, including roasted lamb, cheeses, assorted fruits, homemade baked goods, and Pascha eggs dyed a shade of deep red.

Want to learn more about the history of the Eastern Church and its celebration of the Lord’s resurrection? I’d recommend taking a look at the History of the Holy Eastern Church (6 vols.) collection by John Mason Neale, who writes from a Western (English) perspective, as well as Melito of Sardis’ On Pascha, part of the Popular Patristics Series, Part 1 (10 vols.).

Nine days of summer Bible study

June 20–25, Knox’s DMin program is coming to Bellingham. Dr. Warren Gage will be teaching “Gospel Hermeneutics 1: Typology, Symbol, and the Christ” at Logos’ headquarters. You’ll study parables, signs and symbols, allegory, and more, seeking to read the Bible as first-century Christians would have read it. Right after that, Morris Proctor will be teaching Camp Logos—again at Logos HQ—from June 26 to 28.

That’s nine days of immersive Bible study in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest. Come for the DMin class, come for Camp Logos (and its Knox credit!), or get in on both—you’ll want to be there.

Save your seat at Dr. Gage’s class and Camp Logos today. We’ll see you in Bellingham!