Logos Bible Software Blog

Concordia Electronic Theological Library Gets Updated!

Phil Gons — 2008-08-18T03:00:00-08:00

The Concordia Electronic Theological Library is a very popular product thats been around for years. The one downside is that its been one of the few remaining products in need of updating from the old LLS format to the current Libronix formatuntil now.

You can now place your order for the newly updated Libronix version of the Concordia Electronic Theological Library. Youll get these 32 electronic resources (40 volumes in print).

The Book of Concord, trans. and ed. Theodore G. Tappert (BKCONCRD.lbxlls)
Christian Cyclopedia, ed. Erwin L. Lueker (CHRCYCLO.lbxlls)
Christian Dogmatics, John Theodore Mueller (CHDOGMUL.lbxlls)
Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., Francis Pieper (CHDOGPIE.lbxlls)
The Christian Faith: A Lutheran Exposition, Robert Kolb (FAITHLEX.lbxlls)
Church and Ministry, C. F. W. Walther (CHANDMIN.lbxlls)
Churches in America, Thomas Manteufel (CHURCHAM.lbxlls)
Concordia Self-Study Bible (Notes), ed. Robert G. Hoerber (CSSB.lbxlls)
Concordia Self-Study Commentary, Walter H. Roehrs and Martin H. Franzmann (CSSCOMM.lbxlls)
Confessing the Faith: Reformers Define the Church, 1530-1580, Robert Kolb (CNFFAITH.lbxlls)
Eucharist and Church Fellowship in the First Four Centuries, Werner Elert (ECFFFC.lbxlls)
Examination of the Council of Trent, 4 vols., Martin Chemnitz (EXCNTRNT.lbxlls)
Historical Introductions to the Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, F. Bente (HSTINTRO.lbxlls)
History of Theology, Bengt Hägglund (HISTHEOL.lbxlls)
How to Respond: Judaism, rev. ed., Erwin J. Kolb (HOW2JEWS.lbxlls)
How to Respond: Muslims, Ernest Hahn (HOW2MSLM.lbxlls)
How to Respond to the Eastern Religions, Philip H. Lochhaas (HOW2EAST.lbxlls)
An Introduction to the Foundations of Lutheran Education, William C. Rietschel (FNDLUTED.lbxlls)
Loci Communes, Philip Melanchthon (LOCICOMM.lbxlls)
Loci Theologici, 3 vols., Martin Chemnitz (LOCITHEO.lbxlls)
Luthers World of Thought, Heinrich Bornkamm (LWRLDTHT.lbxlls)
Ministry, Word, and Sacraments: An Enchiridion, Martin Chemnitz (MNWRDSAC.lbxlls)
The New International Version (NIV.lbxlls)
Principles of Biblical Interpretation in the Lutheran Confessions, rev. ed., Ralph A. Bohlmann (PINTLUCF.lbxlls)
The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, C. F. W. Walther (LAWGOSP.lbxlls)
The Protestant Reformation: Major Documents, ed. Lewis W. Spitz (REFMJDOC.lbxlls)
The Structure of Lutheranism, Vol. 1, Werner Elert (STRCTLUT.lbxlls)
A Summary of Christian Doctrine, 2d rev. ed., Edward W. A. Koehler (SUMMCDOC.lbxlls)
The Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism, 2 vols., Robert D. Preus (THPRLUTH.lbxlls)
The Two Natures in Christ, Martin Chemnitz (TWONATUR.lbxlls)
The Word Becoming Flesh, Horace D. Hummel (WRDFLESH.lbxlls)
The Word of the Lord Grows, Martin H. Frazmann (WORDGROW.lbxlls)

If you already own the LLS version of the Concordia Electronic Theological Library, you can download the new Libronix resources and use them free of charge! Just run the Resource Auto Update script or manually save each of the above files and put them in your Resources folder (usually C:\Program Files\Libronix DLS\Resources). Then run Remove Duplicate Resources (Tools > Library Management > Remove Duplicate Resources) to delete all of the old files and free up some space.

For more great Lutheran products, be sure to check out our Lutheran Product Guide.

Anchor Yale Bible Coming to Libronix!

Phil Gons — 2008-08-15T06:00:00-08:00

The Anchor Yale Bible (formerly Anchor Bible)even though incompleteis to my knowledge the largest commentary series ever written. Weighing in at 83 volumes, approximately 160 pounds, 43,315 pages, and an estimated 25,000,000 words, this is one massive collection of biblical data!

As you can imagine, producing a Libronix edition of this mammoth set is no small undertaking. Being 30 volumes larger than the International Critical Commentary Series, which we did a few years ago, the Anchor Yale Bible is the largest project weve ever attempted to do in a single collection. (Mignes 166-volume Patrologia Graeca is a much bigger project, but we are breaking it into several smaller chunks.)

These 83 volumes retail at $3,920.00, but we are offering them on Pre-Pub for only $1,499.95. Thats more than 60% off the list price!

To be sure, $1,500 is far from pocket change. But if you start saving now and set aside a couple hundred dollars every month for the next several months, youll probably have enough to purchase this set by the time its ready to ship.

To put this in perspective on a smaller level, the average retail cost per volume is $47.23. If you purchase this collection on Pre-Pub, youll be paying only $18.07 per volume.

The 83 volumes that are included in this collection cover the entire Protestant Bible except for Deuteronomy 12-34, Proverbs 10-31, and Ezekiel 38-48, Nahum, Mark 8-16, and Philippians. Several of these volumes will become available after they have been published in print. In addition, this set provides you with commentaries on Tobit, Judith, the additions to Daniel, Esther, and Jeremiah, Wisdom of Solomon, The Wisdom of Ben Sira, 1-2 Maccabees, and 1-2 Esdras. Youll also get both the new and old volumes for Second Isaiah (Blenkinsopp and McKenzie) and 1 Corinthians (Fitzmyer and Orr and Walther).

For a lot more information, head over to the product page, where you can place your pre-order. When I say a lot, I mean a lot. Its 53 pages in a Word document and nearly 23,000 words! For a project this massive, we thought it was only fitting to have the product page correspond to the collection. :)

Now you know why its been a little quiet on the Pre-Pub page recently. Well, at least you know part of the reason. There are still more good things to come.

Tutorial Videos for Andersen-Forbes Syntax Resources

Phil Gons — 2008-08-14T06:00:00-08:00

Over on his Exegetica Digita blog, Mike Heiser has been doing some tutorial videos on the Andersen-Forbes syntax resources.

The Hebrew Bible: Andersen-Forbes Analyzed Text
The Hebrew Bible: Andersen-Forbes Analyzed Phrase Marker Analysis
A Systematic Glossary to the Andersen-Forbes Analysis of the Hebrew Bible

These resources are included in the Original Languages Library and higher (Scholars, Silver, and Gold). If you dont have one of these base packages, visit http://www.logos.com/upgrade to see your upgrade options.

If youre interested in learning how to put these resources to good use, let Mike show you how in these five videos.

For more Andersen-Forbes videos, see the Syntax section on our Videos page.

Are You Running the Latest Version of Libronix?

Phil Gons — 2008-08-13T06:00:00-08:00

I was surprised when I saw some stats on the number of people not running the latest version of Libronix (i.e., 3.0e). The numbers are even more surprising when you consider that updating Libronix to the latest version is entirely free and very easy to do.

Whos Up to Date (and Whos Not)?

Most of you are running the latest version, but a sizable group are still running a version that has been outdated for months or even years. Here are the numbers.

Current Version | 70.89%

3.0e | 70.89%

Outdated Versions | 29.11%

3.0d | 18.16%
3.0c | 5.98%
3.0b | 2.29%
3.0 | 1.59%
3.0a | .93%
Expired Betas | .16%

How to Find Out Which Version You Have

With Libronix opened, go to the Help menu and click About Libronix DLS.

Youll find the version that you have installed right at the top towards the middle. If it doesnt say 3.0e, its time to update.

How to Update

Updating to the latest version of Libronix is easy to do. There are (at least) five ways to do it:

Update in Libronix: With Libronix opened, go to the Tools menu and click Libronix Update. Install all Required and Recommended items. If you have an internet connection, this is the easiest and best way to get updated.
Update from Logos.com: You can also update to the latest version from our website: http://www.logos.com/support/downloads/ldls. Click the orange Update button and follow the instructions. (Or just run this script: http://www.logos.com/media/update/30eAutoUpdate.lbxupd.)
Update from a Media Only DVD or CDs: If youd rather not update via the internet, you can order a media only DVD (or CDs) to get the latest version of Libronix and of most of your book files.
Upgrade Your Base Package: All of our base packages come with the latest version of Libronix, plus lots of new addins, tools, and resources! Visit http://www.logos.com/upgrade to see your upgrade options.
Update from Any Recent Product: All CD/DVD products with an official release date after February 1, 2008 should include 3.0e on them. If youve purchased a new product recently or have one coming soon, you can update to 3.0e that way.

For a list of new features in 3.0e, see the previous post Update to Libronix DLS 3.0e.

Deleting Duplicate Resources

Phil Gons — 2008-08-12T06:00:00-08:00

Hard drive prices continue to plummet. I was surprised to notice a couple of days ago that you can now get a 500 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 desktop hard drive for under $75. The 7200.11 is only $5 more. When I checked a few months ago, they were $110 and $120 respectively.

If youre like me, though, you still manage to find plenty of things to fill up your hard drive with and want to make sure that you dont have unnecessary duplicate content taking up precious space.

Cleaning Up Your Libronix Library

It is likely that you have multiple copies of at least some of your resources on your hard drive. Here are three possible scenarios:

You have old LLS resources, downloaded the new Libronix ones, and never deleted the old ones.
You have more than one resources folder, and the same resources have accidentally ended up in more than one of them.
You manually copied resources to your resources folder and had Windows keep both instead of overwriting or skipping.

If you have the Power Tools Addin, you can easily remove these duplicate resources and free up some hard drive space. (If you dont have it, you can install it by simply running Libronix Update and checking the appropriate box.)

Here are the steps to take for the best experience in removing your duplicate resources:

Refresh Resources: Go to Tools > Options > General > Resource Paths and click Refresh Resources. Restart Libronix to start the refreshing process. Youll see Discovering Resources in the bottom right-hand corner. It will disappear once the refreshing process is complete.
Restart Libronix: Once Libronix is done refreshing resources, restart Libronix twice.
Run the Remove Duplicate Resources Tool: Go to Tools > Library Management > Remove Duplicate Resources, and Libronix will begin scanning your resource paths for any duplicate resources files. You can leave it at Unlocked on Local Drives unless you keep locked resources on your computer.
Delete the Duplicate Files: When it finishes building the list, youll see that at least one box is checked for each duplicate resource. (You shouldnt need to check any boxes. Libronix will automatically check the boxes for the files that can safely been deleted.) Libronix will keep the newest resource and delete all others. Scan through the list to see what files will be deleted, and then click Delete Files.

Thats it. Enjoy that extra space! :)

PBB, or Not PBB: That Is the Question.

Phil Gons — 2008-08-11T06:00:00-08:00

Everyone likes free. But its still often true that you get what you pay for. In this post Id like to address the issue of free Personal Book Builder (PBB) public domain books vs. Logos editions of public domain books.

The question comes often and in a variety of forms, but the bottom-line issue is whether the added features and functionality of the public domain books that we produce are worth the cost when compared to the books created and freely shared by many of our users using the Personal Book Builder.

One user asks,

I am seeking an in depth answer to a question I've had trouble having answered to my satisfaction: What are the advantages of Logos public domain resources over PBB public domain resources?

PBBs can be placed in ones Logos library, hovering the cursor over a Bible version reveals the text, and, of course, PBBs can be searched. So what can the Logos version do that the PBB version cannot do?

The Standard Edition of our Personal Book Builder tool allows users to create their own Libronix resources from their sermons, lectures, class notes, or books in the public domain (or any material for which they hold the copyright) and share them with other users who have the PBB Reading Key, which is included in all of our base packages. (A Private Use Edition is also available at a reduced price, but the books cannot be shared with other users.)

The PBB meets a real need for those who want to have their notes, lectures, and other materials searchable in Libronix, but is it the best solution for building your library of public domain titles? Some say yes. Others say no. Im going to give you the facts and let you decide for yourself.

Advantages of PBB Public Domain Books

Cost: PBB books are free (however, see #1 below). Most of the Logos editions of public domain books are not free, though they are often priced less expensively than copyrighted material. The Community Pricing Program enables you to pick up public domain books at very low prices. But still, they arent free.
Control: This is not really an advantage of the books themselves, but I needed a #2. :) Since users can create their own resources with the PBB, theres no need to wait until we decide to put a title on Community Pricing or Pre-Pub and no need to wait until it generates sufficient interest to send it into production. If you want it, you can do the work and make it. (But this assumes that you either (1) spend the money to purchase the Personal Book Builder or (2) have a friend willing to do your projects for you.)

Advantages of Logos Public Domain Books

Accessibility: PBB books require the PBB Reading Key, which is available only in our base packages or by purchasing the Standard Edition of our Personal Book Builder (PBB) tool. So while PBBs are free, youre looking at a $115 prerequisite at minimum (i.e., Christian Home Library with 25% off discount) to be able to use them. The public domain books that Logos produces can be used by anyone without a special reading key and without having to own a base package (though we would certainly encourage you to purchase a base package to get the most out of your public domain purchases).
Appearance: PBB books do not follow your font choices. Youre stuck with whatever the builder decided to use when he created the files. For the most part, Logos books allow you to customize which fonts are used for Greek, Hebrew (and other Semitic languages), and English (with a special script code). PBB books also dont zoom as nicely as Logos books (the scroll bar increases in size along with the font).
Accuracy: PBB books are usually not as carefully proofed as our editions are. Since the individuals who build the PBBs are not being paid for their time, they usually dont proof their work as carefully for accuracy. Logos books are OCRed and checked carefully to guarantee a very high degree of accuracy. Many are also updated to fix typos and other issues.
Extensiveness: Many PBB books and collections are not complete; they are often based on partial texts that are available online. Many books lack footnotes and some collections lack entire volumes. In our editions we strive to provide you with as complete of a set of works as possible, even often bringing you more than is found in modern reprints.
Tagging and Linking: Many PBB books are pretty sparse on Bible reference tagging and other tagging. Logos books usually include tagging for all Bible references and often lots of tagging to other resources available in Libronix. This isnt to say that PBB books cant be thoroughly tagged, just that, as a general rule, they arent.
Data Types and Searching: For the most part the only data types that youll find in PBB books are the Bible data type and (sometimes) page numbers. This means that PBBs wont be keylink targets and wont be as searchable as Logos books. PBBs also lack fields and dont allow you to limit your search to specific portions of text like footnotes, body text, etc.
Citations: The source text of many PBBs is unknown or unspecified, so the auto-generated footnotes often dont contact sufficient information to be useful for articles, papers, books, or other publications. Most Logos books contain all the pertinent information necessary for proper citations.
Book Types: PBB books are not able to be categorized as Bibles or commentaries and therefore wont function the way Logos Bibles and commentaries do (i.e., Bibles wont appear in the various Bible version tools, and commentaries wont appear in the commentaries section of the Passage Guide).
Notes and Highlighting: You cannot add notes or highlighting and other visual markups to PBB books. Logos books can be extensively marked up and annotated.
Support: Since we dont make the PBB books themselves, we cannot provide the same level of support for them as we do for our own books. If there is a problem with the book itself, you will need to contact the books creator, who may or may not be willing to provide support or fix the problem.

The Personal Book Builder is a wonderful tool and serves its purpose well, but it may not be the best tool for building a library of public domain titles. If you are on a tight budget, want to accomplish very simple tasks like reading and basic searching, dont always need exhaustive texts and a high level of accuracy, and can get by without advanced functionality, the PBB books might be sufficient for you. If any of the 10 items listed about are important to you, the Logos editions may be the better choice.

Creating a Resource Update Toolbar Button

Phil Gons — 2008-08-08T06:00:00-08:00

In Wednesdays blog post I talked about the Resource Auto Update script and how it is important that you run it regularly to make sure that you have the most up-to-date version of your resource files.

I mentioned how you could bookmark the link in your browser, but some of you may prefer to have the link right in Libronix. So Ive created a quick video demo that shows you how to create a resource update toolbar button.

If you dont want to watch the video but just want the steps, here they are:

Open Libronix.
Right click in the toolbar area and click Customize.
Click New to create a new toolbar. (You can also add the button to a pre-existing custom toolbar.)
Leave the Category as Special, and click on Go To (Internet Application).
Click Add, give the toolbar a name like Resource Update, and then click on Details.
(Optional: Give the button a name, select a style and icon, and assign a shortcut key.)
Paste the following link into the Internet Address box: http://www.logos.com/media/update/ResourceAutoUpdate.lbxupd.
Click OK, OK, and Close.
Click your new button (or use your shortcut key) to run the Resource Auto Update.

Or just download the toolbar, put it in your My Documents\Libronix DLS\CustomToolbars folder, and enable it from the right-click menu by clicking in the toolbar area and selecting Resource Update.

Announcing BibleStudyMagazine.com!

Phil Gons — 2008-08-07T06:00:00-08:00

Today's guest post is from John Barry, the associate editor and project manager for the new Bible Study Magazine from Logos Bible Software.

BibleStudyMagazine.com is now live. The site will give you one more small taste of the many good things to come.

The Bible Study Magazine team has been hard at work putting the final touches on our inaugural issue, Nov-Dec 2008.

In the Nov-Dec 2008 Issue:

Josh McDowell discusses how he defends the Bible
A Dead Sea Scrolls' expert tells you about the oldest copy of Isaiah
A Bible translator helps you pick out a Bible translation
A mother discusses the difficulty of finding time for Bible study
The Bible, archaeology, and ancient mythology collide
A Bible teacher discusses how Bible study saved his marriage

On top of all this, you will:

Find answers to the difficult questions in the book of Hebrews
Learn about the unknown god in Paul's speech using Bible dictionaries
Discover the "power" of Luke's Gospel through a word study

We hope you are as excited about the Nov-Dec 2008 issue as we are.

If you haven't subscribed to Bible Study Magazine yet, you can still get a one-year subscription (six issues) for only $14.95!

Updating Your Resources

Phil Gons — 2008-08-06T06:00:00-08:00

We strive to produce very high quality digital books, but typos do creep in sometimes. With the help of our attentive users and our typo reporting tool (Help > Report Typo), our electronic text development department is often able to get these typos fixed and new files added to our FTP site. You'll find them at ftp://ftp.logos.com/lbxbooks/.

Why Should You Update?

Updating your resources is good for you and us. It gives you more accurate resources with better functionality, and it also helps to eliminate typo reports on outdated resources.

How Do You Update?

The simplest way to get the latest files for your books is to run the Resource Auto Update script: http://www.logos.com/media/update/ResourceAutoUpdate.lbxupd. Simply click this link and choose "Open" if your browser gives you an option.

Libronix Update will scan the resources on your hard drive and then give you a list of resources that are outdated.

You could check the box next to Resources to download all of the updates, but if this is your first time running the Resource Auto Update script (or you haven't run it in a while), you might want to look at the "Total Download" size before you hit "Update."

My update is 159.30 MB, and since I have a very fast connection here at work, this won't take long at all. But if you're on a slower DSL or dial up connection, this could take several hours. If you're uncertain of your connection speed or how long it might take, the best approach would be to download them a handful at a time so you can gauge how long it's going to take. Check half a dozen boxes and try a smaller download first. Then repeat the process until you're done with all of them. (Note: you'll need to start Libronix in between each session or else you'll be prompted to download the same resources you just download.)

When it completes the download, you'll be prompted to close Libronix (if it was opened). After it finishes, you can start Libronix and begin using your newly updated books.

Bookmark This!

We recommend that you run this at least once a month. To remember this link for later, just right-click on it and select "Add to Favorites" (Internet Explorer) or "Bookmark This Link" (Firefox). You'll also find this link at the bottom of this page: http://www.logos.com/support/download/30bupdate, which is accessible from the Support section of our website (Support > Download the Latest Version > Update).

Note: This is not the same as running Libronix Update from the tools menu in Libronix.

Adding RefTagger to a Drupal Site

Phil Gons — 2008-08-05T06:00:00-08:00

Drupal is popular open source Content Management System (CMS) software. Many churches and ministries use it.

A few days ago I got a request from an individual who wants to add RefTagger to his Drupal site but isnt sure how to get it set up, so I thought Id provide a quick tutorial.

Unfortunately, Drupal doesnt allow you to edit the code of your themes from the admin panel, at least not that I can see. But if you have access to your sites files via FTP, you can add RefTagger very easily.

Here are the simple steps you need to follow:

Use an FTP program to navigate to the folder where you installed Drupal.
Open the themes subfolder, and then open the folder for the specific theme you are using. (The default theme is Minneli, which is a subtheme of Garland, so youll find the file in the garland folder.)
Locate the page.tpl.php file, and save a local copy (and a backup copy too).
Open the file in Dreamweaver, WordPad, or your favorite code editor.
Scroll to the bottom and paste the customizable RefTagger code before the </body> tag.
Save the file and upload it back to your server.

Thats it. RefTagger is now transforming the content of your Drupal site!

If youre using RefTagger on your Drupal site, please let us know. Wed love to see how you are putting it to use.

For help with other sites, see the tutorials section on the RefTagger page.

Books, Books, and More Books!

Phil Gons — 2008-08-04T06:00:00-08:00

I'm a book lover. While I prefer the digital kind, I still love the print ones too. Whenever I visit another book lovers home, my eyes are almost irresistibly drawn to his bookshelves.

As you can imagine, we have thousands of print books around the office. My wife works over in the Electronic Text Development department, and Im always peeking at the bookshelves to see whats new when I go over to meet her for lunch.

In the last week or two, weve had several big shipments of books that have really gotten me excited. The shipments werent quite as big as the ones we got from T&T Clark a couple of years ago, but they contained some excellent books that I know many of you will be as thrilled about as I am. I wish I could tell you more, but I dont want to ruin the surprise.

You have probably noticed that its been fairly quiet on the Pre-Pub page over the last couple of weeks, but thats about to change very soon. Stay tuned!

RefTaggers Got Style

Phil Gons — 2008-08-01T06:00:00-08:00

When we first launched it back in February, RefTagger simply turned Bible references into hyperlinks to BibleGateway. Then in May we added the ability to have the text pop up when you hover over references, making the web a little more like your favorite Bible software.

Now RefTaggers got style!

We used to control the look of the tooltip windows. We intentionally made them plain and neutral colored so they would load quickly and work well with the broadest number of websites possible.

Heres the default look for John 3:16:

We realize, though, that the default style may not be the best fit for every site.

Recently a major ministry that was planning to add RefTagger to their site contacted us and asked if they could override the default styling of the tooltip windows to make them match their site. We thought it was a great idea, so we decided to add it as a new feature.

Now you can have full control over the styling of the tooltips and change the font, font size, font color, background color, padding, line spacing, etc.

Here are some examples of how you can style your tooltips:

You can see customized tooltips in action at the resources section of the Grace to You website and at Desiring God's Resource Library.

To override the default styling, just follow these three simple steps.

We hope this makes RefTagger an even more useful tool for your website. Thanks for providing great feedback. Please send any problems or further feature requests to reftagger@logos.com.

Making the Switch to Logos

Phil Gons — 2008-07-31T06:00:00-08:00

I read with interest over the last month or so LaRosa Johnsons 30 Day Challenge. He wanted to see if Logos was best suited to meet his Bible study needs.

In his own words,

The reason that I came up with this challenge is because my needs and wants for Bible software are changing, and doing so rather rapidly. When I first started studying the Bible and using Bible software, I was someone who only occasionally made use of commentaries and dictionaries, but never even dared to try to use the original language tools that I had available. . . . Now that I am actually learning to read the original languages (Greek and Hebrew), my desire to do more with this knowledge has grown tremendously. . . . With these changing needs, I figured that it would be best to evaluate which software applications would be best for making this happen, especially when taking into consideration how I study, where I want to go, and leaving an open door for growth.

What is the 30 day challenge? Well, the challenge is this: my goal is to exclusively use Logos Bible Software for 30 days . . . and see how well I am able to adjust to using their software and see how well it suits my needs.

He journals his progress in these six posts:

At the end, he concludes,

For what I'm trying to do in my personal and academic studies, I have to wholeheartedly admit that Logos is the best application to suit my needs. In doing this challenge, the biggest thing that sold me was the ease at which I was able to study in the original languages.

Sneak Peek Inside Bible Study Magazine

Phil Gons — 2008-07-30T06:00:00-08:00

Our team is hard at work putting the finishing touches on the inaugural issue of Bible Study Magazine.

To whet your appetite for whats to come, we thought wed share some excerpts from the first issue.

Letter from the Editor by Michael Heiser

Welcome to our inaugural issue! We know that you will be as excited about Bible Study Magazine as we are.

Bible Study Magazine will enhance your study of Gods word in a variety of ways, suggesting methods of Bible study and offering tips on Bible study tools. It includes advice and encouragement from pastors, teachers, and scholars on Bible study. Interesting and challenging content about the Bible and the ancient biblical world will take your Bible study to a completely new level.

In this first issue, we explore how apologist Josh McDowell studies the Scriptures; the Great Isaiah Scroll (one of the Dead Sea Scrolls) provides insights into how we got the Bible; and choosing a Bible translation.

That might sound like a lot to cover, but were just getting started. Whether youre a pastor, a seasoned Bible student, or someone new to studying Gods Word, Bible Study Magazine is for you.

Enjoy the magazine!

How Bible Study Saved My Marriage and Changed My Life by Christy Tennant

When David Lawson became a Christian, his wife, B.J., was out of town visiting a relative. Their marriage was in serious trouble, so David decided to visit a church, where he gave his life to Christ.

I didnt know what being a Christian was all about, says Lawson. I just felt this incredible question burning in my heart: What do I do now that Im a Christian?

Right at the beginning of his new faith journey, David says there were two things he knew for sure. First, even though his marriage was on the rocks, a divorce was out of the question. And second, having come to faith in Christ under the preaching of a Bible-saturated church, he thought, If God wrote the Bible, I should probably read it!

When I Open the Gospels: An Interview with Dr. Mark Goodacre

BSM: What are the Synoptic Gospels and what does the term synoptic mean?

Goodacre: The Synoptic Gospels are the first three Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John is distinguished from the first three because it has a different structure, order, and approach. While there are extensive verbatim (word for word) agreements between the Synoptic Gospels, there are very few between the Synoptics and John. The Synoptic Gospels can be viewed together in three columns in what is called a Synopsis and that is the meaning of the term Synoptic, view together.

Facing Today with the Book of Hebrews by John D. Barry

Deeply rooted in the sermon delivered to the Hebrews is a sense of urgency. The same sense of urgency exists todayin a time of war, lack of community and spiritual depravity. Our study of the book will help us understand the pressing need of a previous generation and answer the cry of our own. Through understanding how God equipped ancient believers, we will understand how God can outfit us. Through these ancient texts, we will find modern answers.

When we open the book of Hebrews, we discover a community of Christians living in a time of trial, a community not so different from yours or mine. They, like us, are struggling to understand God in the midst of suffering. In this regard, the message of the book is our messagetheir story is our story.

You can still pre-order Bible Study Magazine at our discounted Pre-Pub price. Visit http://www.logos.com/biblestudymagazine to see the subscription options and all the other details.

The Logos Blog Turns 3!

Phil Gons — 2008-07-29T06:00:00-08:00

Three years and 700 posts later . . .

The Logos blog officially launched on July 29, 2005. If my math is correct, that means that today is our 3rd birthday! No need to buy us any presents, but youre welcome to buy yourself one if you want. :)

Looking Back

Over the past three years weve blogged just about every weekday with a few misses here and there. On an interesting note, yesterdays blog post was our 700th.

As a quick recap, I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the most viewed posts.

According to Google Analytics, here are the 5 posts with the most pageviews:

According to FeedBurner, here are the 5 posts with the most RSS views:

Looking Forward

Were in the process of upgrading the blog from Movable Type 3.2 to 4.2. We hope to roll out a new look with some cool new features very soon, so stay tuned for an even better Logos blog.

We value your input as we move forward. Feel free to share your suggestions for things youd like to see us incorporate. Wed also love to hear what kinds of posts you find most helpful. What would you like to see us do more of? What could you do without? In short, what can we do to make the blog an ever better tool to keep you informed and help you get the most out of your Bible software? Let us know by leaving a comment or sending an email to blog@logos.com.