The Logos Bible Software Blog
| Fri, September 23, 2011 | Misc.
Want a glimpse into the vision of Logos Bible Software? Want to see how your Bible study can be revolutionized by our software? Want to check out our headquarters and company culture? Want to know what an incredible work environment looks like?
Take a look at this five-minute video:
Now that you have seen our enthusiasm, join us! We’re on the lookout for passionate and creative people.
| Thu, September 22, 2011 | Products
Last week we discussed five reasons why the Perseus Project is incredible. One reason we highlighted was the value added to your library when doing textual searches.
Here is an example of how to use textual searches with the Perseus Classics Collection to enhance your Bible study:
The deadline for pre-ordering this amazing collection is September 29, 2011. Once we start processing pre-orders on September 30, it will be unavailable and disappear from the website. Get your pre-order in before it’s too late!
Which title in the Perseus collections are you most excited about? Leave us a comment!
| Thu, September 22, 2011 | Products
A few months ago we released Ezra and Nehemiah, the first volume in the Evangelical Exegetical Commentary. This afternoon we’ll be releasing Philemon, the second completed commentary in the series.
Philemon is written by Seth M. Ehorn, a doctoral candidate studying New Testament language, literature, and theology at the University of Edinburgh. He has written several articles and reviews, and is contributing to the forthcoming Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary.
If you don’t yet own the Evangelical Exegetical Commentary, then this is the perfect time to add it to your library. Not only will you get the already-completed commentaries on Ezra, Nehemiah, and Philemon, but you’ll also automatically receive new volumes every few months as they’re published.
The good news is that if you already own the Evangelical Exegetical Commentary, then Philemon will download automatically. There’s nothing extra you need to do to get it—nothing extra to order, nothing you need to update in Logos. It will just work.
This is a great opportunity to highlight one of the key benefits of Logos 4: automatic updates.
With automatic updates, your software and all your books are always up-to-date. Logos syncs all your content together across all devices and platforms. You’ll always have the latest and greatest, whether you’re using a Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, or Android phone or tablet, or you’re accessing your content on Biblia.com.
This is just one of hundreds of features of Logos 4, and it’s a great reason to upgrade if you’re still using Libronix/Logos 3. Remember, the current discounts end on September 30, so you have just a few more days to save big on your upgrade. You’ll get tons of new content, plus all the new features built into Logos 4, like automatic updates.
What are you waiting for? Upgrade today before the discounts expire!
| Wed, September 21, 2011 | Products
Why a blog post about Darrell L. Bock and Gregory J. Herrick’s book Jesus in Context: Background Readings for Gospel Study?
If you’re at all like me, there comes a point in your reading of the New Testament where you start to realize that the world of the New Testament is vast in scope, and the New Testament itself only tells us a little about the context of that world. And you start to wonder how much you’re missing. Not doctrinally, of course. I’m thinking more of the literary and historical setting of the New Testament.
From here (if you’re like me) you research a bit and you find there’s all sorts of stuff you can read. There is so much it is almost overwhelming. You can (and should) read, of course, the Old Testament for the setting of the people of God. But this is only the start.
From here you can dip into the apocrypha (or deuterocanonical books) for insight on the developments between the testaments. Then the firehose opens wide: you can go from here to the works of Josephus (a historian contemporary with the time of the New Testament), and to Philo (an Alexandrian Jew from the same era) whose writings are preserved for us. You can go to the Apostolic Fathers (a personal favorite of mine) for some understanding of how the early Christians lived, thought and preached. You can go to Jewish literature — to the Talmud, to the Targums, to the Mishnah and all sorts of stuff. You can also go to what is called the “Old Testament Pseudepigrapha,” which helps you understand how both Jews and Christians interacted with their literature, and how they understood it, and what they expected to happen. From here your search will only get wider.
But (again, if you’re like me), that’s a whole lot of reading. And some of the material is a bit … er … “dry” in translation. What to do?
Thankfully, Bock and Herrick published a book called Jesus in Context: Background Readings for Gospel Study. What is this book? It is laid out in parts, and it provides readings from texts like those of Josephus, Philo, the OT Pseudepigrapha, Apostolic Fathers, Targums, Talmud, etc. for each major section of the gospels. So, for the section on “The Calling of the Disciples” (Mt 4:18; Mk 1:16–20), a section of the Qumran Hymn Scroll (1QH 5.7–8) is referenced. On the section of the healing of the Demoniac in the Synagogue (Mk 1:23–28; Lk 14:33–37), some Greek Magical Papyri (yes, such things exist) and 1QapGen 20.27–29 (the Genesis Apocryphon from Qumran) are cited. This is fun stuff!
You’d have to read and study a whole lot to put all of this together for the Gospels. But Bock and Herrick have done the heavy lifting for you. And they’ve arranged it in a way that makes it easy to consult while you’re studying the Gospels on your own. If you’ve ever thought, like I did, that there is more to the literary and historical context of the NT that (if you knew of it) might help your understanding of these important events recorded in the Gospels, then you should definitely check out Jesus in Context: Background Readings for Gospel Study.
A few further notes
In 2002, Darrell Bock published a book called Jesus According to Scripture (currently on pre-pub here at Logos). That book arranges the Gospels in such a manner that makes the events of the Gospels easier to associate with their likely order of occurrence. The numbering system used by that book is also used in Jesus in Context: Background Readings for Gospel Study. While Jesus in Context is considered a companion volume of sorts to Jesus According to Scripture, both texts do stand alone and are designed to be useful for their contexts.
Also, the Baker New Testament Studies Collection includes Jesus in Context: Background Readings for Gospel Study and 13 other volumes. The collection is a great set of books at a great price. If you’re interested in more than one or two of the titles, you might want to consider the whole collection instead of the individual volumes.
| Tue, September 20, 2011 | Products
Learn to Do Word Studies with Logos Bible Software is a collection of videos, featuring Michael Heiser and Johnny Cisneros, designed to teach users how to do word studies. You have just a few more days to get it at the Pre-Pub price, so place your order before it’s too late!
To view sample videos and learn more about the project, head on over to the main page for the series, and be sure to pre-order before the end of the week to get in on the discounted price!
| Mon, September 19, 2011 | Products
Save over 50% off the retail price of the JPS Tanakh Commentary Collection (9 vols.)—with the coupon code PENTACOMM!
Logos Talk wants to help you find the best commentaries for your needs. The Featured Commentary Series will be a regular column highlighting some favorite commentaries by Logos academics and the user community.
Each week we will post a forum thread asking which commentaries, available from Logos, are your favorites for a specific book in the Bible. This is a great opportunity to let other Logos users know which commentaries you have found valuable in your studies.
We asked Michael Heiser, resident scholar and academic editor for Logos Bible Software, to give us his favorite commentaries on Exodus. Here are a few of his choices in no particular order:
Here are a few commentaries suggested by Logos users:
User’s have highlighted the JPS Tanakh commentaries as favorites in their study of Genesis and Exodus. We want to offer you a super deal on this incredible collection. Now you can get all nine volumes of the JPS Tanakh Commentary Collection for over 50% off the retail price!
Use the coupon code PENTACOMM at checkout and get the entire collection for $249.95! Act soon though, the sale ends Friday, September 23.
Do you have a favorite Logos resource on Exodus which isn’t listed here? Leave us a comment. Then jump over to the forum and share your favorite commentaries on Leviticus!
| Mon, September 19, 2011 | Training
Today’s post is from Morris Proctor, certified and authorized trainer for Logos Bible Software. Morris has trained thousands of Logos users at his two-day Camp Logos training seminars and provides many training materials.
On a recent televised political debate, one of the candidates referred to the “fact of evolution” followed by condescending remarks toward another candidate who didn’t believe in this “fact of evolution.” After my blood stopped boiling, I thought of Peter’s admonition to always [be] prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15, ESV). The Greek word translated defense sounds a lot like the English word apologetics which is “simply defined as the defense of the Christian faith” (The Apologetics Study Bible).
To help us make a defense, Logos places within most of its base collections The Apologetics Study Bible. Make sure to open this resource and display its table of contents. After surveying the contents of this study Bible and I think you’ll be very impressed with what you find!
I won’t recount all of the features of this tremendous resource which you can read about at the Logos website, but I will make mention of a few.
First, Logos assigns the type Bible Notes to this resource which means it will show up in the Passage Guide under the Commentaries section. This study Bible is much like a commentary in that the contributors offer comments on numerous passages of Scripture, but their insights are geared toward defending the faith.
In addition to the versified comments, various Twisted Scripture Notes are interspersed throughout the study Bible. These expanded notes again focus on verses of the Bible, but here the author explains how various individuals or groups have incorrectly interpreted or applied the passage. The Passage Guide will also locate the Twisted Scripture Notes for you.
Also, appearing throughout the resource are brief, but very informative articles on numerous subjects related to apologetics such as, Evolution: Fact or Fantasy?, How Can Modern Medicine Relate to the Old Testament?, Does the Bible Teach reincarnation?, etc. Since these articles deal with subjects and not verses, the Commentaries section of the Passage Guide won’t find them for you.
One way to track down these articles is by using a proximity search:
The above search query locates all of the places where the words reincarnation and Bible occur within 7 words of each other!
Try other queries like:
Have you ever had a time when the validity of your faith has been called into question? How has Logos helped you offer a defense for your faith? Leave a comment and let us know!
| Sat, September 17, 2011 | Misc.
The Weekly Roundup is a regular feature alerting you to significant things happening at Logos this week. Take a few moments to check out these newsworthy items for the week of September 17, 2011.
Follow us on Twitter to get in on the action!
These are Pre-Pubs shipping next week. Don’t miss your last chance to pick these up at their amazing Pre-Pub prices!
These Community Pricing products are getting close to meeting their production cost. Don’t miss out on these savings!
Logos is hiring! Here are just a few of the newer postings on our Careers page:
Was there anything else from Logos you found interesting this week? Leave us a comment and let us know!
| Fri, September 16, 2011 | Products
We are excited to announce Proclaim will release a FREE beta version on October 11, 2011. This new church presentation software is compatible with Logos 4, allowing you to easily send images and quotes over to your presentation. Sign up below to be notified as soon as it releases!
This release is going to change the way pastors, worship leaders, and other ministry partners put together a presentation. Not only will pastors be able send information and media directly from Logos 4 to a presentation, but worship leaders and others will be able to access a presentation throughout the week to add songs, backgrounds, and announcements. That’s right, multiple people can work from home or their church—or anywhere with internet access—on the same presentation.
Each presentation you create in Proclaim includes a unique “signal.” “Signals” is a feature allowing you to send out interactive information to the mobile devices users in your church so they can follow along with the presentation. When creating or editing your presentation, Proclaim will tie a “Signal” to the slide as you select which content you would like to send to local mobile devices. You can send a Scripture, a quote, or even a donation request for mobile giving.
You can also sync with your CCLI SongSelect account to pull in lyrics with one button, without ever leaving the application. With engaging and easy-to-use features like this, Proclaim is sure to become the standard in church presentation software.
Not only will Proclaim be FREE when it releases initially, but you can get it FREE through the end of the year, if the Proclaim Facebook page reaches 11,000 fans by 11/11/11. Be sure to tell your ministry team, worship team, and fellow worship leaders to “Like” the page as well.
Click “Like” in the box below and help us reach 11,000 now!
| Thu, September 15, 2011 | Products
For three years, Bible Study Magazine has been delivering an impressive array of tools for Bible study.
We’ve always featured cover articles on church leaders and biblical scholars with a focus on their interaction with Scripture. You will find it inspiring to read how Scripture enriches the lives of leaders like Josh McDowell, John Piper, Kay Arthur, and Mark Driscoll.
Subscribers to Bible Study Magazine enjoy powerful discussions with notable church figures, discussions which yield quotes like:
“Some of the happiest hours of my life have been sitting at the desk with a sheet of paper and the biblical text and thinking, ‘How does this text divide? What are its main themes? What’s going on here?’ You are looking into God’s workshop. God is in this text and you are actually seeing how the Holy Spirit worked; that’s just amazing.”—N. T. Wright
“I’ve done pretty much the same thing for the past 30 years—I have a morning Bible study time. What works best for me is to have one book in the Bible that I am reading, and I read until something strikes me. I don’t have any prescribed length to read—it could be a chapter or a few verses. When something strikes me, though, I’ll put a date in the margin of the page. . . . [I'll note why] that passage speaks to me. In all my Bibles for the past 30 years, you will see dates in the margins.”—Max Lucado
“I don’t memorize verses that don’t help my soul. I’m not into mechanical memorizing. I’m into fighting the fight of faith. I want to memorize Scripture so that I can defeat the devil at 3 o’clock in the afternoon—that’s why I memorize!”—John Piper
It is stimulating and empowering to note how these leaders and scholars regularly interact with the Scripture in their personal life, and an encouragement to do the same.
On the cover of the Sept–Oct ’11 issue of Bible Study Magazine, you’ll find Chuck Smith, founder of Calvary Chapel. He told us that Bible study is addicting: “The more you know, the more you hunger and thirst for knowledge of the Word. . . . Feed that, and watch the desire grow.”
We at Bible Study Magazine couldn’t agree more.
Make sure to subscribe by September 30 to begin your subscription with Chuck Smith’s remarkable insight.
Join Bible Study Magazine on Facebook and tell us who you would choose to see featured in a future issue. Not on Facebook? Leave us a comment and tell us who you’d love to have on the cover of Bible Study Magazine.
Why don’t you let Bible Study Magazine help you get the most out of your Bible study? Subscribe today at almost 50% off the cover price!