When I heard about the Logos 4 app for the iPhone and iPod Touch, I imagined that it was my dream fulfilled. The full realization of my dream is yet deferred, however, as both Chris and Danny pointed out on my previous post. Chris says:

Also, I can use all of my Accordance modules and Bible Reader (for iPhone) modules without an Internet connection—that’s not true for the Logos iPhone application (I don’t have direct personal experience with the desktop version of Logos 4).

Danny chimes in:

Chris made the point I wanted to make about the iPhone version. I think the Logos iPhone app is a great thing- but you are not going to be syncing your library to your iPhone. You will be syncing your library to a cloud, and your iPhone will be able to use and access anything in your cloud. If you can’t connect to the cloud (internet connection) then you got nothing.

I verified on the Logos website in response to FAQ’s:

Do I need to be connected to internet for the app to work?

Yes. The Logos Bible Software app does not store any Bibles or books on your device. You will need to be connected to the internet via your cell phone service provider or Wi-Fi.

Bob Pritchett responds by saying “But did we mention it’s free? ”. Okay, it’s free, but it’s also being cited as a reason that Logos is better than other programs and thus should be purchased. If I’m making a decision to upgrade based in part upon this feature, then I want to make sure this is a feature that is worth the extra cash.

So, Bob also gives us a little glimmer of hope:

No rest for the weary…

Yes, we did realize this would be the first question. And offline access is in our plans.

But a combination of issues — the amount of content, the desire to not have to charge you twice (at the behest of either the publisher or Apple), and some technical concerns — caused us to put this off.

(It’s not hard to store your books on the iPhone. It’s hard to implement our search engine, data type comparison system, data type parsing/rendering, cross-library searching for Guides, text comparison algorithm, etc. on the iPhone. We’ll get there, but we thought you’d be happy to get some basic reading and searching going first. By offloading to the server — where we can share code we built for the desktop app — we can offer a lot more power.)

Also, keep in mind that some users have literally gigabytes of content, and this Internet-based solution allows you to work with every bit of it that publishers allow (we’re still securing rights — the list will change constantly) without having to explicitly download or manage the resources.

I’m glad my actual dream (though it was originally about the Kindle) is in the works.

That’s what Michael Heiser (Academic Editor, Logos Bible Software) claims on his blog, as he reflects on the Bible Software Shootout at SBL. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the shootout and instead went to the session on “Rhetorical Approaches to Apocalyptic Discourse” presided over by Greg Carey.

Heiser, rather dramatically (apocalyptically?), asserts: “Logos has made the competition obsolete. The status quo is now passé.” He lists four ways that Logos does this: (1) Syntax; (2) Books; (3) Display of Morphological and Syntax Database Search Results (new with 4.0); (4) Cross-Platform Capability, Including the I-Phone (new with 4.0). Rubén Gómez at Bible Software Review gives a wise moderating response to Heiser’s somewhat charged statements. Danny provides a helpful “water cooler” collection of responses to Heiser’s post and the shoot out generally.

As for me, I will say that what makes a difference for me with Logos is point number two (books) and, now, point number four (Cross-Platform Capability). I’ve tried doing syntactical things and it just didn’t feel intuitive. I even went through the tutorial videos and tried to get a handle on it. Part of the issue is that I don’t generally do much involved work with syntax in my research, so a powerful syntax search doesn’t help me much.

Now, I am a fan of Logos Bible Software. I even sport their logo on the side of my blog here. They have a reputation of being too conservative and not academic enough–I have heard this stated informally by lots of folks. This reputation is outdated. I do think their main customer base falls into the “conservative evangelical pastor (or active layperson)” category. But for serious academics who think most of the resources on Logos are a bunch of junk, there are still quite a lot of amazing resources. Most recently, for example, they’ve put the Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library on prepublication (e.g., Meier’s Marginal Jew series, Raymond Brown’s big books, Charlesworth’s Pseudepigrapha). And they have many of the major critical commentary series that are used by the guild (Hermeneia, Anchor, WBC, NIGTC, NICOT/NICNT, etc.).

It’s resources like these that, for me, make a big difference with Logos. In addition to standard fare Bible searching, Logos is a digital library. For most books, I don’t see much point in having a digital copy except for the occasional search (but Google Books and Amazon Search Inside are doing that just fine most of the time). Some books, however, may be important for your own research (like Meier if you’re doing historical Jesus) and would be worth having your own electronic copy. I have purchased a few available Anabaptist resources. But for commentaries . . . who reads a commentary from cover to cover? All of the ways that commentaries can be integrated and synced into Logos resources make it highly valuable to have these in the same program that you do your everyday Bible software tasks. The same goes for dictionaries and commentary-like or dictionary-like books (e.g., Nickelsburg’s Jewish Literature Between the Bible and the Mishnah).

I don’t yet have an iPod Touch, but it’s on my wish list, especially now that my entire Logos library can be synced with it in Logos 4. Once I get an iPod Touch and upgrade to Logos 4, that will be one of my most favorite benefits of Logos software. [Update: Look at comments from Chris and Danny below.]

All that said, I don’t think we should really be arguing too fervently over who is better. Rick Mansfield apparently had up a post that caused some heated response in the comments, which he took down. Reflecting on the experience, Rick notes in the comments of Danny’s post:

I’m going to continue to use both Accordance and Logos, but I’m not going to be the “Anti Logos Guy” anymore. There’s been bad behavior on both sides, but today’s a new day, and for my part anyway, I can choose not to participate in the debate any longer.

How bizarre that there has been “bad behavior” regarding one’s favorite Bible software program. I like all three of the major software packages (Logos, BibleWorks, and Accordance), but right now Logos meets my own needs better than the others. And that’s pretty much the bottom line.

So, no, Logos has not made the competition “obsolete” in my view, even though I like it better than the others.

I was excited to see the progress that Amazon is making on their Kindle line with the reveal of Kindle DX yesterday. They are going beyond a vision for a simple little e-reader. The larger-sized reader offers an interesting angle on entering the academic market. Amazon is partnering with universities (Arizona State, Case Western Reserve, Princeton, University of Virginia, Reed College and Pace) and textbook companies (Pearson, Cengage Learning and Wiley) to get the Kindle DX into the hands of students in the upcoming academic year.

One of the greatest advances, in my mind, of the new Kindle is the ability to view PDFs without some clunky conversion process. At Fuller Seminary, a good percentage of my courses had a course reader on CDs, filled with PDF versions of our reading. At UCLA, my courses have had countless huge reading assingments in PDF scanned from relevant scholarship. The PDF feature makes Kindle particularly juicey for graduate students. While the current pricetag ($489) may make the device a tough sell for strapped college students, this is only their first footstep into the market. This is the third Kindle available since November 2007. I am sure they will continue to work out the kinks of doing this business and the price will come down.

But I have a dream. Oh, my friends, do I have a dream! Kindle’s vision is to have “every book ever printed in any language, all available in less than 60 seconds.” Currently, their offerings for biblical studies are pretty sparse. You can get copies of the TNIV and ESV (both free!), some introductory textbooks, a specialized work here and there, and even one Bible Atlas (which would be a must for me). This is a decent start, but if I’m going to buy a Kindle to meet academic needs, I need more. If Amazon is going to reach its goal, it seems wise that they partner with folks that are already successfully developing electronic libraries.

Enter Pat’s dream: the ability to convert and transfer my resources on Logos Bible Software to the Amazon Kindle, something like this most recent edition. On the Kindle, they already have the ability to highlight a word and jump to it in the built-in dictionary. Apparently, you can purchase other dictionaries to be set as your default. Imagine having the Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary fill that role while reading biblical texts. Imagine something like Logos’ keylinking, where you can click on a reference (canonical or otherwise) and jump right to that text. You would certainly have to give up real powerful search features, but having my Logos library available on the sort of Kindle released yesterday, that would be heavenly.

So, Amazon.com, meet Logos Bible Software. You two go get acquainted and let’s see what happens

There was a long stretch where Logos Bible Software was coming out with some powerhouse academic resources in their prepublication program. Bunches of stuff on Josephus, Philo, the Pseudepigrapha, Ancient Near Eastern books, great original language items. One of the most amazing offerings of this period was Hermeneia. More recently, they have offered the Anchor Yale Bible series (83 vols). That is definitely now at the top of my list (if Logos would like to send me a review copy once it’s done–I would be happy to oblige!).

However, the Anchor Yale series seems to be an exception for their most recent offerings. Lately, Logos has been offering items from a more “conservative” (and maybe less “academic”) interpretive angle. Consider the Holman Reference Collection (13 Vols.) (recently mentioned on Nick’s blog), a bunch of books from Baker, commentaries from Cornerstone, a little while ago they added the WallBuilders American Foundations Digital Library.

From a business perspective, these sorts of things are most likely better money makers than some of the hardcore academic stuff. I can’t say I blame ‘em. There are a LOT of conservative evangelicals out there who are very passionate about their Bible study. But it does feed into the stereotype that Logos is the less “serious” Bible software, academically speaking (compared to BibleWorks and Accordance). And believe me, that perception is there. Many people in my academic circles (professors, fellow grad students) are surprised that Logos is my software of choice. For me, though, I believe Logos simply has more to offer of everything: the “serious academic” stuff, the more “conservative evangelical” stuff, even the fluffy junk (which shall remain nameless). You just put together the pieces that make up your ideal electronic library.

So, I would like to offer a suggestion for an academic item that might have some broader appeal than just those stuffy elitists stuck in their ivory acadmic towers: Academic Study Bibles. Currently, Libronix offers (or is developing) the following study Bibles: The NLT Study Bible (the recent SBC banning of the NLT doesn’t help ), The Apologetics Study Bible, Concordia Self-Study Bible Notes (a revised version of the notes written for Zondervan’s NIV Study Bible, emphasizing Lutheran themes), The MacArthur Study Bible, The Ryrie Study Bible, The Reformation Study Bible, and a few others.

To balance these out a bit, I think that Logos really should offer all the notes and resources of standards like the HarperCollins Study Bible, the New Oxford Annotated Bible, and perhaps also the New Interpreter’s Study Bible. I know plenty of layfolk who would love to have these perspectives so much more than all the currently Libronix offered study Bibles put together. Not only that, I think these could open a broad market for college and seminary students who are often required (or strongly encouraged) to buy HarperCollins or the New Oxford. So, Logos, have I convinced you yet?

I am certain that this was planned long before his passing, but it is interesting to note for those who love their Bible programs (like I do). I just noticed that Logos Bible Software is offering the Eerdmans Bible Reference Collection (5 Vols.) in their pre-publication program (basically, you purchase early so they can develop the product and send it to you when it’s ready). David Scholer’s 1973 edition of A Basic Bibliographic Guide for New Testament Exegesis (the second edition) is among the five volumes in the collection.

I have a tentative third edition that was printed for use in Fuller Seminary courses. I don’t know if he was working on publishing an updated version of it. The third edition is quite helpful. The problem with publishing bibliographies, of course, is that they go out of date so quickly. So, the second edition is not the best thing for keeping up on recent scholarship, but it will point out the interesting things that were going on in New Testament studies back then.

In a review published by the Catholic Biblical Quarterly in 1974, James T. Clemons writes:

Intended for theological students and seminary-educated persons, this guide should be quite serviceable for all those engaged in NT interpretation. Titles, almost entirely limited to books in English, are divided into 12 sections, including bibliographic surveys and tools; texts of OT and NT; concordances, lexicons, and grammars; introductions; dictionaries and encyclopedias; literature, history, and religions of the NT world, subdivided into pagan, Jewish, and early Christian; translations and commentaries; and interpretive principles of exegesis. Publication dates range from late 19th century through mid-1972.

[ . . . ]

S. has provided a basic tool and can only be commended for his work. I shall make good use of it in several areas of investigation and gladly call its values to the attention of my students.