Adventist Review, Nov 21, 2002, p. 27
Bible Study Library – Logos Bible Software Series X
Logos Research Systems, Inc., Libronix Digital Library System, 2000-2001, six CD-ROMs, US$249.95.
Reviewed by Ella Rydzewski
When a representative of Logos Bible Software asked me to review the Bible Study Library, he described what sounded like a valuable resource. However, I hesitated because my experience with software programs hasn’t been positive. Advertised as “user friendly,” they often refuse to do what the complicated directions say they should do. How easy, I wondered, would it be to study the Bible with the aid of a computer? Quite easy, as it turned out.
I have a large library of Bible reference books, devotional books, and several Bible versions. Should I want to take some on a trip for research or study, they would fill up my car’s trunk. Even home study takes time going from book to book, as I learned while preparing a section for the adult sabbath school quarterly. Bible software could make writing easier as well as preparing for various small group studies at home or church.
Logos Bible Software Series X Bible Study Library contains more than 100 Bibles and Bible reference titles—from 15 Bible versions to topical Bibles, from commentaries to Bible dictionaries, from lexicons to word dictionaries, devotionals, maps, and illustrations.
I installed the program on my home computer and had it activated. (This can be done online, by telephone, or by mail.) I opened the home page and chose a default Bible version. Next I typed in a text (Rev. 14:7), and within seconds it appeared on the upper right side of my screen. The Passage Guide opened on the left, offering quick links to all the texts and tools needed to study the passage in depth. I chose one of the commentaries, and that appeared in the lower right hand screen. One by one I opened various windows to research the text: parallel versions, cross references, dictionary meanings for chosen words in the text, a word study guide showing the number of times a Hebrew or Greek word appears in the Bible and how it is used. Last of all I searched the program’s entire unlocked library to find out how many times the passage was discussed in the various reference books. After several minutes the program submitted some 30 books where the text appeared. I brought these up in the right screen. Next I tried the word “atheist.” Almost immediately it showed three books. The first one was a book of anecdotes that could be used in talks, and it displayed 59 occurrences of the topic.
My study of the Revelation text affirmed that the company had chosen conservative scholars and commentaries. Wiersbe edited a number of the reference books and two commentaries. The Wycliffe Bible Commentary revealed its writers’ eschatological approach as futurist. In a comment on the text, it noted that Seventh-day Adventists had “seized upon this verse....” and quoted F. D. Nichol from The Midnight Cry as a reference.
Though differences are apparent in eschatological verses, Protestant theology runs deep through the commentaries in presenting the truth as it is in Jesus. From my brief perusal, I found the commentaries generally objective, based more on principles than specifics. The software comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee and free core engine updates for life, available via download. What’s more, Bible Study Library can be expanded by unlocking hundreds of additional reference books from the six included discs or from the company’s Web site.
But if that isn’t enough, the same software engine (Libronix Digital Library System) that powers the Bible Study Library is also used by the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, which can be added like volumes on a shelf.
For more information about the various Logos packages available for laypersons, leaders, and scholars, visit www.logos.com/demo or call 1-800-875-6467.
© 2002 Ella Rydzewski. Used with permission.