Logos Bible Software 2.0
a review by Timothy K. Hoke, ThM, Alamo PC

When I was thirteen years old my father purchased his first gasoline service station. Since it was a family business I was conscripted immediately, working after school and on weekends. I learned a lot about cars on that driveway. I’ll never forget the day someone parked a Rolls Royce at the gas pump and said, “Fill ’er up.” Everything about that vehicle dazzled this gangly young, red-headed east Texan. It was by far the finest automobile on the road. From that moment I’ve wanted a Rolls so bad I can taste it. Unfortunately, neither my station in life nor my pocket book afford me that luxury. The closest I’ve come is a poor man’s Mercedes, my old 1984 Volvo. However, what I’ve lost in the automobile world I’ve gained in the electronic Bible study arena. Recently I acquired the Rolls Royce of Bible software, Logos 2.0 by Logos Research Systems. It is top of the line and, like its vehicular counterpart, leaves the competition eating its dust.

What makes Logos 2.0 so good? For one thing, strictly speaking, Logos 2.0 is not simply a Bible study program. More than that, it is a library system which can facilitate any research material and be applied to any field. The numbers of disciplines which can be included and enhanced boggle the mind!

Second, it employs single search technology which enables the researcher to find instantly every occurrence of an item in the entire library! Read this carefully. Logos does not allow you only to research one field at a time, but all fields simultaneously (medicine, law, theology, etc.). I am convinced this is the future, and Logos Research Systems has brought it to us now. Speaking as one who has attended four graduate schools, the time saved on research is enormous. It is not unlike researching in an actual library, for researchers see on screen what appears on the written page, including pictures, graphs, tables and charts! All you miss is the smell of musty books and the pretty girl three tables away who unknowingly distracts you from your work! And just as with a physical library, you can add or delete books at will. Below, I will mention the many offerings in Logos 2.0 one can add to the library. Hundreds of books are available now and hundreds more will be offered in the future. The library system supports OLE (object linking and embedding) so you can transfer information from one source to another.

Third, Logos Research Systems markets Logos 2.0 in four levels, level 1 being a Volkswagen and level 4 being the Rolls Royce. If someone can’t afford the very best at present, they can still get a stripped-down, upgradable model of Logos. Each level features the same search engine, so the Volkswagen can be upgraded to a Rolls by adding applications. Even so, level 1 is nothing to sneeze at. It boasts three Bible versions, a Bible dictionary, Strong’s Numbers with Lexicon, the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, New Nave’s Topical Bible, Torrey’s New Topical Textbook, The Complete Guide to Bible Versions, and the Logos Bible Map Set. It also includes the following devotional tools: Pilgrim’s Progress, Morning & Evening (by Charles Spurgeon), and the Logos Hymnal featuring 100 MIDI hymns. I am reviewing Level 4, which includes a great deal more than the above mentioned items. Below I will allude to some of these components and discuss why Logos 2.0 gets my “thumbs up” approval.

Bible Versions

No one translation ever does justice the original text. Significant for Bible scholars and students is the wealth of available Bible translations. It is the most translated book in history! Logos 2.0 level 4 offers eight English Bible versions: ASV, KJV, KJV with Apocrypha, NASB, NIV, NKJV, RSV, and NRSV. While more versions could be added (including paraphrases), these are the mainstream offerings in English. One can do a solid comparative study of how particular texts have been understood since the 17th century. Considering that even an inexpensive copy of the Bible can cost up to $20 (or more), having a minimum of $160 worth of Bible translations at your fingertips makes Logos a valuable tool if all it provided were Bible translations--but there is much more.

Original Language Texts and Tools

One of the better values of Logos 2.0 level 4 is the wealth of original language texts and tools offered. If you enjoy facility in Greek, Hebrew, or Latin, you’ll find a veritable gold mine hidden on the Logos CD-ROM disk. The Nestle- Aland 26th Edition of the Greek New Testament, the Biblica Hebraica Stuttgartensia, Rahlf’s Septuagint, and the Latin Vulgate are only four Bibles in the original texts included. There are also the Gramcord Greek Morphology, BHS Hebrew with morphology, the Textus Receptus (Stephen’s 1550 & Scrivener’s 1881) Greek New Testament versions, and the Byzantine/Majority Textform Greek New Testament. I did sorely miss, however, the presence of a good Hebrew lexicon. That is a deficiency which will need to be shored up for the student of Hebrew to benefit from Logos 2.0.

However, Logos does not stop here. There are also tools to help the student unlock the wealth of the original languages. Some of these do not transliterate the Greek letters and some do. If one does not know the Greek alphabet some of these tools will be of little use. However, Vines Expository Dictionary will help the linguistically deficient.

Bible Dictionaries & Commentaries

Logos features two dictionaries, the New Bible Dictionary and Harper’s Bible Dictionary. These are excellent tools; however, I can think of several multi-volume Bible encyclopedias I would like included. I also missed a theological dictionary. There are four Bible Commentaries: Bible Knowledge, Harper’s, Jerome’s, and the tried and true Matthew Henry’s. These are very helpful and an excellent start. I hope future versions of Logos add commentaries on single books rather than commentary sets only, as the former are typically more exhaustive than the latter. Still, those they’ve included are quite helpful.

Other Study & Devotional Tools

Level 4 adds only one devotional tool to the level 1 offering: St. Augustine’s Confessions. Regarding study tools, those who have purchased hardback copies of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, the New Nave’s Topical Bible, etc., will appreciate the conglomeration of tools lumped together in this electronic Bible study tool.

Using Logos 2.0

What’s it like to use Logos 2.0? Well, I’d like to say I’ve mastered the program. However, having worked with it for several months now, I’ve only scratched the surface of what it will do. Still, with its multiplicity of function the program is not complex to operate. Wisely, to introduce users to its many features, a “Tip of the Day” pops up when you first start Logos 2.0. Of course, you may turn it off, but who would want to?

Stationed left on the screen, the Library Browser lists your current holdings. With the mouse you can move the slide button down and see all your books and research tools at a glance. Selecting one is a matter of double clicking on it, then clicking where in the publication you want to go. It that simple! You can choose from the many Bible versions mentioned above and compare them. Within the text are letters (a, b, c, etc.). Click on one of them, and up pops a text cross-reference box. If you need commentary on that text, just double-click the commentary of your choice and go to the chapter and verse in which you desire comment. If a particular word interests you, simply access the lexicons or dictionaries. Choose the information you want to keep by copying it to the clipboard and pasting into your word processor. Parsing Greek and Hebrew verbs is easy with these tools, and grammatical insights abound at the click of a mouse!

Note Taking

It is said of Jonathan Edwards that he was never without pen and paper. When the ideas flowed, so did his pen. Over 200 years later, today’s Bible student may glean from Edwards because of his fastidious methods. Many of his works are yet unpublished, but will be available for fertile minds in the future. Should there be any with the potential of Jonathan Edwards in our era, Logos 2.0 provides them not pen and paper, but an electronic notepad which affords them almost limitless space. The researcher may copy text into his notes and annotate the material, appending bibliographic data on the fly.

There is certainly much more to add to a review of this multifaceted research tool and its library. However, time and space do not permit. What system does Logos 2.0 require? You can get by on a 386 with 8MB RAM, Windows 3.1 (or higher) or Windows 95. I tried it on both a 386 and 486 with 8 MB RAM and a 486 with 16 MB RAM. All were acceptable except the 386, which was much too slow even for one with the patience of Job. Of course you need a CD- ROM drive. I used both a two and four speed with acceptable results.

Now for the big question: How much does it cost? Direct from Logos (800-875-6467) levels 1-4 are about $120, $260, $500, and $600. Speaking as one who pays retail only when absolutely necessary, I called some discount Christian mail- order bookstores. I found a significant savings. Again, levels 1-4 mail order prices are around $80, $160, $290, and $340. Oh, that a Rolls Royce were so affordable!