Logos Bible Software

LogosLogos Bible Software, developed by Logos Research Systems, Inc., is one of the clear favourites for the Windows platform. What sets it apart from other biblical studies software is the sheer number of electronic texts and resources available with this system. But Logos is more than just an electronic text retrieval program.

It has powerful (albeit somewhat cumbersome) search capabilities in English and the original biblical languages (with full Unicode support). Its interface is clean and adaptable, though at times it is difficult to keep track of all the windows and tabs. It is not as robust as Accordance; it is recommended that you have at least 512 MB of Ram and enough space on your hard drive to avoid searching from the CD-Rom/DVD.

Summary

  • Developer: Logos Research Systems, Inc. (www.logos.com)
  • Platform & System Requirements: Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP. Requires: CD drive, min 64 MB Ram, and as much hard drive space as possible.
  • Strengths/Weaknesses: Logos surpasses all others in terms of texts and modules available, it also sports a much improved interface over previous versions. Biblical scholars should take note of their Stuttgart Electronic Study Bible, which to date is the only software package that includes the critical apparatuses of BHS and Nestle-Aland (see profile below). Weaknesses: slow and cumbersome (I tested it on a Pentium 4 with 512 MB of Ram) and while its search capabilities are strong, they are not intuitive — especially complex searches in the original languages.

Packages Available

There are variety of packages available for Logos — their website as a very useful comparison chart that you may want to look at.

  • BHSDemo: A number of video demos are available to watch from their website (www.logos.com).
  • Christian Home Library: A great place to start your electronic Bible study library, with 65 Bibles and Bible Reference titles.Buy from Amazon.com | Buy from Christianbook.com
  • Bible Study Library: Come with over 115 Bibles and Bible Reference titles, and more. Buy from Amazon.com | Buy from Christianbook.com
  • Pastor’s Library: Includes 180 Bibles and Bible Reference titles, including many biblical commentaries. Buy from Amazon.com | Buy from Christianbook.com
  • Original Languages Library: Includes Greek, Hebrew, and English resources. Instant access to the essential reference titles and language tools for serious, in-depth study. Buy from Amazon.com | Buy from Christianbook.com
  • Scholar’s Library: More than 250 Bibles and Bible Reference titles — including original biblical language texts; contains everything in the Christian Home Library, Bible Study Library, Pastor’s Library, Original Languages Library and more. Buy from Amazon.com | Buy from Christianbook.com
  • Scholar’s Library Silver Edition: This is the ultimate edition, with everything in the Christian Home Library, Bible Study Library, Pastor’s Library, Original Languages Library, Scholar’s Library, The Biblical Languages Supplement, Early Church Fathers, New American Commentary Collection and more. 1Buy from Christianbook.com
  • BHSStuttgart Electronic Study Bible (SESB): The SESB is a must-have addition to Logos for biblical students and scholars. A co-production of the German Bible Society and the Bible Society of the Netherlands, this addin contains a robust set of texts and advanced tools for working with the Greek, Hebrew, and Latin biblical texts, including the WIVU database for BHS, as well as the critical apparatuses for both BHS and Nestle-Aland 27. (N.B. Logos Bible Software is currently the exclusive distributor for SESB in North America; readers elsewhere should contact the German Bible Society). Buy from Amazon.com

With all of these different libraries it is possible to purchase an upgrade to the next level or unlock individual modules with the purchase of an unlock code. You may also browse many more titles from Logos at Amazon.com.

Final Recommendations

For the Windows market Logos is probably the best all-around choice. Its selection of texts and modules is truly impressive and its search capabilities are more than adequate. Logos has announced a Macintosh version; it will be interesting to see how it compares with Accordance.

Purchasing Information

All of these libraries can be purchased from Amazon.com (I have provided easy to access links above). You may also purchase them directly from Logos, either via their website (www.logos.com) or by phone (1-800-875-6467).