Biblical Studies and Technological Tools: bible software (via Mowser)

Showing posts with label bible software. Show all posts

Sunday, September 14, 2008

How do I evaluate Bible software?

RubÃ©n GÃ³mez at BSR forced me to this! Coming to my own defense, I think I have been transparent about my approach to evaluating Bible software (e.g., here), but I no doubt could stand to be more explicit. So, how do I evaluate Bible software?

I don't have a long list of criteria , and I primarily take a functional approach. My basic question is this: What is the best way for my students and me to accomplish biblical text tasks/research that we do on a regular basis? Of course answering that question is complicated by a host of underlying conditions.

Value: I've been teased for focusing so often on FREE stuff on this blog, but I will admit that value is an important category for me. This is somewhat of a subjective criterion, and it is not simply a matter of accumulating content in a package. It is important, however, for at least a couple reasons:

Most of my seminary students are already racking up big student loans, and becoming a worker in the church (and this really includes seminary profs too) is not the road to riches. How can they most reasonably obtain the ministry tools they will need? Everything has a cost. I'm always trying to temper my perceived needs (for more hard/software) with the real needs in the world around me. How much a year am I spending on tech stuff? How much a year am I donating to relieve hunger and suffering in the world? There is also the cost of time. If the software is so buggy, complicated or slow that it becomes a time sink, then it has less value to me.

Quality content is important for me as well. I have been fully explicit about what I consider minimal resource needs for my students here. Basically I am looking for reliable original language texts (text critical versions is a plus) that are well and reliably tagged. Students should have good lexicons that provide more than simply a gloss. There should be a variety and range of English translations. Additional resources that augment the study of biblical texts include commentaries and topical dictionaries, extra-biblical literature (e.g., Apostolic Fathers, Pseudepigraphal works, Philo, Josephus, etc.), and atlases. The more these are linked and integrated, the better help they are.

Ease of use is critical. I'm sort of a techy/geeky sort (surprise!) and can intuit or deduct my way through most software, but a know a lot of my students have dropped money in Bible software... and then never figured out how to use it. Training resources are good, but clear and obvious ways of getting to the desired results that don't require any instruction are better. Ease of use thus includes things like interface, management of resources, consistency of application, ability to organize and save commonly used resources, speed and responsiveness of application, and customization.

Everything about Bible software can pretty much be grouped under those three headings of value, quality content, and ease of use. The next question, then, is what are the typical tasks that the software should be able to handle. Here are some examples.

Sometimes I want to scan a large chunk of text. (Read Mark 16.) Sometimes I want to focus on a single verse. (Compare Mark 16.6 in Greek and a number of versions.) Sometimes just a word. (Analyze the word á¼ Î³á½³ÏÎ¸Î·.) Sometimes I want to compare this text with similar passages. (I.e., synoptic parallels) The software should let me make such changes in focus quickly, easily, and consistently. Let's study that word á¼ Î³á½³ÏÎ¸Î·. What does the lemma mean? (Here's where a good lexicon is needed.) What is its grammatical form here? What does it mean in the passive as it is here? (What is a "divine passive," and does it apply here?) How do various translations render it? What are possible synonyms? How is it similar to / different from á¼€Î½á½·ÏƒÏ„Î·Î¼Î¹? (Can I have a graph comparing the use of these two words?) How is á¼Î³Îµá½·ÏÏ‰ / á¼ Î³á½³ÏÎ¸Î· used elsewhere in Mark? Still in Mark 16.6, what is known about Nazareth? Find it on a map. (On a map in the program or linked out to an online map.) Where else is it mentioned in Mark, the NT, the Bible, the extra-biblical literature? How can I notate and save the work I've done? What are the options for marking up the text? For making my own notes that are attached to the text? For exporting text to a word processor? What other issues should I be aware of relating to Mark 16.6? Are there text critical issues? Do scholars note anything special?

There are other types of exercises (especially dealing with OT in NT stuff and comparison of Hebrew/Greek), but thoroughly answering all those questions would give a good insight into how (easily) the Bible software works, the resources available, and their success at returning quality results. That's how I evaluate Bible software.

UPDATE: 2008.09.18: David Lang has done a nice job on the Accordance blog demonstrating how he uses Accordance for working at some of the typical tasks I describe.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

What's the point of Bible software?

I did a presentation on Bible software yesterday for our first year students. We really encourage them to buy Accordance, BibleWorks, or Logos if possible. After seeing some of the nifty things one can do with the software, one of my students emailed me regarding Bible software in general:

Primarily, although they each seem to do very cool things with word stats, etc., I'm curious how applicable anything beyond basic original source exegesis would be in a congregational setting? I guess I came away with the feeling that its great to have those resources, particularly if one plans to do any scholarly research, writing or education, but a typical congregation may not been interested in all of the additional data, nor would the congregational setting afford the time for such extensive work. Perhaps I'm being too narrow-minded?

Here was my quick reply:

While you are at seminary, you are going to need Bible software (or else a library of Bible reference works) to conduct the kind of research we will require of you. We require this research, because we think it is indispensable for coming to understand and engage the biblical text. Every translation is interpretation, and we believe that it is important for you to struggle with the interpretation and not simply leave it up to others.

Yes, the statistical stuff is pretty esoteric on its own, but it is important because it provides one glimpse into various authors concerns, interests, vocabulary, theological emphasis, etc. The better you see how an author works at the grammatical/lexical level, the better you will understand the author’s narrative and theology. And the better you understand how the biblical authors were working in their settings, hopefully the better equipped you will be to express the faith in your own congregational setting.

Further, as you said, this stuff would be great for anyone planning on doing “scholarly research, writing, or education.” Working in a congregational setting, you are indeed going to be expected to write and educate, and hopefully you will be able to do it with integrity based on your understanding of the text. As for time to do this? A major benefit of Bible software is that it can help you make more efficient use of your time in the text and make it possible for you to do this as part of your weekly routine. I think every church professional should be spending regular time in Scripture as part of your standard care and feeding of the spirit! Congregations have the right to expect that their leaders are faithful interpreters of the text and not simply sharing what they think apart from any Scriptural/theological reflection.

What else would you say to respond to my student's question?

Monday, August 18, 2008

A whole bunch of stuff...

I've been away and my Google Reader is getting full of saved stuff. So, a quick unloading...:

Freepath 2.0: Check it out via Jane's. A neat way of creating a 'playlist' for a wide variety of on/offline media. ProProfs QuizSchool: "Perfect for tests, training, recruitment, assessments, trivia or just plain fun quizzes!" Free. [via Jane's] e-Sword Users Wiki: This is a new wiki with lots of resources. Check out the OT in NT References and NT in OT References harmonies you can download. [HT: Scabbard for e-Sword] And speaking of e-Sword Tim Bulkeley has a screencast on SansBlogue showing "students how to use e-Sword like an English/Hebrew concordance to see how a word is used - in this case ×¢ֵ֖×–ֶ×¨ in Gen 2:18." Study Bibles: Iyov has a couple of interesting posts on study Bibles. Are they textbooks or reference works? He recommends the New Oxford Annotated Bible (NRSV 3rd), the Jewish Study Bible (NJPS), and the Catholic Study Bible (NAB 2nd) as examples of good textbooks, the NET Bible as a reference work. He also has some observations about notes in the NLT Study Bible compared to other study Bibles.
Basic Bibliographies for Theological Research: Jim Darlack has been busy. He provides lists of 'gateway' books that provide bibliographic collections in the fields of Theological Research in General, Church History, Biblical Studies, Bible Commentary Evaluation, Style Manuals, and Guides to Theological Writing/Writing Well. OliveTree offers Bible Reader for iPhone along with the ESV Study Bible. Compare it with Laridian's iPocketBible.com.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Koinonia Blog, Firefox addons, Go!Animate, Bible on Blackberry, Webon

Koinonia Blog
A new blog sponsored by Zondervan has been started recently with the goal of encouraging "biblical-theological conversations for the community of Christ." It is a group blog with a list of contributors of whom you will probably recognize many. Check out the "Monday with Mounce" series on translation of the Greek NT. Part of their self-description includes:

Chiefly—and you may have already picked this up from
the name of our blog—we want to build real koinonia, community by intimate
participation. We think the conversations here, though digital, will impact the
community of Christ. They will be appropriate for the academy, church, and
coffeehouse.

Looks like they have other some other interesting stuff planned as well. (HT: Euangelion)

Firefox addons
Iyov has updated his list of Firefox addons and other ways he is customizing Firefox.

Go!Animate
I keep looking for ways to 're-present' the biblical stories. Go!Animate is a quick, free, and easy way to create animations. HERE is an example I put together in less than 5 minutes of an old classroom joke... (HT: Jane's)

Bible on your Blackberry
OliveTree announced a beta version of their BibleReader for the Blackberry. (Laridian also has the tools for Bible study on a Blackberry.)

Webon
Webon provides "smart website publishing for free." It really is incredibly easy to get a website up and running in no time. It's hosted for free on their server. They have "kits" that provide templates to get you started. There are some limits to the free version, but you can go pretty far. [HT: PCWorld]

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Laridian PocketBible 4 for Windows Mobile Review

The July 2008 issue of Christian Computing Magazine has a review of Laridian PocketBible4 for Windows Mobile devices which includes smartphones. The reviewer highlights a few features that I also think (cf. here) are noteworthy:

I appreciate Laridian's efforts at making the software available for so many platforms, both desktop and mobile. The ability to synchronize notes and such on the various platforms on which you may be using the program. Personally, I'm running it on my Dell Axim PDA and using the USB drive option to run it on my other computers. PocketBible works especially well with mobile devices that have a touchscreen. Laridian has done a nice job of maximizing the limited screen real estate on mobile devices.

Check the full review.

Monday, July 21, 2008

iPhone Bible Apps

My daughters consider me some kind of clueless Hittite because my cell phone is over 3 years old and doesn't even have a camera. So, I'm just as clueless about Bible apps for the iPhone, but if you are interested, check out why Rick Mansfield is still looking for a decent iPhone Bible app over on his blog, This Lamp.

Monday, June 30, 2008

Suggested Resources for Basic Bible Study

Suggested Resources for Basic Bible Study
I've put together some resources pages for those looking for basic Bible study tools. I am making the following assumptions about those who would be most interested in such tools:

You are likely a lay person who does not know Greek or Hebrew (though you wouldn't mind at least understanding a bit of what is going on in the original Greek or Hebrew). You don't really have the time or the means to accumulate a large, scholarly library of resources. What you really want is accessible, reliable, and understandable information regarding basic questions that arise as you read the Bible. You may be willing to spend some money to get good resources, but FREE is good! You are interested in physical (i.e., real books) AND / OR digital (i.e., software or online) resources.

With these premises in mind, this site will help you answer the following questions:

Where should I buy these resources? What Bible should I get? What other study resources should I get? What about Bible software and online resources?

The site will be an ongoing work in progress intended to complement my earlier posting on Best Resources for Original Language Bible Study which was composed for my seminary students. As with that post, I'm interested in hearing what you think of this one. Please note that I am not angling for a theological fight here. You can probably guess from my list of resources and recommend Bibles that I am some flavor of moderate Protestant (ELCA Lutheran to be precise with a Missouri Synod Lutheran background). That is, I don't think that any of the primary resources I list have any theological bias, but my inclinations are probably indicated by my preference for the NRSV as the 'neutral' English translation with which I make comparisons. Okay, so I am open to suggestions, and I am also hoping for a show of charitableness.
Again, here it is: Suggested Resources for Basic Bible Study

Monday, June 16, 2008

Is Bible Software Making Us Stupid?

The question that heads this post was posed by Jim Darlack over on his blog after reading the article on The Atlantic, "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" That article worried about the changes that the Internet is causing not only in what we read but also how we read. How we read does affect the way we think, so what are we losing in this brave new world where an overabundance of information is readily at our fingertips. I will admit that I could probably be exhibit A for the prosecution. I find that I constantly skimming articles and other written pieces, and that I have become more proficient at skimming. Why? Because I now have it in my consciousness that I don't need to remember everything an online article or book says. I only need to remember the general point or some key details that get vaguely stored in my memory. If I need to recall more precisely what was said, all I need to do is Google it and then find the specific bit of information I am wanting.
The danger here is that we lose context and, more importantly, the ability to think deeply. Both The Atlantic article author and Jim Darlack take a balanced perspective on the matter, so they are not advocating tossing out technology. With respect to biblical work, Jim encourages a "hermeneutics of love" (btw, a concept he only somewhat remembered and Googled to find it again!), a love for the text that requires a commitment to engage deeply with the text.
As someone who teaches Greek to seminary students, I have pretty much given up on expecting them to read Greek and instead focus on how I can make Greek a useful and lifelong tool for them. (I have blogged it about here, for example.) I believe, however, that Bible software is not making us stupid, but it is allowing us to (making us?) think differently.
I previously provided an example using John 3.16. If you look at that exercise, you will see that a person who was only allowed to use hardcopy resources to work through it would need hours to complete the task and about 12 or so books. Now there is something to be said for that kind of diligence in working with a text, but by using Bible software, I don't think I have lost anything at all, and I have gained quite a bit of time!
Let me give another typical example that arises in my class. As we are working through Matthew 6.13, we get to the last phrase which reads, "But deliver us from Ï„Î¿Ï… Ï€Î¿Î½Î·ÏÎ¿Ï…." I ask the class what the gender of Ï„Î¿Ï… Ï€Î¿Î½Î·ÏÎ¿Ï… is, and since I encourage them to embrace those articles as our good friends, they quickly note that it is a masculine... or a neuter! What's the difference? If masculine, then it would be indicating a personal reference: "the evil one." If neuter, then more likely the abstract: "evil." (BTW, on a total side note, here is an instance which validates why multiple morphological coding systems for the Greek NT are useful. In BibleWorks7, the BGT/BNT and the GNT both indicate that it can be masculine or neuter. Some of the other ones, such as the BYZ or the WHO only indicate it as neuter. In Logos, I only find that texts using the Swanson morphology identify that both masculine and neuter are a possibility.) How, I ask, do modern translations deal with it? Students look at their English texts (hardcopy or digital: in this instance the software simply saves us time), and note the variations and see the footnotes. (The NET Bible as usual offers the fullest, though certainly not complete, explanation.) Which way, I then ask, did Matthew intend his audience to understand it? One could look at lexicons or, more likely, check a commentary to see what others have said about this matter. Again, software mainly serves to help us answer this question more quickly. Here, however, is the point at which the Bible software allows us to ask a better question: How would one go about determining what Matthew intended? Someone in class will realize that what we really want to do is look at all the ways that the Ï€Î¿Î½Î·ÏÎ¿Ï‚ is used in Matthew. In the old days, this would either mean reading through the whole Gospel of Matthew or pulling down Moulton & Geden. In either case, it would indeed mean too much time. With Bible software, however, I can locate the 26 hits within seconds. If I want to get more specific, I can within another few seconds find all articular uses of Ï€Î¿Î½Î·ÏÎ¿Ï‚ in Matthew. (E.g., in BW7, I use the BNM and on the command line, enter: 'Î¿ Ï€Î¿Î½Î·ÏÎ¿Ï‚ =gnc.) With this info before us, we can make our own determination about how Matthew understands the term.
My point here (in case you are just skimming this article!) is that Bible software does indeed provide the means to ask different questions, and these questions can often allow us to engage more directly and deeply with the text.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Best Resources for Bible Study and Accordance, Bibleworks7, Logos3

In a previous post, I listed what I think are the best resources for biblical study. The list includes the tools I regularly use and that I want my students to have when doing Bible study work using the original languages. The next step, then, is to see how the three major software packages -Accordance, BibleWorks7, Logos3- provide the essential resources I have identified. So, I put together a spreadsheet and tried to lay out the resources included in each.

Why am I doing this? For one, it simply will help my students and others make a better buying decision. I am also all in favor of encouraging these companies to keep on improving their products with resources that are the most useful. Perhaps it may also help them put together a specialized package with my kind of students in mind.

Before I send you to that spreadsheet, here are some important qualifications to keep in mind.

The list of resources reflects my decisions about what I think is needed. If you don't agree with my decisions, the chart won't be of much help. (If you want, go ahead and use the spreadsheet to set up your own comparison chart.) My list does not even begin to cover all the resources available in each of the packages. This simply reflects my decision that the other resources included are either not particularly helpful, or else they may be helpful but not really essential. (To see all the resources in each package, visit the publishers' web sites and see what is important to you.) You will need to check my original list to make sense of some of the abbreviations. As with that list, I have presented some resources in green to indicate that they are important but usually expensive resources. Keep in mind that I am only listing texts and resources. Before buying any package, you will want to carefully consider how they are implemented: interface, ease of use, speed of program, interaction between resources within and outside the program (Internet), expandability, technical and user support, quality of resources,
availability of free resources, etc. Also note that Accordance is a native Mac program that can run under PC emulation; BibleWorks7 and Logos are native Windows programs that can run under Mac emulation. (Logos is working on a native Mac version.) There will be some performance limitations when running any program under emulation. Let me repeat: I am NOT arguing that a person should make a buying decision simply on the basis of this list of resources I think are significant, because I am not evaluating the many other important elements that make a program good and worthwhile and worth buying. Also note that Accordance and Logos (using the Libronix Digital Library System) have licensed their systems to other publishers. Sometimes better combinations of contents can be obtained by looking at packages from Zondervan (Bible Suites for Accordance) or iLumina (packages for both Accordance and Logos) or Nelson Ministry Services (eBible Editions for Logos). Also note that if you are not eligible for academic or group discounts, you can often find packages for less cost through other retailers.

So, here is the spreadsheet available in original XLS or as a PDF.

Some observations after making this chart:

I find the bundling and pricing of Accordance to be confusing. It's probably best to call and let their sales reps help you put together the package you need with the best discounts. BibleWorks7 way of having a single base package with addons, that really are best purchased as addons, is the simplest approach. After looking at the contents of the various Logos libraries, from my perspective, one should either get the Original Languages library (despite some odd omissions) or go all the way for the Gold library. It becomes very clear that Accordance and Logos are intended to help users create and manage libraries of biblical, theological, and devotional resources. BibleWorks is much more focused on resources for biblical/textual work, especially of the original languages. Logos appears to be the most aggressive in terms of acquiring new resources, but Accordance offers some important texts unavailable elsewhere. BibleWorks7 is remarkable for the number of Bibles in English and other modern languages included in its base package.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Berean Bible Study Freeware

From the Berean Bible Study Freeware website:

BerBible is simplified Bible study freeware that includes the complete ESV (English Standard Version ©2001 by Good News and Crossway Publishers) and the NKJV (New King James Version ©1982 from Thomas Nelson, Inc.) Bibles at no cost.

In addition, you can also download for free the NET (without notes), BBE, KJV, WEB, ASV, Webster, and YLT. It is a compact and fast program with installations available for Windows, PocketPC, and Palm. Don't expect any original language tools, dictionaries, maps, parallel version displays, etc. It is only designed to locate biblical texts quickly and conduct efficient searches on those texts, and it does this job well.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Bible Software Reviews...

Came across these in my wanderings in the (online) wilderness:

At PreachingToday: A fairly long and balanced review by Pastor Lee Eclov of:

Biblesoft's PC Study Bible Version 5 (Professional Reference Library) BibleWorks 7 Logos Bible Software 3 (Scholar's Library: Gold) QuickVerse 2008 (Platinum Edition) Zondervan's The Teacher's and Pastor's Library 6.0 for Windows (Pradis-based)

His conclusion is that they are all "amazing," but in the end:

For $150, Zondervan's The Teacher's and Pastor's Library is probably the best bargain if you do not plan to do extensive language study. It is stodgy in design and needs a face lift, but it is a great price for what you get. Biblesoft's PC Study Bible and QuickVerse are great if you aren't particularly into more scholarly approaches. They are both well-designed and fun to use. I'd give Biblesoft a slight edge.

For those who are serious about using the biblical languages, you have to go with either BibleWorks or Logos. I'd say it's a toss-up between the two. One of my student scholars felt he needed them both to get the range of study he wants to do. BibleWorks offers the better price. With Logos you pay more and get more, especially in the other non-exegetical resources, plus it is generally easier to use and more creative than its competitors. In the final analysis, Logos's Scholar's Library will be my go-to software.

At ChristianityToday: "The List: Bible Software: The top five computer helps for Bible research. It has very brief reviews of The Resurgence Greek Project, Logos3, BibleWorks7, Zondervan’s Greek & Hebrew Library 6.0, and Accordance. Check out the comments for more suggestions of programs that should be on "the List."

At About.Com: Christianity: Who knew they would have so much stuff on Bible software at this site? Look at the bios of the reviewers to understand their background. Interesting... In any case, check out:

Best Mobile Bible Software - Fairly lengthy reviews of: Pocket e-Sword, Laridian MyBible4, OliveTree Bible Reader, Laridian PocketBible for Windows.
Top 10 Bible Software Programs - Most of the usual suspects but some surprises; brief reviews with links to sites. Top 10 Bibles - This one will probably raise some eyebrows... Top Bible Commentaries - hmmm.... none of my favorites on the list Top Online Bible Search Tools - Brief reviews of the standard big sites (CrossWalk, BibleGateway, Bible.com, BlueLetterBible...) Bible Study Tools and Resources - You will need more time than I have to check out all the stuff... Bible Software - A search for "bible software" on About.com generates about 100 articles for you to read!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

BiblePro - Free Bible Software and Online Resource

Catching up on a few things... and first is BiblePro. I had not heard of this program before, but it is a decent FREE program. (The site says that the author is a software engineer doing it as a hobby. It is truly free, but the author will gratefully accept $5 or more donations.) All the texts used are public domain ones, but the interface is simple and clear. You can download a limited version, or pay only shipping/handling ($8.95) for a CD with 43 Bibles (a number of them are non-English), "250,000 Commentaries (I can only conclude that this must count comments on this many verses; looks to be 19 public domain commentaries, devotions...), and "1,750,000 References" (from 1o dictionaries, lexicons...). If you want to check it out, I recommend that you try the BiblePro Web Version shown in the picture above. It includes searching, parallel versions, automatic links to the dictionaries and commentaries, and more. Clicking on "Stories" is a way of connecting synoptic parallels. Most interesting is the "Maps" section which includes 124 maps. Some of the maps I recognize from eBibleTeacher, ABS, and other historical maps. The program is not designed for original language study, and the usual cautions about using only public domain stuff apply, but again, nicely done, and it is FREE.

Monday, May 12, 2008

ESV and NKJV Bibles for OneNote2007

I've been trying to use Microsoft OneNote2007 a bit. It is a neat program, especially for organization of random notes, associating varieties of files/text/data, and for annotating data. It is not great as a bibliographic tool (compared to something like Zotero), nor is it intended to be a Bible research tool. BUT... over at TabletBible, I discovered that the ESV Bible and now also the NKJV Bible are available as FREE downloads for OneNote. If you take a look at the TabletBible page, you will see how nicely one can annotate the text on a Tablet PC. I'm using it on a desktop, but the graphic above will show you what it looks like and what is possible. (Note that I used the mouse to do highlighting and an attached graphics pad to do the handwriting.) I can imagine how great this would work on a Tablet PC where you could write directly on the screen.

Most of the big Bible software programs have ways of annotating the text or attaching notes. HERE is a recent note on annotating in Accordance. I have found it difficult to highlight text easily in BibleWorks, though it has been easy to add chapter/verse notes. Logos has a much more powerful annotation tool set, and I probably should learn to work with it more, but it still is a lot more work than tapping, typing, and drawing on the screen as in OneNote.

BTW, interested in getting OneNote... and the Microsoft Ultimate Office 2007 for cheap?
If you have an .edu email (teacher, student, or alumni: you do not have to be an active student), Microsoft's The Ultimate Steal is an incredible value. For $59.95, you can purchase Microsoft Ultimate Office 2007 which includes Access™ 2007, Accounting Express 2007, Excel® 2007, InfoPath® 2007, Groove 2007, OneNote® 2007, Outlook® 2007 with Business Contact Manager, PowerPoint® 2007, Publisher 2007, and Word 2007. The offer has been extended to May 16, 2008. This is entirely legitimate and quite a deal.
(My wife who is finishing a DMin at Drew was able to get one. Do make sure you are a student. If they check on you, and you aren't a verified student, you will have to pay the $679 retail price. BTW, my link to the page is an affiliate link, and if you buy, I get $1! Thanks!)

Friday, May 2, 2008

The future of biblical studies and technological tools

After the church in which she'd grown up closed for lack of money and pastors, Paula switched to one of the nondenominational congregations that Wal-Mart had added to many of its retail/social complexes.

Have your attention? That is a quote from a fascinating article in last Sunday's Washington Post Magazine. (Free registration may be needed to read the whole article) The article posed two possible scenarios for what the Washington D.C. might be like in the year 2025. The quote is but a very minor part of a picture in which energy costs, terrorism concerns, and market influences have conspired to make outfits like Wal-Mart and Google (how will you survive without Google LifeServices in 2025?) pervasive influences in a very changed society.

In addition to the implications for the Church and for community as suggested above, one of the other things that made an impression on me in the article was the repeated references to responses to cyber-terrorism and cyber-spamming/manipulation. I.e., we should probably expect a lot more attacks via the Internet. Some will be intended to disrupt economies and social institutions (cyber-terrorism). Some will simply be intended to manipulate your opinion or your pocketbook. If you think spam is bad now, imagine a time when it will be very difficult to verify what really is true information. Everything on the network will be suspect.

I recommend that you read the article for yourself, but it also got me to thinking about the implications for what I tend to be doing a lot of, namely, using technology to enable and enhance biblical studies. What might we expect in 2025?

I suspect that we will gladly be paying for more secure Internet-type services. I.e., I am not sure what exactly the Internet will look like, but wide-open Internet access will no longer be viable. Perhaps there will be all sorts of VPNs (virtual private networks) providing security and filtering, and it will be via such VPNs that we might connect in to the larger network. I suppose this is simply an extension of what we have now, but I think the change of perception will be significant. For example, will anyone still be bothering with blogging? Will the cacophony of voices be so overwhelming that it becomes impossible to manage? Will it be so difficult to determine what is true and reliable from what is intentionally manipulative or deceptive that our circles of reference will actually contract rather than enlarge? I have managed to keep a reasonably small list of biblical studies related blogs in my RSS feed, but I can see a time when it will be too much work for bloggers to keep up and too much uncertainty to make it worthwhile for readers. I am also wondering, then, if we might actually become more dependent on private resources/devices rather than network resources. I.e., it will be lots easier to secure a personal device not connected to any network, and I will be more confident in working with guaranteed secure resources not based on the network. This does mean that I believe that someone will still be developing and providing technological resources for biblical studies, but I also suspect that the choices will be greatly reduced. We are already seeing the convergence of best features of the various Bible programs, and as this trend continues, the only differentiating factor will be cost. I just hope we aren't all buying Wal-Mart or Google Bible software after they buy up every other current company in this field...

I am pretty sure I am way underestimating what is going to be possible in 2025. The Washington Post article did reflect on the future needs for community and interpersonal connections, and I too believe that there will still be a need for the kind of community we experience in Church or synagogue and in the company of other biblical scholarly sorts. Maybe all these online services (Google Docs, blogs, wikis, WindowsLive, etc.) will be able to keep ahead of all the security issues, and network resources will still be viable. Maybe we will be doing virtually everything in what is now being called the 'cloud' of online reality. Maybe we will all have embedded devices that virtually embed us in the network. Would you be willing to have a chip embedded in you that made the whole Bible--with real transparency to the original language texts and full search and supporting secondary resources--available to you simply by thinking it? It would be an interesting way for Jeremiah 31:33-34 to become a reality!

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

13 Bible Software Programs Reviewed

Jerry Foster has posted an extremely comprehensive review of 13 Bible software programs. That link will bring you to the summary table, but clicking on each of the programs he reviews will lead to thorough reviews of each.
Programs he reviewed in order starting with his highest recommended:

WORDsearch 8 The Word 3 SwordSearcher 5 Bible Explorer 4 Logos 3 e-Sword QuickVerse 2008 Pradis 6 Theophilos 3 The SWORD Project Bible Pro 12 Online Bible Lightning Study Bible

Note that he indicates that this is his personal evaluation based on his personal needs, namely, "a lay person who is interested in Bible software for personal study and teaching, yet does not have extra time or money." As he observes, therefore, he did not work with Greek or Hebrew tools and did not include BibleWorks7 among the programs tested. If people are interested in commenting on his review, he encourages comments on his blog.

This comprehensive review is quite a significant amount of work! I appreciate his criticisms, and I especially value his comments on interfaces and what he calls "extensibility" (i.e., personalizing the program, adding notes, etc.). The Bible software publishers will do well to review his evaluations. I tend to focus more on software to work with Greek and Hebrew, but this is a great resource for discovering and learning about a number of programs.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Pocket Online Bible Review

I have posted a review of the Pocket Online Bible, but it was a bit too involved to post on this blog. HERE is the page where you can read the full review. I will post a shortened summary below.SUMMARY
All in all, Pocket Online Bible is a fine program, and given that it is free, it a good resource. You will want to pay to obtain more Bible versions if you want to make this your primary PDA Bible tool. It really is not intended to be an intensive program for original language study (i.e., it will not replace OliveTree BibleReader as my main PDA program), but there are ways via Strongs to get some idea of the original text. (Original language texts can be added for a fee.) It should most directly be compared with Pocket e-Sword which is also free but offers some important versions for free (e.g. CEV, ESV). The main feature that Pocket Online Bible offers that is not available with Pocket e-Sword is the collection of maps and charts.

Bottom line: If you use Online Bible or e-Sword on your desktop machine, then it makes sense to use the same program on your PDA. e-Sword is the more versatile program, but Pocket Online Bible does include some useful maps and charts.

When I get time, I will provide reviews of the other Bible software I have on my PDA:

OliveTree BibleReader Laridian PocketBible Pocket e-Sword

Friday, April 4, 2008

Kalos: Free Greek Dictionary and Morphological Analysis Resource

Thanks to a link from Danny Zacharias on his Deinde blog, I gave the Kalos greek software a try. Here is their description:

KalÃ³s is a free Classic Greek Dictionary, trilingual, with definitions in English, French and Spanish. It contains approximately 25,000 entries

You are welcome to download it, and start enjoying it right away.

KalÃ³s also includes New Testament and koinÃ© vocabulary, including biblical names, which makes it a very useful resource for religion and theology scholars.

It has versions for both Windows and Mac, and you set up language/font preferences the first time you start the program. It is indeed free and fully functional, but to get rid of an occasional nag screen, you can purchase an activation key for US$29.

The dictionary works as you would expect. When you type in the dictionary form of a word (either typing in Greek letters or using Beta code), you can use diacritics or ignore them and specify a part of speech in order to speed up the search.

The morphological analysis tool is similarly helpful for entering any form.

Perhaps most helpful is the inflection tool. Using the word you entered in the Dictionary tab, the inflection tab lets you generate tables based on that word and then save the table in PDF, HTML, RTF, CSV, or XLS format.

In addition, it can generate a number of other tables for prepositions, pronouns, conjunctions... (Check the sample tables here.)

It is a classical Greek tool (so you have the option to include dual forms or Doric infinitives), but it includes most Koine Greek vocab including biblical names. All in all, a fine Greek resource you may wish to add to your collection. In another post, I will describe additional ways of creating paradigm charts using other software resources.

Spanish Bible Software Resources

I encouraged my daughter to take Spanish in school, but I confess that I do not know Spanish at all. Still, I'm glad to see Bible software resources being produced for Spanish speakers. Phil Gons at the Logos blog just posted on Spanish resources available in Logos/Libronix. The only other Spanish-based Bible software that I know of are the ones that the American Bible Society produced quite early on, i.e., around 2000. They still have some for sale--and note that they offer a simple Mac program and the Win-based programs are Libronix ones--but it appears that Logos has pretty much superseded them.
If you know of and want to recommend other Spanish-based resources, please add them to the comments here.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Logos Syntax Search Apologist: Participle as Object of a Preposition

Thanks to Tim Bahula for contributing this post!

In the Greek Logos newsgroup, Terry Cook asked this question:

While digramming Galatians 5:8 I've come across a construction I haven't seen before: a preposition followed by a participle, i.e., a participle that is the object of a preposition.

Having not encountered this construction previously I attempted to search for its frequency... without success.

Would someone please explain to me how to find this?

I answered by a suggesting a syntax search. Terry wondered,

Is there a short video or some written tutorial instructing the Libronix user on how to determine when to use a "syntax search", a "graphical query", and a "morphological Bible search"?

While I can't hope to answer the question for all cases, I intend in this post to demonstrate why a syntax search is the preferred method for finding a participle as object of a preposition.

Before the advent of syntax searches, a morphological search was the best choice for trying to find this construction. In this first video clip (view it here), I use a morphological search. The "[=P] before 1-2 words [=V??P-???]" search returned 752 occurrences in 365 verses, including Gal. 5:8. But it also returned Gal. 5:6, where the participle is in the nominative case and is not the object of the preposition.

I realized after I recorded the video that the morphological search could be refined to exclude the nominative and vocative case. The "[=P] before 1-2 words [=V??P-?[GDA]?]" search returned 406 occurrences in 197 verses. However, there are still results returned where the participle is not the object of the preposition, such as Gal. 3:23. The problem lies in the proximity constraint. It is simply not possible to open the window wide enough to catch all occurrences without making it so wide that it includes occurrences that don't really fit the criteria.

In the second video clip (view it here) [UPDATE: link fixed], I explore using a graphical query (right-click, "save target/link as..." to download Preposition Participle refined.lbxqyg) to search for the construction. The results are the same. The upside is that the results are returned faster when using a graphical query, the downside is that creating the query is not as intuitive as creating a morphological search.

Finally, the third video clip (view it here) explores using a syntax search (right-click, "save target/link as..." to download OpenText- participle as object of preposition.lbxstq) to find the construction. The easiest way to create the syntax search is the mimic the structure of the example. The search results include 113 occurrences. I have not verified them... yet. It would be interesting to see if any legitimate results from the morphological search are missed by the syntax search. The downside of the syntax search is that it takes quite a bit longer to return the results... on the other hand, it beats having to weed through false positives.

The syntax search is a great tool to use when searching for words that must be in a certain relationship and there may be intervening words. It seems that the documentation is still weak. Learning to construct the queries takes some practice and the Logos website has some good examples of creating syntax searches.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Bible software on smartphones

I'm still managing just fine, thank you, with an ancient (3 yrs old!) cell phone that doesn't do anything but work as a phone. I can use that as long as I have my Dell Axim x51v with its VGA 640x480 resolution screen and all my Bible software on it, namely (with main items bolded):

OliveTree's BibleReader with NRSV, Gramcord Greek NT w/ parsing and UBS dictionary, BHS Hebrew, NET Bible, Josephus, Philo, Vulgate, and a few others Pocket e-Sword with CEV, ESV, LXX, KJV and others Laridian PocketBible with ESV, NRSV, HCSB, commentaries, dictionaries, and maps

Now, if I am ever going to bother to upgrade my phone, I would like to do so and eliminate carrying around the Axim. I.e., I want a phone that has WiFi, Bluetooth, WindowsMobile to run all my software on my Axim, expandable memory, can function as a modem for a laptop, and... oh, yeah, be a phone. I'm not sure such a phone exists yet (or for how much money?), but another drawback for me has been the small screen size on phones. But maybe this is the solution:

This is the not-yet-released REDFLY Mobile Companion. It connects to your phone (USB or Bluetooth), runs off the phone's operating system (WindowsMobile), and provides an 8 inch 800×480 display and a decent keyboard. Read this review of the beta and then check out the linked image gallery, especially this page which shows PocketBible on the screen.

I could get used to that! Now if the device sells for its list of $500, I doubt that it would be worth it. Why not just get an ASUS Eee PC instead which is a fully functioning computer selling for $300-500?

Well, I suppose it's fun to think about these options, but I guess I will be keeping my current gear for quite some time yet...