Bible Study Software packages
1) Review of the top five packages
2) Other software, including free stuff
3) Personal recommendations
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1) Review of the top five packages
John Glynn has produced a wonderful review of the top five, and this email is
really just an adjunct to his work. See:
http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/Tyndale/TTech/GlynnReview.pdf
[http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/Tyndale/TTech/GlynnReview.pdf]
a] Libronix (Logos) the big one - http://www.logos.com/products/bstudy.asp
[http://www.logos.com/products/bstudy.asp]
b] Accordance the pretty one - http://www.accordancebible.com
[http://www.accordancebible.com/]
c] BibleWorks the all-in one - http://www.bibleworks.com
[http://www.bibleworks.com/]
d] Gramcord the old one - http://www.gramcord.org [http://www.gramcord.org/]
e] Pradis (Zondervan) the sturdy one -
http://www.zondervan.com/interactive/pradis
[http://www.zondervan.com/interactive/pradis]
PCs run them all (Accordance via an emulator) .
Macs run Accordance (and soon, Logos too)
All of them are growing and improving constantly, especially in the realms of grammatical analysis, secondary literature and background sources.
2) Other software, including free stuff
The Sword (free: PC, Mac & PDAs): http://www.crosswire.org/index.jsp
[http://www.crosswire.org/index.jsp]
Online Bible (free: PC): http://www.onlinebible.org/html/eng/starterspack.htm
[http://www.onlinebible.org/html/eng/starterspack.htm]
Bible Windows (PC): http://www.silvermnt.com/ [http://www.silvermnt.com/]
E-Sword (free: PC): http://www.e-sword.net/ [http://www.e-sword.net/]
AnyText (Mac): http://www.linguistsoftware.com/atse.htm
[http://www.linguistsoftware.com/atse.htm]
Bible Database (free: PC): http://bibledatabase.org/full.html
[http://bibledatabase.org/full.html]
Theophilus (cheap: PC): http://www.theophilos.sk/ [http://www.theophilos.sk/]
QuickVerse (PC): http://www.quickverse.com/shopfiles/default.asp
[http://www.quickverse.com/shopfiles/default.asp]
More details: http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/Tyndale/TTech/TTech028.htm
[http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/Tyndale/TTech/TTech028.htm]
For PDAs (ie Palms, Pocket PCs, phones & iPods):
=======================================
BiblePlus (Palm, free, very good):
http://palmbibleplus.sourceforge.net/pbmanual.htm
[http://palmbibleplus.sourceforge.net/pbmanual.htm]
Olive Tree (all PDAs, scholarly, using Gramcord texts):
http://www.olivetree.com/index.php [http://www.olivetree.com/index.php]
Bible With You (Palm & Pocket PC, new, using Accordance texts):
http://www.gmpsoft.com/ [http://www.gmpsoft.com/]
Laridian (Zondervan, all PDAs): http://www.laridian.com/
[http://www.laridian.com/]
Quickverse (Palm & Pocket PC): http://www.discountchristian.com/qvpdastd.html
[http://www.discountchristian.com/qvpdastd.html]
More details: http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/Tyndale/TTech/TTech021.htm
[http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/Tyndale/TTech/TTech021.htm]
Comparative review: http://www.mobiletechreview.com/software/bible.htm
[http://www.mobiletechreview.com/software/bible.htm]
3) Personal recommendations
Accordance is the one I find easiest to use and most powerful. It is less
pretty and slightly slower on the PC because of the emulator. It exports
Greek & Hebrew in Unicode, so that you can create documents which are
future-proofed and readable on PC or Mac.
BibleWorks is what I use mainly on a PC, mostly because it starts up quicker
than Accordance on a PC, and has most of the same tools.
Libronix is necessary because it has exclusive rights to so many important
works, but personally I don't like the interface.
Online Bible is useful on one of my old laptops, because it is so fast. Basic
searches only, but that's all you need for sermon writing.
The Sword online is just the thing when you are at an internet computer. Its
Web 2
programming means that it can have pop-up lexicon and parsing for Greek - see
OT LXX & MT at
http://crosswire.org/study/parallelstudy.jsp?key=Gen&add=LXX&add=WLC
[http://crosswire.org/study/parallelstudy.jsp?key=Gen&add=LXX&add=WLC]
NT parsed Gk at
http://www.crosswire.org/study/parallelstudy.jsp?add=WHNU&add=NASB
[http://www.crosswire.org/study/parallelstudy.jsp?add=WHNU&add=NASB]
BiblePlus on the Palm is what I used most. In my pocket I carry: various
Bibles in English, Hebrew, and Greek (with basic parsing & lexicon); Targums
in Aramaic & English; complete Josephus, Philo and even Nag Hammadi. Views
two versions at once with a split screen. All free!
Download from http://palmbibleplus.sourceforge.net/pbmanual.htm
[http://palmbibleplus.sourceforge.net/pbmanual.htm]
1) Review of the top five packages
2) Other software, including free stuff
3) Personal recommendations
----------------------------------------------------------------
1) Review of the top five packages
John Glynn has produced a wonderful review of the top five, and this email is
really just an adjunct to his work. See:
http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/Tyndale/TTech/GlynnReview.pdf
[http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/Tyndale/TTech/GlynnReview.pdf]
a] Libronix (Logos) the big one - http://www.logos.com/products/bstudy.asp
[http://www.logos.com/products/bstudy.asp]
b] Accordance the pretty one - http://www.accordancebible.com
[http://www.accordancebible.com/]
c] BibleWorks the all-in one - http://www.bibleworks.com
[http://www.bibleworks.com/]
d] Gramcord the old one - http://www.gramcord.org [http://www.gramcord.org/]
e] Pradis (Zondervan) the sturdy one -
http://www.zondervan.com/interactive/pradis
[http://www.zondervan.com/interactive/pradis]
PCs run them all (Accordance via an emulator) .
Macs run Accordance (and soon, Logos too)
All of them are growing and improving constantly, especially in the realms of grammatical analysis, secondary literature and background sources.
2) Other software, including free stuff
The Sword (free: PC, Mac & PDAs): http://www.crosswire.org/index.jsp
[http://www.crosswire.org/index.jsp]
Online Bible (free: PC): http://www.onlinebible.org/html/eng/starterspack.htm
[http://www.onlinebible.org/html/eng/starterspack.htm]
Bible Windows (PC): http://www.silvermnt.com/ [http://www.silvermnt.com/]
E-Sword (free: PC): http://www.e-sword.net/ [http://www.e-sword.net/]
AnyText (Mac): http://www.linguistsoftware.com/atse.htm
[http://www.linguistsoftware.com/atse.htm]
Bible Database (free: PC): http://bibledatabase.org/full.html
[http://bibledatabase.org/full.html]
Theophilus (cheap: PC): http://www.theophilos.sk/ [http://www.theophilos.sk/]
QuickVerse (PC): http://www.quickverse.com/shopfiles/default.asp
[http://www.quickverse.com/shopfiles/default.asp]
More details: http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/Tyndale/TTech/TTech028.htm
[http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/Tyndale/TTech/TTech028.htm]
For PDAs (ie Palms, Pocket PCs, phones & iPods):
=======================================
BiblePlus (Palm, free, very good):
http://palmbibleplus.sourceforge.net/pbmanual.htm
[http://palmbibleplus.sourceforge.net/pbmanual.htm]
Olive Tree (all PDAs, scholarly, using Gramcord texts):
http://www.olivetree.com/index.php [http://www.olivetree.com/index.php]
Bible With You (Palm & Pocket PC, new, using Accordance texts):
http://www.gmpsoft.com/ [http://www.gmpsoft.com/]
Laridian (Zondervan, all PDAs): http://www.laridian.com/
[http://www.laridian.com/]
Quickverse (Palm & Pocket PC): http://www.discountchristian.com/qvpdastd.html
[http://www.discountchristian.com/qvpdastd.html]
More details: http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/Tyndale/TTech/TTech021.htm
[http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/Tyndale/TTech/TTech021.htm]
Comparative review: http://www.mobiletechreview.com/software/bible.htm
[http://www.mobiletechreview.com/software/bible.htm]
3) Personal recommendations
Accordance is the one I find easiest to use and most powerful. It is less
pretty and slightly slower on the PC because of the emulator. It exports
Greek & Hebrew in Unicode, so that you can create documents which are
future-proofed and readable on PC or Mac.
BibleWorks is what I use mainly on a PC, mostly because it starts up quicker
than Accordance on a PC, and has most of the same tools.
Libronix is necessary because it has exclusive rights to so many important
works, but personally I don't like the interface.
Online Bible is useful on one of my old laptops, because it is so fast. Basic
searches only, but that's all you need for sermon writing.
The Sword online is just the thing when you are at an internet computer. Its
Web 2
programming means that it can have pop-up lexicon and parsing for Greek - see
OT LXX & MT at
http://crosswire.org/study/parallelstudy.jsp?key=Gen&add=LXX&add=WLC
[http://crosswire.org/study/parallelstudy.jsp?key=Gen&add=LXX&add=WLC]
NT parsed Gk at
http://www.crosswire.org/study/parallelstudy.jsp?add=WHNU&add=NASB
[http://www.crosswire.org/study/parallelstudy.jsp?add=WHNU&add=NASB]
BiblePlus on the Palm is what I used most. In my pocket I carry: various
Bibles in English, Hebrew, and Greek (with basic parsing & lexicon); Targums
in Aramaic & English; complete Josephus, Philo and even Nag Hammadi. Views
two versions at once with a split screen. All free!
Download from http://palmbibleplus.sourceforge.net/pbmanual.htm
[http://palmbibleplus.sourceforge.net/pbmanual.htm]
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