I came across this site, where Michael Paul Johnson (at least I think he is the author), after giving a very brief overview of some of the commercial Bible software packages available, lists the features that, in his opinion, the ideal Bible software (if such an animal ever existed) should include. These are:

• Wide selection of Bible texts in many languages, including:
  * Many translations in Spanish, English, and other Latin Alphabet languages
  * Translations in languages with other alphabets and/or pictograms
  * Support for audio Bibles
  * Other living languages (all of them – over 6,000)
  * Original language texts (Greek, Hebrew)
• Good helps, including maps, dictionaries, etc.
• Ease of use
• Export capability in many formats
• Easy, configurable copy & paste
• Printing/typesetting capability
• Support for open standards like those on the STEP technical information page.
• Support for many languages
• Preserves poetry & prose formatting (not just a list of verses)
• Simple, intuitive, and powerful searches
• Note-taking, highlighting, and journaling features
• Reasonably efficient use of computer resources
• Configurable side-by-side translations for comparison
• Interlinear translation support
• Support for multiple computing platforms (Win32, Linux, Mac, SunOS, etc.)
• Freely available.

These lists are as varied as users themselves, I’m afraid. However, I see a problem in the tendency to mix up objective and subjective aspects of software. There are certain features that can easily be measured: either they are there or they are not (e.g., original language texts, highlighting, etc.) But there are others that are highly subjective. A product may seem “easy to use” to someone, and absolutely “awkward” or “clunky” to somebody else. Similarly, what’s “intuitive” to me may look “cryptic” to you!

Two final observations may be in order: STEP isn’t currently a “standard” in the generally accepted sense of the term, IMO, and support for multiple computing platforms is expensive and difficult to develop (unless we enter into the field of emulation or some open-source project based, for instance, on Java). But the icing to the cake is to have all of that “freely available”!

I don’t mean to be critical of this particular wish list. We all have our own, I’m sure, and I think they are useful and even necessary. But this one is a good starting point to realize just how difficult it is to make a single application all things to all people. So, do you have a list of the “ideal” Bible software? Maybe you’d like to jot down a few items and features, and take into account some of the things I’ve pointed out here. One of the things that’s coming to Bible Software Review (a mid-term goal) is the ability to take polls and surveys. You can bet that one of the first questions will have to do with this subject… Until then, feel free to post comments or send emails if you feel so inclined.

Here is another tool that can be used from a web page. It shows any given passage in 7 different translations
(World English Bible, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English, Darby’s Translation, King James Version, Webster’s Bible, and Young’s Literal Translation), with further links to 10 additional (copyrighted) versions. You just have to use the format http://bible.cc/book/chapter-verse.htm and voila! Here is an example from John 1:1. Unfortunately, you can only point to a single verse at a time. For more info on current details and future projects, including a search feature, look here.

According to a recent press release, Moody Distance Learning Center (MDLC) and Logos Bible Software have become partners in order to develop Bible courseware on CD-ROM. AM Bible Courseware is expected to be ready this coming Fall. The list of courses that will be made available can be found here. An online demo, as well as a general overview in PDF are also available. The most relevant part of the press release reads thus:

“Many people cannot attend seminary or a Bible school, be it busy pastors, lay leaders, housewives, businesspersons, college students who want supplemental material to their current education, or those who simply consider themselves too old to attend school,” said Bill Blocker, division manager of MDLC. “AM is practical, available to anyone within reach of technology, is not partial to distance or location, and will not interfere with an individual’s daily responsibilities.”

The combined approach — providing Moody’s proven and effective method for biblical education along with a wealth of readily-available research and study resources — will equip learners with the knowledge and skills they need for self-directed study as they mature in their Bible study. AM incorporates quizzes and exams to gauge personal learning and comprehension. As learners complete courses and pass the exams, they will receive a certificate of completion verifying their proficiency in that particular topic of study.

“We’re excited about combining Moody’s expertise in distance education curriculum with our advanced digital library technology. This integrated study environment is a huge advantage to students. It boosts the quality of their experience, and direct linking between Moody’s courses and our libraries provides greater assurance that learners will follow through with additional research,” said John Bryant, director of special projects at Logos. “In addition, our environment doesn’t require online connectivity to access materials, so learners can study anywhere and have all their materials and a complete library with them.”

I personally think that taking the courseware route is a natural development of Logos’ LDLS. The amount of material that is becoming available in this electronic format is quite impressive, and can be adapted to suit the needs of a variety of people in different settings. Let’s remember that Internet access is not readily available to everybody, and courseware on CD-ROM
or DVD-ROM can be a very valid alternative. The nice thing about it is that you can have the study materials and the reference library in the same package.

Further to my entry on the Simple Parallel Bible, I found this morning that Sean Boisen of Blogos includes a post about another useful tool that can be easily added to any website. By means of little scripts called favelets you can perform Bible word searches, passage searches, dictionary searches or whatever you like. Here is a short summary of how it works (but read the whole article!):

Favelets are applets (mini applications) in javascript that run from the Favorites list in Internet Explorer: Favorites + applets = favelets. They’re cool because they add functionality to your browser environment, which (let’s face it) is where most of the action is these days.(…)

Because of the New Testament Names project, i’m a regular user of the word search features on the ESV website, as i look up some semi-obscure name to learn and record information about it (like Ephraim, which i initially mistook for a reference to the OT figure of the same name). But i got tired of finding the page, typing in the word, using the pull-down to select New Testament only, select just whole word matching …. click click click click click!

Favelets to the rescue! Here’s how it works:

• Drag (don’t click) this link to the Links section of your browsers toolbar. It will complain that it might not be safe: you’ll have to decide if you trust me
• ESV NT word search
• Select (highlight) a word in your browser that you want to look up (like this one: content)
• Click on the favelet
• A new browser window will open up, with the URL constructed to do a search on that word in the New Testament only, whole word matching, text only.

I have tried it myself and it works fine. Nice tip, Sean!

Accordance Bible Software has a brand new website with many new features and a “metallized” look, which should be very familiar to users of Mac OS X. Incidentally, one of the recent additions I recommend is a demo of the latest 6.2 version. Good job!

This is how the website itself describes it:

The Simple Parallel Bible is a search and lookup tool that can be easily added to any PHP/MySQL website. It lets you link to multiple passages, in parallel (for side-by-side comparison) or in a list, with a single link, without leaving your website.

This can be very useful, and you don’t even need to host the database locally. If you want to write a passage on your site, simply point to the external link. For instance, to open John 1:1-18 you would write this code: http://jesus.com.au/demo/bible/index.php?q=john+1.1-18. The result would be John 1:1-18. But there’s more. You could also point your readers to a parallel passage, like The Parable of Salt (pericope #218 in Aland’s Synopsis Quattuor Evangeliorum, 15th ed.) — a list view of the same passage would look like this — or to a Bible search for verses in the New Testament than contain the term forgiven (in this particular case it will also match “forgiveness”). Please note that the only version currently available is the World English Bible, nevertheless, it can be a useful tool.

I’m really interested in the use of online courses developed with Blackboard, Moodle
or similar packages, aka Learning Management Systems (LMS) or Virtual Learning Environments (VLE). The problem is that I have never had a first-hand experience with any of them. I know that some institutions make use of these systems, but I have not found a single one of them freely accessible. If anyone out there can share some info on the
subject or, better still, allow me to sneak into a biblical studies or theology class, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

This is from the latest Software Newsletter from Christianbook.com:

In this issue, we compare commentaries on CD-ROM vs. print. If you’ve ever had to conduct your research in several commentaries at once, or across multiple volumes, you know how time consuming it can be. If you’ve ever had to move a multi-volume set, you know how heavy and cumbersome it can be. And of course, if you’ve ever purchased a commentary set, you know how costly they can be.

Software is a sensible alternative. Commentary software is searchable, portable, and affordable — saving your time, your back, and perhaps most importantly, your money.

I agree that it is indeed a “sensible alternative”. As a matter of fact, in my experience commentaries are some of the most suitable tools for computer-assisted Bible study. I must confess I don’t like reading books on screen. It’s hard on my eyes and, besides, it takes away the romanticism of holding the “real” thing in your hands (i.e., a printed
book). Also, a commentary is not the kind of book you tend to read from cover to cover. Instead, you basically turn to it to look things up, or to read some sections related to the passage under study. However, when it comes to all the introductory and critical matters (which I do enjoy reading and which can at times be quite lengthy), I miss not having the printed copy with me. I can naturally print that part of the book, but that seems to defeat the whole purpose of owning an electronic version. Yes, I also admit to not liking the idea of having to print large chunks of material. I guess you can’t burn the candle at both ends Anyway, just my thoughts. Your mileage may vary.

Ken Ristau lets me know that he has started a new blog. In his own words, “Future updates to the site will be posted here in my blog, alongside my other random thoughts on news, politics, biblical studies, Bible software, movies, etc.” Welcome on board! Notice that he has also opened a forum for the discussion of these subjects.

Over at SansBlogue, Tim Bulkeley is looking for a group of Bible scholars who are into the “doing biblical studies with a computer” business. The aim is to make
some short presentations and hold a panel discussion at the next Association Internationale Bible et Informatique conference to be held later this year in Leuven (Belgium). Read the full story here.

Joe Fleener, Director of Library Services at Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary, Lansdale, Pennsylvania (USA), has posted a note at the BibleWorks Users Forum where he says they are considering hosting a professor’s conference and panel discussion next July under the general title “Using Exegetical Software in the Classroom”.

These initiatives are becoming common place. Now, given the fact that not everybody who might be interested will be able to go to all these different meetings, I submit to you the possibility of hosting a
similar online event here at Bible Software Review. If we could have four or five people willing to invest some time in sharing their professional experience on the use they make of computer technology and Bible software resources in their writing, research, or teaching, I would be happy to coordinate the team and take up questions from readers. I’m just thinking aloud really (that’s what blogging is in a sense), but if you think this might be something worth pursuing and/or you would like to participate, please email me.