Bible Software Review Weblog

Over at Philo of Alexandria Blog, Torrey Seland notes the availability of a CD-ROM version of New Testament Abstracts. I visited the site and found out that they expect to ship a new and enlarged 2.0 release (covering 1985-2003) this month of July. I agree with Torrey that this is a very useful tool. I used to have access to it when I lived in Seville, but now that I live in a very small place, that is out of the question. I noticed that under New Testament General there is a section on Computer-Assisted Research. I don't recall seeing that some years back. Anyway, it would be nice to check out what has been written on this subject over the past 18 years or so, but $100.00 for a single-user license is much too expensive right now. I will have to wait to the next time I'm near a good University library. In the meantime, if you do have access to NTA and think there are any articles or books on Computer-Assisted Research that I should consider, please send me the bibliographic reference and I'll see what I can do. Thanks!

Sansblogue carries an interesting piece on the feasibility of online theological education (applied to ministry formation in particular) under the general title Online Seminary: is virtual formation possible?. Tim Bulkeley shares some relevant questions about the very nature of this kind of formation:

• How far can one really achieve formation without incarnate contact? • Can "virtual" contact be real incarnate contact? (Which senses can be dispensed with? After all we would not shut out a blind candidate for ministry formation...) • Distance learning can be great for the "head stuff", how do we insure that the extras we add to a distance or online package really provide the feeling, doing and being formation that is also vital?

I was gladly surprised to find out that the latest issue of The Beaupre Buzz Newsletter mentions this blog in the context of new product review venues. And here's a good piece of advice they give:

But tread carefully at first. Product review blogs don't have the same journalistic oversight of traditional media. Knowing who is legit, who knows their stuff, who you can trust, etc., requires careful research and monitoring of each blogger's site before you commit your product to their scrutiny.

Thought you might like to read this. I don't know who wrote it. Somebody sent it to me via email back in 1997! There are a number of lists like this circulating. I guess this is an "apocryphal" version. Have a great weekend, particularly our friends from the States ;-)

How To Write Good

1. Avoid alliteration. Always.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. Avoid cliches like the plague. (They're old hat.)
4. Employ the vernacular.
5. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
6. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
7. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
8. Contractions aren't necessary.
9. Foreing words and phrases are not apropos.
10. One should never generalize.
11. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
12. Comparisons are as bad as cliches.
13. Don't be redundant; don't use more word than necessary; it's highly superfluous.
14. Be more or less specific.
15. Understatement is always best.
16. One-word sentences? Eliminate.
17. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
18. The passive voice is to be avoided.
19. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
20. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
21. Who needs rhetorical questions?
22. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.

A very useful online searchable database has been recently made available by The Stoa Consortium for all those who need to work with New Testament uncials and papyri. You can read about it here. The actual URL of the search engine is http://www.stoa.org/bible/bible.pl. One of the neat options is the ability to find out manuscripts by location. For instance, I looked for Barcelona (Barcelone, Spain), and discovered that uncials 0252, 0267 and 0298, as well as papyri p64 and p80 are found there. The most obvious use, though, is to search for a given passage of the New Testament. For instance, I typed John 1:1-18 and the engine immediately returned p66, p75 and 26 majuscules (all of which contained John 1:1-51). All in all, a highly recommendable tool. Update: I just found out that Mark Goodacre had already blogged about it, but somehow I must have missed it. Anyway, it was only today when I could actually try it and give you my first-hand impression. Sorry for the delay...

That is a fair question to ask. Quite a few people are spending rather large sums of money on Bible software and electronic resources, and quite naturally they would like to know that their investment is safe. The truth of the matter is that there are far too many things that lie outside our control. For one thing, there is no way we can be sure that the company that develops and markets our software will be in business in two years' or ten year's time. Besides, all current software is provided to us "as is" (I simply hate this expression, don't you?), backwards compatibility is not guaranteed for life, and there are far too many propriety formats (or, to put it another way, no universally agreed upon publishing standard like PDF). On the other hand, operating systems are also continually being updated, and experience tells us that there comes inevitably a point in every development cycle when previous versions may not be supported anymore. Then there is the media itself. Theoretically, some of the physical media being used today (e.g., CDs and DVD-ROMs) are going to last for a good number of years, but we don't know for sure how long. We cannot even be certain that future devices will continue to support these media. All of the above are legitimate concerns, and it would be interesting to know other people's opinion on the matter. But, hey, I am not a fool, and do not intend to bite the hand that feeds me. I firmly believe we should all go "digital." However, I am also convinced that we have to be clear as to what users can reasonably expect from the Bible software industry at large. It is true that many of these comments could be applied equally well to many other fields. Printed books can also catch fire or deteriorate over time. Nevertheless, a good rule of thumb is this: whatever you consider to be a valuable tool/resource, do your best to get it in print, even if you already own an electronic copy. It is a proven fact that printed and electronic resources can happily get along together, and that it is wise to diversify one's investments. It is not a matter or "either/or", but rather of "both/and."

My previous entry seems to have elicited some discussion about standards in the Bible software industry. Both Tim Bulkeley and Ken Ristau have written some comments on the matter (for which I am always grateful). Also, Davide Salomoni makes some follow-up comments on his blog (with some references to another of my posts). I am fully aware that this is a very difficult and complex area, and I am so extremely busy right now that I can barely sketch some of the issues that, to my mind, should be considered in greater depth. These are some of the facts: • Today, almost every company uses a propriety format for the texts and tools they release (despite the fact that all text development starts with some fairly standard files) • Over ninety per cent of these formats are, by definition, not compatible with the other formats • Most programs do not provide a means to export their material to some widely used format (e.g., TXT, RTF, HTML, XML) • Some of the materials (mostly in the public domain) go through a process of revisions, corrections, etc. which virtually transform them into something quite different to the original work • Not all titles are available for every application (in fact many are not even available in electronic format yet!) As a result: • Many users have paid more than once (or twice!) for the same resource • It is not infrequent to have to buy and install more than one program in order to use the materials one needs/wants to work with • There are a number of versions of the same tool, sometimes with notable differences among them The ideal (a tentative proposal): • All software packages should work with the same format • The differences should be in the added value of every program, not in the contents (at least not primarily, and allowing for the fact that different companies will quite naturally release different materials) • Users would have to be persuaded to choose this or that application, and not feel they have to "put up" with any given software simply because it is the only one that carries a certain title Let me use an analogy. In the traditional publishing world you have a single, universal standard: the printed page. All contents are available in that same format, but then you can choose to buy this edition or the other based on your preferences (paperback/hardback, binding, typesetting), price tag (pocket edition, general edition, study edition), or pluses (indexes, bilingual versions, critical notes). Different publishers carry different titles, but readers don't have to worry about such things as compatibility. Books are books! And when a given title is published by more than one publisher, people simply choose the edition they like the most. Now, Bible software doesn't work like that. There is no single format, but many. Generally speaking, you can't just get the contents from whatever vendor you like and read them as you prefer; the content is bound to a given interface, features, options, and so on. As I see it, this is not fair on the user. You may say, of course, that the specific tagging of the texts is what makes it possible for a search engine to be more powerful or complex than others, or for the more appealing or useful features to be what they are. But since most of the tagging is usually not accessible to the user when a book is displayed, it should be possible to run it on another application, even if it did not take full advantage of all the underlying tagging (this in fact happens with some STEP-compatible books). If the (admittedly) idealistic picture painted above were possible, people would immediately realize that what really makes the difference is not so much the text, but the program (but see this blog entry!). In fact, this is happening right now with "closed" standards. You may be able to find the same Bible or reference work in a number of packages, but that does not mean that you will make the most out of it no matter what program you use. There are programs that are objectively better than others. The subjective element lies in our needs, not in the software. To put it another way. No program is THE best. Some programs are the best for US (because of the way its features match our particular study or research needs). Having said that, I contend that some programs are (in abstract terms, if you like) better than the rest. But I am digressing ;-) Any discussion about standards seems to inevitably lead us to consider once again the matter of open standards and open scholarship. Tim mentions the OSIS initiative as a possible way to safeguard our investment in content. Since the Open Scripture Information Standard purports to be "a common format for many visions," I suppose it could equally well become "a common format for many viewers (read applications)". But content per se is not the only issue. The real advantage of electronic media is the retrieval and management of that content. There, I think, lies the real potential of Bible software. All other things being equal, there should be a number of value-added features and services based on which users could make a wise decision as to what program best suits their needs. So, yes, we want the texts to survive, but we also want the special electronic features to survive along with them. I hope this makes sense, even though some statements would need to be nuanced, no doubt. I simply haven't got the time to get into more detail right now. It was either this or nothing. But I will continue to read with interest your feedback as the discussion unfolds. Thank you all for your valuable insights.

Joe Fleener reports on the Professor's Forum held at Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary yesterday, and explains that one of the things that was felt necessary was the setting up of an online discussion group for the specific purpose of interacting over Technology in the classroom. As a result, there is now a new Yahoo discussion group available. This is from the group's description:

This group developed out of a Professor's Forum held @ Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary on July 9, 2004. Several of us gather together for the purpose of discussing issues related to integrating the use of Exegetical Software in Classroom Instruction. Asking how has/is technology changing pedagogy within Theological Education. Most (but not necessarily all) of us are educators at theological institutions. This discussion group is designed for all those interested to share ideas specific to integrating technology into theological education.

To subscribe, send an email to: pedagogytechnology-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

If you're interested in watching a PowerPoint presentation of the new Stuttgart Electronic Study Bible (SESB), you can follow this link (thanks to Wieland Willker): http://www.dbg.de/article.php?channel=S&article=418. You can choose to download the presentation in English or German.

Update (July 15): This product is expected to
ship in early August. Also, there is an HTML version of the above
mentioned PowerPoint presentation here.

This just in:

Make plans now to attend the first WORDsearch Pastor's Conference: Preaching and Teaching To Change Lives. Come ready to be inspired, informed and instructed. Dress casual and prepare to RELAX in the beautiful resort community of Lago Vista, Texas, nestled on the shores of Lake Travis (...) Enjoy networking and fellowship with other WORDsearch, Bible Explorer, and Bible Navigator users like yourself, and get an insider's preview of what's ahead. WORDsearch software developers and personnel will be on hand to answer your questions and give you personal attention.

These are the most interesting events, as far as Bible software is concerned, planned for this year's SBL meeting (San Antonio, TX, November 20-23):

S19-1
Bible Technologies Group
11/19/2004
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Room: Room #212A - San Antonio Convention Center
Robert Hodgson, American Bible Society, Presiding
Patrick Durusau, Society of Biblical Literature, Presiding
Eugene Nida, American Bible Society
The Modern Translator (45 min)
Mike Perez, American Bible Society
Bible Engagement Tools (45 min)
Break (15 min)
Steven Derose, Bible Technologies Group
Introduction to OSIS (45 min)
OSIS Panel Discussion
Steven Derose, Bible Technologies Group, Panelist
Patrick Durusau, Society of Biblical Literature, Panelist
Mike Perez, American Bible Society, Panelist

S19-52
Biblical Exegetical Software in the Classroom -- Integration 101
11/19/2004
1:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Room: Room #210A - San Antonio Convention Center
Joseph M. Fleener, Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary, Presiding
Mark Futato, Reformed Theological Seminary, Panelist (10 min)
Rodney A. Whitacre, Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, Panelist (10 min)
Thomas J. Finley, Talbot School of Theology, Panelist (10 min)
Discussion (60 min)

S19-101
BibleWorks Workshop -- Using Its Features and Resources to the Fullest
11/19/2004
4:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Room: Room #210A - San Antonio Convention Center

S20-108
Computer Assisted Research
11/20/2004
4:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Room: Room #207 - San Antonio Convention Center
Theme: Digital Hermeneutics
James R. Adair, Jr., Religion and Technology Center, Presiding
Peter C. Patton, University of St. Thomas and Richard A. Wright, Emory University
Discovering and Displaying Structure in Hebrew Poetry (30 min)
George Yaeger, Aster Institute
Development of a Noun Phrase Translation Memory Database for Classical Biblical Hebrew (30 min)
Catherine J. Smith, University of Birmingham and Matthew Brook O'Donnell, University Of Surrey Roehamptom
Evaluating Electronic Synopses: The Current State of Play and Future Directions (30 min)
Ken Penner, McMaster University
Toward a Method of Tagging Hebrew Tense, Aspect, and Mood (30 min)
Business Meeting (30 min)

S21-113
Computer Assisted Research
11/21/2004
4:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Room: Room #207 - San Antonio Convention Center
Theme: Networked Pedagogy
Keith H. Reeves, Azusa Pacific University, Presiding
Alfred Benney, Fairfield University
Designing Techno-pedagogical Strategies for Teaching Religion - Or Not! (30 min)
Julye Bidmead, Miami University (OH) and Deborah A. Appler, Vanderbilt University
Connecting to "Wired" Students: Multimedia, Interactive Approaches to Teaching Biblical Studies (30 min)
Steve Mason, York University (Toronto)
Possibilities of an On-line Commentary: The Case of Flavius Josephus (30 min)
David B. Howell, Ferrum College and Peggy Cowan, Maryville College
Text and Context: Connecting Students with the Historical, Social, and Cultural Realities that Shape the Practice and Texts of Religion (30 min)
Tim Seid, Earlham School of Religion
Digital Quaker Collection: Directing Out-sourced Technology at the Cutting-Edge (30 min)
To look for more information about the program, please go here.

Blogger is nice, and it keeps adding new features to make our blogging life easier. However, I have a major complaint: the support for other browsers (read all Internet Explorer competitors) is really substandard. I have had compatibility issues with Opera (Windows), Safari (Mac), and even IE for Macintosh. Trying to blog with any of these browsers is quite a feat. Forget about any fancy features (you have to do almost everything by hand). And after every Blogger update, the situation seems to get worse.

I'm not trying to start a "browser war" ;-) it's a proven fact by now that IE is one of the worst browsers available. I simply want to be able to choose which browser I use, and which platform I run it on. I hope the people at Blogger will make an effort to correct this state of affairs soon. Believe it or not, there are a good number of folks (bless their hearts!) who do not use Internet Explorer or Microsoft Windows, and they deserve some respect and attention. Thank you very much.

OakTree Software has just announced the availability of the following:

Biblical Archaeology Review Archive CD-ROM. Every issue of Biblical Archaeology Review from 1975 to 2003, plus a few books from the Biblical Archaeology Society.

Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax, by Bruce K. Waltke and Michael Patrick O'Connor. The standard intermediate Hebrew grammar.

Accordance 6.3 - Just a little while after 6.2 hit the streets (see here), users will welcome the new series of enhancements this .1 update has to offer. The three I like the most are the ability to search outside or inside the brackets in Bible texts, the new search feature for Tools, which allows one to look for up to 5 different fields simultaneously (combining the three basic boolean operators AND, OR, NOT) in the same Tool window, and the fact that Search All now searches all the fields in each tool selected. One final comment I'd like to make is that the new complete User's Guide for 6.3 (278 pages!) can be downloaded for free. This allows anyone, not just Accordance users, to get a very detailed overview of all the program features. I would encourage other Bible software vendors to make their manuals available for download as well. This would be extremely helpful for potential customers.

In his recent book (An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods & Ministry Formation. InterVarsity Press/Apollos: 2004), David A. DeSilva includes a section called "A note about Bible software" (pp. 710-713). His comments are set within the context of a larger section on "Word Studies and Lexical Analysis", which according to the "socio-rhetorical interpretation" paradigm adopted by the author (p. 23) belong to the inner texture of the text.

After a few caveats where some of the most common exegetical fallacies are mentioned (e.g., word = concept fallacy - my term; is there a better name for it? -, etymological fallacy, and a few others), he presents what he terms "merely an introduction to the use of computer-assisted research in the study of the Greek New Testament" (p. 710, n. w). The list of Bible software programs includes BibleWorks, Logos Digital Library System - Scholar's Library, Bibloi (formerly known as Bible Windows), and Gramcord for Windows.

His comments throughout seem to indicate that he particularly likes the first two (i.e., BibleWorks and Scholar's Library). Mention is also made of Thesaurus Linguae Graece (TLG) and Perseus Project (p. 709, n. u).

Among the advantages DeSilva finds in using Bible software are the following:
a) Costs less than print versions of the same resources
b) It is easier to perform all kinds of searches with it
c) Renders print concordances superfluous
d) Facilitates comparative study of texts
e) Helps students read the Bible in the original languages
f) Integrates a dearth of research tools into a single, user-friendly environment
g) Saves time that can be (might I add "should be"?) invested in reflecting on the Bible text itself
h) Makes possible to carry out complex lexical searches involving two or more words
i) In the case of advanced students, allows them to search for grammatical constructions (he cites the example of PISTIS followed by a noun in the genitive case - p. 712)
j) Students with limited knowledge of Greek can gain access to the original language text with the aid of an interlinear Bible (he does not mention the ability to work with Strong's numbers)

The only disadvantage he points out explicitly is that the learning curve can be quite high, particularly in the case of the more complex and advanced packages, though the tutorials and help available in some cases are very useful.

All in all, an interesting read. I find the stance taken by the author quite stimulating, though I haven't read the whole book yet - almost 1,000 pages! - only the section reviewed here.

The results of the second annual Mac Bible Software Survey have been made available at CMUG's website. A very detailed analysis of the 189 survey responses.

David Lang has written an insightful piece on the dichotomy between "business" and "ministry" in Bible software development. Interestingly enough, he is not the first developer to bring this subject up in recent months (see here). This, in itself, is a good sign, IMO.

David mentions some of the strengths and weaknesses of either model or approach, and my first reaction is always the same: anything that includes the word "Bible" in it is bound to be more than just business. I tend to look at this issue more in terms of striking the right balance than as a real "dichotomy." To think that "Bible" cannot possibly be associated with the term "business" gives rise to a good number of misconceptions. As he puts it:

To be frank, I've seen the ministry label used to justify everything from shoddy workmanship to cut-throat competition to copyright infringement to failure to pay royalties to poor user support to practices which I think border on being deceptive. Thus, it's not always so easy to conclude that "business" equals bad while "ministry" equals good.

The article also deals with the price of Bible software and the subjective perception of "affordability."

Finally, there is also one thing I can personally relate to, and that is what the author calls "the challenge of self-definition." Often times I am asked the question "Why are you not in ministry?" (read pastoral/teaching ministry) and "What do you do for a living instead?" In my experience, I have a much harder time trying to answer the first question, because it is based on a false premise. My answer is simply that I still am in ministry. Ministry of a different sort, but ministry after all!

Bible Software Review and its weblog will be moving to a new server and domain over the next couple of days or so (maybe less!). Your support since we first started, back in February, and the exciting stuff that's coming, have led me to make this decision. The new server will be more reliable, and BSR will have its own domain.

Please update your bookmarks and links! The current site and blog will NOT be updated after this post, and will eventually be unreachable in a matter of days. Feel free to publicize these changes by whatever means you deem appropriate. Thank you!

New website: www.bsreview.org

New weblog: www.bsreview.org/blog/

Email address for matters related to the site: webmaster[at]bsreview[dot]org

Hope to see you all there!

The move to the new server and domain is almost finished. I'm sorry for the inconveniences this may cause, but in the long run it will be better for all of us. Meanwhile, I would appreciate it if you could update your links, your aggregator subscription or whatever.

I could have chosen a .com domain, but preferred to use .org instead. I wanted to make sure everybody understands that this is not a commercial site. I am not sponsored by publicity or supported by any Bible software company. And while it is true that I am part of the industry, due to my involvement in different projects, BSR is a truly independent site. I pay for all the expenses (quite a few, actually!), and make no profit whatsoever from this activity. Remember, then, that all the opinions expressed here belong to the different authors who voice them, and should never be taken as official statements from any company in particular. This is the way I started off, and that's how it's going to stay for the foreseeable future. I truly believe this is in the best interests of everybody.

I must confess I'm not into the habit of checking where visitors come from on a regular basis. However, I just did today, only to find out that David A. Black has mentioned this little corner of cyberspace in his blog. I liked the little teaser he posted, which goes like this (sorry, I couldn't spot any permanent link):

Not all Bible software is created equal. You can review the latest cybernetic Scripture helps here.

Incidentally, I have read quite a few of his books - some authored and some edited by him -, while still others are on my waiting list (which, I hasten to add, is a rather long one!). Anyway, I'm glad he referred to my site, and I'm also happy I came across his site.

I have decided to post a translated version of the Preface to the Spanish edition of my book A Practical Guide to Bible Software.

I hold the copyright to the book, so I might make other sections available online in due course. To be honest, I haven't made my mind up yet as to whether I'll try to publish it in English or, failing that, post some parts of it online. Either case, it would be a massive task, which would require lots of time (something I'm very short of!). I love writing, and enjoy translating, but I simply hate to translate myself. I really do. Although, come to think of it, it wouldn't be exactly a translation. It would be more like an updated, revised and - for the most part - rewritten kind of book. Make sense?

Anyway, the original Spanish book was published by CLIE back in 2000 as part of the "Seminary Collection", a series of books written for biblical and theological students. The preface was done by the two principals of the United Evangelical Seminary of Theology in Madrid (Spain). I thought it would be nice to give you a little hint of the original work's intent. Hope you enjoy it!

Tim Bulkeley, who recently attended the 7th congress of the Association Internationale Bible et Informatique is beginning to report on this "colloquium." I wonder if the presentations are going to be made available either in print or online. At any rate, two of the topics that immediately caught my attention were Ferdinand Poswick's "The Bible in the civilisation of the electronic writing: an evaluation (1985-2004)", and D. Noel's "Literary Approach with Statistical methods." I hope Tim will let us know more about the panel discussion he was involved in. He's probably still recovering from jetlag!

Update (July 30): Paul Nikkel was kind enough to leave a comment with a link to an abstract of Ferdinand Poswick's presentation. He also lets me know that some comments should be posted on deinde shortly. Thanks!

David Austin, permissions director at www.bible.org, has officially requested volunteers to convert the NET Bible into an e-Sword module. This is part of the new move to make available the text and notes of the NET Bible as part of a number of free Bible study programs. However, the Biblical Studies Foundation seems to be rethinking its whole approach to distribution of the NET Bible and other study materials. You can read about it here.

The whole "ministry first" approach seems to be called into question nowadays, due to the fact that the "free-for-all" and "donation" models are not allowing individuals and groups to recoup their sometimes large investments. This is an area where, presumably, there will be a lot of discussion going on in the next few months. In fact, I recently blogged about the "business/ministry dichotomy."

David Lang has written an article entitled Searching for God in Mac Bible Software. A comparison of speed and accuracy. Although he focuses on Bible software for the Macintosh, the points he makes are equally valid for Windows-based Bible programs. The author looks at two different aspects: speeds and accuracy (hence the subtitle), and says:

I did some comparative searches using each of the currently developed Mac Bible Software applications. The results were somewhat surprising, not only because of the vast difference in search speed among the various Bible programs, but also because of the high degree of variance in what was actually found.

Update (July 30): David has posted a follow-up article (Searching for Jesus in Mac Bible Software) with further clarifications and some corrections.

Logos has announced the availability of The Greatest Book video series on DVD-ROM. This is the first "Personal Video Book" to be launched by the company. It's a full-length digital video that integrates seamlessly into Libronix just like any other book. What's so special about it is that each video is tagged with topics, Scripture references, and a table of contents. This means, for instance, that the Passage Guide report will find relevant material in videos, just like it does with books, maps and music. Here's an excerpt from the product description:

This video series from AVM Presents is highly popular with church teachers and home viewers, as it is aimed at a lay audience. The four videos in The Greatest Book series range in length from 30 to 40 minutes and cover topics related to the history and cultural background of the Bible: archaeological evidences, historical reliability, writing/printing technology, cultural milieu, how to get more from personal study of the Bible, and much more!