Logos Bible Software

Logos Bible Software is a digital library application designed for electronic Bible study. In addition to basic eBook functionality, it includes extensive resource linking, note-taking functionality, and linguistic analysis for study of the Bible both in translation and in its original languages. It is developed by Faithlife Corporation. As of October 26, 2020, Logos Bible Software is in its 9th version.

Logos Bible Software
Logos Bible Software 6 running on Windows
Developer(s)Faithlife Corporation
Initial release1992 (1992)
Stable release
9.2 RC 2 (Gold) (9.2.0.0014) / 19 January 2021 (2021-01-19)
Preview release
9.3 Beta 2 (9.3.0.0021) / 2 February 2021 (2021-02-02)
Written inC#, C++[1]
Operating system
PlatformIA-32, x86-64, ARM
Available in12 languages
List of languages
Afrikaans, Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean.
Type
LicenseFreeware[note 1]
Websitewww.logos.com

Logos Bible Software is compatible with more than 200,000 titles related to the Bible from 200 publishers, including Baker, Bantam, Catholic University of America Press, Eerdmans, Harvest House, Merriam Webster, Moody Press, Oxford University Press, Thomas Nelson, Tyndale House, and Zondervan. Logos also recently published its own Lexham Bible Reference series, featuring new scholarship on the original Biblical languages.[2]

Until October 2014, the name Logos Bible Software was often used to refer to the company behind the software (incorporated as Logos Research Systems, Inc). At that date, the company was rebranded as Faithlife Corporation as a response to the greater diversity in products and services the company then offered.[3]

On September 18, 2020 it was announced that Lifeway's WORDSearch Bible software was bought by Faithlife.[4] Therefore, Wordsearch's customer base all will receive a copy of Logos free of charge[5] and the titles included would be fasttracked to Logos format.

History

Windows and Macintosh versions

Logos Bible Software was launched in 1992 by two Microsoft employees, Bob Pritchett and Kiernon Reiniger, along with Bob's father, Dale Pritchett. The three quit their jobs to develop Christian software.[6] After acquiring data from the CDWordLibrary project at Dallas Theological Seminary (an earlier Bible software package for use on Windows 2), Logos released an updated version called the Logos Library System platform in 1995,[7] which added support for more resources and introduced the concept of a digital library.

Logos Bible Software for Windows, v1.6

After a long beta cycle that began in 1999,[8] the LLS was replaced by the Libronix Digital Library Systems (or Libronix DLS) in 2001.[9] This was a 32-bit application (LLS was 16-bit) and had been rewritten from the ground up in a more modular fashion that made it easier to add future expansions. As with all other versions of Logos Bible Software, it was offered as a free update to existing customers. In terms of branding, Libronix Digital Library System refers to the software itself, whilst Logos Bible Software Series X was used for packages that included both the software and electronic Biblical studies resources.

Version 2 of Libronix DLS appeared in July 2003 as Logos Bible Software Series X 2.0. This added support for documents such as notes and word lists, visual filters (which allow users to create rules to add highlighting and markup to resources automatically), and a graphical query editor.[10]

Version 3 was launched on May 1, 2006[11] and introduced reverse-interlinear Bibles, the Bible Word Study tool, and syntax searches.[12] The Series X name was dropped, and the software was known simply as Logos Bible Software 3. In March 2008 an alpha version of Logos Bible Software for Mac was released for testing,[13] with the retail edition shipping in December.[14] This was known as Logos Bible Software for Mac 1.0, and although based on the Windows version, full parity was never achieved, even with versions 1.1 and 1.2 which shipped in 2009.

However, on November 2, 2009, Logos announced Logos Bible Software 4 for Windows,[15] along with an early alpha version of Mac edition and a cut-down iPhone version. Like the original release of the Libronix Digital Library System, the application had been substantially rewritten, and featured a very different graphical user interface than its predecessor.[16] Crucially, once the Mac version was completed, both editions of the software would be almost identical in function, and settings, documents and resources would seamlessly sync between the different versions. The Mac version reached beta in July 2010,[17] and was released in September 2010.[18] Various updates later came to both platforms, with version 4.1 (October 2010, Windows only) adding sentence diagramming and print/export,[19] 4.2 (December 2010 on Windows, March 2011 on Mac) adding various minor features and bug fixes,[20] 4.3 (August 2011) adding Personal Books to allow users to add their own content,[21] 4.5 (January 2012) adding improved notes and highlighting[22] (4.4 was skipped), and 4.6 (August 2012) offering bug fixes and a few tweaks.

Logos Bible Software 5 was released for both Mac and Windows on November 1, 2012,[23][24] with an emphasis on connecting disparate features and databases, making Bible study easier and more efficient.[25] Datasets and tagging added to Bibles meant users could now explore the roots of words and their sense, and the Sermon Starter Guide and Topical Guide made accessing Bible topics much simpler and quicker. Logos 5.1 (July 2013) added read-along audio and a new topic layout,[26] with several more minor improvements in 5.2 (November 2013).[27]

Logos Bible Software 6 was released on October 28, 2014,[28][29] and became the first version to support 64-bit architecture. It too added a number of new datasets and features, including Ancient Literature cross-references, Cultural Concepts, original manuscript images, multimedia and the new Factbook that attempted to integrate the increasing number of databases to an even greater extent than was possible in Logos 5. Logos 6 also integrates with the Send to Kindle service provided by Amazon.

Logos Bible Software 7 was released on August 24, 2016.[30] Features added with this full version include, Sermon Editor, Course Tool, Figurative Language (interactive), Hebrew Grammatical Constructions, Longacre Genre Analysis, Sentence Types of the New Testament Dataset, Quickstart Layouts, Speech Acts, An Empty Tomb (interactive), Exploring Biblical Manuscripts.

Logos Bible Software 8 was released on October 29, 2018.[31]

Logos Bible Software 9 was released on October 26, 2020.[32]

Logos Bible Software 10 is anticipated to be released on the last Monday of October in 2022, which will be October 24, 2022.[33]

Mobile versions

An iPhone app was released alongside Logos 4 in November 2009. It allows users to access most of their Logos resources on the iPhone, with basic search and study features. Resources can be accessed over the cloud, or downloaded onto the device for offline access. Native iPad support was added with version 1.4 in April 2010.[34] Version 2.0 (January 2012) added notes, highlights and inline footnotes.[35] Version 3.0 (August 2012) added reading plans and community notes,[36] and version 4.0 a new UI updated for iOS 7. A topic guide was added in 4.3 (June 2014), and a scrolling view in 4.4 (December 2014).

The iOS app was awarded the DBW Publishing Innovation Award in 2011.

An Android app entered a public alpha in May 2011,[37] with a beta in July,[38] and 1.0 released a year later. The initial release allowed little more than the reading of Logos books, so version 2.0 followed quickly in August 2012, which added notes, highlighting, reading plans, Bible Word Study, the Passage Guide and a split-screen view. This brought much closer parity with the iOS app,[39] and future development has continued along similar lines to the iOS version.

On both platforms, the mobile app is now available in several "flavors". In addition to the standard Logos Bible Software, other very similar apps exist under the Faithlife Ebooks, Faithlife Study Bible, and Verbum brands.[40] These apps offer similar functionality, different branding, and a slightly different UI.

Rebranded versions

Faithlife Corporation has also produced rebranded versions of Logos Bible Software with almost identical functionality. Verbum Catholic Software is aimed at Roman Catholics (and adds databases of Catholic topics and Saints, and more data from the Deuterocanonical Books). From 2014 to 2020, Faithlife produced Noet, which focused on scholarly work in the humanities, particularly the classics and philosophy.[41][42]

Reception

Each version of Logos Bible Software has generally been received very positively by reviewers and Christian leaders. It is frequently praised for being user-friendly,[43] having the largest number of available resources of any comparable software,[44][45] and offering unique tools and datasets not found in any comparable products.[46] However, it has also received some criticisms for its high cost[47] and lack of speed when compared with other Bible software packages.[45]

Notes
  1. The software itself is freeware. Most resources and datasets are paid for add-ons.

References
  1. Grainger, Bradley (2 November 2009). "Hiatus". Faithlife Code Blog. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  2. Gons, Phillip ‘Phil’ (April 16, 2004). "Logos Research Systems Commissions New Hebrew-English Interlinear Bible". Logos Bible Software. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  3. "Logos Bible Software rebrands as Faithlife". October 7, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  4. "Faithlife Wordsearch Acquisition Press Release". Google Docs. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  5. "FAQ for Wordsearch Customers Migrating to Logos Bible Software". www.logos.com. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  6. "High-tech survivors". Whatcom County Business Pulse. Archived from the original on 2006-08-23. Retrieved 2006-09-27.
  7. Harris, III, W Hall (February 6, 2008). "Bible Software History 101". Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  8. "Code Name "Titus" — The Future of the Logos Library System". March 29, 1999. Archived from the original on May 8, 1999. Retrieved January 5, 2015.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. "Tip from CS: Update from the Logos Library System to Libronix". January 6, 2009. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  10. "Logos Bible Software Series X v2.0". 7 July 2003. Archived from the original on July 7, 2003. Retrieved 5 January 2015.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. "Logos Bible Software 3 is here!".
  12. "Introducing... Logos Bible Software 3!". 15 June 2006. Archived from the original on June 15, 2006. Retrieved 3 January 2015.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  13. "Macintosh Logos Bible Software Hits Alpha". 14 March 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  14. "The Answer to Your Question Is "Now"!". 5 December 2008. Archived from the original on April 1, 2009. Retrieved 3 January 2015.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  15. "Introducing Logos Bible Software 4".
  16. "Logos Bible Software 4.0 Launched!". Bible Software Review Weblog. 2 November 2009. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  17. "Beta 1 & 2 Release Notes". Logos Bible Software Forums. 23 July 2010. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  18. "Mac Release Notes and History". Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  19. "Logos 4.1". Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  20. "Logos 4.2". Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  21. "Free Personal Book Builder Ships with New Logos 4 Update!". 10 August 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  22. "Updates to Highlights and Notes Coming in 4.5". 23 January 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  23. "Introducing Logos Bible Software 5".
  24. "Logos 5 has arrived: a smarter connection to the Word". November 5, 2012. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  25. "Introducing Logos Bible Software 5". 1 November 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  26. "Introducing Logos 5.1". 2 July 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  27. "Logos 5.2". Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  28. "Introducing Logos Bible Software 6".
  29. "Logos 6 arrives". Reformation21. 27 October 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  30. "Introducing Logos Bible Software 7".
  31. "The New Logos Is Here".
  32. "Logos 9 Is Here! See What's New".
  33. "Logos 10 Will be released..."
  34. "Review: Logos Bible Software for iPad v. 1.4". This Lamp. 18 April 2010. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  35. "Logos for iOS 2.0.1 Release Notes". 27 January 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  36. "iOS Reader Suite 3.0.0 Release Notes". 29 August 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  37. "Logos for Android Alpha 4". 14 May 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  38. "Logos for Android released". 4 July 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  39. "Logos Brings More Parity Between Android and iOS Bible Apps" (PDF). Christian Computing Magazine. August 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  40. "Grow in the Light of the Bible with Faithlife Apps". Faithlife. 2020. Archived from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  41. Gallagher, Dave (25 December 2014). "Bellingham's Faithlife introduces new product for scholarly research". The Bellingham Herald. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  42. Amundgaard, Ben (7 April 2020). "Noet". Faithlife Forums. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  43. Barrett, Charles M. (April 2013). "Logos Bible Software 5". Themelios.
  44. Challies, Tim (Fall 2006). "Logos Bible Software 3". The Journal of Modern Ministry.
  45. Tabb, Brian J. (April 2014). "Logos Bible Software 5 Platinum". Themelios.
  46. Parker, David (July 2003). "Logos Bible Software Series X". Evangelical Review of Theology.
  47. Naselli, Andrew David (April 2014). "Baker Academic Biblical Studies Bundle". Themelios.

Logos Bible Software official websites:

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