{"id":447,"date":"2015-10-04T22:36:57","date_gmt":"2015-10-04T21:36:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.logosbiblesoftwaretraining.com\/?page_id=447"},"modified":"2016-05-31T08:41:11","modified_gmt":"2016-05-31T07:41:11","slug":"logos-6-buyers-guide","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.logosbiblesoftwaretraining.com\/documents\/logos-6-buyers-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Logos 6 Buyers’ Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"
If you\u2019re intending to use Logos for more than just reading electronic books, you should buy a \u2018base package\u2019. A base package not only contains hundreds of books at a discounted price, but also access to many of the tools that make Logos great.\u00a0As well as the standard base packages<\/a>, Logos also has base packages aimed at Anglicans<\/a>, Baptists<\/a>,\u00a0Catholics<\/a>, Charismatics\/Pentecostals<\/a>,\u00a0Lutherans<\/a>, Methodists<\/a>,\u00a0Orthodox Christians<\/a>,\u00a0Seventh-Day Adventists<\/a> and those from the Reformed tradition<\/a>.<\/p>\n In considering Logos, you should think first about the ‘colour’ of the package (Bronze, Gold, Diamond, etc.), and then about which denominational flavour you want. Assuming your budget can handle it,\u00a0you should be considering<\/p>\n The guide below is aimed particular at those I know best \u2014\u00a0students, preachers and academics within the evangelical tradition, so bear that in mind as I assess the value of hte various packages. I don’t know Catholicism, SDA or Orthodoxy well enough to comment on them. Remember, there are dozens of differences between each package, but I try to highlight only the most important. I’m fortunate enough to own all the base packages on this page, so at least you know I’m speaking from experience.<\/p>\n Within each family, all the larger packages include everything in the cheaper packages (so Baptist Gold contains everything in Baptist Silver). This means you can upgrade from one package to another by paying the difference between the two, plus only a little bit more. So if you can\u2019t afford the package you want now, you could buy a cheaper one and upgrade later. You can also mix and match base packages\u00a0without paying twice\u00a0for resources that are included in both packages. That’s definitely worth considering once you get past the Gold level.<\/p>\n Finally, if you want a 10% discount and possibly some\u00a0free books,<\/strong> don’t order online. Instead call Logos at 1-888-875-9491 (or email sales@logos.com<\/a>), and tell them Mark Barnes referred you. You’ll get the discount, and I’ll get a little something, too :-).<\/p>\n Starter<\/strong><\/a> includes several English Bibles (though it’s missing the NIV<\/a>,\u00a0NCV<\/a>,\u00a0NKJV <\/a>and GNT<\/a>), reverse interlinears, lectionaries, maps, images, interactive resources, and a handful of\u00a0dictionaries, one-volume commentaries and theologies. Tools include only limited Bible Word Study, Passage Guide and Exegetical Guide functionality. It’s very light on lexicons.<\/p>\n Suitable for:<\/strong>\u00a0Those looking for an entry-level package, who aren’t working with the original languages.<\/p>\n Verdict:<\/b>\u00a0 Unless you’re keen to get Wright’s NT for Everyone<\/em> series, Anglican Starter<\/strong> doesn’t have much for the generalist, but may suit Anglicans who are Anglicans by conviction, rather than by accident. That’s even more true of the Baptist Starter<\/strong>, Methodist\/Wesleyan Starter<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Pentecostal\/Charismatic Starter,\u00a0<\/strong>but if you don’t fall into those categories, Starter<\/strong> (for dictionaries), Lutheran Starter<\/strong> (for commentaries) or\u00a0Reformed Starter<\/strong>\u00a0(for theology) would be better choices.<\/p>\n Bronze<\/strong><\/a> includes everything in Starter and adds much more. It’s twice the price, but worth the upgrade, particularly for those studying the original languages. The most useful additions are: the NIV<\/a> and GNT<\/a>, several Greek and Hebrew Bibles and Lexicons (including BDB<\/a>\u00a0[$49.95], TLNT<\/a>\u00a0[$89.95], and TLOT<\/a>\u00a0[$99.95]), and the\u00a0Lexham Theological Wordbook<\/a> [$69.96]), commentaries such as the 10-volume\u00a0Socio-Rhetorical Commentary<\/a> [$199.95] and two older sets:\u00a0Keil and Delitzsch Commentary<\/a> [$119.95] and Lange’s Commentary on the Holy Scriptures<\/a>. Also added is the\u00a0Baker Encyclopedia on the Bible<\/a>\u00a0[$139.95], the\u00a0Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology<\/a>, [$59.95],\u00a0several versions of the Septuagint including an English translation<\/a> [$24.95], several Greek and Hebrew grammars, Bloesch’s Christian Foundations Collection<\/a> [$99.95], Battle’s translation of Calvin’s Institutes<\/a> [$69.95], the Alfred Edersheim collection<\/a> [$69.95] and English translations of Josephus<\/a>\u00a0[$19.95] and Philo<\/a>\u00a0[$29.95]. Just as importantly, you also get access to the\u00a0Beitzel Photo Library<\/a>\u00a0[$29.95] and other media, and most of the advanced tools, including the Timeline, Sermon Starter Guide and Greek pronunciation.<\/p>\n Suitable for:<\/strong> Students and preachers who need a good general\u00a0package, intend to do a little\u00a0work in the original languages, but don’t need many commentaries.<\/p>\n Verdict:<\/b>\u00a0Neither\u00a0Baptist Bronze<\/strong>\u00a0nor Methodist\/Wesleyan Bronze<\/strong>\u00a0has any stand-out\u00a0additions, in my opinion.\u00a0Choosing between the other Bronze packages is tough. Anglican Bronze<\/strong>, Lutheran Bronze<\/strong> or Reformed Bronze<\/strong> probably represent better value for money than standard Bronze if you can manage without the English Bibles and BEB, simply because of the better commentaries and\/or\u00a0the Church Fathers. Pentecostal\/Charismatic Bronze<\/strong> loses a lot, but gains a lot in Tozer. Go with your denominational instincts: choose Anglican if you want the Fathers and\u00a0For Everyone,<\/em> Reformed if you want Calvin, Pentecostal if you want Tozer, Lutheran if you want the Fathers and Augsburg, Methodist\/Wesleyan if you want the Wesleyan Bible Commentary.<\/p>\n Silver<\/strong><\/a> contains all the resources in Bronze, and\u00a0is\u00a0a worthwhile\u00a0upgrade. The two main highlights are undoubtedly the 41-volume New American Commentary Series<\/a>\u00a0[$509.95], Calvin’s Commentaries<\/a>\u00a0[$149.95] and the 37 volume Early Church Fathers<\/a> [$229.95]. They alone are well worth the extra $370 in my opinion. Also worthwhile are Hebrew\/English interlinear Bible<\/a>\u00a0[$99.95], some Greek\/English editions of the apostolic fathers, and the rather optimistically priced\u00a0Lenski’s NT commentary<\/a> [$299.95] and\u00a0Horae Homileticae<\/a> [$489.95]. Most of the tools missing from Bronze are also added, including Ancient Literature, Clause Search, and Reported Speech.<\/p>\n Suitable for:<\/strong> Students and pastors wanting to dig deeper.<\/p>\n Verdict:<\/b>\u00a0Silver<\/strong> is not quite as compelling as the upgrade from Starter to Bronze, but nonetheless it represents excellent\u00a0value for money, as the two main highlights are expensive, multi-volume works, which are both very useful. Baptist Silver<\/strong>\u00a0is worth considering if you’d prefer Spurgeon’s sermons to the Early Church Fathers. The NAC is a big loss to\u00a0Reformed Silver<\/strong>, and its replacements lack the\u00a0NAC’s up-to-date scholarship.\u00a0Pentecostal\/Charismatic Silver<\/strong> is\u00a0worth considering if you prefer\u00a0good quality modern commentaries that centre on application. Both Lutheran and Anglican Silver have little general appeal beyond their own denominational boundaries in my opinion, although the inclusion of\u00a0Bonhoeffer’s works in Lutheran Silver<\/strong> might attract those more interested in theology than commentaries.\u00a0But for most users\u00a0Silver<\/strong>\u00a0is probably the best\u00a0option.<\/p>\n Gold<\/strong><\/a> contains everything in Silver, and a lot more. There are\u00a0recent\u00a0commentary sets \u2014\u00a0Black’s New Testament<\/a> [$249.95], the superb Pillar New Testament<\/a> [$524.95], New International Greek Testament<\/a> [$599.95] the UBS Handbook<\/a> [$619.95], plus a few Lexham Bible Guides. For OT background you get Charles’ Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha<\/a> [$119.95] and\u00a0Ancient Near Eastern Texts<\/a> [$79.95]. You also get the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament<\/a> [$199.95] and 37 volumes of Themelios<\/a> [$209.95] and\u00a0the final datasets: word senses and NT manuscripts.<\/p>\n Suitable for:<\/strong> Pastors and post-grads looking to do detailed\u00a0exegesis or explore historical theology.<\/p>\n Verdict:<\/strong> Gold<\/strong> represents terrific value for money if you’re looking for good quality modern commentaries and they alone are well worth the $550 premium over Silver. But the denomination packages are far less attractive in my view.\u00a0Baptist Gold<\/strong> might tempt those looking for less technical commentaries, and Lutheran Gold<\/strong> may appeal to those who appreciate\u00a0German or Continental scholarship. Pentecostal & Charismatic Gold <\/strong>adds exegetical tools, but lacks commentaries.\u00a0Reformed Gold<\/strong> is strong on theology, but weak on Biblical Studies. Ultimately, the lack of good commentary sets in the denominational packages\u00a0means that for most people regular Gold<\/strong> is the best option.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Platinum<\/strong><\/a> includes all of Gold, and adds a lot of resources, but costs $600 more. For the extra dollars you get several Greek texts including NA28<\/a> [$39.99] and the\u00a0Greek Audio New Testament<\/a> [$44.95], plus morphologically tagged Greek editions of Josephus<\/a> [$179.95], Philo<\/a> [$99.95] and the Apocryphal Gospels<\/a> [$49.95]. Useful commentaries include the pastoral\u00a0Warren Wiersbe’s Old Testament “Be” Series<\/a> [$159.95] and IVP New Testament Commentary Series<\/a> [$289.95], the\u00a0academic Exegetical Summaries<\/a> [$554.95] and JPS’s\u00a0Tanakh Commentary Collection<\/a> [$399.95], a few critical 19th century commentaries and Metzger’s Textual Commentary on the NT<\/a> [$31.95]. Greek lexicons are better\u00a0served, with the addition of BDAG<\/a> [$150] and Louw-Nida<\/a> [$35.95]. Also included is Aquinas’ Summa Theologica<\/a> [$249.95], the\u00a0Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge<\/a> [$319.95] and some ANE journals.<\/p>\n Suitable for:<\/strong>\u00a0Pastors wanting to do in-depth Greek exegesis.<\/p>\n Verdict:<\/strong>\u00a0The Platinum base packages are something of a mixed bag.\u00a0Platinum\u00a0<\/strong>might suit\u00a0pastors wanting to do in-depth Greek exegesis, but offers little new on the OT.\u00a0Anglican Platinum<\/strong> is woefully short of commentaries and exegetical aids in my opinion.\u00a0Baptist Platinum<\/strong> has some nice commentaries, but at this level I’d expect at least some of the additions to be more exegetical and academic. Lutheran Platinum<\/strong>\u00a0is\u00a0good\u00a0for NT exegesis, fairly good for OT\/NT background, OK for theology (if you like the Continental sort) but almost all its commentaries are very dated. \u00a0Reformed Platinum<\/strong> is certainly a good improvement on Reformed Gold, it’s fairly well-balanced, and is not too far behind Platinum for Biblical Studies. If you’re not a pastor doing in-depth Greek exegesis (or even if you are) remember that for about the same money,\u00a0you could purchase\u00a0Gold plus one of the denominational Silver base packages. That mix\u00a0is likely to offer better value for money for most people.<\/p>\n Diamond<\/strong><\/a> includes all of Platinum, and adds more than 580 resources for around $1,300.\u00a0That includes\u00a0some commentary sets, of which the most valuable is probably\u00a0College Press NIV Commentary Series<\/a> [$769.95]. Most of the other sets are incomplete or dated. Wesleyans may appreciate\u00a0Wesleyan Bible Study Commentary Series<\/a> [$249.95] which covers the NT and the Eerdmans Wesleyan Bible Commentary<\/a>\u00a0[$199.95], which covers just seven volumes at present. Moulton’s Grammar of New Testament Greek<\/a> [$179.95] will help with exegesis. There are also several journal sets, including 26 volumes of \u00a0The Journal of Biblical Literature<\/a> [$299.95], For OT background the Context of Scripture<\/a> [$299.95] is a welcome addition. They are collected works from Spurgeon<\/a> [$499.95], John Wesley<\/a> [$249.95], Charles Wesley<\/a> [$99.95] and\u00a0B. B. Warfield<\/a> [$274.95]. The Jewish Encyclopedia<\/a> [$349.95] is comprehensive, if somewhat dated. The rest of the additions range from A Grammar of the Hittite Language<\/a> [$81.95] to\u00a0101 Things Husbands Do to Annoy Their Wives<\/a> [$8.95].<\/p>\n Suitable for:<\/strong> Pastors who want a wide range of resources from the last three centuries, and are involved in ministry and more academic work.<\/p>\n Verdict:<\/strong>\u00a0Prior to the Diamond level the denominational packages tended to be very weak on commentary sets, but thankfully they’ve now caught up. Personally, I’m not convinced the standard Diamond package\u00a0is worth the premium over Platinum. If the denominational Diamond packages don’t appeal, you might be inclined to mix and match some of the smaller packages. But Anglican Diamond<\/strong> is good value for Anglicans committed to Continental\/European theology, Baptist Diamond<\/strong> would suit pastors wanting non-academic\u00a0commentaries combined with high-quality Greek tools. Reformed Diamond<\/strong> offers an excellent mix of exegetical tools, Biblical Studies, systematic theology and historical theology, mostly in the reformed or evangelical stream.<\/p>\n Portfolio<\/strong><\/a> adds another 900 resources to Diamond for an extra $1,500. Most of the commentary sets that had been restricted to denominational packages have been added, including\u00a0N. T. Wright’s New Testament for Everyone<\/a> [$149.98],\u00a0Believers Church Bible Commentary<\/a> [$399.95],\u00a0Holman New Testament Commentary<\/a> [$149.97],\u00a0Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament<\/a> [$229.95],\u00a0Reading the New Testament Commentary<\/a> [$209.95]. Language tools\u00a0include HALOT<\/a> [$159.95] and the\u00a0Lexham Discourse Greek New Testament Bundle<\/a>\u00a0[$149.95]. Resources for background include\u00a0Writings From the Ancient World<\/a> [$355.99], Neusner’s\u00a0Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmud Collection<\/a> [$279.95], the Ugaritic Library<\/a>\u00a0[$429.95], Jewish Law<\/a> [$299.95], and much of the\u00a0Second Temple Period Collection<\/a>. Church history is served by Classic Studies on the Apostolic Fathers<\/a> [$249.95], and theology by\u00a0Barth\u2019s Church Dogmatics<\/a> [$499.95]. The collected works of Jacob Arminius<\/a>\u00a0[$89.95], John Knox<\/a> [$99.95] and John Owen<\/a> [$299.95] are also added, and of course there are hundreds of other resources from Biblical Studies, theology, history and ministry.<\/p>\n\n
Starter ($294.95<\/strong>, or $265.46\u00a0with a discount<\/a>)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Bronze ($629.95, or $566.96 with a discount<\/a>)<\/h2>\n
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Silver ($999.95,\u00a0or $899.96\u00a0with a discount<\/a>)<\/h2>\n
Also available:<\/h3>\n
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Gold ($1,549.95,\u00a0or $1,394.96\u00a0with a discount<\/a>)<\/h2>\n
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Platinum ($2,149.95,\u00a0or $1,934.96\u00a0with a discount<\/a>)<\/h2>\n
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Diamond ($3,449.95,\u00a0or $2,639.21\u00a0with a discount<\/a>)<\/h2>\n
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Portfolio ($4,979.95,\u00a0or $4,481.96\u00a0with a discount<\/a>)<\/h2>\n
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