It seems like only yesterday the semester was beginning. But September is over and the semester is bustling along. Many of us invested in commentaries, ancient language works, and reference sources from the Back-to-School sale. How do we use those resources to their fullest? Integrate them with your Logos library. In this three-part series, I’m going to walk you through how I utilize this incredible tool. In today’s post, I’m going to show how I setup some of the back-to-school resources for my class in the Johannine Epistles.
Setting up your library
First of all, I’m using the SBL Greek New Testament, a completely free resource from Logos to study the Greek text. You may notice my text doesn’t appear standard. That’s because I’ve incorporated a Discourse Analysis color code system. You can download it free from Documents.Logos.com.
Additionally, many of you purchased a Logos 5 base package. As a long-time Logos user, I can’t imagine sitting down to do exegetical work without the aid of digital software and the base packages provide a great way to access a solid theological library with the power of modern computers. The data sets included in Logos 5 provide helpful tools for studying the text. But if you’re a new user, you’ll want to prioritize certain resources to ensure that you pull up the most relevant information first. From there, I make sure that I have my information window opened. Since I have BDAG loaded as my primary Greek lexicon, it automatically pulls that in. Next, I’ll go ahead and open another window, this time with the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Often, this rounds out the sometimes clinical information found in BDAG. (As an aside, this resource is also included with a Gold base package and higher. Be sure to check if it’s already in your library.)
Now, you’ve got your text ready, your lexicons on hand, and the power of Logos 5 behind it. Of course, I always prefer to work in the text itself to start with. But there comes a time to consult the commentaries. Next week, I’ll show you how I use Logos to survey numerous resources in one fell swoop.
[…] than I care to name. Fortunately, Logos saves incredible amounts of time when studying Scripture. If you missed my first post on setting up your library, be sure to check that out as well. As I mentioned last time, I’m working through 1 John. Once I’ve translated the appropriate […]