REVIEW
BibleWorks Software Version 6.0
BibleWorks6, USA: Norfolk, 2005. Price $299.95. This review was originally published in Spanish here
http://www.bibleworks.com.
Additional modules:
The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, [HALOT],
Koehler-Baumgartner-Stamm, 4th Ed., 2000, $159
A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, [BDAG], Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich, 3rd Ed., 2000. $125 (Purchase of HALOT y BDAG together $197)
Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament, Daniel B. Wallace. $25
Beginning Biblical Hebrew, Mark Futato. $25
An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax, Bruce Waltke and M. O'Connor. $43
Qumran Sectarian Manuscripts, Non-biblical manuscripts. $80
Those preparing sermons or talks on Biblical themes usually choose one of two methodologies. The first, and probably most popular, is to read the passage, then read a commentary and then put together one’s thoughts. The second, and probably the most effective, is to study the passage, preferably in the original languages, work out what it means and then check your exegesis against a commentary.
BibleWorks enables preachers to study the passage themselves in detail before consulting a commentary. As such it is an excellent aid.
As its name indicates it is a programme which specifically works on the Bible, rather than being a digital library of Christian books. It provides detailed information on words, phrases and sentences, their usages and the relation of the original languages to the Spanish translation of the Bible.
To evaluate the programme we will look at the main software components: resources, search engine and facility of use. And then we will give a global evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses and its usefulness for the pastor or seminary student.
1. Resources
a. Bibles
b. Lexica
c. Grammar Books
d. General Reference Biblical Material
e. Pre and Post Biblical material
2. Search Engine
3. Facility of use
4. Installation, reinstallation and updating
5. Global evaluation
Strengths and weaknesses
Resumen
System requirements
List of resources in BibleWorks 6 base package
1. Resources
Apart from the Bibles most of the resources are in English. There are no non-Biblical resources in Spanish.
a. Bibles
There are 5 Spanish translations, which basically fall into two categories, the Reina Valera versions (1909, 1960, 1995, RVA) and the Las Américas version (LBLA). It was disappointing not to find the popular NVI excluded.
Amongst the numerous versions of the Greek NT are the NA27 and the UBS 3/4. The inclusion of a Modern Greek NT is interesting. Some amount of textual criticism is provided with Tischendorf’s NT, with the various variants listed, but the explanatory comments are in Latin.
The various Hebrew and Aramaic versions include the standard BHS, the Aramaic Targumin and also Hebrew and Aramaic New Testaments. The Septuagint is provided in two versions, one of which is joined with the Greek NT. The other ancient language version of note is the Latin Vulgate.
Altogether 26 different language versions are provided including 4 Portuguese, 1 Catalan and numerous English translations. In English the NIV (both US and UK English), the English Standard Version, frequently used at University level, and a translation of the LXX are provided.
b. Lexica
The second area of notable strength is the number of lexica provided. In Greek the basic package comes with 5 with the possibility of adding BDAG. It is an interesting choice, if you want a quick explanation of the word then Friberg or Barclay-Newman will provide it. If you want more detail then Louw-Nida will give you a couple of paragraphs, Thayer half a page and BDAG two pages. And if you want to see a little of the classical background then you can consult Liddell-Scott. Of all these Thayer is particularly useful in clearly providing the OT Hebrew connection via the LXX.
There are three Hebrew lexica with the possibility of adding HALOT. Again the range provides word explanations varying from a paragraph to a couple of pages. Particularly notable is the inclusion of TWOT which gives a simple translation plus articles on key words.
c. Grammar Books
The third area which is of interest is the selection of Greek and Hebrew grammar books available. The base package comes with a straightforward collection of Greek and Hebrew paradigms, a basic Hebrew Grammar and the advanced Gesenius’ Grammar which has been used by generations of students. Also there is Burton’s Moods and Tenses of NT Greek.
To these can be added Futato’s work on Hebrew Grammar, and introductory Hebrew Syntax. For Greek grammar Wallace’s, Greek Grammar beyond the Basics can be added.
The provision of Grammar titles has a significance beyond simply studying the books chapter by chapter. There is a key linking system which means that, for instance while looking at the Greek text, grammatical points made by Wallace can be quickly seen.
d. General Reference Biblical Material
There is a variety of general reference publications included: Bible Dictionaries (Faussett, Easton, ISBE of 1915), Robertson’s Word Pictures, Nave’s Topical Concordance, TSK Cross Reference, Metzger’s Bible Outline, Bible Timeline, Maps, and Matthew Henry’s Commentary. For an additional fee the sectarian Qumran texts can be obtained.
e. Pre and Post Biblical material
Particularly notable from the list is the inclusion of Josephus’ works, the Apostolic Fathers and the Westminster Confession. Although the Apostolic Fathers are in Latin and Greek, an English translation is available as a free download.
2. Search Engine
The programme is built around the search engine and this features prominently in the home page. Searches are available of the Bible text using any combination of needs: phrases, combining words within a range of verses, original language searches according to different criteria. Searches can be done starting with the normative case of Greek words and seeing its occurrence in all cases. The advanced search engine provides a diagrammatic way of combining search needs across different languages.
What is noticeable in the speed of the engine. Results are returned within seconds. And along with this 7 different types of statistical data can be seen. This is particularly useful in developing Biblical theology. For instance in seeing the use of “signs” in John, compared with the rest of the NT.
In terms of accuracy the only problem I noted was in searching with Reina Valera 95. It appears that the text in BibleWorks (originally from the UBS) has some minor omissions which meant results are not completely accurate.
Word lists provide help in selecting words to include or exclude in requesting searches. The results obtained are easily transferable via the Copy Centre which very usefully provides formatting options. So if results are prepared for others to see, then you can choose how they are to be displayed.
3. Facility of use
Since the software is focused upon working with Scripture, it is simple to use at a basic level.
The quickest way of obtaining information is in Power User Mode, although this involves knowing particular key strokes for the search engine. This takes a bit of practising.
There is considerable flexibility in using the programme. The versions which are to be displayed, the initial screen set-up, the defining of material to be examined are all at the users disposal. Timelines can be edited and printed. It is possible to compile additional books and add them to the base programme. A number of these produced by others are available on the web site.
Material can be prepared in a variety of formats. Flash cards for learning purposes, the diagramming module can provide sentence and clause analysis, and there are parallel versions or synopsis of pericopes.
The biggest problem is the English interface. Recently a Spanish file has been available which provides the names of Bible books and some resource materials in Spanish. In fairness, I’ve noted that Spanish speaking students do still find it reasonable easy to work with the programme at a basic level.
A 400 page English manual is provided. This is an excellent resource for reference purposes and for the advanced use of the programme. The tutorial video CD covers 60 different themes, each section lasting about 5 minutes.
4. Installing, reinstalling and updates
Installation is straight forward with the use of serial numbers to unlock various parts of the programme. If you have to re-install the programme because of a change of computer then the serial numbers are simply reused.
The web site provides regular updates to the resources, and sometimes additions to the base package. For instance the maps were recently added as a free download. The web site also provides access to user prepared material which can then become part of your programme. A users’ Forum in Spanish exists, but is not much used (http://www.bibleworks.com/forums).
5. Global Evaluation
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
1. Bible centred. As it name implies, the programme focuses on working with the text of scripture, with the ability to examine the original languages and a variety of Spanish Bibles.
2. Flexibility. I felt very much in control of what I wanted the programme to do for me. Having to prepare leaders’ training courses and produce lists concerning different groups of leaders was quite easy to produce in the form I wanted. It is even possible to make your own translation of the Bible and include that within Bible works.
3. Simplicity. With the programme being centred upon the use of the search engine to analyse text it is not that complex for first time users.
4. Good for teaching and learning purposes. For teachers and students, there is the provision of lexica and grammars; the ability to apply the programme to provide the kind of help you need (e.g. Paradigms and flash cards); and the easy ability to export results to a word processor.
5. Increasingly useful. This is the kind of software that will be increasingly used as one becomes more familiar with it.
Weaknesses
1. The major weakness is the lack of interface in Spanish. There is not even a partial interface of the basic menus.
2. The programme does need to be worked at. In the quickest mode, Power User, the commands need to be used frequently in order to become familiar with them. The programme is not particularly intuitive.
3. Issue of textual criticism is not adequately addressed. Tischendorf NT is better than nothing but Latin is required to properly understand his work. The UBS, NA and BHS come with textual apparati as standard additions. For a programme centred on the study of Bible in original languages, I found this omission disappointing.
Resumen
For the pastor and student this software will be a noticeable help in:
1. Sermon work. BibleWorks provides the important function of analysing the text without starting with commentaries. The pastor is able personally to get an understanding of what is being said in the Bible. He has a variety of utilities ready at hand to help with grammar, the meanings of words and their frequency.
2. Thematic talks. It is possible to analyse Biblical subjects and present the information in a way which is suited to your situation. For example in preparing for a talk on repentance, it is possible to understand the underlying word in both testaments and its usage, and to find examples that do not use the word directly.
3. Advanced studies. For work on a thesis or dissertation BibleWorks provides an analysis of the Greek and Hebrew Scriptures from a variety of approaches.
4. All the basic texts are provided in the base package. There is Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, the Septuagint, Spanish translations and a number of lexica and reference works. Included are interesting variations such as the Hebrew NT and Modern Greek. It is not necessary to purchase additional modules for the programme to be satisfactory for most work.
5. The flexibility of the programme means that its use can be adjusted from the needs as a student working to those of a pastor preparing for his public ministry. So it is possible to change the use of the programme as your situation changes. So as you move from student to pastor to senior pastor, BibleWorks can accompany you as your assistant.
System Requirements
Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP; Minimum 32 MB RAM; Minimum 200 MB to maximum 1.4 GB hard drive; CD drive; sound card for Video Demos; Internet connection for free Internet updates.
List of resources in BibleWorks 6
The additional modules for purchase are not included
Items in red are new to Version 6.
Original Language Texts
- Nestle-Aland 27th Ed./UBS 4th Ed. Greek NT
- AGNT Friberg’s ’99 Morphologically Analyzed Greek NT & Lemmas
- BNM Aletti/Gieniusz/Bushell Morphologically Analyzed Greek NT & Lemmas
- Robinson-Pierpont Greek NT (Majority Text) with Morphological Analysis
- Scrivener’s Greek NT (Textus Receptus) with Morphological Analysis
- Stephanus Greek NT (Textus Receptus) with Morphological Analysis
- Tischendorf Greek NT with Critical Apparatus
- Westcott and Hort Greek NT with Morphological Analysis
- BHS Hebrew Text, 1990-4th Corrected ed. with full accenting and full vowel pointing
- WTM Groves-Wheeler Westminster Hebrew OT Morphology database v.4 with two accent tagging systems and editorial comments
- Transliterated BHS Hebrew Old Testament
- Rahlfs’ LXX with Apocrypha & variants
- BLM Aletti/Gieniusz/Bushell/CATSS Morphologically Analyzed LXX & Lemmas (completed)
- Brenton’s LXX English Translation (without Deutero-canonical section)
- Latin Vulgate (Weber Edition), Online Bible Latin Vulgate
- The Targumim, parsed, lemmatized, and tied to entries in the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon
- The Aramaic New Testament (Peshitta) with the James Murdock English translation
- Complete works of Flavius Josephus, parsed and lemmatized, with the 1828 Whiston English translation
- Apostolic Fathers (Greek)
Bible Translations
- Spanish: Reina Valera, Reina Valera Actualizada, La Biblia de Las Americas (NASB), Reina Valera Update 1995, Reina Valera Revised 1960
- Portuguese: Almeida Corrigida Fiel Traduzida 1819/1995, Almeida Revista e Atualizada, Almeida Revista e Corrigida, Almeida Bilbia
- Catalan: Biblia Catalana Traducció interconfessional
- English: KJV 1611/1769 with Strong’s Codes, NKJV, NASB 1977 with codes, NASB 1995 with codes, RSV with Apocrypha, NIV, NRSV with Apocrypha, Webster’s 1833 with Strong’s Codes, ASV 1901, Young’s Literal Translation, Darby Version, Bible in Basic English, New American Bible, Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition, New Living Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, ESV (English Standard Version) 2001, Geneva Bible 1599, Jewish Publication Society 1917 and 1985 Tanakh, Bishops' Bible (1595), Tyndale New Testament (1534), NET Bible w/full notes and maps
- German: LutherBibel 1912 with Strong’s Codes, LutherBibel 1984, Unrevised Elberfelder 1905 (Darby), Revised Elberfelder 1993, Geneva-Schlachter, Einheitsübersetzung-KBA 1980, Muenchener NT (1998) with codes, LutherBibel 1545
- French: Nouvelle Edition De Geneve with Strong’s Codes, Version Darby, Louis Segond 1910 with Strong’s Codes, Haitian Creole, French Bible en français courant 1997, French Jerusalem Bible, French TOB Traduction œcuménique de la Bible 1988
- Albanian: Albanian Version from OLB
- Bulgarian: Bulgarian Bible (1938)
- Czech: Bible kralická, Preklad KMS, Ekumenický preklad, Nová kralická Bible, New Testament Slovo na cestu (SNC) 2000
- Dutch: Statenvertaling with Strong’s Codes, Revised Leidse, Revised Lutherse, Netherlands Bible Society NBG 1951
- Danish: Danish Bible (1907/1931 Det Danske Bibelselskab); Wieroed Danish New Testament
- Finnish: Pyha Raamattu
- Greek: Modern Greek, Vamvas, Old & New Testaments
- Hebrew: Salkinson-Ginsburg Hebrew New Testament
- Hungarian: Magyar Nyelvu Karoli
- Indonesian: Bahasa Indonesia Sehari-hari 1985, Terjemahan Baru 1994/1997
- Italian: Edizione San Paulo N.V.B. (with Deutero-Canon), La Sacra Bibbia Nuova Riveduta, La Nuova Diodati
- Norwegian: Norsk Bibel 1988 Bokmål, Norsk Bibel 1994 Nynorsk, Norwegian 1930 Bokmål, Norwegian 1938 Nynorsk
- Polish: Biblia Tysiaclecia 1984 Wydanie 4
- Romanian: Cornilescu version 1921
- Russian: Orthodox Synodal Text with Strong’s Codes and Russian Lexicons
- Slovak: Slovak Bishops' Conference Old and New Testaments 2003
- Swedish: Swedish Bible (1917 Svenska Bibelselskapet)
- Ukrainian: Ukrainian Version from OLB
- Vietnamese: Vietnamese Version (Romanized text)
Lexical-Grammatical Reference Works
- The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Harris, Archer, Waltke)
- Brown-Driver-Briggs unabridged Hebrew-English Lexicon
- Unabridged Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew-English Lexicon (1905), Hebrew-French, & Hebrew-Russian Lexicons
- Whitaker's abridged BDB-Gesenius Hebrew-English Lexicon
- Liddell-Scott Greek Lexicon, Abridged
- Friberg’s Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament (Complete 2000 edition)
- Louw-Nida Greek NT Lexicon based on Semantic Domains, 2nd Ed., 1988.
- UBS Greek-English Concise Dictionary of the New Testament (Barclay Newman)
- Unabridged Thayer Greek Lexicon
- Many English/German/Dutch/French/Russian Bibles tagged with Corrected Strong’s Codes and definitions
- Wigram’s TVM (Tense, Voice, Mood) codes and grammar explanations for tagged English/German/Dutch/French/Russian Bibles
- Greek and Hebrew paradigms charts, linked to text
- Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar
- Moods and Tenses of NT Greek, by Ernest Dewitt Burton
- Basic Hebrew for Bible Study, by Mark Futato
Reference Works
- International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, 1st Ed. (fully integrated)
- Faussett Bible Dictionary
- Synopsis of the Gospels (editable)
- A. T. Robertson’s Word Pictures in the Greek NT
- Metzger’s Bible Outline
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (644,000 Cross References and Marginal Notes)
- Nave’s Topical Index (20,000 entries)
- Easton’s Bible Dictionary
- Bible Timelines — Church and secular history (editable)
- Westminster Confession and Catechisms
- Matthew Henry's Commentary
David E C Ford, lecturer, Seminario Evangélico de Lima, Fundación Universitaria Seminario Bíblico de Colombia