Baker Academic Biblical Studies Bundle

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I have enthusiastically used Logos Bible Software for sixteen years, and my enthusiasm for it remains high. I currently have about 8,100 resources in my Logos library, and I’d much rather own a resource in my Logos library than in any other format because Logos resources are both searchable and versatile. Perhaps this is a generational thing, but I prefer reading on a (high resolution) screen and marking up resources electronically. And I can use Logos resources on multiple devices while Logos seamlessly syncs all of my highlighting and notes across all platforms. I regularly teach with my laptop and a projector, and as I interact with Logos resources in class, I display them on the screen for students. It works beautifully. There are so many advantages to having a large mobile library—especially if you study and teach in multiple locations. I often use Logos resources on my MacBook in my school office or home office, on my iPad while reading on a couch or in bed or on an airplane, and on my iPhone while listening to sermons in person or waiting in line.

So I was delighted when Logos announced this 85-volume bundle from Baker Academic. These resources are already in print, and many of them are invaluable additions to one’s library. The bundle contains seven collections of (sometimes very broadly) evangelical resources—each also available for purchase individually. Here are some highlights:

1. Pentateuch Studies (3 vols.). Includes T. Desmond Alexander, From Paradise to the Promised Land: An Introduction to the Pentateuch (3rd ed.; 2012), a popular evangelical textbook on the Pentateuch.

2. OT Studies (10 vols.). Includes Victor H. Matthews and James C. Moyer, The Old Testament: Text and Context (3rd ed.; 2012), a standard OT introduction, and David A. Dorsey, The Literary Structure of the Old Testament: A Commentary on Genesis–Malachi (1999), probably the most chiasm-filled book in my library.

3. OT Backgrounds (16 vols.). Includes books by Edwin Yamauchi on Africa and Persia, John Currid on Egypt and archaeology, John Walton on ANE thought and the OT, and Victor Matthews on ancient Israelites and their prophets. Also David W. Baker and Bill T. Arnold, The Face of Old Testament Studies: A Survey of Contemporary Approaches (1999); Richard Hess, Israelite Religions: An Archaeological and Biblical Survey (2007); and Kenton L. Sparks, Ancient Texts for the Study of the Hebrew Bible: A Guide to the Background Literature (2005). One doesn’t need to agree with Sparks on inerrancy, for example, to profit from his labors.

4. NT Backgrounds (19 vols.). Includes J. Julius Scott Jr., Jewish Backgrounds of the New Testament (2000), one of my textbooks at TEDS for a course on the context of the NT; Craig A. Evans and Emanuel Tov, eds., Exploring the Origins of the Bible: Canon Formation in Historical, Literary, and Theological Perspective (2008), which includes a chapter from Steve Dempster on the OT’s tripartite canon; Lee Martin McDonald, The Biblical Canon: Its Origin, Transmission, and Authority (3rd ed.; 2007); Steve Mason, Josephus and the New Testament (2nd ed.; 2003), which served me well when preparing for my comprehensive exams for a NT PhD; Craig S. Keener, Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts (2 vols.; 2011)—nearly 1,250 pages; and Craig A. Evans, Ancient Texts for New Testament Studies: A Guide to the Background Literature (2nd ed.; 2005), an invaluable bibliographic resource.

5. Jesus Studies (8 vols.). Includes Paul R. Eddy and Gregory A. Boyd, eds., The Jesus Legend: A Case for the Historical Reliability of the Synoptic Jesus Tradition (2007); and Darrell L. Bock, Jesus according to Scripture: Restoring the Portrait from the Gospels (2002), an excellent survey of Jesus in the Gospels.

6. Pauline Studies Collection (18 vols.). Includes two massive exegetical and theological books by Gordon D. Fee: God’s Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul (1994; 992 pp.) and Pauline Christology: An Exegetical-Theological Study (2007; 744 pp.); plus Thomas R. Schreiner, Interpreting the Pauline Epistles (2nd ed.; 2011). The most valuable chapter in Schreiner’s book—or at least the one that most strongly influenced me—is “Tracing the Argument” (pp. 97–124). It revolutionized how I read Paul.

7. NT Studies Collection (11 vols.). Donald A. Hagner, The New Testament: A Historical and Theological Introduction (2012; 848 pp.), a mainstream, broadly evangelical, meat-and-potatoes textbook for NT introduction; and Udo Schnelle, Theology of the New Testament (2009; 912 pp.)—cf. Don Carson’s review article in JETS 53 (2010): 133–41.

There are a lot of valuable resources in this bundle, but it is overpriced. And it would better serve users if Logos also sold the books individually. Nevertheless, the new partnership between Baker Academic and Logos Bible Software serves Bible students well.


Andrew David Naselli

Andy Naselli is assistant professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology at Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis and administrator of Themelios.

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