I will be reviewing BibleWorks in four parts across four separate blog posts. The review will unfold as follows:

• Part 1: What’s New in BibleWorks 9?
• Part 2: BibleWorks Manuscript Project & CNTTS NT Critical Apparatus
• Part 3: Suggestions on how BibleWorks could be used in the classroom and as a biblical languages learning tool
• Part 4: Using BibleWorks on the Mac

For the benefit of those who are unfamiliar with BibleWorks, let me take a minute to explain what BibleWorks is and give some background on the software. I like to read the fine print and according to the BibleWorks 9 brochure, BibleWorks is “one of the most powerful and economically-priced Bible software packages available…BibleWorks is packed with an impressive array of features and databases, all tightly integrated and designed to make your study of Scripture more efficient and effective.” In my opinion, that’s a pretty fair assessment. From a tools and resources per dollar perspective, it’s hard to beat! BibleWorks software came in to existence back in 1992 as a program to help search Greek and Hebrew Bibles. As BibleWorks has matured through nine versions, they’ve worked hard to understand and respond to the needs of their users, adding more valuable resources and tools with each new release. After twenty years, the BibleWorks team strives to stay true to their mission, which is to “serve the Church and to assist the study, the exegesis, and the preaching of the Scriptures so long as the Lord finds us useful for His Purposes.”

My first encounters with BibleWorks was with versions 7 and 8, during my undergraduate and graduate school days. Early on, I used it sporadically in the computer lab and eventually I was able to procure my own copy of BibleWorks 8. In those days I ran BibleWorks on a Windows XP workstation. The biggest change now is that I’m running BibleWorks 9 on a MacBook Pro with OS 10.7. BibleWorks is not natively supported on the Mac, so I’m running it on a Windows 7 Virtual Machine inside of VMWare Fusion 4. I will share more about my experiences with running BibleWorks on the Mac in part four of my review. BibleWorks is a tool that I use regularly, sometimes for devotional reading, but mostly for Greek and Hebrew exegesis.

So, what’s new in BibleWorks 9? The ninth release of BibleWorks is a significant update. Here is a list of the five updates I felt were most noteworthy:

New Menu / Button Layout

I have always been a big fan of BibleWorks, since the first time I used it. However, my biggest gripe was always with the look and feel of the main menu. I didn’t find it intuitive and couldn’t help but feel that it was something left over from the Windows 95 days. I was ecstatic that they were able to work an interface overhaul into version 9, including updates to the main menu. This new button scheme leaves Windows 95 in the dust and is something I would expect to see in a program designed to run on Windows 7 or Vista.  Although, the functionality in the menu is similar to what we saw in previous versions, these changes go a long way in making the menu more intuitive and aesthetically appealing.

4th Column

Many of us have fairly large screens on our laptops and desktops, so there’s a bit more “real estate” up for grabs. BibleWorks 9 will allow you to capitalize on that extra space, with the introduction of a fourth column to the main window. Two columns are devoted to Analysis content, allowing you to utilize the remaining columns to show up to two resources simultaneously.

Verse Tab
An important new feature found in the main window is the Verse Tab. The Verse Tab will track with any Bible version. Using the mouse cursor as a point of focus, The Verse Tab displays the relevant sections in resources such as the CNTTS apparatus, the NET Bible textual notes, the Tischendorf apparatus, Metzger’s Textual Commentary (requires unlock), and the ESV Study Bible (requires unlock).

Note:  I will be covering the BibleWorks Manuscript Project & CNTTS NT Critical Apparatus in more detail in part two of my review, but certainly need to mention both of them in my list of top five new features.

BW Manuscript project

One of the features that I am most excited about in BibleWorks 9 is the BibleWorks Manuscript Project. This new feature has great implications for personal study and research as well as use in the classroom. It is my hope that ready and easy access to high quality manuscript images will spawn a whole new generation of Bible scholars, who are interested in textual criticism and paleography. The initial release includes the following manuscripts:

• Sinaiticus
• Vaticanus
• Alexandrinus
• Bezae
• Washingtonianus
• Boernerianus
• GA1141

For these manuscripts, the BibleWorks Manuscript Project includes the following:

• New full NT transcriptions
• Complete NT digital image sets (over 7.5 GB!!)
• Verse location tagging in images
• Extensive transcription notes
• MSS comparison tool
• Morphological tagging (not complete for all manuscripts but updates will be provided free of charge to BibleWorks 9 users as they become available)
• Manuscripts are fully searchable and integrated with the full array of BibleWorks analysis tools.
• Ability to tweak and enhance the manuscript images in the sophisticated image processing panel, now included in BibleWorks.

CNTTS NT Critical Apparatus

I don’t know that I could say this any better, so I’m going to defer to the description of the CNTTS NT Critical Apparatus from the BibleWorks 9 brochure.

“For the first time, the New Testament Critical Apparatus from the Center for New Testament Textual Studies is available for PCs. This exhaustive apparatus covers the entire New Testament. The BibleWorks version has been enhanced to show a matrix of Aland categories and time period for the mss for each reading. Users will especially appreciate having the apparatus track and update as the mouse moves over the text in the BibleWorks main window. In addition, the start of each verse entry summarizes the significant, insignificant, and singular variants. When examining a variant, the text of the verse is shown with the variant text highlighted. No unlock required!”

In addition to the five features mentioned above, there many additional updates and changes including The Moody Atlas of the Bible, updated Greek texts, and so much more. If you’d like to get a more complete understanding of what’s new in BibleWorks 9, you can find it at the BibleWorks website: LINK. The brief video below will also help you to better understand the sorts of things you can do with BibleWorks 9.

Look for part 2 of my review soon.

I was so blessed tonight to have an opportunity to attend a free BibleWorks training seminar at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, MN.  The turn out was good with around 30 people.  Jim Barr from BibleWorks was very gracious with his time and what was originally scheduled for a little over an hour turned into nearly three.    To be honest, I didn’t know the half of what BibleWorks is capable of.  This seminar really opened my eyes to its full capabilities.  I’ll be detailing some of the new things I learned in the weeks to come.  Local “celibrity” pastors, professors and bloggers in attendance were:

• Sam Crabtree – Bethlehem Baptist Church:  Pastors Sam’s Blog
• Tom Trapp – Concordia University:  Dr. Trapp’s CV (Dr. Trapp was my undergraduate Hebrew professor.  Did I mention the class was at 7 AM?  Enough said.)
• Daniel Gurtner – Bethel Seminary:  Dr. Gurtner’s web site
• Robert (Bob) Hayton:  Fundamentally Reformed, Cross Focused Reviews

Well, we hope you enjoyed Bible Geek Gone Wild’s 2010 Fall Fashion Show.  May you look fabulous as you write your book reviews, parse your verbs and serve the Lord!

Congratulations to the day 9 winner!

• Jason Gardner (eisdoxan.wordpress.com) - The Text Of The Earliest New Testament Greek Manuscripts module for BibleWorks

Many thanks for the kind folks at BibleWorks for sponsoring day 9 of Bible Geek Gone Wild’s 2nd Annual 12 Days Before Christmas.

(sung to the tune of 12 Days of Christmas)

On the 4th day before Christmas, Bible Geek Gone Wild gave to me another chance to win a BibleWorks module about Greek you see…

Welcome to day nine of Bible Geek Gone Wild’s 2nd Annual 12 Days Before Christmas. Today’s contest is sponsored by the kind folks at  BibleWorks.  The purpose of BibleWorks, LLC is to provide pastors, teachers, students, and missionaries with the tools they need to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). There are other companies that exist to do this as well, but BibleWorks comes to this task with some unique differences in approach and philosophy: We exist to serve the church, not to make a profit, and all of our business decisions are made with that in mind. Our goal is to provide a complete package containing the tools most essential for the task of interpreting the Scriptures in the original Greek and Hebrew, and to do it at a price that poor pastors and students can afford. To accomplish this task we routinely make marketing and sales decisions that many would consider to be bad business but which serve our primary goals. On the other hand, because everything that we do reflects on our real employer, the Lord Jesus Christ, it is our desire to provide a professionally executed and supported software package, while at the same time compensating employees with reasonable salaries that are competitive with the rest of the software industry. We try to treat both our customers and our employees as we would like to be treated ourselves. We are thankful that the Lord has blessed our efforts thus far and look to the future with expectations of further blessing, for as long as the Lord desires. You must be an existing BibleWorks 7 or BibleWorks 8 user to win this prize. There will be one winner in today’s contest.  The winner may choose between the two BibleWorks modules listed below:

Biblical Greek, by Maximilian Zerwick, translated by Joseph Smith. Copyright © 1990 by Biblical Institute Press.

Zerwick’s Biblical Greek was written to encourage ministers to consult the original Greek, providing numerous examples and particular attention to syntax. The discussion of Greek examples often brings to light nuances of Greek syntax not found in intermediate Greek syntax textbooks.

The Text Of The Earliest New Testament Greek Manuscripts, by Philip W. Comfort and David P. Barrett. Copyright © 2001 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Fully revised and updated from its original publication, The Text of the Earliest New Testament Greek Manuscripts presents fresh transcriptions of the sixty-nine earliest Greek papyrus manuscripts of the New Testament—all produced before A.D. 325. Along with revised transcriptions, this volume includes:

• Introductions: Each manuscript is preceded by a concise introduction that provides such essential information as contents, date of writing, provenance, housing location, bibliography, physical features, and textual character. • Margin Notes: Significant differences between the text presented in this volume and the text presented in the editiones principes are noted in the margin. • Photographs: Nearly fifty photographs of different manuscripts provide the reader with a generous sampling of the various writing styles in this period.

No other resource brings together such an accessible and accurate collection of the text of the earliest New Testament Greek manuscripts.

Contest Details

You must be an existing BibleWorks 7 or BibleWorks 8 user to win this prize. The object of today’s contest will be to answer two questions related to BibleWorks. The answers to the questions can be found at the BibleWorks web site. The winner will be chosen from the entries with correct answers using the random number generator at random.org. Following the close of the contest, the winner will be contacted via e-mail. Good luck!

Terms and Conditions

* This contest is limited to residents of the 48 state continental United States.
* Contestants may submit one entry per contest per day.
* The winner or winners will be announced following the close of each contest.
* Prizes will be shipped within several days of the close of each contest.

This contest is now closed. The winner will be announced soon.