Which would you choose?

I am having a difficult time deciding on how to best allocate my current budget and wanted to seek some advice regarding commentaries.

The crux of my dilemma is that I currently own most of the BECNT in book form (missing Mark, Eph., & James), much of the PNTC in book form (only need Hebrews, Philippians, Acts, and 1 Cor.) and the NIVAC NT/OT Prophets in Pradis which I still use. I currently have the WBC, IVPNTC, NAC, BST, and Preacher's commentaries in Logos and several other complete series in book form. I am torn between porting my current BECNT/PNTC/NIVAC libraries into Logos or buying something that is entirely new to me like the NICOT/NICNT (I have 7 NT volumes only in book form) or the NIVAC OT.

I'm thinking right now it makes more sense to get something I don't have before I try to duplicate what I already have in another format just to obtain maybe 7-8 commentaries.

I'd appreciate advice on how people have made the transition to digital resources. Did you buy the digital versions of your current paper library first or did you go back later after you acquired the additional resources that you wanted?

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Andrew Mercer

G'day Erik, from my personal choices, I have chosen to buil up my Logos library with resources that I do not have elsewhere. For example, I have NICOT/NICNT and NIVAC NT in another package which has since become my secondary platform since L5 came out. So this week I chose to expand my Logos library by purchasing the EEC series to complement WBC and NAC and others that I now have. Until I have relatively unlimited funds, I will build up My Logos library with new resources, and when that is"complete" I will consider repurchasing the resources that I already own in Acc....

As for NICOT and NICNT, they are brilliant, especially Gordon Fee's 1 Corinthians. Have a blessed Christmas

Paul-C

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/444474#Comment_444474

I second Andrew's suggestion. Broaden your library by investing in new Logos resources, then consider selling your books and using that money to re-invest in the same resources in Logos. That's my two cents...

PS - Welcome to the forums, Erik.

Edwin Bowden

I am having a difficult time deciding on how to best allocate my current budget and wanted to seek some advice regarding commentaries.

The crux of my dilemma is that I currently own most of the BECNT in book form (missing Mark, Eph., & James), much of the PNTC in book form (only need Hebrews, Philippians, Acts, and 1 Cor.) and the NIVAC NT/OT Prophets in Pradis which I still use. I currently have the WBC, IVPNTC, NAC, BST, and Preacher's commentaries in Logos and several other complete series in book form. I am torn between porting my current BECNT/PNTC/NIVAC libraries into Logos or buying something that is entirely new to me like the NICOT/NICNT (I have 7 NT volumes only in book form) or the NIVAC OT.

I'm thinking right now it makes more sense to get something I don't have before I try to duplicate what I already have in another format just to obtain maybe 7-8 commentaries.

I'd appreciate advice on how people have made the transition to digital resources. Did you buy the digital versions of your current paper library first or did you go back later after you acquired the additional resources that you wanted?

Erik,

Your viewpoint is same that mine was before I began using Logos about 5 yrs ago. I started with the basic Bible Study Library base package.

Once I began using Logos, I realized a real paradigm shift in my Bible study. Anything that I had in my Logos library was twice as useful to me as the hundreds of volumes that I had on my shelf. I found myself using titles in my Logos library that had been sitting unused on my shelves for years. There is no way that I can find and use the material in print form as quickly and easily as I can in my Logos library.

You didn't mention if you had a base pkg. Base packages offer the best value overall for building a Logos library. Most of the commentary series that you mentioned are not included in any of the current base packages.

I quickly moved up to the Gold package, which was the highest package available at the time. It included the NAC, NIGNTC, and UBS series.

When Logos added the Z titles, I was able to get in on the special pricing that Logos offered then to Pradis users. I added most of Z's reference works.

When L4 came out, I upgraded to the Platinum package. It was one of the best values that Logos ever offered. At that time, it included PNTC.

It took me a week to make my upgrade decision after L5 was introduced. I upgraded to L5 Platinum and picked up about 450 new resources that justified my upgrade price. There were some sets included that were on my wishlist.

Logos is combining some very special pricing for some of if its most popular titles for anyone upgrading to L5 (using the CUSTOMIZE) button. That includes some of the commentaries you named like NICOT/NT, Pillar, BECNT, NIVAC, BST. There are other values like the Essential IVP Refernce Collection, ISBE, TDNT, as well as many other language tools.

I have added several sets when they were offered at close to their lowest price ever. I missed NICOT/NT when they first became available in Logos, but picked it up later when it came up on sale. That might be a good starting point for you, given your interests.

If there is a set that is your "go to" set in print, you should have it in Logos for your convenience. You will quickly find that your print versions will gather dust. You can add others as your budget allows and when they are at a bargain price. The Logos installment plan makes it easy to just add to your plan when those sales pop up. March madness will be here in a few more months. Logos loves sales.

It is also good to get to know your Logos rep. Dave Kaplan has worked with me over the years and a rep can let you know if something that you want is availble at a sale price.

Lynden O. Williams

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/444479#Comment_444479

Erik, what some people have done is sell the paper, and replace them with digital resources. Having a sales rep definitively helps.

Donovan R. Palmer

I'm thinking right now it makes more sense to get something I don't have before I try to duplicate what I already have in another format just to obtain maybe 7-8 commentaries.

The answer could be somewhat swayed by what your emphasis is in Bible studies, but I think the NICOT/NT is one of the best 'all rounder' series for a number of reason.

John Fidel

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/444485#Comment_444485

I agree with Donovan regarding the NICOT/NT. Personally I would invest in this set before repurchasing paper resources.

Erik

Thanks everyone for your replies. I have been using Logos since I purchased Scholar's Gold 3.0 back in 2006. I just upgraded from L4 Gold to L5 Silver. I'm not going to change to L5 Gold...after much consideration it gives me more of what I want rather than L4 Silver and I don't need most of what is in L5 Platinum since I have quite a bit of it already.

I actually hadn't seen the "Customize" button below the upgrades...that makes things a bit more complicated. I have a wishlist a mile long, but I think I'll go ahead and upgrade the BECNT and Pillar sets since they are on sale. Here's what I'm thinking I'll pick up in addition to Gold:

HALOT

NIDOTTE

NIDNTT

BECNT

PNTC

NICOT/NICNT

Hermeneia/Continental

German Bible Society Bundle, Student Ed.

Thanks again for everyone's advice. This thread was helpful.

Edwin Bowden

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/444594#Comment_444594

I actually hadn't seen the "Customize" button below the upgrades...that makes things a bit more complicated. I have a wishlist a mile long, but I think I'll go ahead and upgrade the BECNT and Pillar sets since they are on sale. Here's what I'm thinking I'll pick up in addition to Gold:

HALOT

NIDOTTE

NIDNTT

BECNT

PNTC

NICOT/NICNT

Hermeneia/Continental

German Bible Society Bundle, Student Ed.

Thanks again for everyone's advice. This thread was helpful.

It might be worth a call to a sales rep to see if you can still get the best CUSTOMIZE prices since you upgraded without noticing that option.

Edwin Bowden

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/444594#Comment_444594

DELETED DUPLICATE POSTING

Yes. The Logos forums have been acting up this weekend.

Erik

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/444644#Comment_444644

My post should have read that I will now upgrade to Gold....nevertheless I'll give Logos a call tomorrow and see what they may be able to offer. My wife and I spoke tonight and she is okay with me getting quite a large number of resources since I finally started seminary this last semester. [:)]

Randy W. Sims

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/444594#Comment_444594

I actually hadn't seen the "Customize" button below the upgrades...that makes things a bit more complicated. I have a wishlist a mile long, but I think I'll go ahead and upgrade the BECNT and Pillar sets since they are on sale. Here's what I'm thinking I'll pick up in addition to Gold:

HALOT

NIDOTTE

NIDNTT

BECNT

PNTC

NICOT/NICNT

Hermeneia/Continental

German Bible Society Bundle, Student Ed.

Erik, Talk to sales on Monday. Through their "Deals That Got Away Sale", they have some of their top commentaries available at some of the best prices ever offered (according to what I've found searching the forums). Talk to them and give them your wishlist and see what's available. Then make your choice. They have had some awesome discounts earlier this year (which I missed, being new to Logos) and will still honor some through this sale.

Edwin Bowden

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/444594#Comment_444594

I just upgraded from L4 Gold to L5 Silver. I'm not going to change to L5 Gold...after much consideration it gives me more of what I want rather than L4 Silver and I don't need most of what is in L5 Platinum since I have quite a bit of it already.

You get credit for parts of base packages that you already own. Did you check the custom upgrade pricing? It should show what is new to L5 and what is new to you.

I'm not necessarily saying that you should upgrade to Platinum, but I wanted to make sure that you were using the custom upgrade pricing. Since many items that you want are at very good prices in the CUSTOMZE option, you are probably better off spending your dollars on those than a larger base package that may not add titles that are of interest to you. It took me a week to review all my options and determine what was my best path. There were some titles that I was particularly interested in that were new in the Platinum package that are probably not of as much interest to most people.

I really am enjoying the 2900 pages of Rosscup on The Exposition of Prayer. It's really a commentary on every prayer in the Bible with good backround information on each book giving the background to understand the material.

ChelseaFC

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/444649#Comment_444649

I really am enjoying the 2900 pages of Rosscup on The Exposition of Prayer. It's really a commentary on every prayer in the Bible with good backround information on each book giving the background to understand the material.

Off topic: Edwin- I thought about upgrading to gold for Rosscup but ended up sticking with Silver. Do you think that that he brings basic prayer observations or would you say that it's a pretty deep in his exposition?

Cheers,

Marcus

Erik

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/444648#Comment_444648

Thanks! I spoke with Logos today and was able to get them to upgrade me to Gold for what would have been the original price. That saved be about $70 total. The pricing that I got from then wasn't different than what I was seeing online. There was some confusion over the BECNT figures...apparently the reps aren't seeing the "customization" pricing so I had to send a few screenshots to verify for them what I was seeing.

I ended up picking up the following:

Gold Upgrade

HALOT

NIDOTTE

NIDNTT

BECNT

PNTC

NICOT/NICNT

Hermeneia/Continental Commentary

German Bible Society Bundle, Student Edition

Paideia Commentary

BCOTWP

WBC Vol. 8 (Judges)

Commentary on the NT Use of the OT

IVP Dictionary of the Old Testament Bundle

Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Elwell)

Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology (Elwell)

ISBE

Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary

Christian Theology (Erickson)

An Intro to Biblical Hebrew Syntax

I'm going to have fun tonight!

Graham Criddle

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/444858#Comment_444858

I ended up picking up the following:

That's a nice collection[:)]

Enjoy[Y]

Edwin Bowden

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/444858#Comment_444858

Thanks! I spoke with Logos today and was able to get them to upgrade me to Gold for what would have been the original price. That saved be about $70 total. The pricing that I got from then wasn't different than what I was seeing online. There was some confusion over the BECNT figures...apparently the reps aren't seeing the "customization" pricing so I had to send a few screenshots to verify for them what I was seeing.

I ended up picking up the following:

Gold Upgrade

HALOT

NIDOTTE

NIDNTT

BECNT

PNTC

NICOT/NICNT

Hermeneia/Continental Commentary

German Bible Society Bundle, Student Edition

Paideia Commentary

BCOTWP

WBC Vol. 8 (Judges)

Commentary on the NT Use of the OT

IVP Dictionary of the Old Testament Bundle

Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Elwell)

Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology (Elwell)

ISBE

Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary

Christian Theology (Erickson)

An Intro to Biblical Hebrew Syntax

I'm going to have fun tonight!

I do believe you hit the jackpot! Great collectionof resources.

Erik

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/444858#Comment_444858

The hard part was narrowing it down...I left a lot on the table that I really wanted to get. I limited myself to my top tier wish list and then to only things that were on sale. I figured I can get the others later. The only ones I hesitated on and decided against for now were the Zondervan Illustrated Background Commentaries, NIVAC OT, Two Horizons Commentary and the Boice Commentaries. The Boice set was particularly difficult to cut at this point given the price, but I really didn't need another expositional commentary. [:)]

ChelseaFC

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/444858#Comment_444858

Thanks! I spoke with Logos today and was able to get them to upgrade me to Gold for what would have been the original price. That saved be about $70 total. The pricing that I got from then wasn't different than what I was seeing online. There was some confusion over the BECNT figures...apparently the reps aren't seeing the "customization" pricing so I had to send a few screenshots to verify for them what I was seeing.

I ended up picking up the following:

Gold Upgrade

HALOT

NIDOTTE

NIDNTT

BECNT

PNTC

NICOT/NICNT

Hermeneia/Continental Commentary

German Bible Society Bundle, Student Edition

Paideia Commentary

BCOTWP

WBC Vol. 8 (Judges)

Commentary on the NT Use of the OT

IVP Dictionary of the Old Testament Bundle

Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Elwell)

Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology (Elwell)

ISBE

Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary

Christian Theology (Erickson)

An Intro to Biblical Hebrew Syntax

I'm going to have fun tonight!

Erik-That sounds like a Happy Christmas!!!!

Edwin Bowden

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/444925#Comment_444925

The hard part was narrowing it down...I left a lot on the table that I really wanted to get. I limited myself to my top tier wish list and then to only things that were on sale. I figured I can get the others later. The only ones I hesitated on and decided against for now were the Zondervan Illustrated Background Commentaries, NIVAC OT, Two Horizons Commentary and the Boice Commentaries. The Boice set was particularly difficult to cut at this point given the price, but I really didn't need another expositional commentary.

Wise choices!

There will always be another sale.