The Complete Classic Commentaries Bundle (1,537 vols) Recommended or Not?
Sorry for creating a new thread, but I'd like to know the opinions from those of you who have purchased the complete bundle, and how it has helped/shaped your research? Do you recommend it for an academic oriented library? I already have a very well fleshed out library for recent scholarship, especially in commentaries, e.g., AYBC, Hermeneia, and World Biblical Commentary.
Does this bundle really make your searches more fruitful? Any good surprises? How happy or unhappy have you been with your purchase?
My previous thread went down a path where it would be unlikely for me to be able to get the answers I am seeking now. 
Thank you very much in advance!
Cheers
Comments
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This will sound like a lame answer, but I think it depends on your field of academic study and your needs. Your circumstances might also need to be factored in. Can you gain access to some of these materials in a seminary or theological library? If you can, you might decide that the price is not worth it unless you are after the ease and power of having them in the Logos search engine.
At least in the current season of study that I am in, I have found older resources (not just in the classic series) on the development of biblical interpretation very useful to track the development of thought or refer to as source material for some of the current stuff I am reading. I don't have access to a library and even if some of these books can be found for physical purchase, logistically it is challenging to own them as I travel a lot. I had purchased a number of classic commentary titles already in the community pricing program, so when a special on the entire collection came along for me to get the rest, I jumped on it.
If someone is primarily focused primarily interested in it for devotional purposes, it may not be suitable. Also I doubt I will read many books from cover to cover, so if that is someone's orientation, they might want to be more selective. The primary purpose at least for me is to run searches and then skim read or read chapters/portions of books depending on the current tract of enquiry that I am on. Many books I may read over time, but the majority I never will.
I have to say that I am often very pleased and surprised what pops up in my searches. Sometimes I did not realise the significance of a particular work of an author until my research puts it on my radar. Even with the 500 Book Mega Pack that just was just on offer, I have been delighted to get into some of Von Harnack's and Swete's books. Sometimes when this happens I am annoyed with myself that I did not get these books on community pricing in the first place! Such is the nature of research.
So here's some practical suggestions which might help in your decision making...
1. Develop a rationale of purchasing so that you can understand what you are willing to invest and the return you expect on it. For me, if it is general research material that I think I might need, if I can get it for around $1.50 or even less a volume and I can cash flow it, then I seriously consider it. I view the benefit as purchasing theological data for my Logos database.
2. Do some searches on author's names that appear in the classic commentaries set in your existing library to see how often they are cited and by what materials that you currently own. If you have a favourite commentary series or author in your existing library that refers to a number of authors in the classic commentary series, you may very well find it useful to own it as source material.
3. Buy the set and if you find after a few weeks it is not useful, then 'return' it for a refund. You would need to probably check on this, but I believe Logos has a 30 day return policy. There is one problem with this. I find the classic series much more useful because I have tagged them and have set up collections. If you do decide to try it, make sure that all your downloads are current so that you can select everything in the download and tag it as CCAS or something so that you can isolate searches on it or plug parts of it into your 'cited by tool'.
This set is not for everyone nor was the 500 Book Mega Pack. I nearly passed on the Mega Pack, but the cost for me through dynamic pricing was around .70 cents a volume, so I thought I would buy it and if it totally was total useless I would return it. However in the short number of days I have owned it, volumes have already popped on my searches which confirmed to me that it was much better value than I initially thought. I am grateful that Dale put this deal together as the other items in this year's Christmas sale did not appeal to me and this pack was exceptionally good value for someone like me.
Anyhow, a bit long winded. Hope this helps. Happy New Year!
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Here is a link to the set. Available for purchase or rent. https://www.logos.com/product/33554/the-complete-classic-commentaries-bundle
Mission: To serve God as He desires.
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[y]Donovan R. Palmer said:This will sound like a lame answer, but I think it depends on your field of academic study and your needs.
For me, after purchasing the first couple sets of Classic Commentaries, I stopped purchasing them because I noticed that I did not use them. For others, it was a good deal for them. It all depends if you are going to use them or not.
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tom said:
It all depends if you are going to use them or not.
And that is not always easy to determine.
Using adventure and community to challenge young people to continually say "yes" to God
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[y][y][y][y][y]Bruce Dunning said:And that is not always easy to determine.
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Matthew Langlois said:
...I'd like to know the opinions from those of you who have purchased the complete bundle, and how it has helped/shaped your research? Do you recommend it for an academic oriented library? I already have a very well fleshed out library for recent scholarship, especially in commentaries, e.g., AYBC, Hermeneia, and World Biblical Commentary.
Does this bundle really make your searches more fruitful? Any good surprises? How happy or unhappy have you been with your purchase?
Thank you very much in advance!
Cheers
I didn't buy them as a set but as they were released on CP. I kept going because I found that (despite archaic language) the expositors often had more to offer on APPLICATION than some of the more technical / critical commentaries in my library. So I kept going... and since I like to include a new resource or two in the mix of resources I use to develop each sermon (rather than using them all every time), addition of these resources has significantly extended the time until I will have exhausted the resources of my library (in terms of including "new" thoughts or "new" ways of looking at the same passages). I'm enjoying them & don't expect myself to use all of them in the foreseeable future. But so long as I'm preaching, I'll continue to look for additional perspectives that I've missed. I'm satisfied. [Y]
Blessings!
Grace & Peace,
Bill
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for me.. I rather put my money on a recent publications that I like and need..
recent publications can be equal or BETTER than old publications..
I always think more than 3-4 times whenever I purchase <1900 (year) publications..
remember .. it is not about the size/number of your library .. don't be fooled by those numbers.
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Donovan.
God Bless You, and thank you for such an informative post. I am very interested in tracking the development of biblical interpretation and thought over the course of time. That is why I was considering this in the first place. I just want to hear from some people who actually own it or who have the majority of the works from CP.
I am very well represented in church fathers. But, I feel there is a historical gap in my library. It is either ancient Near Eastern (which I will NEVER get enough of), and Church Fathers or cutting edge research, dissertations, etc. I am very well sourced for cutting edge material.
Bruce, and Lynden. You both have this bundle, correct? If so, how has it treated you?
Peace
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BillS said:
I didn't buy them as a set but as they were released on CP. I kept going because I found that (despite archaic language) the expositors often had more to offer on APPLICATION than some of the more technical / critical commentaries in my library. So I kept going... and since I like to include a new resource or two in the mix of resources I use to develop each sermon (rather than using them all every time), addition of these resources has significantly extended the time until I will have exhausted the resources of my library (in terms of including "new" thoughts or "new" ways of looking at the same passages). I'm enjoying them & don't expect myself to use all of them in the foreseeable future.
Blessings to you as well BillS!
Thank you for your thoughts on this. I am considering this primarily from an academic perspective, but will not rule out the use of this in a pastoral sense should God decide that is what is in store for me for my vocation!
Peace
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Matthew Langlois said:
Bruce, and Lynden. You both have this bundle, correct? If so, how has it treated you?
Yes I have all the books in this bundle but I didn't purchase the bundle. Rather I bid on each of them when they were on CP. I would say that the quality is "hit and miss" but I sort of expected that with older volumes from various backgrounds. They have been particularly valuable for me when I am doing an in-depth study of a book and I want to read from a variety of perspectives.
Using adventure and community to challenge young people to continually say "yes" to God
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Bruce, your opinion is much appreciated. Blessings to you and your family.
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Agree with Bruce that the quality is very "hit and miss", but to be expected given the way the collections were assembled. Some have well know authors, several are tagged as being part of commentary sets long since discontinued, and few would be readable in isolation, although there are a few gems in there. Have found several cited as references by more modern commentaries and itis always useful to be able to click through to see what the reference is actually saying in and around the cited statement. Given the average price per volume they are worth the price provided you already have more modern commentaries which are likely to cite the more significant voumes embedded in this bundle.
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David J. Wilson said:
Have found several cited as references by more modern commentaries and itis always useful to be able to click through to see what the reference is actually saying in and around the cited statement. Given the average price per volume they are worth the price provided you already have more modern commentaries which are likely to cite the more significant voumes embedded in this bundle.
Thank you for your input, David. I do have quite a few modern commentaries. I am especially interested in exploring how the development of thought in theology, and biblical interpretation has evolved over time.
Peace
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Matthew Langlois said:
Sorry for creating a new thread, but I'd like to know the opinions from those of you who have purchased the complete bundle, and how it has helped/shaped your research?
I have the bundle, and almost all of the modern critical commentaries available in Logos. If I had the sets you already mention,* and had $3,500 to spend on commentaries, I'd spend it on:
- Pillar Commentaries ($497)
- Baker Exegetical (currently discounted to $500)
- New International Commentary ($1,700)
- Tyndale Commentaries ($225)
- New International Greek Testament Commentary (currently discounted to $400)
- Calvin's Commentary ($149, and the only set in the Classic Bundle that I would say ought not be ignored, even in modern academia)
Personally, I get more value from these than I do from the Classical Commentaries. Why? Because (a) scholarship has obviously advanced, and (b) most of the really good stuff in the older commentaries is accessible through the modern ones — so long as you have a good range of modern commentaries.
If you don't already have Pillar/Baker/NICOT/NICNT and what new commentaries for an academic library, I'd make them a priority - even if you already own AYBC, Hermenia and WBC. They'll give you a perspective you don't already have, and (in my opinion) the former pay closer attention to the text than the latter (though sometimes are weaker on things like Graeco-Roman background and literary structure).
Other academic commentary sets that you haven't mentioned but are also worth considering include Concordia (rather overpriced at $900), ACCS ($300), Black's ($249, but included in Gold and above). ICC ($1,700) has some excellent volumes and some terrible ones, and should probably be cherry-picked.
None of this is to say that the Complete Classic Commentaries bundle isn't a good deal. I'm glad I purchased it (though I only paid $1,600, and wouldn't have paid more). But it's more useful for preaching/devotional study than for academic study — unless, of course, you're studying the history of interpretation.
* Actually, I probably spend it on the sets I list even if I didn't have the sets you mention, but that perhaps reflects our different tastes.
This is my personal Faithlife account. On 1 March 2022, I started working for Faithlife, and have a new 'official' user account. Posts on this account shouldn't be taken as official Faithlife views!
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Basically, the question being posed, is would one pay $3K+ for a large series of commentaries of varying perspectives from a century ago?
Pose the same question, except move the time frame: imagine yourself a century from now; would you pay $1,600 (or $3K+) for a large series of commentaries written in the late 20th century? AYB, WBC, Hermeneia? Or would you simply use the late 21st century group you bought and found useful?
I love the late 19th century but mainly for all the reasons Mark doesn't like (that's a complement). They made almost a science of deviating from the historical views of the text. I've often wondered who bought their commentaries; they must have sold. And so I also have to assume there was a significant group of pastors who had the same questions.
But I haven't bought the set nor the CPs. I noticed (as today and century from now), good ideas are author specific. So, as you, I also love AYB, WBC and Hermeneia (along with the jewish group, Oxford, etc). But they're simply a background set. I then flesh out specific areas with specific resources, journals, etc. and watching for good volumes here on the forum.
"If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.
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Hi Mark,
The NICOT and NICNT are much too evangelical for my taste. For academic sources I much prefer ecumenical works that don't necessarily follow or mirror a particular theological viewpoint. They are also broad in their scope, and I prefer a more narrow, and specialized focus dealing with the philology, and historical background of the book. I might consider cherry picking select titles from the NICOT though.
Mark Barnes said:They'll give you a perspective you don't already have, and (in my opinion) the former pay closer attention to the text than the latter (though sometimes are weaker on things like Graeco-Roman background and literary structure).
I am quite interested in the Graeco-Roman background and literary structure.
Mark Barnes said:— unless, of course, you're studying the history of interpretation.
I am indeed. That is one of my pursuits in study.
Mark, I thank you very much for your valued input. Was a pleasure, and look forward to seeing you on the forums in the future. I watched a few of your videos as well. Top flight!
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Mark Barnes said:
Calvin's Commentary ($149, and the only set in the Classic Bundle that I would say ought not be ignored, even in modern academia)
I agree. I am a Catholic (Roman-Rite) and even I recognize having access to Calvin is useful, because subsequent scholars have interacted with it in academia.
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Mark Barnes said:
New International Greek Testament Commentary (currently discounted to $400)
Absolutely essential for me!
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Also realize that every commentary in the Complete Classic Commentaries Bundle is in the public domain. If you really needed to look something up, you could find it elsewhere online, although it won't be nearly as convenient as having it in Logos. For me, ease of convenience is not worth thousands of dollars.
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And you can always make a PB if you can find an electronic version of the fileelnwood said:Also realize that every commentary in the Complete Classic Commentaries Bundle is in the public domain. If you really needed to look something up, you could find it elsewhere online, although it won't be nearly as convenient as having it in Logos. For me, ease of convenience is not worth thousands of dollars.
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Or alternatively you could buy Historical Theology books for now and wait for the introductory price to come back.
https://www.logos.com/product/37459/historical-theology-in-depth
Historical Theology by Gregg Allison still on boxing day sales price, hint.
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wondering, why the rental opion?
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for those individuals who only need the resource for a short period of time. $50 is by far a lot less than $3,217.42John Besse said:wondering, why the rental opion?
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Thank you everybody for your input. I have decided to stay with the modern commentaries.
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