Index of Bible Studies
Several weeks ago I started making an index of Bible studies in Logos: sermons, meditations, outlines, commentaries that are not marked as commentaries, etc. - anything that would not show up easily in the passage guide. The attached file can be compiled as a Personal Book in Logos. The aims are to help me when I prepare material on a given passage, but also to get to know some of the books in my library that I would otherwise not look it. The index is far from complete and is not perfect, but since others in the forum have mentioned they were thinking of doing something similar, I though I would share what I have done so far, so that we do not duplicate our efforts. Others can insert what I have done, just as I would be happy to included what others will do.
Naturally, an index like this depends upon your own library. I have listed books that I have (Platinum in Logos 4 and Logos 5, plus various extras from Logos and third parties), so you may find that some of the links lead to books you do not have.
As time permits, I will try to add more books to this index, and if so I will post updated copies later on.
Richard Wilson
Find more posts tagged with
Comments
- forget the zip file and download the Word file (the one with the .docx extension)
- in Logos, go to Tools/Personal Books, click Add book in the top left
- Fill in a Title (such as "Index of Bible Studies") and change the Type to: Bible Commentary
- Click the Add file... button to the right and select the docx you downloaded
- Click Build book
Here is another update to this file to create a PBB, with 120 new books added (from the Unfiltered package, Verbum Cloud, and various free or discounted books). There are instructions to use the file in my message on December 23.
---
Some more statistics:
The chapter with most links is Romans 8 with 620 links, followed by Matthew 5 (596), Matthew 6 (454), John 1 (435), and Hebrews 11 (406). Thanks to Our Daily Homily, all chapters have at least one link. The five chapter with exactly one link are Leviticus 27, Deuteronomy 25, Judges 12, 1Chronicles 26 and 2Chronicles 4.
Richard Wilson
Here is another update to this file to create a PBB, with 120 new books added (from the Unfiltered package, Verbum Cloud, and various free or discounted books). There are instructions to use the file in my message on December 23.
Thank you so much, Richard - looking back, it's now over six years you are sharing this incredible help with us!
For those forum users new to it, I'll just include the cover picture once more, as it is buried on page 3 from 2014:
Have joy in the Lord! 
Here is another update to this file to create a PBB, with 120 new books added (from the Unfiltered package, Verbum Cloud, and various free or discounted books).
Thank you so much! This truly has been a labour of love for you that you have freely shared with us.
Using adventure and community to challenge young people to continually say "yes" to God
Appreciate this so much, Richard! For the first time I am getting an error message.
"Error finding your books. Probably Logos was closed. Please restart the program and do not close Logos."
Any ideas? I am not exiting. Have tried closing all open books in Logos. I assume the doc you supply is your own listing and the program reduces it down to another doc applicable only to my own collection.
Appreciate this so much, Richard! For the first time I am getting an error message.
"Error finding your books. Probably Logos was closed. Please restart the program and do not close Logos."
Sorry, my mistake. I uploaded an older version of the program, that had this bug. This version should work.
Richard Wilson
Appreciate this so much, Richard! For the first time I am getting an error message.
"Error finding your books. Probably Logos was closed. Please restart the program and do not close Logos."
Sorry, my mistake. I uploaded an older version of the program, that had this bug. This version should work.
FYI - This is an .exe file and not a .docx file. Perhaps you uploaded the wrong file again?
Using adventure and community to challenge young people to continually say "yes" to God
FYI - This is an .exe file and not a .docx file. Perhaps you uploaded the wrong file again?
The .docx file did not have an error, so I did not post it again. That is for people who want to have the complete list. For people who want a list of only the books that they have in their library, they need to use the .exe file. Here are the instructions:
It is possible to exclude books that are in my library but not in yours, which makes the resulting personal book easier to use. This is possible only in Windows; the Mac version of Logos does not allow it. To do this, download and unzip the MyIndex.zip file. There should then be two files in a directory. Start the Index Bible Studies.exe program, which will open Logos (if it is not already open), read the names of all the books in your library, and then create a file My Index Bible Studies.rtf in your Documents directory. Open that file in Word or another word processor, and then save it as a docx file. Then create a personal book from that docx file.
Richard Wilson
Thank you so much for your work on this. The file produced from the .exe file will make this resource much more usable.
I had, however, two compilation problems:
1. [Error] Font 'Calibri Light' is not a valid font for use in resources.
2. [Warning] Unknown data type in use: topic+topics
The font problem is easy to fix. (or seemed to be).
I searched for the words "topic+topics" and nothing came up.
I changed the font on the doc to TimesNew Roman in both the text and the header and footer (although this doc does not use headers or footers) and deleted the previous version out of my listing of personal books before adding the new one and recompiling.
Same problems came up.
Is anyone else duplicating this? Suggestions?
Also...I am have recurring problems with having to exit Logos and reopen whenever I recompile a doc or I get the message:
[Error] Error while building book: Could not remove existing resource. Please close all other open panels and try again.
Closing all the other panels makes no difference.
Since this is recurring problem unrelated to this specific doc. I'll post about it in another thread.
Thanks.
Cal
1. [Error] Font 'Calibri Light' is not a valid font for use in resources.
2. [Warning] Unknown data type in use: topic+topics
See my message in this thread from 4 July 2018. It is a known and harmless problem in Logos.
Also...I am have recurring problems with having to exit Logos and reopen whenever I recompile a doc or I get the message:
[Error] Error while building book: Could not remove existing resource. Please close all other open panels and try again.
Closing all the other panels makes no difference.
Since this is recurring problem unrelated to this specific doc. I'll post about it in another thread.
This too is a problem with Logos, been around for a long time. https://community.logos.com/forums/t/179645.aspx is a recent thread about it, but Google finds lots of other threads as well (http://bit.ly/2G4eFGQ), from as far back as 2011.
Richard Wilson
Richard:
Thanks. But is there a reason why it has only shown up in Logos 8? The problem may have been around, but it is totally new to me. Admittedly I skipped Logos 7 (not a decision I have ever regretted) and upgraded from Logos 6 to 8, but 2011 seems before Logos 7 was released (Aug. 2016 as I recall...with help from Google).Looks like the problem would go back to Logos 4.2 or 4.3. Still, I have created hundreds of Personal Books and the problem has never occurred until I upgraded to Logos 8. I'm not ready to downgrade back to 6, but it is totally obnoxious.
But is there a reason why it has only shown up in Logos 8?I'd have to see how you are using Logos. I had lots of trouble with this bug in Logos 6 when I was compiling/recompiling in a short time frame. Since then, I have rarely hit the problem as there is more time between my uses of the compiler.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
MJ:
What would "I'd have to see how you are using Logos" look like?
Cal.
Thanks again Richard! Still amazed at how much work you put into this, and even how it's accomplished by one person!
On a side note... I would love it if someone was to get the index to only show purchased resources for all of us Mac users. Not sure what this would take, and I'm sure it'd be a lot of work, but if anyone is considering doing it for their own use, I'd love to get in on it!
I would love it if someone was to get the index to only show purchased resources for all of us Mac users. Not sure what this would take, and I'm sure it'd be a lot of work.
It would require Faithlife adding the ability for external programs to ask the Logos program about installed resources using a Mac (it current uses Windows technology that does not exist on a Mac). Something they are not going to do soon. They have recently stated that they will not even further develop this ability on Windows, because practically nobody uses it.
Richard Wilson
Here is an update to my Index of Bible Studies, with the addition of the contents of a couple of Logos 8 packages and a few other books I have added to my library. I will repeat here the instructions to use it. Mac users especially should pay attention, there is important news for you towards the end.
-----
This file contains links to sermons, meditations, outlines, journal articles, Bible study guides, and more that do not appear in the Passage Guide. (Exception: some sermons now appear in the Passage Guide, but did not when I started, and I thought I would not remove them.) It is useful especially when preparing Bible studies or sermons on a certain passage, to find more ideas on the passage from your library that you can use.
To install the Index, download the Index Bible Studies.docx file, then use the Personal Books tool of Logos to create a new personal book. You can use whatever title you like, but it is best to set the type to "Bible commentary". On page 3 of this thread you can find a book cover that you can optionally use.
The index contains the books in my Logos library – there is a list of the included books at the end of the Index Bible Studies.docx file. Naturally, I cannot include books that are in your library but not in mine. However, it is possible to exclude books that are in my library but not in yours, which makes the resulting personal book easier to use. There are two ways to do this. The first works only with Logos for Windows. The second works also with a Mac and can also be used when non typical installations of Windows don't allow the first method to work. Both methods should produce exactly the same file.
Method 1. Download and unzip the MyIndex.zip file. There should then be two files in a directory. Start the Index Bible Studies.exe program, which will open Logos (if it is not already open), read the names of all the books in your library, and then create a file My Index Bible Studies.rtf in your Documents directory.
Method 2. Open the Library in Logos, then from the menu in the upper right corner of the panel choose "Print/Export". In the bottom right corner of the new window that opens, under "Export", click on "XML", and save the file "Library.xml".
For Windows: Download the PersonalIndex.zip file. Unzip it to create the PersonalIndex.exe file. Copy the Library.xml file to the same directory as the PersonalIndex.exe file. (If Logos is running in a language that is not English, it might propose a different name for the file. The name must be changed to Library.xml.) Now run the PersonalIndex.exe program. A file called My Index Bible Studies.rtf is created in the same directory as the program. It will also create a file called My Library.rtf, that you can use to create a personal book that contains the books in your library, as described in the thread https://community.logos.com/forums/t/184809.aspx .
For Mac: Download the file https://www.laparola.net/PersonalIndex-1.0.pkg , and execute it to install the program. Then run the installed program PersonalIndex. It will ask you to open the file that the Logos Library created. Then it will run, and when it has finished there will be a message saying where the My Index Bible Studies.rtf is saved. You can now close the program.
For both methods: Open the My Index Bible Studies.rtf file in Word or another word processor and save it as a docx file. Then create a personal book from that docx file, setting the type to "Bible commentary".
-----
A few statistics: there are now 1974 Logos resources included and about 62,000 links. The passages with most links are John 3:16 (71 links), Luke 16:19-31 (52), Luke 10:25-37 (50), Luke 15:11-32 (49), and Matthew 4:1-11 and Romans 8:28 (47).
Richard Wilson
Awesome! Many thanks! [Y]
Richard, thank you very much for this nifty utility. I need to remind myself to re-run it every now and again to refresh with new resources.
I noticed what appeared to be a few tagging errors in the PBB resource after I rebuilt, which I figured I'd pass along. The first one was missing a closing bracket:
"Jn 20:29 [[Parochial and Plain Sermons >> logosres:parplainsrm02;ref=Page.p_13]" (copied from the .rtf file).
Then it got interesting. The next one I spotted in the resource appeared to be missing both closing brackets, and was styled in larger, bold text. In the .rtf file, the entry looked like this: "Jam 1:2-3 [[Streams in the Desert >> logosres:strmsdsrt;ref=DayOfYear.Jan_12". I also noticed in the .rtf file that Word (2016) had styled the paragraph as Heading2.
So, I did an advanced search in the .rtf for other instances of missing brackets. No other entries were found with a single closing bracket (searching for ^#]^p). Searching for no closing brackets (^#^p) was a bit tough to wade through because of all the chapter headings, but I did find several others, such as the following two, which are also styled by Word as Heading2, but unlike the James entry above, do not appear in the PBB resource:
"2Sam 7:11-16 [[The Messianic Bible Study Collection >> logosres:messbblstd;ref=VolumePage.V_21,_p_32;off=1053"
"Rom 1:18-27 [[Ready >> logosres:goodquestthscrss;ref=Page.p_66"
Even stranger, I was getting hits on that search for entries that appear to have been formatted correctly (i.e. had two closing brackets), but which were likewise styled by Word as Heading2, and which did not appear in the PBB resource:
"Pr 14:10 [[Scripture Proverbs >> logosres:provjacox;ref=Page.p_136]]"
And then there were some others where the tagging seemed to be problematic in other ways (I'm not sure how the second example got returned as a hit given that the character before the paragraph mark is not a digit - and again, these are all styled by Word 2016 as Heading2.):
"Jn 2:13-22 [[The Art of Reading Scripture >> logosres:rtrdngscrptr;ref=Page.p_221;off=436]7" (does not appear in resource)
"Jn 2:13-22 [[Ancient Christian Devotional, Year B >> logosres:anchrdevlectb;ref=BCP79Calendar.Lnt_3_Sun_B;off=5029]]tttt" (appears in resource with extraneous letters, as you'd expect).
Thanks for pointing out these errors. I'll make the corrections, and post a new version in the next couple of days (after I have added October's free books).
Richard Wilson
This is a new version of the file, with the corrections mentioned two messages ago and a few other similar ones. A total of about a dozen corrections.
Richard Wilson
Hi Richard,
I'm very new to Logos and still figuring out how to use it, but I was able to create my personal book with your index per your instructions and believe it's working. At first my program crashed, but when I reopened it there was no problem. I'm on a Mac so I wasn't able to remove books that I don't own (a lot), but I'll just use that as incentive to buy books. LOL It looks like it was a LOT of work, and it was very generous of to share. Thank you, kindly.
Thanks Linda. My message on September 9 explains how to remove books you do not use if you own a Mac.
Richard Wilson
Thanks, Rich, I don't get an .xml option under Export. But that's okay. It will be a great tool, and I'm thankful to have it as is.
Here is another update to this file, with another 63 books added to the index (now 2037) with another about 3000 links (now about 65000). The new books are mostly from the Library Booster Collection, with a few others. For instructions on how to use these files, see my post on September 9th.
Richard Wilson
Just finding out about this. When I click on the link it wants to know what program to open it with? Logos? Didn't have that option.
Just finding out about this. When I click on the link it wants to know what program to open it with? Logos? Didn't have that option.
For starters:
Have joy in the Lord!
Thanks everyone for your help in identifying how to include other books as commentary by verse. Now, what would REALLY Be HELPFUL is to find a way to have the books that you own migrate to the top of the list and be identified as such with highlighting or some other means. Thanks again!
While a bit more involved than using the docx file, if you download and run the program within the zip file you get an index with only the books you have in your library. Then you make it into a personal book. The instructions on how to do that are in Richard's post of Sept 9.
I have made both the docx file and the index generated by the program into personal books in my library.
Windows 7 Home Premium Version 6.1.7600 Build 7600 (x64)
Acer Aspire 5738G laptop
4G RAM
Intel Core 2 Duo T6600
ATI Mobility Raedeon HD 4570
Thanks everyone for your help in identifying how to include other books as commentary by verse. Now, what would REALLY Be HELPFUL is to find a way to have the books that you own migrate to the top of the list and be identified as such with highlighting or some other means. Thanks again!
Thanks for everyone that is quicker at replying than me! I update the files every 6 months or so, but don't repeat the instructions every time. As was said, if you look at my message on September 9th, 2019, you will find how to create a personal book with only the books that you own.
Richard Wilson
I have updated this file, a list of explanations and comments on Bible passages that would not be picked up by the Passage Guide. It includes all the books in the Logos 5 Platinum package that have such explanations, and many others beside. There is a complete list of books included, sorted according the package they are in or where I got them from, at the end of the document. That way who has different packages to me can see which of their books are included in the file.
God bless you Richard. MJ pointed me, as I am new, in this direction for your Index. Thank you.
Richard
Is there a way to possibly include the Apocrypha in this program? I was just thinking today how useful it could be to have commentaries from my library on each of the passages in the Apocrypha. I also know I may be ignorant in making this request as I know little about the Apocrypha books. It seems to me, having them included in your program can be a great benefit to the understanding of this set of literature.
The general rule is that I do not list in my Index the books that appear in the Passage Guide. (There are some exceptions, especially when I added books that weren't in the Guide, and then Logos added them to the Guide, eg many sermons.) This means that I don't put commentaries in my Index, it is easier to find them with the Passage Guide, including commentaries on the Apocrypha. So you should look first of all in the Passage Guide. If you don't have any commentaries there, you need to buy them - including them in my Index does not help you if you do not own them! I could in theory add sermons, outlines, meditations, Bible studies, etc on the Apocrypha to my Index, which would be a help. But basically in the thousands of books I've checked, I have not found any such Bible studies on the Apocrypha. There might be some out there (and if anyone has any suggestions, I would be happy to add them to my Index if I own them), but I have not found them in my library.
Richard Wilson
I am almost ready to release a new version of the Index of Bible Studies, with lots of new resources added. However I have a problem with the creation of the personalised index with only the books that the user owns. To create it, there is a program that uses the COM object of the Logos program. However, on my computer that COM object no longer exists. I do not know if this is a problem with my computer, or if the COM object was removed in Logos 9. Could someone (or ones) who has Logos 9 for Windows installed do a test for me? [If you don't understand the instructions, don't worry, someone else can do the test for me.] In Windows, run Powershell as administrator, and then execute the command
$launcher = New-Object -com "LogosBibleSoftware.Launcher"
If it gives an error, then it is a problem with Logos 9; if it does not give an error, it is my problem.
There is a script at https://wiki.logos.com/Smart_Tags for re-registering the COM object, but it did not make any difference for me. I can't even find the Logos COM object in the registry.
Richard Wilson
Getting an error on my setup as well. Windows 10 pro 64, 20H2. Logos 9.1.0.0018.
Thanks. I don't know what I did, but I can now use the COM object in my program, even though I am still getting this error. A mystery...
Richard Wilson
Here is an update to my Index of Bible Studies, with the addition of the contents of a couple of Logos 9 packages and a few other books I have added to my library. There are now 2134 Logos resources included and 67,620 links. I will repeat here the instructions to use it.
-----
This file contains links to sermons, meditations, outlines, journal articles, Bible study guides, and more that do not appear in the Passage Guide. (Exception: some sermons now appear in the Passage Guide, but did not when I started, and I thought I would not remove them.) It is useful especially when preparing Bible studies or sermons on a certain passage, to find more ideas on the passage from your library that you can use.
To install the Index, download the Index Bible Studies.docx file, then use the Personal Books tool of Logos to create a new personal book. You can use whatever title you like, but it is best to set the type to "Bible commentary". On page 3 of this thread you can find a book cover that you can optionally use. The message https://community.logos.com/forums/p/65323/1093313.aspx#10933132654.Index Bible Studies.docx gives graphical instructions for this installation.
The index contains the books in my Logos library – there is a list of the included books at the end of the Index Bible Studies.docx file. Naturally, I cannot include books that are in your library but not in mine. However, it is possible to exclude books that are in my library but not in yours, which makes the resulting personal book easier to use. To create this personal index (Windows only):
1. Download and unzip the MyIndex.zip file.
2. There should then be two files in a directory. Start the Index Bible Studies.exe program, which will open Logos (if it is not already open), read the names of all the books in your library, and then create a file My Index Bible Studies.rtf in your Documents directory.
3. Open the My Index Bible Studies.rtf file in Word or another word processor and save it as a docx file.
4. Create a personal book from that docx file, in the same way as described in the previous paragraph setting the type to "Bible commentary".
Richard Wilson
Here is an update to my Index of Bible Studies, with the addition of the contents of a couple of Logos 9 packages and a few other books I have added to my library. There are now 2134 Logos resources included and 67,620 links. I will repeat here the instructions to use it.
Thanks Richard.
Using adventure and community to challenge young people to continually say "yes" to God