Prioritization and BestCommentaries site

I am trying to reprioritize my library. My initial attempt at this was a few resources a few years ago. Then I start looking at the bestcommentaies site. I am now about 1/2 through seminary and want to clear my priority list and start over.

I've read posts about the downsides (others thinking for you) and the obvious (only so much time in the day) and I get both sides. However, this go around I am simply trying to copy the order at the best site and also the one at logos that list the top 10 (or so) for each book.

Two questions:

1. If a commentary is only for a single book (Genesis, etc) then I don't need to set advance limits, correct? The opposite is like the EBC volume 2 Gen-Numbers, that would be a case where advanced priority limits it to Exodus or whatever. Setting a Numbers only commentary to only bring results back for numbers is just more work, whereas it is needed for having the EBC show up in different places in my priority list at diff books? I think that makes sense.

2. For example, for Leviticus the best site has NICOT >> WBC >> AYB >> NAC. On the Logos site they have the ranking as NICOT >> WBC >> NAC >> AYB.

Is the difference simply Logos page is static and best is dynamic and Logos just hasn't updated? For Logos order, are they just copying Dyer's site or are they going off something else (sales numbers etc)?

Thanks

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David Thomas

the order at the best site and also the one at logos that list the top 10 (or so) for each book.

I have tagged my library with commentaries that appear in the top 5 of each book in BestCommentaries.com and the top recommendations from Ligonier Ministries.

I then star rate with 5 stars if it is a 1st or 2nd best, 4 stars if it is a 3rd best and 3 stars if it is a 4th or 5th best on either list.

Then I create a collection of "Commentaries: Best" that has either BCtop5 or LigonierRed in mytag.

Then the collection shows up in my Passage Guide as:

Bruce Dunning

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1192035#Comment_1192035

I have tagged my library with commentaries that appear in the top 5 of each book in BestCommentaries.com and the top recommendations from Ligonier Ministries.

David, I did a similar thing but instead of just using a star rating I actually tagged them by rating e.g. CommentariesBest.com-#1 etc. Then I also applied my personal evaluation of the commentary and used the star system to rate each of them.

Bruce Dunning

If a commentary is only for a single book (Genesis, etc) then I don't need to set advance limits, correct?

Correct

Is the difference simply Logos page is static and best is dynamic and Logos just hasn't updated?

I'm not sure of this but also would be interested to know.

Liam

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1192096#Comment_1192096

Good questions. Following.

Dave Hooton

If a commentary is only for a single book (Genesis, etc) then I don't need to set advance limits, correct? The opposite is like the EBC volume 2 Gen-Numbers, that would be a case where advanced priority limits it to Exodus or whatever. Setting a Numbers only commentary to only bring results back for numbers is just more work, whereas it is needed for having the EBC show up in different places in my priority list at diff books? I think that makes sense.

Correct. But I prioritize by Series and avoid Advanced prioritizing to keep things simple.

I use star ratings to assign resources to three main collections. Volumes in a series will usually be rated the same.
Volumes/series that are tagged as "Background" or "Textual" will appear in a separate collection (some may also appear in a main collection)

this collection also includes Study Bibles and Bible Notes.

I Prioritize the top resources within each collection (using a PB with an appropriate title as a "heading" within the list)
Whilst I use a "Top5" tag the star rating still determines the collection, but it will affect prioritization within the collection.
Commentaries tagged as "Notes" don't appear in any of the above collections!

Dave Hooton

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1192035#Comment_1192035

Then the collection shows up in my Passage Guide as:

David, I notice you have a Collections section for Study Bibles. If they are of the Type Study Bible they can appear in a Commentaries section (as well as Bible Notes). I include some in my Background collection.

Keep Smiling 4 Jesus :)

2. For example, for Leviticus the best site has NICOT >> WBC >> AYB >> NAC. On the Logos site they have the ranking as NICOT >> WBC >> NAC >> AYB.

Is the difference simply Logos page is static and best is dynamic and Logos just hasn't updated? For Logos order, are they just copying Dyer's site or are they going off something else (sales numbers etc)?

Logos web page => https://www.logos.com/best-commentaries has a copyright date of 2020 (in the footer) so suspect static.

Dyer's page => https://www.bestcommentaries.com/topcommentaries/ has expanded from Top Two to Top Three for each Bible Book.

Thread => Creating a New Series of Commentaries discussion includes my title customization so my sort order is content chronological:

My custom "Top 2 Commentaries" series was created when Dyer's page had Top Two for each Bible Book. Screen shot shows three advanced prioritizations for my custom series: Bible, Bible (BHS), and Bible (VUL-W). Some Commentary volumes have resource indexing for more than Bibles: e.g. keywords for: English, Jerome, Transliterated.

Screen shot shows two of my advanced prioritizations for Bibles (so pop-up Bible text shows that Bible) before custom series prioritization.

In practice, my tendency is Top Two Technical, Pastoral, and Jewish * for each Bible Book. Passage Guide (PG) for Leviticus 23 shows six volumes in my "Top 2 Commentaries" series (sorted alphabetically in chronological content order: personally not like PG change to show Series instead of Resource title that hides my title customizations: has content date with Series abbreviation). Commentary content creation can precede publication date by centuries: e.g. Rabbinic Bible Commentary, John Calvin.

FYI: some commentary series span over 100 years during volume publication.

Buggy item: screen shot shows Analytical Key to Old Testament (Bible Notes) in prioritized order for PG Commentaries (using Logos 9.11 Beta 1 on macOS Monterey 12.1)

Keep Smiling [:)]

David Thomas

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1192149#Comment_1192149

David, I notice you have a Collections section for Study Bibles. If they are of the Type Study Bible they can appear in a Commentaries section (as well as Bible Notes)

I keep this separate collection (lay level resources) so that I can quickly generate a bibliography on a text to refer to those without formal theological or Biblical Languages training.

Tony Walker

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1192357#Comment_1192357

In case anyone is wondering this Saturday night while the Cowboys and Eagles are playing...

I'm comparing the Logos list, Dyer's list, and the commentaries in my own library, and I am prioritizing accordingly. I started at Joshua and just finished Proverbs. It has taken about 2.5 hours...

I understand not "syncing" with the best commentaries website since it is an outside person. But it would be a good feature if Faithlife had an option (opting in only-not default-after considering the theological/etc implications) of auto-prioritizing based on their own list at https://www.logos.com/best-commentaries

Dave Hooton

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1192412#Comment_1192412

I understand not "syncing" with the best commentaries website since it is an outside person. But it would be a good feature if Faithlife had an option (opting in only-not default-after considering the theological/etc implications) of auto-prioritizing based on their own list at https://www.logos.com/best-commentaries

It could work if it behaves the same as the current "default" prioritization. But you would have to judge its effectiveness by results in the Passage Guide Commentaries section (under Priority) after removing your current prioritizations. For example, if Logos uses Advanced prioritization an individual volume may be rated highly because of one book e.g. Genesis, but how will it prioritize the other book(s) e.g. Exodus? OTOH, if the volume is prioritized you won't know which book it was based on (and should it be prioritized on the basis of the higher rated book)? Either way, you will have a Prioritization list that could be quite technical to fine tune and could complicate the rules for your collections.