Each time March Matchups comes up at Logos, I get egocentric—and hopeful. I don’t care what books different folks have their eyes on: I do know instantly which titles I need and want. Traditionally, I’ve cause to hope that these titles will get steep reductions as a result of so many different folks need and want them, too.
You’re in all probability a e-book individual otherwise you wouldn’t be right here behind the occasion, failing to observe the basketball gamers. However simply in case you want slightly teaching on what sources you may discover helpful and why, I’m going to supply some fast ideas on every of the collections obtainable in 2025’s Logos March Matchups.
I divvied all of them up in classes that made sense to me. In every class, I cannot-so-subtly put the gathering I’m most curious about on the prime, hoping that you just’ll assist my favored collections win so I can get a reduction together with you!
Unique languages
New Worldwide Dictionary of Theology and Exegesis: Outdated and New Testomony | NIDOTTE/NIDNTTE | (10 vols.)
I cite Moisés Silva continually. I did it solely final week at a pastors convention. One of many works Silva helped produce that I can’t imagine I don’t personal but is the NIDNTTE, which he edited. He’s one of many few folks I belief to do lexicography—the research of the that means of Hebrew and Greek phrases—with a watch each to serving the church and to honoring the best way God made language to perform.
I’m overtly campaigning for NIDNTTE to win the 2025 March Matchups. I used to be simply pondering I used to be going to must buckle down, lower my latte funds, chew the bullet, and buy this set at full worth for a giant mission I hope to begin work on quickly. Would you be so form as to agree with me so I can get an ideal low cost on NIDOTTE/NIDNTTE?
New Worldwide Dictionary of Theology and Exegesis: Outdated and New Testomony | NIDOTTE/NIDNTTE | (10 vols.)
Brill Greek Reference Assortment (5 vols.)
I’ve not personally used these volumes, however numerous instances I’ve seen BDAG (the main Greek-English lexicon) point out DELG, a French etymological dictionary of Greek. And at the least as soon as, I needed to go unearth DELG and perform a little research in it.
I’m properly conscious that interesting to etymology may be, and sometimes is, an exegetical fallacy (see references to Silva above). However etymology is usually a useful software within the palms of the discerning. The Brill Greek Reference Assortment is one I need in my software belt.
Lexham Press Unique Languages Suite (25 vols.)
Lexham Press has produced quite a few helpful volumes on original-language research. There are riches right here that I’ve sampled and to which many buddies of mine have contributed, from the Lexham Theological Wordbook to the varied (phenomenally lovely) Hebrew and Greek textbooks to The Greek Verb Revisited and the useful essays on exegesis and textual criticism within the Lexham Strategies collection.
In my expertise, most individuals regard these issues as boring till somebody who’s executed the work can begin answering the questions they didn’t know they’d. Then they actually—I’ve seen this with my very own two eyes, even lately—lean in nearer.
Cell Ed: GK101 Introduction to Biblical Greek (15 hour course)
You must begin someplace with studying biblical Greek. I personal this course from my time at Logos, and I belief my good friend John Schwandt to show rigorously and properly.
There’s all kinds of strategies obtainable to be taught the Greek of the New Testomony. Should you’re puzzled about which one to decide on, and if this one will get extremely discounted for March Matchups, that’s your signal.
Systematic theology
I’ve had my eye on this set. Joel Beeke and Paul M. Smalley have executed actually unimaginable work for the church in a number of tasks over time, and on this work they take the head-heart-hands synthesis—the mental, devotional, and sensible powers—of the Puritans and others within the Reformed custom and switch it right into a lay-accessible systematic theology.
That is the collection I hope “wins” March Matchups as a result of I desire a good low cost on these volumes in Logos. One of many solely Reformed systematics to have probably exceeded this one in mentions-per-blog-post is Bavinck.
Talking of Bavinck: Curiosity in Herman Bavinck has had a serious resurgence within the final ten years. I will probably be frank: I’ve made a couple of try and learn this main work of his, and I’ve up to now failed. One of many causes is that my way of life (I blame the kids) makes it troublesome for me to make time for paper books, however I get to learn digital ones when everybody else is asleep. And after I learn one thing as wealthy as Bavinck, I need my highlights to be saved.
If Beeke and Smalley don’t win, I wouldn’t be dissatisfied—or shocked—if Bavinck does. He’s irenic and cautious. He’s an exegete in addition to a scientific and historic theologian. He writes from a transparent place within the Reformed custom however with humility towards different Christian viewpoints. He has Barth’s proverbial newspaper in a single hand and Bible within the different.
Talking of Barth: I care about theology an excessive amount of to write down chipper advertising copy a couple of neo-orthodox theologian who infamously retained a mistress. However I additionally care about theology an excessive amount of to not wish to have entry in Logos to probably the most influential theologian of the 20 th century.
I merely wouldn’t wish to have Barth’s Church Dogmatics (CD) in paper; I’d by no means use it. However as a part of a searchable library, I can lookup citations and browse parts that come up in different writings. This certainly is what I’ve executed, as a result of I personal CD (and the Römerbrief). Accountable theologians and exegetes ought to be sure to personal necessary books that don’t replicate their perspective.
Talking of views: Once I wish to be sure to cowl all the primary views on a given theological challenge, I flip to collection like Counterpoints.
It’s a matter of charity to signify another person’s viewpoints in phrases that somebody will acknowledge and personal. It’s easy love—it’s the best way I’d wish to be handled—to search for probably the most accountable, influential, and cautious proponents of any view and allow them to be its representatives. That’s what the Counterpoints collection has sought to do for a very long time now. Typically the array of views on a subject may be bewildering. Welcome to the true world.
Tune in because the Logos group analyzes the bracket and highlights the advantages of those discounted sources.
Homiletics
My most necessary mentor was an ideal lover of Spurgeon. A pastor/evangelist in my e-book membership is. A member of my little Textual Confidence Collective crew is, too. I’ve heard comparable recommendation drop from such Spurgeon afficionados: Simply decide up a web page and see what Spurgeon does for you.
Florid nineteenth-century oratory tends to grate on trendy ears: not in order that of Spurgeon. He had a wit and a coronary heart that make him a perennial favourite. He’s the type of man whose collected works it is best to have in your Logos library.
Historic theology
Jaroslav Pelikan is a serious title in historic theology. I see him cited continuously. I confess that this explicit set has not caught my consideration earlier than. After studying among the evaluations, nonetheless, I’m .
I’d encourage you to take a look at the complete listing of very particular educational matters lined by this collection. If even two catch your fancy or meet some want in your individual research, this set could be value voting for.
I confess that I personal all of those books from my years working at Lexham; however as I appeared over this listing, I discovered my eyes selecting The Gloss and the Textual content: William Perkins on Decoding Scripture with Scripture. I really love having contemporaries interpret and synthesize Puritan writings for me.
I’m not a proficient scholar of historic theology, I confess. I’m an exegete. I’d have to offer the identical recommendation I gave for SHST: Look over the matters right here and see if a number of of them scratch itches you might need. My eyes are on certainly one of my extra perennial pursuits in historic theology: Attending to Know the Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction.
Church historical past
I learn a good variety of articles from this journal after I labored at a analysis heart in my college library. It gained my belief with its themed points and high quality articles.
One of many functions of getting a library, and positively of getting a Logos library, is solely having obtainable for studying and quotation no matter random John Flavel or Richard Sibbes sermon somebody occurs to reference favorably. Many instances I’ve been glad to have The Full Works of Historic Determine X, together with among the very sub-collections on this massive assortment. John Owen, Thomas Boston, Thomas Watson, John Bunyan—these are sources value proudly owning.
Hermeneutics & exegesis
I heard usually in graduate college of the well-known Strack-Billerbeck. However I confess to doing much better at studying a commentary on the New Testomony than a Kommentar zum Neuen Testomony—even when it is rather fascinating to me that this Kommentar is aus Talmud und Midrash. My revered good friend Jacob N. Cerone, now a resident of Germany, was the overall editor of those volumes, and I’m excited to personal them.
As a substitute of interesting on to them, let me point out a useful resource which I’ve used for Sunday college educating this semester which places this sort of literature to make use of: Klyne Snodgrass’s magisterial Tales with Intent: A Complete Information to the Parables of Jesus. I’ve repeatedly discovered it useful that Snodgrass has reached to Jewish writings to light up the parables. Studying Strack-Billerbeck looks like a really, very prolonged type of that helpful portion of Snodgrass’s commentary: I’m getting assist decoding Jesus and Paul (and many others.) from folks extra acquainted than I’m with Jesus’s and Paul’s tradition.
I learn as soon as that hermeneutical technique is the Protestant’s pope. Within the absence of a ultimate earthly arbiter for Bible interpretation, we refine our strategies for that interpretation. I see actual knowledge on this remark, and Keener, Brown, Walton, and Klein are acknowledged academics of the hermeneutical artwork.
I don’t share John Walton’s perspective on the misplaced world of Genesis, however I discover his ideas on hermeneutics to be difficult and stimulating. Jeannine Brown is on the NIV committee. Craig Keener is among the most prolific biblical commentators to ever stay, with extra printed phrases than appears humanly doable (one wonders if he found AI earlier than anybody else and stored it secret). You’ll by no means be taught Bible interpretation with out at the least implicitly getting into into dialog with figures like these.
I’ve Vogt (Decoding the Pentateuch) on this collection—and I’ve my eye on Futato (Decoding the Psalms). These are comparatively temporary volumes that take the reader significantly however give that reader very sensible recommendation for going from zero to sixty in decoding biblical genres. I bear in mind when a quantity like this (in one other collection, I confess: Tom Schreiner’s Decoding the Pauline Epistles) had a massively constructive influence on my Bible interpretation.
These handbooks are both newbie handbooks for (educational, evangelical) Bible research or skilled cheatsheets for easy methods to train others to do such research. I’m educating hermeneutics quickly myself on the graduate degree, so I’m all of the sudden extra curious about these volumes than I knew earlier than.
We actually do have a humiliation of riches in Bible research supplies. Regardless of your degree of data and expertise, there’s a useful resource for you. This collection will assist, say, a small group chief (as I actually am!) train by varied biblical books.
The translator of those volumes, Jacob Neusner, is a big title in Jewish research. These are customary works within the area.
Biblical theology
I personal this whole collection; I purchased it with my very own cash. I love particularly two volumes: Dominion and Dynasty by Stephen Dempster and A Clear and Current Phrase by Mark D. Thompson. I additionally completely profited from Paul and the Legislation by Brian Rosner. This set has many notable works in it; I’ve simply supplied the three which have meant probably the most to me.
One of many authentic definitions of biblical theology is that department of research which lays naked biblical themes. This assortment, which pairs with the favored commentary collection by the identical title, does this for fifteen biblical books (or corpora), principally within the Outdated Testomony.
Bible reference
It is a hefty set. I already personal nearly all of it and have used these volumes for years. Particularly helpful, you get all eight IVP “black” dictionaries in addition to the Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary.
Wikipedia and ChatGPT can now give us quite a lot of probably the most fundamental data we would like, even in regards to the matters historically lined by a Bible dictionary. However as of this writing, AI instruments nonetheless “hallucinate” too usually for me to actually depend on them, and Wikipedia does probably not have the “NPOV” (Impartial Level of View) that it seeks. I need evangelicals to write down at the least a few of my reference works. In ZEB, they obliged.
Humanities
I’ve learn or sampled a goodly variety of these volumes—or at the least watched the BBC model. Boswell’s Lifetime of Johnson was outstanding; Little Dorrit is memorable; Gibbon writes phenomenal prose however pours acid on the Christian religion; Dostoevsky does profound philosophy and ethical exploration by way of painful Russian tales.
What else can I say? I don’t do properly with studying lists. I learn by whim, as Alan Jacobs taught me. However I can’t assist however measure myself in opposition to this listing, and I can’t assist however really feel slightly pleasure at what number of of those volumes I’ve at the least cracked open.
Out of my wheelhouse
This set is out of my wheelhouse. Or perhaps it’s inside it, however the wheels are all gone.
Piety & Christian progress
I’m not at the moment a pastor, so I don’t discover myself reaching usually for books like these. However if you’re, this can be a treasure trove. Consider it because the equal of Baxter’s Christian Listing, however divvied into catchy matters and written a bit extra accessibly for the trendy reader.
Vote!
In these politically polarized instances, it’s good to vote for one thing that basically issues to you however that received’t upset you an excessive amount of in the event you “lose.”
Should you do certainly lose, you might in actual fact win. No matter assortment wins this yr’s bracket goes to be deeply discounted and, nearly actually, helpful to numerous Bible college students who rely day by day, like I do, on Logos Bible software program.
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