WiseReader

The last four decades has produced a sometimes seismic shift in evangelical Christian worship style and content. While change is inevitable – and necessary – too often the old and familiar has been jettisoned for something that, while new, turns out to be far less substantial  theologically and musically. But the tide is turning, and a growing core of musicians and song writers are drawing us back to a better understanding of God-honoring worship. The book you hold in your hands is one example of this trend.

James Herzog is both serious about good theology and gifted as a lyricist and musician. With a healthy appreciation for many musical styles, he strives to promote the best of both the old and the new, while making his own contribution to the ever-growing body of worship resources available today.

What delights me most in recommending this volume is that James has captured the true center of worship. The fifteen songs included in this collection provide a superb example of writing and composing that lifts high the grace of God, placing the gospel where it belongs, at the centre of our worship.

Using the biblical categories of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, James has demonstrated how each type of song provides an avenue of worship. This is a sampling of what we should all hope will be a lifetime devoted to developing worship music that stands the test of time

For those who may wonder, James composes and writes in a style similar to that of the Sovereign Grace Music people. If you want to know more about the work of James, or wish to purchase a copy of his book, contact him directly at: jamezog@gmail.com.

I heartily recommend this resource.

A version of this article first appeared in ChristianWeek on April 9, 2010 (Vol. 24, No. 2) 

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A couple of years ago, I surveyed the field of Bible study software packages for a column called Wise Reader that I write for ChristianWeek, highlighting some of the better known programs then available.

At the time, I was using eSword for English language study and Gramcord for help with Greek and Hebrew, finding them to be quite sufficient for my purposes. However, I often looked longingly at the Logos system, but always resisted switching because the price seemed so high. Packages run from $265 - $1690 USD.

Recently, due in large part to the urging of a friend teaching Greek at Toronto Baptist Seminary, I purchased a Logos 4 package. He convinced me that I would save hours of research using the Logos system. Though I am still learning how to harness the amazing potential of this software, viewing the extensive, and growing, number of publisher-provided training videos and articles, I have already realized significant savings in ministry preparation time. In fact, watching a few of these videos will give you a glimpse into the power and potential available in this resource.

I bought the Scholar’s Library (LE), a mid-level package containing nearly 500 titles. My collection holds approximately 40 English Bibles and interlinears, 20 original languages texts along with nearly 50 grammars, lexicons and other original language tools. Along with many excellent commentaries, there are high-quality maps, photos and other media resources, plus 30 books on practical ministry themes including preaching, teaching, illustrations and quotations. I also have a ministry resource library numbering more than 70 titles.

Logos ranks among the most expensive Bible study software programs on the market today, but I am now convinced that it also provides the greatest array of useful tools, particularly for those responsible for preaching and teaching within the church.

In the Fall of 2009, Logos announced a major partnership with Zondervan Publishing, to incorporate 87 volumes of their most popular reference titles into the Logos 4 system. Some of the titles included in the 87 volumes will be the 12-volume Expositor’s Bible Commentary, the 2-volume abridgment of the Expositor’s series, the NIV Application Bible Commentary series (currently 20 volumes for the NT and 8 volumes for the OT), the popular 4-volume New International Dictionary of NT Theology and the New International Dictionary of OT Theology and Exegesis (5 volumes), the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (OT – 5 volumes, NT 4 volumes), and the Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible. Every day it seems the Logos crew brings new resources to market. Though I would not recommend it, one could conceivably have a lifetime of preaching and teaching, using this Bible study software exclusively, never once purchasing a print resource.

Now, it is one thing to have a great number of resources your disposal, and quite another thing to effectively make use of them. In fact, I used to think that having hundreds of electronic texts in a study package would be unhelpful because they would never be used since they cannot be “seen” in the way one can see books on a shelf. But it is precisely at this point that the Logos 4 software becomes so valuable.

For example, entering a Bible reference in the search box will, within seconds, provide the specific location where that text is discussed in every single resource in my Logos library. This same can be done with words and phrases.

Another exciting tool in this software is the Reverse Interlinear for both Testaments – English-Greek (NT) and English-Hebrew (OT). Currently this tool is available for the ESV, KJV, NASB95, NKJV and NRSV, and will soon include the NIV and NLT. Any word on which you place your cursor in the text will take you to the Greek or Hebrew, and along with a full parsing of the word, you will be provided with lexical definitions. Anyone who has used print-based lexicons and grammars will immediately see the value of this tool.

Because every volume in the Logos 4 system is indexed, users of the program can rest assured that they have missed nothing of value, whatever text or theme they are exploring. So extensive is the integration of resources that you can place your cursor on any word in any resource that is opened and be provided with dictionary and lexical definitions of the term.

While I still prefer reading print-based books, magazines and journals, I find myself surprised (and delighted) with the awesome power of this Bible study software. Properly used, systems like Logos 4 are invaluable tools for busy preachers and teachers of God’s Word. Why not take a look at what Logos could do for your ministry?

The Essential Talmud
Adin Steinsaltz
Basic Books, 1976
ISBN: 0-465-02063-1 

Many Christians assume that modern Judaism is a religion of the Bible. For Jews, the Bible is the Tanach - what Christians call the Old Testament. And while religious Jews would claim allegiance to the Tanach, it is not a stretch to say that Talmud commands their attention. It is the primary focus of study and meditation. Here is how Adin Steinsaltz puts it:

If the Bible is the cornerstone of Judaism, then the Talmud is the central pillar, soaring up from the foundations and supporting the entire spiritual and intellectual edifice. In many ways the Talmud is the most important book in Jewish culture, the backbone of creativity and of national life. No other work has had a comparable influence on the theory and practice of Jewish life, shaping spiritual content and serving as a guide to conduct. [The Essential Talmud, p.3]

Few will dispute the remarkable achievement of Jewish people in virtually all walks life. But we might well ask how it is that a people who have been hounded and harassed throughout history can excel in so many pursuits.  Rabbi Abraham Hirsch Rabinowitz believes that much of Jewish success is related to the benefits of Talmud study.

The versatility and achievement of the Jewish mind is proverbial. There is hardly a field of human contemplation and endeavor in which Jews have failed to excel. Precocity and originality have usually marked the contribution of Jews to knowledge, as also a striking ability to improvise. Of the main factors that together created the Jewish mind, there can be little doubt that the contributon of the age-long preoccupation of the Jew with Talmud and halachah is formidable. The study of Talmud, undertaken at an early age and pursued assiduously, nurtured alertness, discernment, and acumen and cultured the ability to weigh situations and opinions. It encouraged debate and individual research, rewarded initiative, and lauded brilliance. [The Study of Talmud, Jason Aronson Inc, 1996, p.xiii]

But what is the Talmud? The Talmud is a multi-volume summary of oral law that evolved over several centuries of work by scholars who lived in Palestine and Babylonia. Jews believe that Moses received both the written law and the oral law on Mount Sinai, and that the Talmud is the codification of that oral tradition. Following the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (70 C.E.), leaders in Judaism began recognizing the importance of codifying these traditions lest they be lost to Jews who were dispersed throughout the known world. It was during those four to five centuries following the Temple’s destruction that these oral teachings were recorded, edited and assembled into what we know as the Talmud.

Anyone with even the most casual acquaintance with Jewish tradition will know that mastering the Talmud is a life-long pursuit. Only those convinced that their spiritual well-being rests upon knowing Talmud will make that commitment. And yet, Christians who desire to understand their Jewish friends and neighbours might do well to seek a basic understanding of the content of Talmud, and how these traditions guide Jews in their daily lives.

Adin Steinsaltz has provided just the volume for those looking for a basic introduction to how Jewish law functions. The Essential Talmud will give readers a fascinating look at codified oral tradition - an insider’s explanation of how religious Jews tackle the big questions of life in terms of fulfilling God’s law as they understand it. Though written more than thirty years ago, I have yet to find an introductory text that does the job as well as this one.

Steinsaltz covers his subject under three major headings: History, Structure and Content, and Method.

After answering the question, “What is Talmud?”, the author follows the long, arduous history of how the Talmud was produced. In doing so, he covers the two major centres of Torah study - Jerusalem and Babylon - showing how the Babylonian Talmud came to be the most authoritative Talmud.

The second major section of the book explores the structure of the Talmud, looking briefly at the various subjects treated within the oral tradition. The major themes covered are:

• Prayers and Benedictions
• The Sabbath
• The Festivals
• Marriage and Divorce
• The Status of Women
• Civil Law
• Criminal Law
• Sacrifices
• Dietary Laws
• Ritual Purity and Impurity
• Ethics and Halakhah
• Derekh Eretz (Deportment)
• The World of Mysticism

 For me, the third section provided the greatest insight into how the religious Jew thinks, for here Steinsaltz discusses Halakhic exegesis, methods of study, and how the Talmudic mind works. I suspect more than a few conservative Christians will find this section both fascinating and frustrating, because Talmudic thinking often runs counter to what would be considered clear biblical teaching. For example, there is in Talmud a debate among rabbis where one rabbi calls God as his witness. To our surprise, the rest of the rabbis discount any divine contribution on the basis that God, in giving Torah at Sinai, placed custody of Torah on earth - under the protection of Moses, and by extension, the rabbis. Not even The Almighty can speak against the rabbis!

Reading The Essential Talmud will not make you an expert in oral Torah, but it will provide insight into how religious Jews order their lives. It will also, I hope, encourage Christians to give greater attention to their own pursuit of mastering the living and enduring Word of God - in reading, studying, memorizing and meditating on the words of Holy Scripture.