CULTURE, COMMERCE, AND COMMUNITY IN VISALIA AND TULARE — T h e H e a r t O f T h e S o u t h V a l l e y
Tex t by C. S. Wyat t
extensive library of works related to Christianity. You can purchase collections of Bibles and reference texts or you can buy most books individually. However, I found that to match QuickVerse Deluxe would cost $500 or more through Logos. If you are interested in the “lost books” of the Bible, known as the Apocrypha, or Christian histories from the Middle Ages, then you need to consider Logos. I’m teaching a literature class this fall that includes classic English works. One nice thing about these works is that we can assume any Biblical references correspond to the King James Version of the Christian Bible (“KJV”). I advise my students to visit CrossWire Bible Society to download free Bible reference software (www.crosswire.org). I use CrossWire’s Eloquent application on my MacBook Pro and have found it to be powerful, though not user-friendly (www. macsword.com). I understand when students tell me that couldn’t figure out how to accomplish simple searches, even after reading the online help. Still, free is a good price and the software is improving with each release. I do have to remind students that free Bibles and texts are limited to those outof-copyright or released freely by specific churches. For a literature class, this isn’t a serious concern because the KJV is so dominant in literature. For Jewish texts, the best database is Torah Educational Software’s DVD-ROM of the Bar-Ilan University Judaic Library. This database includes every major rabbinical commentary in the university’s library, making it a powerful tool for anyone curious about Jewish history and tradition. You should also purchase “The Complete Tanach” from TES to study the traditional canon of Hebrew scripture. Digital database versions of the Islamic texts and scriptures are also available. The Zekr Project (http://zekr.org) currently offers several translations of the Quran for various computer platforms. Islam traditionally honors the actions
and sayings of the prophet Mohammed as sacred guidance, so you need to research the Hadith and Tafseer in addition to the Quran to understand some literary references to Islamic traditions. Thanks to religious reference software, you can carry a virtual library of the great theological works on your laptop computer. While the best software applications are not cheap, they provide hundreds or even thousands of works for a fraction of the price you’d pay for the printed books. CrossWire Bible Society (www.crosswire.org): CrossWire links to several free, but often difficult to use, applications that use the SWORD project open-source Bible format. There are CrossWire applications for all major computer platforms and most mobile devices. The applications work well once you master them. QuickVerse (www.quickverse.com): The most popular and easiest to use Christian Bible reference software. For $200 to $350 QuickVerse Deluxe Gold includes searchable versions of most popular Christian Bibles and reference works. Logos Bible Software (www.logos.com): The most expensive, and the most extensive digital Christian library available; expect to spend $1,700 or more for the “Scholar’s Library” edition of Logos. The Dead Sea Scrolls, major Apologetics and all known Apocrypha are included in the complete reference library. Torah Educational Software (www.jewishsoftware.com): The largest reference database of Jewish works, Bar- Ilan University’s Judaic Library is approximately $700. Only some works include English translations. Zekr Project (http://zekr.org/): Free versions of the Quran for most computer platforms, with plans for the Tafseer and Hadith to be added at a later date.
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