The Library 6 CD-ROM is the core Accordance collection for English Bible studies, offering the widest selection of Accordance-compatible Bible texts, commentaries, and other tools. For the best value, choose one of the three prepackaged levels, each of which offers you a choice of unlockable Bible(s), one or more Bible texts with Strong's numbers, the unique Accordance parallel databases, and a broad collection of classic commentaries, dictionaries, and study aids. The Premier Level includes all the contents of the Standard level with your choice of three modern $30 Bibles, plus the Greek Textus Receptus with Strong's, New Living Translation, Ryrie's Study Bible, Calvin's complete commentaries, Word Pictures, historical and theological writings, and much more.

Since its release in 1994, Accordance has had its enthusiastic followers. Now the software, developed and distributed by Oak Tree Software (www.OakSoft.com), is available also for the PC user through the inexpensive Macintosh Emulator device. The Scholar’s Collection CD-ROM offers a selection of Greek and Hebrew texts as well as scholarly reference works and translations. The unlock system makes it possible for each user to add specific tools of his or her choice. Critical for the serious Bible student is access to grammatically tagged Greek and Hebrew texts. The Accordance leads the way in making available tagged texts of the Mishnah, the Pseudepigrapha, the Targums, Inscriptions, Dead Sea Scrolls, Josephus, and the Apostolic Fathers. Other specialized research tools include the MT/LXX Parallel and the Qumran Index, as well as many lexicons (see further below).

At least at present, Accordance is designed only to run on the Macintosh operating system. PC users, however, may acquire the Basilisk II software program that emulates a Mac environment for Windows. Once installed, one becomes immersed in the Mac OS world and will discover a virtual exegetical goldmine in form of the Accordance program. Those not accustomed to the Mac OS, however, may want to take some time to acquaint themselves with the program in order to get the most out of their research. Once they gain proficiency in navigating through both the Mac environment and Accordance, they will discover their overall user-friendliness.

The main utility of the Accordance program is that it enables the serious Bible student to conduct detailed searches in a variety of Greek, Hebrew, and English texts. Amid the basic drop-down menus and floating dialogue boxes the search entry box allows the user to search verses, words, phrases, and even grammatical constructions with ease and accuracy. Advanced syntactical studies are made possible by Accordance’s graphical searches. The Greek construct window, for example, furnishes several lexical elements that can be connected by an arch that delimits items such as agreement or disagreement between words separated in the text. Thus, one could search for the anarthrous aorist infinitive followed by a dative or accusative within five words.

As mentioned, the distinguishing aspect of the Accordance program is most apparent in the massive databases of primary texts (if unlocked). It includes the fully tagged Hebrew Bible, Greek NT (in the case of the Gospels, also the GNT text-critical apparatus), LXX, and all the major English translations. More significantly, it also includes the fully tagged Dead Sea Scrolls (as well as the Qumran Index), Apostolic Fathers, Josephus, Targums, the Mishnah, the Samaritan Pentateuch, Hebrew Inscriptions, and the Greek OT Pseudepigrapha. In addition, the Apocryphal Gospels will be available in the near future. These primary texts are searchable in their original languages, and in most cases also in English translation. Thus scholars may conduct first-rate, cutting-edge research in a highly accessible format. Those interested in the use of the OT in the NT now have the tools at their disposal to investigate rather quickly how a given OT passage was interpreted during the Second temple period.

Another distinctive feature of Accordance relates to the abundant reference and analytical modules available. Accordance contains a number of lexical resources such as BDB, HALOT, Liddell & Scott, Thayer, TNDT, Louw and Nida, BDAG, and Wallace’s Greek grammar (in the case of grammatically tagged texts, but not in the reference and analytical lexicon modules, the full parsing is revealed by moving the cursor over a given word). One also finds parallel MT/LXX databases, Synoptic parallels in Greek or English, and perhaps most notable of all, the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae, the most extensive collection of ancient Greek texts from about 800 BC to the present. However, the TLG must be purchased separately and then imported into Accordance. Aside from these lexical tools, Accordance also references a variety of OT and NT commentaries, including the Anchor Bible Dictionary, The Essential IVP Reference Collection (including such volumes as the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels), and the Theological Journal Library. Finally, one can make use of a number of maps, charts, and statistical details on word usage.

Hours of laborious study are now reduced to a fraction of the time it would have previously taken to conduct them owing to the arsenal of texts and tools available through this technological marvel. A network of searches, cross-references, comparatives studies, semantic field analyses, and syntactical data maximizes one’s time and energy. All research may be saved, printed, and exported into a word processing program. Simply by pressing Alt-Tab one can switch back and forth between the Mac OS and another program such as MS Word. Those who primarily use a Windows-based word processor can easily incorporate the results of the Accordance research. However, the Basilisk II emulation program does place a strain on one’s system resources, so that it is best not to have too many programs running at once.

As any other program, Accordance 6.4 requires frequent and consistent use before the user is fully able to enjoy all of its many functions. Depending on their computer savvy, it may take some longer than others to learn how to use this program. Although Accordance is user-friendly overall, the abundance of options and features may prove overwhelming to some. The User Guide provides step-by-step instructions for operating the software, but this also demands time and patience for the user if he or she is to derive maximum benefit. Accordance is primarily marketed for scholars and pastors, though the software is also marketed to lay users in form of a different Library series with English-only works, whose cost is significantly less than for the Scholar’s CD. The program does require a certain measure of familiarity with using software; those not committed to serious and intensive study may want to find a less sophisticated program.

Such a high-powered program translates into a high-cost purchase. In order to have access to most of the distinctive modules that makes this program so amazing, one must be willing to spend close to fifteen hundred dollars. Although the “Core Bundle” costs about two hundred dollars, this only contains very basic Bible databases (a little less than BibleWorks). Therefore, most individuals may have to start with the “Core Bundle” and gradually add more modules as their finances allow. This said, Accordance stands head and shoulders above their competitors as the most comprehensive and versatile Bible program on the market. All those dedicated to world-class biblical studies will benefit greatly from the resources offered by this program.

Accordance® 6.0 Bible Software CD-Rom Library 6 and Accordance® 6.0 Bible Software CD-Rom Scholar’s Collection 6. OakTree Software, Inc. 498 Palm Springs Drive, Suite 100, Altamonte Springs, FL 32701, 2003. http://www.OakSoft.com. (877) 339-5855. Introductory Level, $69. Standard Level, $169. Premier Level, $269. Scholars Collection, $49 for Accordance module program and CD ROM+ grammatically tagged NA27 Greek New Testament, $50; BHS Hebrew Old Testament with Westminster Morphology, $60; grammatically tagged Greek LXX (Rahlfs) revised, $80; Apostolic Fathers, $100; Greek Pseudepigrapha, Vol. 1, $100; Qumran Sectarian Manuscripts, $80; Hebrew Inscriptions, $50; Kaufman Mishna, $100; Targums, $100. Other modules $20-$399. Macintosh format.

There are three areas to consider in choosing an electronic search program for biblical studies: the search capabilities of the program, ease of use, and the texts and tools that are available for the program. Several programs all claim to be the best. Compared with other programs, Accordance 6.0, the latest version of Accordance, ranks at the top in the first two areas and is becoming stronger and more competitive in the third.

Electronic searches have effectively made my old concordances obsolete. Extremely complex searches involving combination of words, phrases, or grammatical constructions that previously might have taken hours, days, or even months can now be done in seconds. There are four programs that are capable of the most advanced searches: Accordance 6.0 on the Macintosh platform, and BibleWorks 6, Logos Series X, and Gramcord, on the PC platform. While Accordance has been the leader in advanced search capabilities, the other three have been catching up.

Where Accordance still has the advantage is in ease of use. I have been working with Accordance for a number of years and have found it easy to learn and intuitive to use. At a recent convention where all of these programs were demonstrated, I examined BibleWorks and Logos for some advanced grammatical searches in the Greek text. While they were capable of such searches, compared to Accordance, they seemed clumsy and more complicated to use. They required memorizing or looking up more codes or key strokes and therefore took more time to set up the search.

Most of the new features in Accordance 6.0 are designed to make it still easier to use. The feature that I have found most helpful is the creation of a workspace with access to open windows through clearly visible tabs at the top of the screen. Instead of switching from one window to another through the pop-up menu at the top, you can simple click on the tab. I usually have several windows open at the same time—the main passage that I am studying, a window with search results, another window for quickly looking up verses, and a Greek or Hebrew lexicon. It is now easier and faster to switch from one to another by using the tabs. Other command buttons have also been streamlined to simplify use.

There are some reference tools that are extremely helpful to have on the computer to enhance Bible study, and there are some works that are not as helpful. The texts and reference tools available for Accordance are more selective than what is available for BibleWorks or Logos, but include most of the works that are needed. Logos advertises that with its Libronix format there are over 3000 works available. BibleWorks includes many different translations and books in its package. The numbers, however, are not that meaningful. The average person will not use most of these books or translations. The numbers are inflated with older authors whose works are available as shareware. More significant is the fact that I do not want to read most books on my computer. I don't want to read ten pages of any work on the computer; I would much rather have the book. On the other hand, reference works are much easier and faster to use on the computer. Lexicons can be instantaneously consulted with a click rather than the cumbersome and time consuming process of looking up each word. The study of the text often requires specific information on background or other pieces of information found in Bible dictionaries, encyclopedias, and atlases. The instant access to this material on a computer and the ability to switch from one tool to another saves a great deal of time.

There are two kinds of original texts or translations available electronically: those that are tagged and those which are not tagged. For the English Bible, Accordance has tagged texts for the King James Version and the New American Standard and the New International Version. Each word is keyed to the Strong's number system so that the English reader can search the text according to the original Greek or Hebrew word. Specialized language tools, such as lexicons and theological dictionaries, can also be opened to the Hebrew or Greek word, even if you do not know the original languages or their alphabets. All of the competing programs have tagged texts of the Greek New Testament, the LXX (the Greek Old Testament), and the Hebrew Old Testament. Accordance also has tagged Greek texts of the Apostolic Fathers and half of the Pseudepigrapha. These are very helpful to the student of the New Testament in understanding the usage and grammar of Greek. With one command you can search the New Testament, the LXX, the Apostolic Fathers, and the Pseudepigrapha, just by changing the text to be searched. Tagged texts of the Apostolic Fathers and the Pseudepigrapha are exclusive for Accordance. For the Hebrew student, original language texts of the Qumran sectarian manuscripts, Hebrew inscriptions, the Targums (early Aramaic translations of the Hebrew Bible), and the Mishna are also available. English translations are available for all of these except the Targums.

The first reference tools that one would like for the computer in addition to the original texts would be lexicons and theological dictionaries. The standard lexicons are all available for Accordance as well as for BibleWorks and Logos X: BGAD (the standard lexicon for the New Testament), LEH (the only full lexicon for the LXX), the intermediate Liddell and Scott (classical Greek), HALOT (the standard lexicon for the Old Testament). New Testament theological dictionaries include Colin Brown's NIDNTT, Spicq's Theological Lexicon of the New Testament, and the abridged TDNT (little Kittel). Accordance does not have the complete Liddell and Scott or the complete Kittel, which are available on the other programs. For the Old Testament, Accordance has Van Gemeren's NIDOTTE, the TWOT edited by Harris, Archer, and Walke, and the Jenni-Westerrmann Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament. These essential OT reference works are available for the different programs. None of them have the Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, which is now up to thirteen volumes and growing. An important advantage for Accordance over its competitors is that all of these tools do not work as extra add-ons, but are fully compatible with and integrated into the main program.

A second category of reference tools includes advanced and intermediate grammars. These have not been put in electronic format as quickly as some other works. Accordance has Wallace's Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, but does not have Waltke and O'Connor's Biblical Hebrew Syntax. This Hebrew grammar occupies first place on my wish list of new works I would like to see available for Accordance. I understand that it should be released later this year.

A third type of tool that is especially helpful to have on the computer includes Bible dictionaries and Bible encyclopedias. They contain a wealth of information that relate to almost every area of Bible study. Some involve one volume works with brief articles. Others are multivolume works of thousands of pages. They are bulky volumes which I have shelved on the other side of my office. On the computer I can click from the biblical text to the Bible dictionary and can quickly switch from one dictionary to another in order to compare the discussions. There are several standard works available: the New Bible Dictionary, Eerdman's Bible Dictionary, the Anchor Bible Dictionary, the original ISBE, and a series of major works in The Essential IVP Reference Collection.

There are two other reference works which are unique to Accordance and which are helpful for personal Bible study. One is the Accordance Bible Atlas, which allows you to click on a place name in the biblical text and open a map with that place highlighted. A new tool is the Accordance Bible Timeline. Highlighting a person's name and clicking on the timeline opens a graphic presentation of the people and events of that period. Both of these items have been produced by Oak Tree Software.

A fifth type of work that is available in electronic form includes biblical commentaries. Logos X is built on the Libronix format in which thousands of books are available, including many commentaries. If I were a missionary or traveled a lot and wanted to take my library with me, I would find this very convenient. But I only use a commentary on my computer if I want to consult it for a particular point in a particular verse. I do not like to read extended sections of a commentary on the computer. I much prefer the book itself.

Comparing costs of the different competing programs can be difficult because all have introductory packages which are relatively inexpensive and additional add-ons which can become very expensive. You have to decide on the different texts, tools, and features you want in order to compare. For the English reader, the Standard level of Accordance Library 6 includes the NAS95 with Strong's numbers along with a number of English Bibles, reference works, and tools for $169. The Scholar's Collection 6 has a core bundle which includes the Greek New Testament, NA27, the Hebrew Old Testament, BHS, along with two Greek lexicons and one Hebrew lexicon for $199. BibleWorks 6 sells for $299. Logos Series X has an Original Languages Library which includes original tagged texts along with many tools and costs $499. Their Scholar's Library costs $699.