Logos Bible Software
Golden Gate Seminary Discount Program

Golden Gate Baptist Seminary has arranged special discount pricing for students to purchase the Logos Bible Software at up to a 50% discount.

MDiv students and students taking Greek and Hebrew are required to use the Logos Scholar’s Library (or higher) for various courses. Certain other courses, such as Hermeneutics and Computer Tools for Biblical Research, also require the program. This software is also of indispensible value for any New Testament or Old Testament course as well as sermon preparation.

Logos Book Collections

There are 5 base collections of books of interest to seminary students and pastors: Scholar’s Library, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Portfolio. All of the books included in each collection are listed on the Logos Web site. Here is a brief overview of these collections:

• Scholar's Library ($314.98 at school discount). This set contains more than 475 reference books and Bibles worth $8,000 in print editions. Unlike most Bible software which mainly has old public domain works, many of the reference books are up to date. There are good books for studying the Bible in English as well as Greek and Hebrew.
• Silver Collection ($499.98 at school discount). This set contains 700 books worth $11,000 in print editions. It includes everything that is in the Scholars Library, plus the new American Commentary set (a good middle level set, 31 volumes), Pulpit Commentary, the old, but still useful Keil and Delitzsch Old Testament commentary (10 volumes), the complete writings of the Church Fathers (37 volumes!), Hollady's Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon (very good and up to date; easier to use then BDB), Strong's Systematic Theology and more.
• Gold Collection ($689.98 at school discount). This excellent set contains more than 875 books worth $15,000 in print editions. In addition to everything in the Silver collection, you get the New International Greek Testament Commentaries, United Bible Societies New Testament and Old Testament Handbooks, Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, Baker Dictionary of the New Bible, Encyclopedia of Christianity, New Testament Greek Textual apparatus with Metzger's Textual Commentary, Nag Hammadi Library in English (all those Gnostic books made famous by the DaVinci Code!), the Jewish Apocalypses and Pseudepigrapha, Hebrew Interlinear Bible, Works of Philo, Aligned Septuagint and Hebrew Bible, and lots more! The whole collection costs about the same as the New International Greek Testament Commentaries alone, which are some of the best available for serious Bible study.
• Platinum Collection ($844.98 at school discount). This incredible set contains more than 1,170 books worth $19,000 in print editions. In addition to everything in the Gold collection, you get some great New Testament commentaries, such as the fine Pillar and Baker commentary sets. You also get the Bauer Greek Lexicon, which is required for Greek exegesis class, and is the indispensible authority on New Testament Greek. The difference in price between the Gold and Platinum is about the same as buying this Greek Lexicon alone, so the commentaries and other books are essentially free! This set is the "sweet spot" of price and usefulness among all of the Logos collections.
• Portfolio Collection ($2145.00 at school discount). This is the biggest collection Logos sells, with more than 1,550 books worth $31,000 in print editions. In addition to everything in the Platinum edition, you get numerous other reference books, such as Lidell and Scott's authoritative unabridged classical Greek Lexicon, several additional commentary sets (although not as important as the ones in the Platinum and Gold), several excellent Bible and theological encyclopedias (including the important International Standard Bible Enclopedia), works on Jewish culture and religion, numerous theology and church history books, and much more. In addition, there are also additional ancient texts, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and the intertestamental Jewish Pseudepigrapha (in Greek!). This provides a significant discount on some of the most important books Logos has available. However, for most seminary students and pastors this is overkill and the money would be better spent on other reference books, such as the Word Biblical Commentaries.

What should you buy? Although the Scholar's Library is the minimum required for biblical courses, I generally recommend the Platinum collection. Students who plan to take Greek and Hebrew will particularly benefit from the language reference books, lexicons and Greek-based commentaries. But other students would also benefit from the many fine English Bible commentaries in the Platinum collection. If you don't plan to become a pastor, I recommend at least the Silver collection, so you have at least one basic set of English Bible commentaries.

Although you can upgrade to a larger collection later, your total cost is less if you get the largest collection you can afford from the start. The 3 year payment plan eases the pain of buying a larger collection.

Logos only will give you the 50% discount on one collection. A small academic discount is available for an upgrades to move to a larger collection (typically 10%). However, upgrades cost more than the incremental difference in the price of the collections, so you get the lowest total price if you buy the largest set you can from the beginning.

Should I Upgrade My Current Version of Logos?

If you already have an earlier version of Logos, you should seriously consider upgrading to the latest version. You can get the new version of the software for free, but if you upgrade to the new version of your collection, you will also get many new books. The version 4 collections have 100 - 200 additional books. Most of these additional books can be used either with version 3 or version 4.

Logos version 4 is radically redesigned program. There are numerous new features to make your Bible study more efficient. In general the integration of reference books and Bibles has been significantly improved. It gives you access to all of your Greek and Hebrew reference books directly from an English Bible. This allows people who know little or no Greek or Hebrew to use the best available Bible study reference books. It also is considerably faster for searching than previous versions, since every word in every book is indexed for rapid access.

This version has a considerably different appearance than most Windows and Macintosh programs. Since many commands have changed names or moved, so it requires some time to get used to. In the meantime, you can run version 3 on the same computer, until you are comfortable using the new version.

There are several ways you can upgrade to version 4 from an earlier version:

• Download the software upgrade for free. This is useful for trying out the new version. But the free upgrade lacks some important new features that are included in the upgraded collections. For example, the link between English and Greek words in the New American Standard Bible is not available unless you upgrade your collection, although a similar feature is available in the English Standard Version. Click here to download the installation program for version 4. Read the instructions here before installing the upgrade.
• Order the full upgrade of your base collection. All of the base collections have been expanded to include 100 - 200 additional books. The full upgrade costs between $120-$150 depending on the collection you have. This is the best way to get the most out of the capabilities in the new version. I would recommend upgrading to a larger collection at the same time, which can save you money in the long term. You can order an upgrade at an academic discount, which is usually less than you will be quoted on the main Logos Web site.
• Order the "minimal crossgrade". This costs less than a full upgrade ($69.95) and provides the added resources and tools needed to properly experience Logos version 4. In addition to features that allow you to get more out of your existing books, the crossgrade makes many English Bibles into reverse interlinears, so you can access the Greek and Hebrew reference books from the English Bibles. It also includes new books and databases including atlases, images collections, and more. However, the minimal crossgrade is not as complete or as good of a value as the full upgrade. Also, if you later want to upgrade to a larger collection, you will not get as large of a discount.

Computer System Requirements

Logos is available in Windows and Macintosh versions. Your license lets you run either version. Free updates are automatically made through the Internet as they are released.

The system requirements for version 4 are a bit larger than for version 3. The most important factor affecting performance is memory. Although it will run with 1 GB of memory, 2 GB or more will make the program work much more quickly. You will also need at least 12 GB of free hard disk space to store the books and indexes. Since the software is automatically updated through the Internet and you customizations are backed up to the Logos servers, Logos 4 works best with a high speed Internet connection, at least when you are downloading books and upgrades.

If you choose to download the program and books, you will need a high speed internet connection. The download takes several hours since you will be downloading from 4 - 6 GB of books. Then the program will index all of your books which can take many more hours, depending on the size of your collection. If you want a faster installation, order the installation DVD.

You can install Logos on multiple computers that you own. Your personal notes, highlighting, collections, searches and customizations synchronize automatically between computers over the Internet, even between a Windows and Macintosh computer.

You can also read and search most of your books on an Apple IPhone, iPad or Android device at no extra charge.

Ordering Logos at a Student Discount

Ordering a Base Collection

Golden Gate Seminary students can order at a 50% discount until the end of the semester. You have the following options:

• Pay in full with a credit card. Click on the Student button and choose “Seeking a Degree.”
• Spread out the payments over 3 years and pay twice a year. Your credit card will automatically be charged 1/6 of the order price twice a year at the start of each semester, even if you no longer are a Golden Gate student. Although Logos charges no interest, you will pay a $5.00 service charge with every payment. Since you will pay this service charge only 6 times over 3 years, the effective interest rate is very reasonable.† Contact Logos direct sales (800-878-4191) if the 3 year payment plan is not offered when you get ready to check out. This 6 semester payment plan is only available to Golden Gate Seminary students.
• Pay monthly for 12 months. This option is not recommended, since the $5.00 monthly service charge results in a high equivalent interest rate.†

Ordering Other Books At a Discount

You can register with Logos to order many books at academic prices on the Logos Web site. Once you have registered, you will see the Logos Academic price rather than the regular price when you order books on the Logos Web site.

To get the special academic prices when you order online, you must register with Logos as a Golden Gate student. Download this file and follow the instructions to register for online academic ordering. You need to renew your academic registration each semester.

For More Information

• Logos Academic Program (800-878-4191).
• Dr. Harry Hahne: Golden Gate Seminary Arizona campus coordinator (harryhahne@ggbts.edu). He can also answer questions for Southern California students.
• Dr. Gregg Watson: Golden Gate Seminary Mill Valley campus coordinator (greggwatson@ggbts.edu).

†All purchases are financial arrangements between Logos and the student making the purchase. Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary is not responsible for and will not receive nor process payments for Logos materials. Payments remain the sole responsibility of the student making the purchase regardless of enrollment status subsequent to the purchase. Extended payment plans may extend beyond your enrollment as a Golden Gate student, so students with less than three years remaining in their degree program may still select a 3 year payment plan.