The Lie of Accordance vs The Logos of God
OK.
I have a theory.
Wait… that’s not good enough. Let’s call it a prophetic telling of things as they actually are: You can tell a real Christian scholar by what Bible software they are using.
How so? Let me explain.
The most popular Bible software for Mac computers is a program called Accordance. The most popular Bible software for PC users is Logos. There are many seemingly good persons and scholars that use one program or the other. But which one is superior? Which one is “right”? Or should we dare even say “biblical”?
Ultimately, there is only one way to distinguish.
Commonly, it is understood that the fruit on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was an apple; Mac computers are produced by a company named Apple. The logic is fairly linear from here: Apple computers promise you the knowledge of good and evil using Accordance software. However, this is a false promise from the deceiver: you cannot be like God using your Accordance software no matter what they promise you! A God’s eye view and epistemic certainty are a lie and false promise. This false promise–nay intentional lie– only leads to sin, pain, and disappointment.
Good (Christian) scholars and pastors recognize the good and evil of Accordance and instead choose a program that, while on the one hand, recognizes the awesomeness of God (He is greater than us and we cannot fully grasp him through a mere “program”), on the other hand–through God given hokmah–allows them a deeper understanding of his actions in history, what it means to be his people, and very importantly, how the text functioned in its original context.
This program allows (Good) scholars to keep the words that have been commanded to them in their hearts. They recite them to their children, and talk about them when they are at home and when they are away, when they lie down and when they rise. They bind them as a sign on their mouse, and fix them as an emblem on their desktop, and write them on the blog posts of their site, and on their banners and sidebars.
Not convinced yet? OK. How about John 1:1, “ Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν“?
SBV: “In the beginning was Logos, and Logos was towards God.”
Hmmmm? Top that Accordance! Fruit of the devil trying to be like God, but not focused towards him like Logos!
So if you want to be a good (Christian) scholar–CLEARLY–there is only one Bible software that you can use if you want your name to be counted among those in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
(Logos Lamb’s Book of Life on Pre-Pub for $189.99 US or $219.99 Canadian)
[If you’re a Mac idolater then chin up mate because Libronix is currently working on a Mac version of Logos, so there is still hope for you yet!]
scotteriology.wordpress.com 
So, PC users are the holy Israelites to whom the Logos first came and Mac users are the filthy heathen Gentiles?
What about us Christian scholars who think that the use of the Bible in theological work is simply overrated and just use whatever free tools are readily at hand – eSword anyone?
Or those of us who use Bibleworks?
E-sword actually has some fairly decent resources for a free program. You can get your hands on a Greek NT, a HB in Hebrew, and a LXX. You can also compare these resources side by each. All in all, prety good for free. I even have a Babylonian Talmud for my E-sword program! And it’s searchable.
Bibleworks is a great tool for language work.
I need an analogy: both of these programs will keep you in the group of Jesus’ followers, but to be part of the 12, or maybe even the 3, one needs Logos.
To be a scribe or Pharisee you, of course, use a Mac with Accordance!
Logos. Accordance. Feh.
I wanna know when the SBV will be in print! I know it has everything I need to be Mary in a Martha world!
“What about us Christian scholars who think that the use of the Bible in theological work is simply overrated and just use whatever free tools are readily at hand – eSword anyone?”
“Or those of us who use Bibleworks?”
Worshippers of the Golden Calf
“So, PC users are the holy Israelites to whom the Logos first came and Mac users are the filthy heathen Gentiles?”
Accordance users are like the Philistines who at one point had better technology–iron–and were able to defeat the Israelites–God’s people–because they only had bronze.
However, the Logos users now have iron, and by the hand of their mighty God YHWH they have defeated the Philistines and driven them from the face of the electronic land.
selah
Logos, huh?
Is that what helped you with your translation of Jn 1:1?
“towards”? What is that?
Ben,
A) This post is a joke
B) The Greek word you read in your KJV as “with” in John 1:1 is the Greek word ‘pros’, and another meaning for it is ‘toward’, in fact, in my Greek grammar we learned pros as “to, toward, with.”
C) So I was making a joke that Logos leads you ‘pros’ towards God
D) You missed the point
Yea! Your all msised teh piont.
[Agathos: Fire off one quick rebuttal on the way out of the door and make one little typo, and boom goes the dynamite all over my spelling]
1) I realise it’s a joke, Scott. And I’m not saying it’s not funny. I was just making a comment about your translation of πρὸς.
2) I don’t ever want someone to think that the Greek says something different from ‘with’, which is what it says. ‘To, toward’ is a gloss, which is usually right, but it’s context dependent.
3) I don’t read the KJV.
4) I get the joke, mate.
Son of the right hand,
I have great epistemic certainty that my influence in the theological and translation world is fairly negligent and NO ONE is frantically re-writing their Bibles or commentaries to include my “translation”.
“I don’t ever want someone to think that the Greek says something different from ‘with’, which is what it says. ‘To, toward’ is a gloss, which is usually right, but it’s context dependent.
Yes, you are correct. I have committed the “illegitimate totality transfer fallacy” where one assumes a word carries all of its senses in any one passage. So, as I’m translating Romans right now when I come to 4:2 and the pros theov (how’s that for some lazy Greek representation?) I do not use “with God” as I would in John 1:1… though now that I look at it again it does sort of work “reason to boast, but not with God.” So good bad example. You get my point I think.
However, I would argue if you ‘got’ the joke a correction of my error and fallacy would not be needed. If someone does come here and they don’t perceive the nature of my jest, and take my translation literally, and suddenly worry that the Logos was towards God and not with God, and thereby their faith is shattered… well then I would have to humbly repent, but I’m willing to guess that sort of person is not going to get very far before their faith is shattered somewhere else.
Lastly: are you an Accordance user? 😉
Fair enough, Scott.
And regarding Accordance, how did you know?! 🙂
Waitaminit…
Scott, are you saying God doesn’t use Logos to translate the Bible?! Y’all’re gettin kinda heavy on the theobabble, but is this what I’m to believe?
(picking up the peices of my shattered faith)
(and still wondering when the SBV goes to print)