Zondervan Bible Study Library, Scholar's Edition. 5.0.

Zondervan Bible Study Library, Scholar's Edition. 5.0 (Zondervan, $349.99). Zondervan here presents a twenty-first-century study Bible, loaded on a CD-Rom and powered by Pradis, a software designed to make the resources of this collection easily accessible. The default screen is divided into four panes containing respectively the text of the Bible (biased toward NIV, but nine English versions are provided as options, as well as the Hebrew and Greek texts); a Bible dictionary; a two volume commentary, and an analytical lexicon to the text in its original language (this pane also contains tabs that lead to Hebrew-English and Greek-English dictionaries). The panes are synchronized so that as you move from verse to verse the panes containing the commentary and the analytical lexicon move with you. In addition to Hebrew, Greek, and English Bibles, this "library" contains study Bibles, Bible commentaries (many reflecting the evangelical orientation of Zondervan or dated), biblical encyclopedias (archaeology, Bible difficulties, also a dictionary of the Christian church), reference works (all the men and women of the Bible, Christian theology and creeds, Greek beyond the basics). The CD's box boasts that these resources would total more than $3,000 in their print editions. One will not find here explanations of the latest critical insights, but in terms of getting at basic biblical information this library is hard to beat. Stripped-down editions are available from $49.99 to $199.99. Confirmation classes and church libraries might find one of these versions attractive. RWK