Faithlife recently released the Logos version of the Thompson Chain Reference Bible library. It comes with 12 libraries that include tools from both the Thompson Chain Reference Bible and the Student Edition, and the Thompson Chain Reference Bible Handbook. They were acquired from the WordSearch library and have been linked to every resource in the Logos library. All the standard TCR tools and artwork are from the NKJV version of the TCR from 1997. In this review, I’ll look at all 12 libraries, see what they are, and see how they work.
Faithlife provided this Bible in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review, only an honest one. All opinions are my own.
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This Bible is available at Logos.com (partner)
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Table of Contents
- Marginal Notes
- Thompson Chain Reference Bible: Topical Index
- Harmonies and Illustrations
- Bible Book Outlines
- Book Introductions
- Thompson Chain Outline Study Series
- Treasure Chest
- Treasure Map
- Photo Library
- A Handbook for the Classic Chain-Reference Bible
- Archaeological Supplement
- Biblical Atlas
- Conclusion
Marginal Notes
The marginal notes are the chain references, parallel passages, and section headings found in the margins of the Thompson. All the front matter found in the Thompson is her. This includes information on how to use the TCR, how to study, etc. This also includes the Alphabetical Index. Hovering over a topic name shows the full list of references for that topic or other TCR tools such as charts, character studies, etc. Hovering over a verse shows that verse in your preferred translation. You can easily navigate to any book or chapter with the table of contents.
Clicking a topic name opens the Topical Index to that topic in another tab. I like that the resources are linked this way.
Topical Index
The Topical Index is the main index Index of the TCR. It’s also called Numerical Index. It lists all the topics according to the topic number and they include subtopics, clickable and hoverable chain references, and explanations. They also provide related topics, which are also clickable. Hovering over any of the clickable links shows the information in a popup. It also includes a table of contents that’s easy to browse.
Harmonies and Illustrations
Harmonies and Illustrations include images, outlines, and charts. The images are scans from those in the TCR. They include maps and drawn charts (usually to create trees or similar artwork). They’re not clickable. A few of them are priced together from the scans. The outlines and charts include clickable links. This section also includes the lists from the printed version such as Golden Chapters, Topical Treasury, Christian Worker’s Text, Memory Verses, Bible Marking, and lots more. These do work as expected.
The old drawings do look old. I’d like to be able to click them and zoom in to see details. You can expand them by making their window larger, such as closing the navigation pane or dragging the window to make it larger. You can also use them in your notes.
Bible Book Outlines
The Bible Book Outlines provide an outline of every biblical book and include links to all the Scripture references. They work like typical book introductions and include information about the author, date written, purpose, audience, main theme, key word, key verse, synopsis, prominent people, and the lesson of the ages. They also include information specific to the book. They’re short and simple, making them excellent for a quick overview of the book. The Table of Contents makes it easy to navigate to any book.
Book Introductions
The book introductions provide even simpler information than the book outlines. They cover the author, main point, main people, special features, date, number of chapters, and how the book got its name. Many of the points are given in a single word. They seem to be the book introductions from the kids’ version of the TCR- the Student Edtion. It isn’t just a repeat of the book outlines. It can be helpful if you just want a quick simple point. I prefer the TCR Bible Book Outlines, though.
Outline Study Series
The Outline Study Series is a series of charts on various topics. A chart shows the seven editions of the Devine Law. A historical bridge shows the history between the Old and New Testaments. A section on the Apocrypha shows what the books are and briefly discusses them. Another section discusses the history of Bible translations in English and the various manuscripts. It covers translations up to 1996.
Illustrations include the Messianic Stars and the Temple of Truth. It also includes a condensed outline of the Bible, a table about the periods of biblical history, character studies with information about the major biblical characters, an outline history of the Apostles, portraits of Christ, prophesies of Jesus and their fulfillment, and more.
This section has a lot of information that’s mostly in table or chart form. The illustrations are not clickable, but the references and topic numbers are. There are a lot of different charts and things in this resource to navigate. The table of contents really shines in this section, making it easy to navigate and find what you want.
Treasure Chest
The Treasure Chest is another list of themes from the Numerical Index. These themes seem to be a list of topics for children from the Student Edition of the TCR. It shows the topics in the table of contents. Each topic shows the name with the topic number, a list of verses, and a paragraph to describe the topic. At the end of each topic is the phrase “Start your search with the Treasure Map”. This is an instruction that links the two tools together. Unfortunately, you have to open the Treasure Map manually. The two are not linked to each other like the regular indexes are.
Treasure Map
The Treasure Map is also from the Student Edition. It’s a list of topics with a list of application questions and a list of related topics. Clicking on any of the related topics takes you to that topic within the Treasure Chest. Hovering over any of the topic numbers shows the information within a popup. Each topic provides the instruction to search for the answers within the Treasure Map. This searching is done manually since there’s nothing connecting the two.
Photo Library
The Photo Library provides lots of photos under five categories:
- Creation
- Egypt
- Israel
- Rome
- Turkey
They’re full color and can help with presentations or just seeing the locations. You can copy and paste them into your notes, notebooks, Powerpoint, etc. I wasn’t able to paste them into my sermons in the Sermon Builder, but they would paste into my sermon notebook. I probably won’t use this resource, but it can be helpful if you need these images.
A Handbook for the Classic Chain-Reference Bible
This is a companion to the TCR and was available as a separate book. This tool expands on the TCR. It provides commentary on the verses that focus on redemption. The commentary includes factual information and commentary on selected verses to show the interrelationships in Scripture. The structure makes it easy to use with other Bible lessons. It also includes lots of essays.
A section called Preservation of the Bible covers information on the early languages, the influence of archaeology, the dark ages, and important translators and versions such as Tyndale, Coverdale, etc. Information includes translations up to the New King James Version. So, ESV, CSB, and others are not covered.
It also includes a Bible dictionary. The definitions are short and include clickable Scripture references. Since it’s Logos, clicking any entry in the dictionary also opens your other Logos resources.
Archaeological Supplement
The Archaeological Supplement provides information about biblical places and archaeological artifacts. Places and artifacts are placed in alphabetical order. Many of the entries are large articles like you’d find in a Bible dictionary or encyclopedia. Overall, the information is excellent, but this includes old information, so some of it may be out of date. It links to your Logos library, so highlighting an entry opens your other Logos resources. This helps in confirming information.
Biblical Atlas
The Bible Atlas includes scanned photos of the 14 Kirkbride Bible maps and a clickable index to maps. The index divides the maps into divisions that include:
- Archaeological Sites
- Biblical Names
- Cultural Features
- Points of Interest
- Land Features
- Water Features
The maps include:
- Archaeological Sites in Palestine
- Archaeological Sites in the Bible Lands
- The Ancient World of the Patriarchs
- The Twelve Tribes of Canaan
- The Kingdoms of David and Solomon
- The Divided Kingdom—Israel and Judah
- The Assyrian Empire—The Babylonian Empire
- Palestine in the Time of Our Savior
- The City of Jerusalem in Old Testament Times
- The City of Jerusalem in New Testament Times
- Paul’s First and Second Missionary Journeys
- Paul’s Third and Fourth Missionary Journeys
- The Growth of the Christian Community, First and Second Centuries
- The Holy Land Today
The maps are typical of those found in printed study Bibles. They’re colorful and look great on the screen. The index is clickable. It will open the map that the location is found on. You’ll need to know the coordinates so you can find it once the map opens. Since the maps are images, you can use them in your notes.
Conclusion
The Logos Thompson Chain Reference Library is an excellent tool for topical study. Even though the library is a 12-volume set, the TCR tools work together really well. Clicking on a topic number, name, or Scripture reference opens the proper resource. All of the topics, places, names, etc., are linked to your Logos library, so you can easily expand on anything you want. Just about all the elements include clickable links and show the content in a popup when you hover over them.
I found the table of contents for each resource invaluable for navigation and browsing. This is especially helpful for the tools that are scans of printed material. Being able to use the images in your notes is handy.
I find it interesting that it includes tools from the standard Thompson Chain Reference Bible, the Student Edition, and the companion handbook. Most users that have only used the printed version of the standard TCR haven’t seen some of these resources. The standard TCR tools are my favorite from this library. The tools from the Student Edition are mostly helpful to those that teach children.
The Logos TCR library is easy to use and I find it invaluable for topical study. I recommend it to anyone interested in a software version of the Thompson Chain Reference Bible.
_________________________________________________________
This Bible is available at Logos.com (partner)
_________________________________________________________
Faithlife provided this Bible in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review, only an honest one. All opinions are my own.
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