Craig St. Clair
Verbum 8 was released to the world at the end of October, and in addition to packing Verbum with brand-new features, we also gave the various base package libraries a significant overhaul—from Starter all the way up to Portfolio.
And I was the one to build them.
Building the libraries
Building the libraries is a mix of art and science. There’s the rights and royalties side of things, but more importantly (and more fun), there’s making sure each library suits the specific needs of its owners.
That means we handpicked resources for every type of student, from entry-level lay folks who are new to biblical and theological study to experienced priests and deacons who need to craft inspiring homilies to seasoned academics who need the latest in biblical scholarship.
It’s a lot to try and juggle, but my hope is you’ve found something to further your study and relationship with God. I see it as an honor and privilege to serve you in this way and am glad I can take a few moments to share some of the great resources you’ll find in Verbum 8.
New and noteworthy resources
Below are just some of the “new and noteworthy” resources.
Liturgical Press
Verbum (and before that, Logos) has enjoyed a relationship with Liturgical Press since the late 1990s when they collaborated on the release of the Rule of Benedict Library on CD-ROM. With the release of Verbum 8, Liturgical Press is making its first appearance in our base packages.
Its content can be found throughout all of the levels:
- Faith of the Early Fathers (3 vols.), a collection of essential writings from the Church Fathers from throughout the entire Patristic era. (Starter)
- New Collegeville Bible Commentary: New Testament (Bronze)
- The New Dictionary of Catholic Social Thought (Silver)
- The New Dictionary of Theology (Gold)
- Sacra Pagina New Testament Commentary Series (18 vols.) (Platinum)
- Berit Olam: Studies in Hebrew Narrative & Poetry (15 vols.) (Diamond)
- The Aramaic Bible Series (22 vols.) (Portfolio)
New Church Fathers
Patrologia Graeca
The volumes of Jacques Paul Migne’s Patrologia Cursus Completus, Series Graeca, or Patrologia Graeca, form the largest collection ever published of the extant writings of the ante-Nicene Greek Fathers of the early Church—serving as the bedrock of theological and historical studies of the early Church.
The Verbum 8 features the first 18 volumes (20 volumes in print) of the entire 161-volume set, roughly covering the ante-Nicene Fathers (pre-fourth century, prior to the epoch-marking Council of Nicaea). These volumes include the writings of the Apostolic Fathers, the post-Apostolic Fathers, apologists, and other ante-Nicene Fathers.
These volumes are not facsimile editions of page scans; they are full-blown, full-text Verbum resources. Each volume of the Patrologia Graeca is navigable by page number or column number (the primary method of citation of the Patrologia Graeca) and linked in many Logos books.
Available in Diamond and Portfolio.
Catholic University of America’s Fathers of the Church Series
Verbum has long featured this series as a part of its libraries, but Verbum 8 features all of the recently published volumes—nine new volumes, including On Difficulties in Sacred Scripture: The Responses to Thalassios by Maximos the Confessor, Three Christological Treatises by Cyril of Alexandria, and The Hymns on Faith by Ephrem the Syrian.
New commentaries
Biblical commentaries have always been at the center of any Verbum library. In Verbum 8, there are two important ecumenical commentary series that have never been seen in Verbum libraries before: Anchor Yale Bible Commentary Series (90 vols) and the Hermeneia Commentary Series (52 vols).
Logos users have enjoyed these series for years—and now Verbum users can, too. Each is essential for academic research and will greatly enhance your everyday Bible study. The Hermeneia even includes volumes on Patristic resources like the Didache and Hippolytus of Rome’s Apostolic Tradition.
I hope you enjoy the Verbum 8 libraries I’ve created for you. Please let us know what you think in the comments!
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