Hard-Copy Bibles Aren’t Just Nostalgic
“Handling a physical Bible taught me, at a subconscious level, to read Scripture as a canon, a library of books whose disparate voices could be heard as if they were speaking with and alongside one another about the same subject matter.” - C.Today
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Most of the author’s arguments in favor of paper Bibles apply equally well to higher quality electronic Bibles, once you learn to use them that way. And that’s maybe where he could have made a stronger case. To older readers/students, there are more barriers to learning to use the integration features in digital Bibles vs. the more intuitive “Wow, I read this here, and flipping the pages over to here, I see this.”
But I’m not sure the additional learning curve exists at all for most younger people.
What the author doesn’t seem aware of is how much easier it is to view and read cross references in the Logos app on my phone than it is an any physical copy of the Bible I’ve ever used. A finger tap, displays a cross reference, another tap displays the full text in overlay without ever losing the original passage from my screen. Tap and hold on any word and I get a pop up with a variety of original language information, including Hebrew and Greek text and some extracts from lexicons… and yet more cross references that can be tapped and read in less than a second.
No physical book can do that.
And that’s not even touching on the fact that I can swipe and view the current passage in as many translations as I’ve loaded in to tabs (usually I have three in English and a couple of interlinears).
Add to that, I can open a tab and search a keyword or phrase any time. Addmittedly, searching is still awkward in my phone Logos app. It seems to take too many taps, so I don’t usually want to do it during a sermon or SS lesson.
Again, tell me how that’s a return to the old ways of scrolls in cabinets? The author doesn’t seem adequately informed on his topic.
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
in the 24th century knows that reading a physical book is best!
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…to have and know how to use a physical Bible is that from the moment it’s printed, nobody can mess around with what words are there. It’s there as long as the paper and ink and binding holds together. Given the trend towards “canceling” things we don’t like, it’s nice to have a physical record that Google et al don’t have access to.
Another reason for having physical books at least part of the time is because not everything is online yet, let alone in reliable form, and it’s a good skill to be able to navigate them. Already I’m noticing that my kids are pretty much helpless using a map due to GPS apps.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
Solid article. There is definitely something lost without a physical hard copy and I don’t think we are better off for it. I think there are studies that indicate this with all books, but especially with the Bible. Try thumbing through your Logos app and scanning for highlighted portions that have encouraged your heart in past readings. Try getting a sense of where a passage falls in the whole or how close you are to the end. Studies have shown that we process information differently from a screen than we do from a page. Many college professors are forbidding computers in the classroom (and I think I would do it most likely).
I think Aaron’s benefits are great for study. They are decidedly not great for reading, IMO. I think we do damage to reading when we turn it to study. Sure it’s great to have popup references and being able to flip to versions through tabs is quick and easy. And I speak as one that has Logos open almost 24/7 on my computer. The only time it is not open is when my computer restarts and I haven’t opened it yet.
But the benefits of a hard copy are inestimable. I have a Bible that is mine that I have read for years. When I buy a new one, I buy the same version (layout) because I know where things are on the page.
In sum, IMO, I think we have lost something important with the switch to digital. And going back now wouldn’t be too soon.
During seminary, I got into Kindle readers. I tried the Kindle Fire and even the Kindle Paperwhite products. I bought several of my required reading books for seminary as ebooks. I also bought several other books for personal reading. After several years, I’ve gone back to paper.
I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ve been reading through the Greek and Roman classics. I’m currently reading through Ovid’s Metamorphoses. I’ve done all this reading using physical books, and it has definitely been a more enjoyable experience for me for many of the reasons Larry states.
That being said, if I were traveling more, I would probably bring my Kindle Paperwhite with me on the plane instead of two or three books. Also, if I spent more time camping / backpacking, I’d probably bring my Paperwhite with me. But, for reading around the house I prefer a physical book.
The same is true with reading my English translation of the Bible as well as my Greek NT. I prefer to have my Greek NT Reader’s Edition sitting on my lap while I read rather than trying to scroll down on my Logos iPhone app. Sure, Logos allows me to instantly parse Greek verbs and do a word study using BDAG, NIDNTTE, etc., but that is not generally what I’m interested in doing during my Bible reading.
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