Earlier this week, we released a unique little commentary on the New Testament letter of Jude, for which we gave a series title, Accordance Commentary on the New Testament. On the surface, this commentary is like most other commentaries in that it has a section covering background, authorship, and other introductory issues one would expect. And, as one would expect, it also contains exposition on the letter of Jude.
Most readers of this blog know that Jude is the shortest book in the New Testament. This particular commentary volume–written by Accordance founder, Roy Brown–exists because it is a kind of proof of concept. This little volume is different from all other commentaries in that it has been specially formatted to hyperlink to other Accordance resources. Now, often in the process of preparing a licensed title for Accordance we attempt to hyperlink to other titles in the Accordance Library. But this commentary on Jude stands apart because it was specifically written to connect to other reference works that many Accordance users might have in their Library.
For instance, in the passage shown in the screenshot below, besides hyperlinked Scripture references, if you want to find out more information on the Greek word for grace (note that both the Greek χάρις and the transliterated charis are provided), you can click on links to both the Mounce Greek Dictionary and the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (TDNT). All Accordance users will have the Mounce Dictionary in their personal libraries, and many who engage in New Testament studies will have the larger TDNT.
In this same screenshot, the subject of antinomianism is introduced. Want to find out more about this subject? Links are provided to the IVP Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms, the revised ISBE Dictionary, and even the Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary. Now, you may or may not have all three of these dictionaries in your Accordance Library, but odds are you probably have at least one of them if you’ve been using Accordance for a while.
For a limited time, the Accordance Commentary on the New Testament: Jude is available for free. On December 14, it will go to its regular price of $19.90. Whether you get it for free or if you purchase it later, we would like your opinion! Do you find this kind of commentary–with its specific purpose to connect to other Accordance resources–helpful? Would you like to see more volumes created, perhaps even completing the entire New Testament or even the whole Bible? Please give us your feedback. You can post a comment on this blog post or leave feedback in the Accordance forums. Perhaps you have suggestions for future volumes. Don’t hold back. We want to hear what you have to say about this commentary concept!