Practical Steps for Studying Paul's Letters with Logos
Dr. John Fallahee's webinar offers practical methods for studying the Apostle Paul's letters using Logos Bible Software. Rather than treating Paul's letters as isolated texts, Fallahee encourages users to build a comprehensive biography by connecting events, people, and themes across Scripture. He begins by demonstrating how to search for Paul's life using Logos' search tools. By typing 'Acts 9:4' (without punctuation) into the search bar, users can navigate to the text of Saul's conversion. Fallahee emphasizes using the 'Paul Person' tool instead of generic name searches, as right-clicking on 'Saul' and selecting 'Paul Person' generates a list of 1,445 verses containing direct or indirect references to Paul—far more comprehensive than a simple name search.
To refine these results, Fallahee shows how to intersect search terms. For example, searching 'Saul' yields 159 verses focused on his pre-conversion life, while switching to 'Paul' narrows results to his post-conversion ministry. He cautions that using 'Paul equals Saul' limits results to only those passages explicitly naming him as 'Saul,' so users should balance specificity with breadth when exploring his story. These search techniques help users discover conversations Paul had with figures like centurions, Claudius, or the Philippian jailer, and understand whom he learned from, such as Jesus or Ananias.
Fallahee then introduces the 'Fact Book' as a central hub for organizing information. This tool categorizes data into four key areas: People (showing relationships like Paul’s nephew or sister’s son), Places (listing locations like Mars Hill or Athens), Things (highlighting events like Eutychus’ death), and Biblical Events (creating a timeline of key moments). These features allow users to build a structured biography by linking events, people, and themes. He stresses that such tools provide contextual insights that go beyond surface-level reading.
For organizing findings, he recommends creating a 'notebook' via the 'Tools' menu, naming it 'Paul’s biography.' Within this notebook, users can create pages like 'Paul’s Conversion' with a heading above Acts 9:1–9. Fallahee demonstrates using the 'chain link' icon to embed passage references directly into the notebook, enabling easy cross-referencing. He also suggests creating a 'clippings document'—named 'Paul’s biography' or 'c for clippings'—to save key insights from commentaries or study bibles. By selecting text, copying its location, and pasting it into the notebook, users can build a hub for organizing insights and cross-references.
Finally, Fallahee introduces the 'timeline tool' (found under 'Tools' > 'Advanced Timeline'), where typing 'Paul' generates a collapsible timeline of his life. Collapsing categories reveals specific events like 'Paul’s conversion' or 'Paul goes to Arabia,' with links to external resources like HarperCollins publications. These tools collectively help users manage the vast information on Paul and build a structured, insightful study. The webinar encourages viewers to explore these features to deepen their understanding of Paul’s letters and their historical and theological context.