How to Study the Apostle Paul's Letters with Logos Bible Software

Dr. John Fallahee begins his training webinar by welcoming viewers and promoting his study bundles, dissertation, and digital courses through Lagos (www.lagos.com) and his personal website. He notes that all sessions are recorded for offline review, include presenter notes as a personal Logos book, and invites participants to check the 2026 training schedule at learnlogos.com/events while submitting topic requests to [email protected] for potential free webinars. The core focus is practical training on studying Paul’s letters using Logos Bible Software.

Fallahee introduces the Personal Book feature, which serves as a centralized hub for organizing study materials. He demonstrates navigating to Acts 9:4 by typing "Acts 9:4" (without punctuation) to access the text. To build a comprehensive biography of Paul, he emphasizes using tagged data instead of generic name searches, highlighting the power of the "Paul Person" tool. Right-clicking on "Saul" (Paul’s pre-conversion name) and selecting "Paul Person" generates a complete list of all 1,445 biblical mentions of Paul—directly or indirectly—across all books, including Acts (written by Luke). This list is described as the foundational step for Paul research.

To refine the search, Fallahee shows how to narrow results by intersecting terms. Searching "Saul" (pre-conversion) yields 159 verses, while switching to "Paul" (post-conversion) focuses on later references. He demonstrates using "and equals" to link "Paul equals Saul," though cautions this limits results to only those explicitly named "Saul." He then introduces the Fact Book as a key tool, which organizes information into categories: People (e.g., Paul’s nephew, son of his sister who reported a plot to kill Paul), Places (e.g., Mars Hill, Athens), Things (e.g., the altar in Acts 16, Paul’s window escape), and Biblical Events (a timeline of significant moments like Stephen’s stoning and Paul’s conversion, with links to related books like Acts and Galatians). Fallahee stresses these tools provide a "nice timeline" and contextual insights, such as identifying conversations Paul had (e.g., with centurions, Claudius) or whom he heard from (e.g., Jesus, Ananias, Antonius Felix).

For organizing findings, he recommends creating a notebook via the Tools menu, naming it "Paul’s biography," and using it to compile notes. He demonstrates creating a new note titled "biography" (bolded/capitalized for emphasis) and adding a new page called "Paul’s Conversion" with a heading above Acts 9:1–9. He shows how to link passages to this notebook using the chain link icon, copying locations from the passage list to embed references directly into the notebook. He also illustrates 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 via the chain link. He suggests adding "additional cross references" as a labeled section within the notebook for easy organization.

Finally, Fallahee introduces the timeline tool (accessible via "Tools" > "Advanced Timeline"), where typing "Paul" generates a detailed, collapsible timeline of his life. He highlights how collapsing categories reveals specific events (e.g., "Paul’s conversion," "Paul goes to Arabia") and links to external resources like HarperCollins publications. He concludes this segment by reiterating the importance of using these tools to manage the vast amount of information on Paul, emphasizing that the personal book, fact book, and timeline are essential for building a structured, comprehensive study.

Organizing Information with Clips and Headings

Fallahee demonstrates pasting a sentence into the Bible’s search bar to find passages related to Paul’s conversion (Acts 9), divine calling, sufferings, and imprisonments. Logos organizes results by subject, grouping relevant verses (e.g., Acts 9, 22) to streamline study. The Study Assistant processes the same sentence to provide concise summaries and cross-references. A practical tip is to use concise, keyword-rich sentences (e.g., “Paul’s conversion, divine calling, sufferings, and imprisonments”) to maximize search accuracy. He also shows how to copy content from external sources (e.g., AI responses) and paste directly into Logos using the Add from Clipboard feature to extract multiple passages (e.g., Paul’s conversion and imprisonment) into a passage list.

He notes limitations: copying entire columns (e.g., headings) may not paste correctly; a workaround is to create headings first in Logos before pasting. For constructing chronologies, he suggests a search like “Construct a concise chronology of Paul’s life from his conversion through his Roman imprisonment, Acts, and the 13 Pauline epistles, identifying uncertain dates.” He references F.F. Bruce’s *Paul Apostle of the Free Spirit* (linked in Logos library) for a chronological table, though dates may vary by author.

Leveraging Books and Subject Tags in the Library

Fallahee uses the subjects column (via Logos’ library view) to filter books about Paul (e.g., “Paul, the Apostle, Saint”). He searches for “Paul, the Apostle, saint” to gather all relevant resources. He checks the table of contents of books on Paul’s life/ministry for background (e.g., Rome under foreign rule, historical Jesus) and notes that Logos tags dates in some books (e.g., *Paul Apostle of the Free Spirit*), enabling precise timeline building.

Creating Collections for Targeted Study

He demonstrates building a collection (e.g., “Apostle Paul Resources”) via the Tools > Collections menu. He adds books and resources related to Paul’s life, conversion, and journeys. To narrow results, he searches within the collection for specific terms (e.g., “conversion” + “Paul”) using prompts like “Paul near conversion” to find passages where Paul is explicitly linked to his conversion (e.g., Acts 9). He also inserts verses (e.g., Acts 9) into the collection to create a centralized study hub.

Tracing Paul’s Missionary Journeys

Using event tags in Acts 15:40–18, Fallahee generates a verse range (Acts 15–18) to identify related passages in other books (e.g., 2 Corinthians, 1 Thessalonians 3) where Paul references his travels. The Fact Book is used to search “Paul’s missionary journeys,” then expand media to access maps, images, and videos. An example is searching “Paul and map” in the media tool to find visual aids like route maps through Galatia, Phrygia. The Advanced Timeline visualizes Paul’s journeys as a connected sequence of events (e.g., his three missionary journeys).

Bible Browser for Contextual Searches

The Bible Browser (Tools > Bible Browser) links tags (e.g., “Paul” + “events” or “participants”). An example filters verses where Paul is the author or involved in specific events (e.g., his first missionary journey).

AI Prompts and Personal Books

Fallahee shows how AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) can refine search terms or analyze data, then paste results into Logos. He recommends storing AI-generated insights or curated notes in a personal book for easy access, such as adding AI responses about Paul’s churches (e.g., Aquila and Priscilla in Acts 18:2) to organize a ministry network.

This segment emphasizes Logos’ versatility in transforming scattered data into a cohesive, insightful study of Paul’s ministry. Dr. Fallahee underscores that the personal book, fact book, and timeline are essential for building a structured, comprehensive study of Paul’s life and letters.

Linking Searches for Relationships Between Paul and Individuals

Fallahee shows how to connect individuals (e.g., Aquila) with Paul’s missions by searching for “Aquila” → right-clicking → searching “Paul’s missions” → combining results to find passages where both appear. An example identifies Aquila’s connection to Paul through shared events (e.g., working together, Paul’s greetings in Romans 16). He highlights that the Factbook tool searches “Romans” → “People” to identify significant figures mentioned, expanding entries to explore details (e.g., Paul, Aquila, Priscilla).

Examining the End of Paul’s Letters

The endings of Paul’s letters (e.g., Romans 16) contain critical information about individuals, their roles, and contributions to the gospel. He uses the Factbook to search “Romans” → “People” to identify significant figures mentioned. He also stresses the importance of historical context, such as clarifying that biblical slavery (e.g., Galatians 3:28) was a social welfare system (debt repayment, family support), distinct from the transatlantic slave trade. An apologetic note clarifies that Exodus 21 slavery was a regulated system for debt repayment and family support, not the transatlantic trade.

Exploring Background Information via Factbook and Third-Party Tools

For background information, he searches “slavery” in the Factbook to access key passages (e.g., Galatians 3:28) and cultural/historical context. He suggests using third-party tools (e.g., dictionaries, commentaries) to deepen understanding. He references F.F. Bruce’s *Paul Apostle of the Free Spirit* for a chronological table, though dates may vary by author. He also uses the Topic Guide to search for “slavery” and access curated insights on cultural, historical, and theological dimensions.

He demonstrates using AI prompts to aggregate information (e.g., “structure near argument near Paul”) for tracing argument flow in Paul’s letters. The Study Assistant runs AI prompts to identify themes, cross-references, or structural patterns, which are then pasted into Logos for deeper study.

Studying Paul’s Use of the Old Testament

Using the Passage Guide, he inputs a passage (e.g., Romans 4:3) to find Old Testament quotes (marked by ▲ symbols). He links to Genesis 15:6 to confirm Abrahamic references. He also uses Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (icon in Factbook) for quick cross-reference checks. His example shows how the Intertext View explores cross-references (e.g., Pauline quotes in Romans 4). He also recommends Paul’s Old Testament Use (E. Early Ellis) for detailed analysis of Paul’s quotations.

Organizing Resources with Collections

He creates a collection (e.g., “NT Surveys and Introductions”) via Tools → Collections → New. He adds books (e.g., surveys, commentaries like *New Testament Survey* or *Lexham HD NT Introduction*) and searches within the collection for topics (e.g., “slavery”) or specific passages (e.g., Galatians 3:8).

AI and Study Assistant for Argument Structure

He suggests AI prompts like “trace structure and arguments of Paul’s letters” to aggregate insights. He also uses the Study Assistant to run prompts that identify themes, cross-references, or structural patterns, which are then pasted into Logos for deeper study. For example, a prompt like “structure near argument near Ephesians” helps analyze argument flow.

Passage Guide for Cross-References

The Passage Guide (Tools → Passage Guide) is used to input a passage (e.g., Romans 4:3) and find Old Testament quotes (e.g., Genesis 15:6 in Romans 4:3). Symbols (▲) indicate Old Testament references; clicking reveals context. He also uses the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (icon in Factbook) for quick cross-reference checks.

Practical Tips

• Check the end of Paul’s letters for interpersonal and contextual details.
• Cross-reference frequently using the Passage Guide and Parallel Passages.
• Use AI strategically to aggregate information, then drill down into specific texts with Logos’ library.
• Verify historical context (e.g., slavery in Paul’s time) to avoid anachronistic interpretations.
• Leverage Logos’ tagged resources (sermons, commentaries, dictionaries) to leverage the abundance of information on Paul’s unique role.

Dr. Fallahee emphasizes that Logos’ multi-tool approach—combining Factbook, Atlas, Passage Guide, AI, and collections—enables holistic analysis of Paul’s letters. He underscores the importance of historical accuracy, contextual understanding, and leveraging Logos’ features to move beyond isolated text study to rich, integrated insights.