FREE · FROM HONEST APOLOGIST
Nicaea Library
A complete theological research library. Two full Bibles with the Deuterocanon, the Church Fathers, the creeds and councils, Strong’s Greek and Hebrew lexicons, and a two-year historical theology curriculum — every text public domain, every source named. No account, no subscription, no tracking.
Two ways to use it
Read it in your browser
Nothing to install. Works on any computer, tablet, or phone.
- Both Bibles, all 23 volumes of the library, the creeds, councils, and lexicons
- Jump to any verse by typing a reference, or search the whole Bible
- Search everything at once — and the full text of all 23 volumes on demand
- Bookmarks, highlights, notes and citations, all exportable
- The full eight-course curriculum, with your progress tracked
- Works offline after your first visit
Install it on Windows
The full research environment, entirely offline.
- Everything in the browser edition, bundled on your machine
- Import your own PDFs and books and search them alongside the rest
- One permanent index across documents, notes, Scripture, and readings
- Markdown notes with backlinks, research projects, verified quotations
- An optional AI assistant you run yourself — off by default
Checked and clean. This installer was scanned by more than seventy antivirus engines and flagged by none. See the full VirusTotal report →
A look inside
Screenshots from the Windows edition. Both themes ship with it.
What’s inside
Two complete Bibles
The World English Bible and the King James Version, both with the Deuterocanon — 161 books and nearly 75,000 verses, with notes, highlights and bookmarks.
The Fathers, complete
Twenty-three full volumes: the Didache, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, Eusebius, Athanasius, the Cappadocians, Chrysostom, Jerome, Ambrose, Augustine, and the Seven Ecumenical Councils.
Original languages
Strong’s Greek and Hebrew dictionaries — 14,197 entries, searchable by number, transliteration, original script, or meaning. Entirely offline.
Study tools
Flashcards, a historical theology glossary, the classic heresies with the church’s answers, the creeds, an interactive timeline and map, and an eight-course curriculum.
Your own research
Import your own PDFs and books, search every word you own at once, keep linked notes and research projects, and format citations in Chicago, MLA, APA or SBL.
Yours, offline
Everything lives in one folder on your machine. No account, no cloud, no analytics, and no internet needed once it’s installed.
Which edition has what
| In your browser | Windows app | |
|---|---|---|
| Both Bibles with the Deuterocanon | Yes | Yes |
| 23 volumes of the Fathers | Yes | Yes |
| Creeds, councils, Strong’s lexicons | Yes | Yes |
| Flashcards, glossary, timeline, maps | Yes | Yes |
| Search inside a work | Yes | Yes |
| Bookmarks, highlights and notes | Yes | Yes |
| Citations in Chicago, MLA, APA, SBL | Yes | Yes |
| Eight-course curriculum with progress | Yes | Yes |
| Search everything at once | Reference material instantly; the Bible and the 23 volumes on demand | One permanent index over everything |
| Import your own PDFs and books | No | Yes |
| Research projects and verified quotations | No | Yes |
| Optional local AI assistant | No | Yes |
| Where your work is stored | This browser (exportable) | A folder you control |
| Runs on Mac, Linux, phones | Yes | Windows only |
Installing it — and the warning you’ll see
Windows will show a blue screen the first time. That’s expected.
Nicaea Library is independent software published without a commercial code-signing certificate, which costs several hundred dollars a year. Because of that, Microsoft SmartScreen shows “Windows protected your PC” the first time you run it. That message means the file is uncommon — not that anything harmful was found in it.
To continue: click More info, then Run anyway.
Don’t take our word for it
Two independent checks you can run yourself:
- The antivirus scan. More than seventy engines scanned this exact file and none flagged it — read the VirusTotal report.
- The fingerprint. Confirm the file you downloaded is byte-for-byte the file published here. Open PowerShell and run: Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\NicaeaLibrary-Setup.exe" It must print exactly this: e4ecd3dbeba633c9d6f8e9a0d163941b8885464b085242650cde30453a66824f If it doesn’t match, delete the file and download it again.
What it does with your data
Nothing leaves your computer. There is no account, no cloud sync, and no analytics. Your notes, highlights and imported documents stay in a single folder you control. The optional AI assistant is switched off by default, and is built for free models you run yourself — there are no API keys and no per-use costs. A privacy setting blocks sending your documents to any remote service unless you deliberately turn it off.
Where the texts come from
Every bundled text is in the public domain, and each one names its translator, edition and licence inside the app: the Bibles from eBible.org; the Fathers, councils and creeds from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library; Augustine and Josephus from Project Gutenberg; and Strong’s dictionaries from OpenScriptures. The glossary, heresies, councils and timeline notes were written for this project.
Common questions
Is it really free? What’s the catch?
There isn’t one. It’s free, open source under the MIT licence, and there is nothing to buy inside it. Every text it ships is public domain, so there are no licence fees to pass on. If it helps your study you can support the project, but nothing is held back if you don’t.
Is there a Mac or Linux version?
Not yet — the installer is Windows 10 and 11 only. The browser edition at library.honestapologist.com runs on any operating system, including phones and tablets. It carries every one of the same texts and nearly all the same study tools; the comparison above says exactly what it does not do.
Do I need to be online?
The Windows app never needs the internet after installation; every text is bundled on your machine. The browser edition caches itself as you read, so pages you have already opened keep working offline.
Does it send anything anywhere?
No. There is no account, no telemetry, and no cloud sync in either edition. Your notes, highlights and imported files stay on your own device.
Why does Windows warn me about it?
Because it isn’t code-signed with a paid certificate, not because anything harmful was found. The section above explains the warning and gives you two ways to verify the file yourself.
Which translations are included?
The World English Bible and the King James Version, both with the Deuterocanon — 161 books in all. Both are public domain; the KJV remains under Crown letters patent within the United Kingdom. Modern copyrighted translations can’t be bundled with a free offline app, so they aren’t.
How do I uninstall it?
Through Windows Settings › Apps, like any other program. Your library folder is left in place so nothing you wrote is lost; delete it yourself if you want it gone.