Encyclopedia articles, written by subject authorities, provide information useful for gaining a basic understanding of a topic and getting started with a research project. Typically, a bibliography, or list, of "classic" books and articles for further research follows each article. Students will find also these encyclopedias useful for brushing up on topics related to their central area of investigation.

The Encyclopedia of Christianity.  Erwin Fahlbusch et al., eds.  Grand Rapids, MI:  William B. Eerdman's Publishing Company, 1999.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BR95.E8913 1999

The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion.  Stephan Schumacher and Gert Woerner, eds.  Michael H. Kohn et al., trans.  Boston:  Shambhala Publications, Inc., 1989.

Intended for a general audience, this single volume offers approximately 4,000 brief and accessible entries defining the basic terminology and principles of Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and Zen.  A bibliography on each of the four religions is included.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BL1005.L4813 1989

The Encyclopedia of Hasidism.  Tzvi M. Rabinowicz, ed.  Northvale, NJ:  Jason Aronson, Inc., 1996.

Provides brief entries of terms and concepts with particular emphasis given to biographical information of significant rebbes (leaders).

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BM198.E53 1996

Encyclopedia of Islam.  H.A.R. Gibb et al., eds.  Leiden:  E.J. Brill, 1960.

Comprehensive coverage of the entire Islamic world--history, politics, geography, culture, and religion.  Over forty years old, information may be dated but still useful for historic background.  Ten volumes plus index and supplements.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] DS37.E523

The Encyclopedia of Judaism.  Jacob Neusner et al., eds.  New York:  The Continuum Publishing Company, 1999.

Three volumes of topical essays by leading Judaic scholars with a general index at the end of volume 3 to help locate specific facts or subjects.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BM50.E63 1999

The Encyclopedia of Missions, Second Edition.  Henry Otis Dwight et al., eds.  New York:  Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1910.

Contains biographies of historic and contemporaneous missionaries and information about the geographic location of mission activities.

 CALL NUMBER: [Ref]BV2090.D80

The Encyclopedia of cults, sects, and new religions. Edited by James R. Lewis. Amherst, N.Y. : Prometheus Books, 2002.

The entries consist of the history, beliefs, and practices of the religion as well as entries on specific practices.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BL2525 .L49 2002 

An Encyclopedia of Religion. Maurice Canney, ed.  London:  George Routledge and Sons, Ltd., 1921.

A single volume with brief dictionary-like entries defining a variety of religious terms, concepts, and historical figures.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BL31.C3

The Encyclopedia of Religion.  Mircea Eliade, ed.  New York:  The Macmillan Publishing Company, 1987.

Sixteen volumes of interpretive, cross-disciplinary essays covering a wide range of religious concepts and topics.  Most essays include a bibliography.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BL31.E46

Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics.  James Hastings, ed.  New York:  Charles Scribner's Sons, 1917.

A sprawling 13 volume work including index that aims "at containing articles on every religious belief or custom, and on every ethical movement, every philosophical idea, [and] every moral practice."  Obviously dated, it remains, however, a classic reference work within the field.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BL31.E4

Encyclopedia of the American Religious Experience:  Studies in Traditions and Movements.  Charles H. Lippy and Peter W. Williams, eds.  New York:  Charles Scribner's Sons, 1988.

Contains lengthy essays organized by topic and theme that explore religion and religious movements in America and their broader impact on culture and society.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BL2525.E53 1988

The Hindu World:  An Encyclopedic Survey of Hinduism.  Benjamin Walker.  New York:  Frederick A. Praeger, Inc., Publishers, 1968.

A general overview of the Hindu religion in two volumes.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BL1105.W34 1968

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia.  Geoffrey W. Bromiley, ed.  Grand Rapids, MI:  William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979.

Contains entries for every person or place mentioned in the Bible as well as entries for most other theological terms and topics by authors of a variety of Christian denominations and nationalities. 

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BS440.I6 1979

The New Catholic Encyclopedia, Second Edition.  Berard L. Marthaler, ed.  Detroit : Thomson/Gale; Washington, D.C. : Catholic University of America, 2003.  15 volumes.

Recognized as the authoritative work on the Catholic Church and its history, it is also an invaluable reference source in the field of religious studies in general.  The complete original 1917 version of the encyclopedia is available online.

 CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BX841.N44 2003

The New Encyclopedia of Judaism.  Geoffrey Wigoder, ed.  New York:  New York University Press, 2002.

Hoping to be the "standard one-volume Jewish reference work," this book's 1250+ articles provide an in-depth and comprehensive survey of Judaism, with a particular emphasis on liturgical and ritualistic aspects of the religion.  Contains an annotated bibliography arranged by topic.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BM80.E63 2002

The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge.  Samuel Macauley Jackson, ed.  Grand Rapids, MI:  Baker Book House, 1951.

Based largely on the 19th century Protestant work Realencyklopadie fur protestantische Theologie und Kirche, the content is exclusively Christian with a particular emphasis on historic European and American religious figures.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BR95.S42 1951

Religions of the World:  A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices. J. Gordon Melton and Martin Bauman, eds.  Santa Barbara, CA:  ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2002.

A survey of present religions throughout the world with a special emphasis on a country-by-country analysis.  Includes current statistical data and future projections for each country.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BL80.3.R45 2002

These specialized subject dictionaries define the terminology in the discipline. See the Research Guides for sources that deal with narrower subfields within the discipline.

The Anchor Bible Dictionary.  David Noel Freedman, et al., eds.  New York:  Doubleday, 1992.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref]BS440.A54 1992

The Blackwell Dictionary of Judaica.  Dan Cohn-Sherbok.  Oxford : Blackwell Reference, 1992.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BM50.C615 1992

Dictionary of American Religious Biography.  Henry Warner Bowden.  Westport, CT:  Greenwood Press, 1977.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BL72.B68

A Dictionary of Comparative Religion.  S.G.F. Brandon, ed.  New York:  Charles Scribner's Sons, 1970.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BL31.D54 1970

Dictionary of Ethics, Theology and Society.  Paul Barry Clarke and Andrew Linzey, eds.  London and New York:  Routledge, 1996.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BJ63.D53 1996

Dictionary of Islam.  Thomas Patrick Hughes.  Clifton, NJ:  Reference Book Publishers, 1965.

Originally published in London in 1885.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BP40.H8 1965b

Dictionary of Judaism in the Biblical Period, 450 B.C.E to 600 C.E.  Jacob Neusner and William Scott Green, eds.  New York:  Macmillan Reference Library, 1996.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref]BM50.D525 1996

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible.  David Noel Freedman, et al., eds.  Grand Rapids, MI:  William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2000.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref]BS440.E44 2000

The Facts on File Dictionary of Religion.  John R. Hinnells, ed.  New York:  Facts on File, 1984.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BL31.F33 1984

Historical Dictionary of Buddhism.  Charles S. Prebish.  Metuchen, NJ:  The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1993.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BQ130.P74 1993

Historical Dictionary of Islamic Fundamentalist Movements in the Arab World, Iran, and Turkey.  Ahmad S. Moussalli.  Lanham, MD:  The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1999.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BP60.M36 1999

Historical Dictionary of Shinto.  Stuart D.B. Picken.  Lanham, MD:  The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2002.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BL2216.1.P53 2002

The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible.  George Arthur Buttrick, et al., eds.  New York:  Abingdon Press, 1962.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref]BS440.I63

The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church.  F.L. Cross and E.A. Livingstone, eds.  Oxford:  Oxford University Press, 1997

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BR95.08 1997

The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion.  R.J Zwi Werblowsky and Geoffrey Wigoder, eds.  Oxford:  Oxford University Press, 1997

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BM.O94 1997

Oxford Reference:  Religion and Philosophy. [ Online ]    

• A Dictionary of the Bible          
• The Oxford Guide to People and Places of the Bible
• A Dictionary of Buddhism
• The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church
• Oxford Dictionary of Islam
• A Concise Companion to the Jewish Religion
• The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy
• The Oxford Dictionary of Popes
• The Oxford Dictionary of Saints
• The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions

The Oxford Dictionary of Saints.  David Hugh Farmer.  Oxford:  Oxford University Press, 1982.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BR1710.F34 1982

Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament.  G. Johannes Botterweck and Helmer Ringgren, eds.  Grand Rapids, MI:  William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1974.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref]BS440.B5713

The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Ethics, revised.  James F. Childress and John MacQuarrie, eds.  Philadelphia:  The Westminster Press, 1986.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BJ1199.W47 1986

Zen Dictionary.  Ernest Wood.  Tokyo:  Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1957. 

CALL NUMBER: [Ref] BQ9259.W66 1972

Bibliographies and Indexes contain citations of important books and articles on a selected topic.  Often including brief summaries of a work's content in the form of annotations or abstracts, Bibliographies and Indexes can help direct a researcher to specific sources.

Afro-American Religious Studies:  A Comprehensive Bibliography with Locations in American Libraries.  Ethel L. Williams and Clifton L. Brown.  Metuchen, NJ:  The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1972.

A comprehensive listing of books and articles on African American religious studies, with appendices of related serials and periodicals and manuscript collections.  Particularly useful for locating historical works and primary sources from the nineteenth century through the Civil Rights era.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref Bib] BL625.2.W50 1972

Bibliography on Buddhism.  Shinsho Hanayama.  Tokyo:  The Hokuseido Press, 1961.

Entries are arranged alphabetically by author with a general subject index.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref Bib] BQ270.H360 1961

Books on Buddhism:  An Annotated Subject Guide.  Yushin Yoo.  Metuchen, NJ:  The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1976.

Containing only books written in English, this bibliography includes 1300 annotated entries arranged by subject with title and author index. 

CALL NUMBER: [Ref Bib] BQ4012.Y64

Buddhism:  A Subject Index to Periodical Articles in English, 1728-1921.  Yushin Yoo.  Metuchen, NJ:  The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1973.

Containing only articles written in English, this index includes 1200+ entries arranged by subject with title and author/subject index.  Particularly useful for locating historical sources on the topic.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref Bib] BQ270.Y60 1973

A Critical Bibliography of Religion in America.  Nelson R. Burr.  Princeton, NJ:  Princeton University Press, 1961.

Arranged chronologically and topically, these two volumes present a solid overview of the literature through 1960.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref Bib] BL2525.B8670 1961

Guide to Buddhist Religion.  Frank E. Reynolds, et al., eds.  Boston:  G.K. Hall & Co., 1981.

An extensive annotated bibliography divided into twelve subject areas:  Historical Development; Religious Thought; Authoritative Texts; Popular Beliefs and Literature; Social, Political, and Economic Aspects; Religious Practices and Rituals; Ideal Beings, Hagiography, and Biography; Mythology, Cosmology, and Basic Symbols; Sacred Places; Soteriological Experience and Process; Research Aids.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref Bib] BQ4012 .R48 

Japanese Religion and Philosophy:  A Guide to Japanese Reference and Research Materials.  Donald Holzman, et al.  Ann Arbor, MI:  University of Michigan Press, 1959.

Much of the material cited may be dated and many of the entries are in Japanese or refer to sources written in Japanese.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref Bib] BL2203.H640 1959 

Index Islamicus.  London : Mansell, 1983-.

An annual bibliography of books, articles, and reviews on Islam and the Islamic world from over 800 European language publications. 

CALL NUMBER: [Ref Bib] Z7835.M6 L6

Philosophy of Religion:  An Annotated Bibliography of Twentieth Century Writings in English.  William J. Wainwright.  New York:  Garland Publishing, 1978. 

A selective, annotated bibliography of philosophical writings on religion arranged in the following topics:  The Divine Attributes; Arguments for the Existence of God; The Problem of Evil; Mysticism and Religious Experience; Miracles; Faith and Revelation; Religious Language; The Justification of Religious Belief.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref Bib] BL51.W43

Popular Hinduism and Hindu Mythology:  An Annotated Bibliography.  Barron Holland.  Westport, CT:  Greenwood Press, 1979. 

Intended to provide a bibliography of sources on modern practices and beliefs of Hinduism.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref Bib] BL1202.H64 1979

A Reader's Guide to the Great Religions.  Charles J. Adams.  New York:  Free Press, 1977. 

Contains a series of informative bibliographic essays on world religions, including:  Primitive Religions; The Ancient World; The Religions of Mexico and of Central and South America; The Religion of China; Hinduism; Buddhism; The Sikhs; the Jainas; The Religions of Japan; Early and Classical Judaism; Medieval and Modern Judaism; Christianity; Islam.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref Bib] BL80.2.A30 1977

Religion Index One:  Periodicals.  Chicago:  American Theological Library Association, 1977-.  Earlier title:  Index to Religious Periodical Literature, 1949-1976.

A broad, annual index of religious journals and periodicals.  Each year includes thousands of entries indexed from more than five hundred publications.  Article citations are arranged primarily by a detailed Subject Index with an Author Index.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref Bib] Z7753.A5

Religion Journals [ Online ].  Religious Studies Department, University California Santa Barbara.  Available:  http://www.religion.ucsb.edu/pages/links/religjrnl.html  (Accessed 3 June 2003).

Compiled by the Religious Studies Department of University of California Santa Barbara, this webpage offers a bibliography of religious studies journals from American Jewish History to Zeitschrift für die Neutestamentliche Wissenschaft. 

Religious and Theological Abstracts.  Myerstown, PA:  Religious and Theological Abstracts, Inc., 1958-.

Contains abstracts of articles from over four hundred periodicals classified under four broad subject headings:  Biblical; Theological; Historical; Practical.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref Bib] BR1.R286

The Study of Judaism:  Bibliographical Essays.  Richard Bavier, et al.  New York: by Ktav Publishing House for Anti-defamation League of B'nai B'rith, 1972.

A series of bibliographic essays on important problems in Jewish theology.  Chapters include:  Judaism in the New Testament Times; Rabbinic Sources; Judaism on Christianity, Christianity on Judaism; Modern Jewish Thought; The Contemprorary Jewish Community; The Holocaust.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref Bib] BM70.S70 1972

Zen Buddhism:  A Bibliography of Books and Articles in English, 1892-1975.  Patricia Armstrong Vessie.  Ann Arbor, MI:  University Microfilms International, 1976.

Contains 750 entries plus a good, concise introductory essay about the history of Zen in America.

CALL NUMBER: [Ref Bib] BQ9265.4.V47 1976

Style manuals and citations guides illustrate how to cite book, journal, and other research sources, including materials found in online databases and on the Web according to the conventional format of a particular discipline. Subject-specific citation guides are listed below, and a complete listing appears at Reference Sites: Citation Guides and Style Manuals.

Chicago:  Turabian Style Guide. [ Online ] Available: http://www.lib.usm.edu/~instruct/guides/turabian.html

Modern Language Association Style Guide [ Online ]
http://www.lib.usm.edu/~instruct/guides/mla.html
 

Online! A Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources. [ Online ] Andrew Harnack and Eugene Kleppinger. http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/

Books in Schaffer Library are arranged by Library of Congress Class number. Class numbers are searchable in the Web Catalog and browseable in the Stacks and Reference Collection.

BL	Religions.  Mythology.  Rationalism
BM	Judaism
BP	Islam.  Bahaism.  Theosophy, etc.
BQ	Buddhism
BR	Christianity
BS	The Bible
BT	Doctrinal Theology
BV	Practical Theology
BX	Christian Denominations

The New Acquisitions List  (residing on the Library Catalogs page) is generated on the 10th of each month and includes items added to the library's collections for the previous calendar month.

Research Guides supplement the broader Research by Subject pages by focusing on the print and electronic resources that are most useful for a course specific research assignment. For faculty, the Research Guides provide structured access to the Library and Internet resources relevant to their own work or in advising students on their research projects. For students working independently, it serves as a reminder of services and materials offered within the library while at the same time providing a gateway for information available from remote sites.
 

Jewish Studies

Faculty using Blackboard are encouraged to incorporate links to Library resources (specifically the Research by Subject pages and the appropriate course-related Research Guides) into the Blackboard course pages. Your Departmental Liaison or Bibliographic Instruction Contacts can assist you.

Schaffer Library provides a range of general and subject specific electronic databases for access to secondary material. These databases offer full-text access to articles or library holdings information.  The following databases sometimes lead to full-text articles and sometimes are designed to tell you which journals are held here in Schaffer Library. But, some do neither. Therefore, to check whether (and where) a title is to be found in the Library's collections, it is necessary to check both of the Periodical Titles lists on our Web Catalog page. Important: If you are searching from off-campus, see the Note on Off Campus Access about Virtual Private Network accounts

In addition to the links above to subject related databases that will lead to article citations and full-text article access, you can also browse the library's comprehensive listing of Electronic Journals and/or Periodical Titles available through Aggregated Databases. Both offer basic search options including and, or, not and Title begins with, Title contains, etc. Try entering single terms such as religion, religious, islam, jewish, catholic, etc.  You can also select a subject category to browse such as Religion and Philosophy. Ask at the Reference Desk for assistance with local holdings.

Two services included in the Databases & Indexes section, JSTOR and Project Muse, offer full-text access to journals by discipline. Users can search or browse by category/subject. JSTOR - Philosophy. Project Muse includes Judaic Studies, Philosophy, and Religious Studies.

The Catholic Encyclopedia  
Available:  http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/

The online version of a venerable and authoritative reference work for religious studies.

Digital Librarian:  Religion and Philosophy
Available:  http://www.digital-librarian.com/religion.html

This webpage, compiled and maintained by Margaret Vail Anderson, a librarian in Cortland, New York, provides links to hundreds of sites related to nearly all aspects of religious studies.

Finding God in Cyberspace:  A Guide to Religious Studies Resources on the Internet
Available:  http://sim74.kenrickparish.com/contents.htm

Created by John L. Gresham, a religious scholar and librarian at Fontbonne University in St. Louis, Missouri, this site "provides a selective listing of the best Internet resources of interest to religious studies scholars and students of religion. . . . This guide is especially designed to provide both novice and advanced Internet researchers with a helpful starting point for online religious research."

Religion Religions Religious Studies
Available: http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/rel/

Information and links for study and interpretation of religions offers resources on world religions, alternative and new religions, religious experience and mysticism, modernity and religion, and the academic study of religion. Created by Dr. Gene R. Thursby, University of Florida, Department of Religion.

Religious Studies Web Guide
Available: http://www.ucalgary.ca/~lipton/

This web site focuses on free internet resources of use to researchers involved in the academic study of religion. Resources arranged by format and organized by Religious Group/Topic.

Virtual Religion Index
Available:  http://religion.rutgers.edu/vri/

This site, from the Religion Department of Rutgers University, offers a broad directory of religious topics with annotated links.

Voice of the Shuttle:  Religious Studies
Available:  http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=2730

From the English Department of the University California Santa Barbara, this site provides links to a wide range of on-line religious studies sources and materials.

Tools for tracking recently published articles.

The New York Times: Religious Studies and Vocations. [ Online ]  Available: http://college.nytimes.com/guests/directory/Arts_&_Humanities/
Religious_Studies_and_Vocations (Accessed 4 May 2004)
Provides full text access to current news articles from The New York Times "Religious Studies and Vocations" section.

Religion and Ethics Newsweekly.  [ Online ].
Available: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/ (Accessed 4 May 2004)

Based on the award-winning television program of PBS affiliate WNET of New York, this site provides weekly feature articles and daily news stories related to religion throughout the world.

Religion in the News.  [ Online ].
Available: http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/csrpl/RIN.htm (Accessed 4 May 2004)

Published three times each year since 1998 by the Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life of Trinity College in Hartford CT, current and back issues can be browsed by subject and author.

Religion Newswriters Association.  [ Online ].
Available: http://www.religionwriters.com/ (Accessed 4 May 2004)

This professional association of more than 240 journalist specializing in religious topics offers breaking news stories from around the world.  In addition, the site's "Reference Library" provides links to dozens of religious newspapers, magazines, periodicals, television and radio stations, and websites.

Worldwide Faith News.  [ Online ].
Available:http://wfn.org/(Accessed 4 May 2004)

Worldwide Faith News is a data base of full text official news releases and other documents, including policy statements, from the news offices of national and world faith groups.  The entire database from 1996 is searchable by date and keyword.

Departmental Liaison

For information on resources, services, collections, and book ordering for your department

Bibliographic Instruction Contact
For information on scheduling course related instruction session or faculty training session

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