Subject Research Guides   University of West Florida Libraries

Religion

Reference Guides & Bibliographies Indexes & Abstracts Dictionaries Concordances Biographical Sources Handbooks Commentaries

Directories & Yearbooks Encyclopedias Atlases Journals Sacred Texts Online Internet Sites

 

Reference Guides & Bibliographies

Bibliography of Religion in the South. 1985. (Ref. BR 535 L5)

This source describes the secondary literature about religion in the South. Although the entries are not annotated, this work does provide a scholarly historical overview of Southern religious themes, including revivalism, religious art, and religion and education.

High Places in Cyberspace: A Guide to Biblical and Religious Studies, Classics, and Archaeological Resources on the Internet. 1998. (Ref CC 82.9 D87 1998)

The Humanities: A Selective Guide to Information Sources. 2000. (AZ 221 B53 2000)

This guide includes sections on the major divisions of the field, computers in religion, organizations, centers and special collections, as well as scholarly annotations of reference works in religion.

Library Research Guide to Religion and Theology: Illustrated Search Strategy and Sources. 1984. (Ref. BL 41 K45 1984)

A guide designed to help students choose and research topics in religion and theology. Includes a bibliography.

New Religious Movements in the United States and Canada: A Critical Assessment and Annotated Bibliography. 1985. (Ref. BL 2525 C43 1985)

An annotated bibliography(including personal accounts) covering new religious movements, the occult, and metaphysics. Includes chapters on the sociological and anthropological foundations of new religious movements, as well as psychological and psychiatric studies.

Religion and Theology: A Guide to Current Reference Resources. 1997. (Ref. BL 48 M35 1997)

An annotated bibliography of reference works in religion and theology, with an emphasis on Christianity and Judaism. Divided into general and subject-specific resources, this source also includes a list of relevant periodicals.

Religious Freedom: Rights and Liberties Under the Law. 2002. (Ref. KF 4783 U76)

This book provides a thorough background on the origin, development, and current controversies surrounding the freedom to worship.

Religious Studies Review. 1978- (Per. Z 7751 R38)

A quarterly review of publications in religion and related disciplines. Includes an annual index.

Research Guide to Religious Studies. 1982. (Ref. BL 41 W5 1982)

A scholarly guide to resources on religions of the world. Divided into two parts: The first includes a history of religious studies, a description of methodology, and a review of religious traditions in the West. The second part contains an annotated list of reference works.

Theology Digest. 1974- (Per. BX 801 T48)

Provides "condensations of recent significant articles selected from over 400 of the world's theological journals." Includes annotated book reviews.

Indexes & Abstracts

ATLA Religion. 1949- (Cambridge)

A scholarly, comprehensive database covering research in the fields of religion and theology. International in scope, the file indexes journal articles, book reviews, and over 13,000 multi-volume works from ATLA's print indexes: Religion Index One, Religion Index Two, and Index to Book Reviews in Religion.

Francis (International Humanities and Social Science). 1984- (Eureka)

International multidisciplinary database with emphasis on the Humanities. Strong coverage of religion, art history and literature.

Humanities Abstracts. 1984- (FirstSearch)

A comprehensive, scholarly database covering the diverse subject areas (religion, art, literature, history etc.) of the Humanities.

Religion-Online on the Internet
http://www.religion-online.org/

Indexes over 700 full text scholarly articles and book chapters on religion and theology. Christian tradition is emphasized. Can browse by title, author or category, as well as with Boolean operators (AND,OR,NOT).

Dictionaries

Bible Study Tools on the Internet
http://bible.crosswalk.com/Dictionaries/

Provides online access to five bible dictionaries including Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Hitchcock's Bible names Dictionary and Smith's Bible Dictionary.

Glossary of Islamic Terms and Concepts on the Internet
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/reference/glossary.html

Harper's Bible Dictionary.1985. (Ref.BS 440 .H2371 1985) & Emerald Coast Library

Written for non-specialists, this source emphasizes new knowledge and discoveries in biblical history and theology. See also the Dictionary of Bible and Religion (Ref. BR 95 .D46 1986). For a dictionary of the New Testament, see the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Ref. PA 881 .M45). For personal names, see the Dictionary of Bible Personal Names (Ref. BS570 .R6). For an online biblical lexicon see http://Bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/

Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. (Ref. BL 31. O84 1997)

Provides a brief overview of the concepts, people and religious texts of the world's religions. Includes bibliographies at end of major entries.

Concordances

Bible Study Tools on the Internet
http://Bible.crosswalk.com/Concordances/

This website allows access to three concordances including Strong's Exhaustive Concordance.

Concordance of the Qur'an. 1983. (Ref. BP 133 .K37 1983)

Designed for non-Arabic speaking users, this English translation of the Qur'an uses the "semantic structures of Arabic vocabulary itself to reveal the meaning" of words, phrases or concepts.

The Eerdmans Analytical Concordance to the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. 1988. (Ref. BS 425 .W48 1988)

Designed primarily for the layman, this source indexes the old Testament, the New Testament, and the Apocrypha of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and Latin indexes are provided.

Strong's Comprehensive Concordance of the Bible ... 1986. (Ref. BS 425 .S8 1986) & Emerald Coast Library

Considered a standard biblical reference tool, Strong's Concordance indexes both the authorized and revised English Versions of the Bible as well as every word of the text of the King James Version. Includes brief dictionaries of the Hebrew and Greek words of the original Bible.

Biographical Sources

Biographical Dictionary of American Cult and Sect Leaders.1986. (Ref.BL 2525 .M448 1986)

This source provides 213 biographical sketches on the founders and leaders of various minority religions and spiritual movements. Includes bibliography of related works.

Biography and Genealogy Master Index. (GaleNet)

A multidisciplinary database indexing approximately 12 million biographical sketches. Provides citations to reference works where information can be found.

Biography Index. 1984- (FirstSearch)

This database provides citations to biographical resources. Updated monthly, the file includes books, journals, correspondence, interviews and pictorial works.

Biography Resource Center. (GaleNet)

Book of Enlightened Masters: Western Teachers in Eastern Traditions. 1997. (BL 1032 .R38 1997)

This source provides short-to-medium length biographies of seminal teachers, East and West who have had an impact on establishing Eastern religious traditions in the West. Includes 200 year timeline of religious traditions, charts of lineages, and bibliography.

Dictionary of American Religious Biography. 1993. (Ref. BL 72 .B68)

This source provides biographical sketches of 550 persons from "all denominations that played a significant role" in American history. Bibliographies, citing works both by and about a person, accompany the articles. Also includes a subject index and listing of individuals by denomination and birthplace.

Dictionary of Christian Biography, Literature, Sects and Doctrines ... 4 vols. 1974. (Ref. BR 95 .S65 1974)

A companion work to the Dictionary of Christian Antiquities (Ref. BR 95 .S6 1968) , this source provides scholarly biographical entries based largely on primary sources, of all persons connected with the Christian Church--from the time of the Apostles to the age of Charlemagne.

Great Thinkers of the Eastern World. 1995. (Ref. B5005 .G74 1995)

This source provides medium length scholarly essays on the leading philosophical and religious thinkers of China, India, Japan, Korea and the world of Islam. Includes bibliographies.

Twentieth-Century Shapers of American Popular Religion. 1989. (Ref BL 2525 .T84 1989)

This work provides scholarly interpretations of sixty religious leaders who have influenced popular religion in America. Entries include short biographies, an historical appraisal, "survey of criticism," and a bibliography of works by and about the person.

Handbooks

Exploring Religions on the Internet
http://uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/religionet/er/DEFAULT.HTM

Written for the layman, this site offers basic information on the world's major religions. Topics covered include the basic tenets of each faith, methods of worship, and the life styles of followers.

Handbook of Denominations in the United States. 1990. (Ref. BL 516.5 .M38 1990) & Emerald Coast Library

This handbook provides short dicussions of the history, doctrines, organization, and status of 250 religious bodies in the United States.

Longman Guide to Living Religions. 1994. (Ref. BL 31 .L66 1994)

This source provides comprehensive coverage of current religious groups and movements, including those that are mainly political. Includes an "Introductory Classification of Groups and Movements," which categorizes individual theologies/movements under a broad heading.

Commentaries

Bible Study Tools on the Internet
http://www.biblestudytools.net/Commentaries/

Online access to six bible commentaries including the Geneva Study Bible, Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible, and Wesley's Explanatory Notes.

Holy Qu'ran with English Translation and Commentary. 5 vols. 1988. (BP 130.4 A36 1988)

"English Translation of the Commentary...by the Second Head of the Ahmadiyya Community, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmmod Ahmad, Khaliffatul Mashih II..." See also The Qu'ran: A New Interpretation. (On Order)

Interpreters Bible: The Holy Scriptures in the King James and Revised Standard...12 vols. 1951-57. (Ref.BS 491.2 I55)

Written by scholars for general readers, teachers and preachers, this standard biblical reference tool contains critical interpretation and commentary. See also the New Interpreters Bible. 12 vols. (BS 491.2 N484 1994).

New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books. 1991. (Ref. BS 191.5 .A1 1991 .N49) & Emerald Coast Library

This source contains the full text of the New Revised Standard Bible, translator's footnotes, as well as scholarly essays on the NRS and other biblical topics.

Pentateuch and Haftorahs: Hebrew Text, English Translation, and Commentary. 1990. (BS 1225.3 .H46 1990)

See also The Torah: A Modern Commentary (BS1225.3 .P55 1981) . For internet access to commentaries of the Pentateuch and Haftorah see the Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (http://www.ccel.org/j/jfb/jfb/JFB00.htm), World Wide Study Bible (http://www.ccel.org/wwsb/), and Project Genesis (http://www.torah.org/learning/parsha/hsummary/).

Directories & Yearbooks

DharmaNet's Buddhist InfoWeb on the Internet
http://www.dharmanet.org/infoweb.html

Virtual Library site for Buddhist associations, monasteries and practice centers around the world, as well as links to other sites

Catholic Dioceses Around the World on the Internet
http://www.katolsk.no/utenriks/index_en.htm

Christian Resources on the Internet
http://www.swcbc.com/christian.html

This site provides links to Christian churches and organizations worldwide.

Hindu Resources Online
http://www.hindu.org/

A directory of teachers, organizations, temples and ashrams worldwide.

Religious Bodies in the United States: A Directory. 1992. (Ref. BL 2525 .M452 1992)

A directory of 1300 currently active denominations and religious groups. See also The Encyclopedia of American Religions (Ref. BL 2525 .M449 1989) and the Directory of Religious and Parareligious Bodies and Organizations in the United States (Ref. BL 2525 .G43 1989).

Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. 1975- (Ref. BR 513 .Y4)

A comprehensive directory of religious bodies in the U.S. and Canada. Includes chapters on theological seminaries and Bible colleges, religious periodicals, church archives and historical records collections. Also contains statistics on church membership and church finances.

Encyclopedias

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

Transcribed from the original 1913 classic Catholic Encyclopedia by volunteers, this site is still under construction. However, hundreds of scholarly full text entries are available.

Contemporary American Religion. 2000. (Ref BL2525 .C65 2000)

Encyclopedia of African American Religions. 1993. (Ref. BR 563 .N4 E53 1993)

A comprehensive reference work covering African American religious leaders, groups, and major issues affecting African American religious life. The source is divided into two parts: Part one offers introductory essays and a chronology of the history of religion in the African American community. Part two profiles 1200 short-to-medium length entries, most with bibliographies. Includes a biographical cross-index by religious tradition.

Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects and New Religions. 2002. (Ref. BL 2525 .E49 2002)

Short essays describing cults, sects, new religions and religious traditions and movements. Many contain references and web site addresses. An extensive bibliography and index are included.

Encyclopaedia Judaica. 16 vols. 1971-72. (Ref DS 102.8 E496)

A classic reference tool, the Judaica offers nearly 200,000 entries on all aspects of world Jewry. Most entries include bibliographies.

Encyclopaedia of Islam. 10 vols. 1960- (Ref. DS37 .E523)

An important scholarly reference work on Islam and Islamic subjects. Includes bibliographies. See also The Concise Encyclopedia of Islam (Ref. BP 40 .G42 1989).

Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion. 1998. (Ref BL65 .P7 E53 1998) & Emerald Coast Library

Encyclopedia of Religion. 16 vols. 1987. (Ref BL31 .E46 1987)

An historical overview of world religions, with emphasis on non-western religions. Includes entries on obscure sects, utopias, video evangelism etc.

Encyclopedia of Religion and Society. 1998. (Ref. BL60 .E53 1998)

A scholarly examination of religion and the social sciences(anthropology, psychology and sociology) nexus. Arranged in dictionary format, entries include discussions on abortion, anthropology of religion, change, pluralism, and quasi-religions. Includes bibliographies

Encyclopedia of Women and World Religion. 1999. (Ref BL458 .E53 1999)

New Catholic Encyclopedia. 1967- (Ref. BX 841 .N44 1967)

This source contains some 17,000 signed articles, each with a bibliography emphasizing primary sources. Includes supplements.

Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. CD-ROM. (Turquoise Computer Behind Reference Desk)

This source provides brief entries on the movements, events and people of the five major world religions. Also includes an overview of metaphysics. See also the print version of the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 10 vols. (Ref. B51 .R68 1998).

Atlases

Atlas of the Bible. 1985. (Ref. Atlas Coll. BS 630 .R6) & Emerald Coast Library

This atlas illustrates the geographical settings of the biblical narratives. Includes a gazetteer of Biblical place names and concordance of those places located on the major maps. See also Oxford Bible Atlas (Ref. BS 630 .O96 1984).

Atlas of the World's Religions. 1999. (Ref G1046 .E4 A7 1999)

Religions on File. 1990. (Ref. BL 82 .R45 1990) & Emerald Coast Library

This source contains charts, diagrams and maps covering the world's religions. Also includes sections on ancient religions and chronologies of dynasties.

The State of Religion Atlas. 1993. (Ref. Atlas Coll. G 1046 .E4 O2 1993)

A collection of 34 maps and graphs depicting historical and contemporary religious statistics of the world's major religions. Sample entries include: Country/state financial support for religions; Catholic population per priest worldwide; and projected changes to major religions and religious belief to 2020.

Journals

The following is a partial list of journals in Religious Studies available on the second floor of the UWF library. Most of these journals are indexed in ATLA Religion, Francis, and Humanities Abstracts.

Christianity Today	BR1 .C6418	v. 43+, 1999+
	MF656	v.1-42, 1956-98
Harvard Theological Review	BR1.H4	Pv. 1-14, 16-21, 23, 56, 58+, 1965+
	online	2001-
International Journal for Philosophy of Religion	BL51.I65	v.1+, 1970+
	online	1997+
International Journal for the Psychology of Religion	BL53.A1I57	v.1+, 1991+
	online	2000+
Journal of Religion	BR1 .J65	v.3,5-11,13,17-20,22,26,28+, 1948+
Journal of Religious Thought	BR1 .J67	v.25-29,31+, 1968-72, 1974+
	MF872	v.9-24,30
Journal of the American Academy of Religion	BV1460 .N23	v. 35-37, 39+, 1967-69, 1971+
Religion: A Journal of Religion and Religions	BL1. R37	v.4+, 1974+
	online	1993+
Religious Studies	BL1 .R43	v.1+, 1965+
Religious Studies Review	Z7751.R38	v.4+, 1978+
Review of Religious Research	BL1 .R485	v.6+, 1964/65+
Sociology of Religion	HN51 .A7	v.54+, 1993+
Soundings	BV1460 .C6	v.54+, 1971+
Studies in Religion	BL1 .S8	v.4+, 1974+
Theological Studies	BX801 .T45	v.35+, 1974+

Sacred Texts Online

Bible
http://www.hti.umich.edu/relig/rheims/

This site offers the full text of the Rheims (1582) version of the New Testament. Allows users to conduct keyword, proximity, or Boolean (AND,OR,NOT) searches, as well as browse text. See also the Biblical Studies Foundation (http://www.bible.org/netbible/index.htm) and the Holy Bible (http://etext.virginia.edu/kjv.browse.html). The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament can be accessed via the Wesley Center for Applied Theology (http://wesley.nnu.edu/biblical_studies/noncanon/index.htm).

Buddhist Dhammapada
http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/dhameng.txt

Literally "Teaching of the Verses," the Dhammapada is a collection of 423 key Buddhist texts embodying ethical and spiritual precepts.

Dead Sea Scrolls
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~humm/Resources/Texts/dss.html

Dating from the third century B.C.E. to 68 C.E., the Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of Jewish manuscripts numbering in the tens of thousands. The Scrolls are divided into three categories: Biblical, Apocryphal and Sectarian. This site offers excerpts from the Scrolls including the texts of Enoch, Psalms, Hosea, Leviticus, the Damascus Document and the War Scroll.

Early Fathers of the Church
http://ccel.org/fathers2/

This site offers full text access to 38 volumes of early Christian literature including the Ante-Nicene Fathers and the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers (St. Augustine and St. Chrysostom volumes). See also Fathers of the Church (http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/) .

Hindu Sacred Text's

A collection of Vaisnava devotional text and verse including the Bhagavad-gita, Brahma Samhita(hymns and chants to Brahma, or God), and Songs of the Vaishnava Acaryas(spiritual teachers). For text of the Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharat and the Yogasutras of Pantanjali see The Hindu Universe-Scriptures (http://www.hindunet.org/scriptures/). A comprehensive examination of Indic texts can be found via Indology: Virtual E-Text Archive (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ucgadkw/indnet-textarchive.html).

Qu'ran Translations
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/

This site contains three translations (Yusuf Ali, Marmaduke Mohammad Pickthall and M.H. Shakir) of the Holy Qu'ran, the scripture of Islam. See also Islam World (http://www.islamworld.net/). For texts of the Sunnah(literally "customary practice," or a commentary of the Qu'ran) and Hadith(narration about the life of the Prophet Mohammad) see http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/ and http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/sunnah-horne.html.

Sacred Texts Online
http://davidwiley.com/religion.html

This site contains links to 33 sacred texts including the Tao Te Ching, Urantia Book, Book of Mormon, Nag Hammadi text, Jain texts, Bahai texts and Etheopian texts

World Scripture: A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts
http://www.ettl.co.at/uc/ws/index.html

A collection of 4,000 scriptural passages gleaned from 268 sacred texts and 55 oral traditions, and organized into 164 different themes.

Internet Sites

Academic Info: Religion
http://www.academicinfo.net/religindex.html

Alternative Religions
http://altreligion.miningco.com/culture/altreligion/

American Religion Data Archive
http://www.thearda.com/

Christian Metalist
http://www.swcbc.com/christian.html

Cults and Religion
http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~nurelweb/

Harvard Divinity School
http://www.hds.harvard.edu/library/index.html

Indian Philosophy and Religion
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/1863/index.html

Internet Resources for the Study and Teaching of Theology
http://info.ox.ac.uk/ctitext/theology/

Religion Mega-Site
http://www.aphids.com/megasite/

religion-online
http://www.religion-online.org/

Religion, Religions, Religious Studies
http://www.religiousworlds.com/index.html

Vatican
http://www.vatican.va/

Virtual Religion Index-Rutgers University, Religion Department
http://www.virtualreligion.net/vri/

Voice of the Shuttle-Religious Studies-University of California, Santa Barbara
http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse-netscape.asp?id=2730

Yale Divinity Library
http://www.library.yale.edu/div/divhome.htm

Updated by Douglas Low
University of West Florida Library
Date Last Updated: February 2005
Links Maintained by Bryan Reingruber: May 2006