Introduction

Library of Congress Classification

Materials in Reference Collection

Indexes and Databases

Internet Resources

Introduction

The disciplines of Theology and Religious Studies both seek to understand religion. They are academic disciplines and thus their goal is understanding. Both seek to express religious beliefs in the clearest and most coherent language available. Because religions are ways of life, Theology and Religious Studies examine not only beliefs but also the ideals, practices, organizations, and history of religions. Theology seeks to examine a religion from the perspective of a believer. Religious Studies does not take that perspective of a participant and usually studies more than one religion. There are many sources to utilize in the study of the various aspects of Theology and Religious Studies. Those sources suggested below are just a beginning.

Library Of Congress Classification

Library materials are organized by a system created by the Library of Congress that groups materials based on what they are about. This LC system uses letters and numbers to determine the call number of a book, which serves as that book’s address within the collection. The advantage of this system is that books about the same subject, say the French Revolution, should be in the same area. Find a good book on your subject and you should be able to find others in the same area.

The Library of Congress system places all books on theology in class BL-BX. This class is further broken down into subclasses that define more specific subjects. Some important subclasses are listed below. Click here for a more complete look at the Library of Congress Class B.

Specific books and other library materials can be found by searching the Online Catalog. This is a catalog that not only lists the collection of the Rockhurst University Greenlease Library, but can also be used to see the collections of the other MOBIUS libraries. For more information about the MOBIUS consortium, visit their web site at https://mco.mobius.umsystem.edu/. One can search by title, author, subject and keyword to find books owned by the library. A good research strategy is called subject heading tracing. This strategy involves first doing a keyword search to find books relevant to a topic. Once a ‘good’ book is found, look at its subject headings. Then do a subject search and type in that subject heading. You should find other books on your topic this way.

Materials In Reference Collection

The library’s reference collection contains materials that are quite useful to students in theology, including dictionaries, encyclopedias and other sources. These reference items include:

Anchor Bible Dictionary
Ref. BS 440 A54 1992

Analytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testament
Ref. PA 881 M74 1993
This volume is based on the latest version of the Greek text.  It contains an all-new set of paradigms that explain why each Greek form is the way it is. Includes Goodrick/Kohlenberger numbering system.

Encyclopedia of Christianity
Ref. BR 95 E8913 1999
A multi-volume set that addresses the current, broad interest in Christianity and Religion.  It is a fully international work, with articles by scholars from many countries and cultural backgrounds.

Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism
Ref. BR 1640 B35 2004
This 781 page volume contains entries on individuals, organizations, denominations, theological terms, events and movements. Includes entries relevant to the United states, Canada, Latin America, Great Britain and elsewhere.  References at the end of each entry.

Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements
Ref. BL 98 E53 2006
This encyclopedia provides uniquely global coverage of the phenomenon, with entries on over three hundred movements from almost every country in

Encyclopedia of Religion 2nd edition
Ref. BL 31 E46 2005
Covers theoretical (doctrines, dogmas, myths, theologies, ethics), the practical (cults, sacraments, meditations and the sociological religious groupings, ecclesiastical forms).  Thorough bibliography at the end of each article.  Contains approximately 3,000 signed entries.

Encyclopaedia Judaica
Ref. BM 50 E63 2007

Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World
Ref. BP 40 E525 2004

Index to Periodical Literature for the Student of the New Testament

Ref. BS 410 M5497 2004
This bibliography provides citations to journal articles on the study of books of the New Testament.  Approximately 185 scholarly journals are indexed in the more than 15,000 entries.

Mercer Dictionary of the Bible
Ref. BS 440 M429 1990

New Catholic Encyclopedia
Ref. BX 841 N44 2003

New Penguin Handbook of Living Religions
Ref. BL 80.2 H275 1998c
A handbook on the latest academic research for the general public as well as for the student of religion.  It attempts an international comparison of how seven religions have migrated to four different countries.

Oxford History of Islam
Ref. BP 50 O95 1999
This books provides an overview of the origins and developments of classical Islam: its faith, community, institutions, sciences, and art.  Contributors represent different disciplinary perspectives and includes scholars from diverse national and religious traditions.

Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches
Ref. BR 513 Y4  2005
This resource reports annually on date gathered from national religious bodies that reflect the religious affiliations and financial giving patterns of hundreds of millions of Americans.  Data generally represents information gathered two calendars years prior to the year of publication.

Indexes And Databases

Indexes and databases are tools used to find journal articles about a particular topic. Some are used primarily for academic research, while others can be used to find popular articles to practice one’s reading skills. Some are available only in print, while others will be electronic and may even contain the full-text of the article. See our Electronic Resources page for more information.

ATLAS Religion Index

This database indexes journal articles, book reviews, essays in all fields of religion.  It covers from 1949 to the present with many in full text.

Humanities Index
(INDEX AREA Ref AI3 R492)
This is a cumulative index to humanities periodicals in the English language.

JSTOR
This database provides electronic access to back issues of selected journals in the humanities, social sciences and sciences. It is full text and some titles go back to the 19^th century. JSTOR will not include the last 2-5 years of the journal.

FirstSearch
FirstSearch is actually a cluster of almost 40 databases and requires a training session to access. But the training session is well worth it! Some of the databases useful to researchers of theology include:

Arts & Humanities Search
Clase and Periodica
Periodical Abstracts

Connect now to FirstSearch (password protected).

Internet Resources

For those with internet access, the web is a great way to find resources. From online dictionaries and magazines to recipes and music, the web has it. Use this link to Greenlease Library's Internet Sources Guide for Theology.