Selected Resources for: Religious Studies


Subject Librarian: Susan Gangl
E-Mail: s-gang@tc.umn.edu
Subject Description:This subject covers: the spiritual history and practices of human beings from mythological times to the present. Other related subjects are Philosophy, and Middle East Studies.


Abstracts and Indexes

* Premier Resources *
ATLA Religion Database Authentication Required This database is enhanced by Find It: the University Libraries Linking Service.
A limited number of periodicals are available as full text in this database, some going back as far as 1949. A comprehensive research database in the fields of religion and theology. Includes bibliographic citations with abstracts to journal articles and essays in books. Produced by the American Theological Library Association.
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Encyclopedia of Religion Authentication Required
The second edition of a resource that is considered a standard reference in the field. Presents a cross-cultural approach that emphasizes religion's role within everyday life and as a unique experience from culture to culture. The original 2,750 entries have been retained, many heavily updated, and approximately 600 entirely new articles have been added by an international team of scholars and contributors.
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Oxford Reference Online Authentication Required
This resource brings together 100 language and subject dictionaries and reference works - containing well over 60,000 pages - into a single cross-searchable resource.

Also includes the following titles in religion:
Dictionary of the Bible
The Oxford Companion to the Bible
The Oxford Guide to People and Places of the Bible
A Dictionary of Buddhism
The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church
The Oxford Dictionary of Islam
A Concise Companion to the Jewish Religion
The Oxford Dictionary of Popes
The Oxford Dictionary of Saints
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions

See also the link below to Oxford Islamic Studies online


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Academic or Scholarly Articles Subject Indexes
Bibliography of Asian Studies Authentication Required
References principally western-language articles and book chapters on all parts of Asia published since 1971 - broad, but not comprehensive.
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Catalogue de l'Ecole Biblique et Archeologique Francaise (Catalogue of the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem)
This CD Rom contains a database referencing more than 115,000 volumes and articles in 400 active periodicals specializing in biblical studies, Near Eastern archeology, and ancient Middle Eastern languages and literature; Some articles are available full text online (search MNCAT by journal title) SEE ALSO the ONLINE version at http://www.ebaf.edu:8080/cgi-bin/koha/opac-search.pl
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Humanities & Social Sciences Retrospective Authentication Required
Humanities & Social Sciences Retrospective searches nearly 1200 of the most important journals in these subject areas. Updated, uniform subject headings facilitate your search, with the original subject headings also provided.
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Index Islamicus Authentication Required This database is enhanced by Find It: the University Libraries Linking Service.
Index Islamicus indexes worldwide literature in European languages on Islam, the Middle East and the Muslim world. It covers all aspects of Muslim life - history, beliefs, societies, cultures, languages and literatures. Over 2,500 journals are monitored for inclusion in the database, together with conference proceedings, monographs, multi-authored works and book reviews. Journals and books are indexed down to the article and chapter level.

The bibliography covers numerous disciplines such as bibliography, history of the Islamic book, education, religion and theology, philosophy, science and mathematics, architecture, music, theater and drama, geography and ecology, anthropology and sociology, archaeology, cookery, epigraphy, economics, history, political thought, politics and current affairs, and the languages and literatures of countries and regions worldwide.

Periodicals devoted solely to the fields of Islam are indexed completely. Other journals are indexed only for articles on Islamic subjects.
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Index to Jewish Periodicals Authentication Required This database is enhanced by Find It: the University Libraries Linking Service.
An index on Jewish history, activity and thought. This database provides a comprehensive guide to English-language articles, book reviews, and feature stories in more than 160 journals devoted to Jewish affairs. Most references are not found in standard periodical literature guides. Index to Jewish Periodicals is intended for students of Jewish thought and others interested in contemporary Jewish and Middle Eastern affairs.
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Iter: Gateway to the Middle Ages and Renaissance Authentication Required This database is enhanced by Find It: the University Libraries Linking Service.
Iter is a bibliography of over 230,000 articles and reviews drawn from over 475 medieval and renaissance journal titles.
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New Testament Abstracts Authentication Required This database is enhanced by Find It: the University Libraries Linking Service.
The product of a partnership between ATLA and the Weston Jesuit School of Theology, this database is a research and bibliographic aid for scholars, librarians, clergy and students of the New Testament and its historical milieu. NTA contains more than 38,000 article abstracts, 1,200 review abstracts, 13,500 book abstracts, and 50 software abstracts. Each year an additional 2,100 articles from more than 500 periodicals in numerous languages are selected for inclusion. In addition, approximately 800 current books are also summarized annually.
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Old Testament Abstracts Authentication Required This database is enhanced by Find It: the University Libraries Linking Service.

The product of a partnership between ATLA and the Catholic Biblical Association, this database features indexing and abstracts for journal articles, monographs, multi-author works, and software related to Old Testament studies. Content from over 450 journals is covered. All abstracts are in English, regardless of the language of the original work. Topics covered include antiquities, archaeology, biblical theology, philology and much more.

Print Edition: Wilson Reference BS410 .O42


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RAMBI [electronic resource]
"RAMBI - The Index of Articles on Jewish Studies - is a selective bibliography of articles in the various fields of Jewish studies and in the study of Eretz Israel. Articles are in English in Hebrew, Yiddish, and European languages, and are based scientific research, or contain important information for such research. Coverage is from 1966 to the present.
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General Indexes to Magazine, Journal & Newspaper Articles
Academic Search Premier Authentication Required This database is enhanced by Find It: the University Libraries Linking Service.
This resource is licensed by the MINITEX Library Information Network with state appropriations from the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office (MHESO) and the Minnesota Department of Education.
The world's largest academic multi-disciplinary database, Academic Search Premier provides full text for nearly 4,600 scholarly publications, including full text for more than 3,600 peer-reviewed journals. Coverage spans virtually every area of academic study and offers information dating as far back as 1975. This database is updated on a daily basis via EBSCOhost.
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MasterFile Premier Authentication Required This database is enhanced by Find It: the University Libraries Linking Service.
Use this index for public opinion and contemporary issues in religion.
MasterFILE Premier, designed specifically for public libraries, provides full text for more than 2,000 general periodicals covering a broad range of disciplines including general reference, business, education, health, general science, multi-cultural issues and much more. In addition to the full text, this database provides indexing and abstracts for 2700 titles. This database features: 5,000 full text Magill Book Reviews, 357 reference and travel books including the World Almanac & Book of Facts 2001; full text from 84,074 biographies, 86,132 full text primary source documents, American Heritage Dictionary, 4th Edition and an Image Collection of 107,135 photos, maps and flags. MasterFILE Premier offers PDF backfiles as far back as 1975.
This resource is licensed by the MINITEX Library Information Network with state appropriations from the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office (MHESO) and the Minnesota Department of Education.

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Catalogs and Bibliographies

Bibliographies

Catalogs
Bible subject headings
for use in searching in MNCAT and other library book catalogs
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MNCAT Classic
Search with MNCAT Classic to find books, journals, etc. owned by the library. Search by keyword, subject, title, or author for materials on your topic. MNCAT Classic lacks the faceted searching of MNCAT Plus, but can be easier to use if you already have a good idea of what you're looking for.
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MNCAT Plus
Search for books, conference proceedings, journals, maps, and other items in our collection.
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General Reference Sources

Almanacs


Muslim Almanac, The
WILSON Reference Quarto BP40 .M83 1995
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Atlases & Maps
Carta Bible Atlas
Wilson Reference Folio G2230 .A2 2002
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Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection, University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin hosts this well-organized directory of maps (worldwide coverage) directly viewable on the web as .jpeg files. Most are reference maps produced by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, and therefore carry no copyright. Privately produced maps are made available via links. Note that many of the images are too large to be printed on letter-sized paper.
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Biographical Sources
Butler's Lives of the Saints
Wilson Library Reference BX4654 .B8 1995 [c1995-2000]12 volumes
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Dictionary of major biblical interpreters
table of contents at http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0719/2007021666.html
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Dictionaries


Dictionary of the Bible, A
print edition also available: Wilson Library Reference (BS440 .B73 1996 )
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Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
Wilson Reference BL31 .O9x 1997
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Directories



National Directory of Churches, Synagogues, and Other Houses of Worship
Wilson Reference BL2530 M44x 1994
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Official Catholic Directory
Wilson Reference Quarto BX845 .C5
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Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches
Wilson Reference BR513 .Y4 latest edition in Ref (2002)
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Encyclopedias
Encyclopedia of women & Islamic cultures
1 Methodologies, paradigms and sources -- 2 Family, law and politics -- 3 Family, body, sexuality and health -- 4 Economics, education, mobility and space -- 5 Practices, interpretations and representations -- 6 Supplement & Index.
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Encyclopaedia Judaica (online) Authentication Required

This online resource is an updated edition of this lauded work on Judaism features more than 21,000 entries on Jewish life, culture, history, and religion, written by Israeli, American and European subject specialists. This is the online version; (a 2007 print version is also available, located in Wilson Library Reference Quarto DS102.8 .E496 2007)
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Encyclopaedia of Islam Online Authentication Required
The Encyclopaedia of Islam Online covers Middle Eastern and Islamic studies, bringing scholars and researchers access to over 13,000 articles (number or articles in volumes I-XI, excluding supplements on every aspect of Islam. The online edition offers access to Volumes I-XI of the English edition, plus the Index of Subjects to Volumes I-XI, Index of Proper Names to volumes I-X, and supplements. New data will be added to the online edition as they become available in the print edition.
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Encyclopedia of American Religions
Wilson Library Quarto BL2525 E54x
Latest edition in Reference
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Encyclopedia of Religion and Society
Available in both print and electronic versions; Print edition in Wilson:
WILSON Reference Quarto BL60 .E53 1998
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Encyclopedia Talmudica
A digest of halachic literature and Jewish law from the Tannaitic period to the present time, alphabetically arranged
Wilson Reference BM500.5 .E613
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Interdisciplinary Documentation on Religion and Science
provides an "anthology of documents" and an interdisciplinary encyclopedia on religion and science, including:
- more than 80 anthological texts, from classical and contemporary authors
- about 60 articles from the Intedisciplinary Encyclopaedia of Religion and Science
-Teachings from the Vatican

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Jewish Encyclopedia
Free Jewish encyclopedia on the web; It is an older, out-of-copyright edition, but for historical purposes it may well prove invaluable.
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New Catholic Encyclopedia
Prepared by an editorial staff at the Catholic University of America. Selected articles from the earlier Catholic Encyclopedia are available on the World Wide Web.
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New Handbook of Living Religions

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Oxford Islamic Studies Online Authentication Required
A comprehensive reference center designed to disseminate authoritative, balanced scholarship from a global perspective and provide a source of timely, reliable, and accessible information on the history, peoples, beliefs, individuals, and cultures that constitute the world of Islam. Includes the full content of four key scholarly works, 180 entries from the six-volume Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World (which will add more than 800 new scholarly articles to the site before the end of 2008), two essential English-language interpretations of the Qur'an, the first electronic version of the standard Concordance used by English-speaking scholars around the world, and primary source documents.
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Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices
Wilson Reference Quarto BL80.3 .W67 2006 [Table of contents available at http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0519/2005027456.html
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General Reference Works
Religious and Theological Abstracts (online) Authentication Required
Summaries of articles appearing in scholarly journals, covering a wide variety of periodical literature including Christian, Jewish, and other World religions. Provides English language abstracts of articles in English, Hebrew, Afrikaans, and major European languages.
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Handbooks and Manuals


Internet Resources

Blogs

Electronic Texts
Acta Sanctorum Authentication Required
The Acta Sanctorum Database is an electronic version of the complete printed text of Acta sanctorum quotquot toto orbe coluntur (Antwerp; Brussels: Society des Bollandistes, 1863- (68 vols.) and found in Wilson Library Annex Folio 270 Ac8). The Database contains the entire Acta Sanctorum, including all prefatory material, original texts, critical apparatus and indices. Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina reference numbers are also included.
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CTI Textual Studies Guide - excerpt
Essay extracted from F Condron, M Fraser, S Sutherland - CTI Textual Studies Guide to Digital Resources for the Humanities (Oxford: Humanities Computing Unit, 2000)" NOTE: due to the date some links may not be accurate, but the essay remains generally useful.
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Oxford companion to archaeology [electronic resource]
Edited by Brian M. Fagan. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. Online version features articles which provide authoritative entries on a range of subjects, including biographies of the great figures in the field, extensive coverage of the methods used in archaeological research, together with essays that examine human evolution and the many general facets of culture.
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Gateways & Megasites

Harvard Library Resources for Teaching Fellows in the Study of Religion
Keep in mind that we own a lot of the electronic resources listed here but you need to access them through the University of Minnesota Libraries Web site, and not via Harvard's site.
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Internet Medieval Sourcebook
The Internet Medieval Sourcebook, constructed from available public domain and copy-permitted texts, is organized as three main index pages (selected sources, full-text sources and saints' lives), with a number of supplementary documents.
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Library Web Sites

Search Engines
Buddhist Digital Library and Museum
The Scholarly Databases currently holds over 100,000 bibliographies and provides over 2,600 full texts on various subjects for free access and download.
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Web Sites
American Academy of Religion - Survey Information
CONTENTS: Graduate Programs - Survey of Graduate Religion and Theology Programs Provides the results of the 2002-2003 Survey of Graduate Programs. - Finding List An online database of academic doctoral programs in the United States and Canada. Undergraduate Programs - Survey of Undergraduate Religion and Theology Programs Provides information about the field for strategic decision-making and other sources of data on schools, departments, and programs. - Finding List An online finding list for information on undergraduate departments, programs, and schools in the United States and Canada.
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Catalogue de l'Ecole Biblique et Archeologique Francaise [online]
The home page for the Ecole Biblique et Archeologie Francaise. The site includes a search engine of the library's catalogue on the Web. See also the CD-Rom at the workstation near the Reference Desk, first floor Wilson Library. Catalogue De L'Ecole Biblique Et Archeologique Francaise De Jerusalem [computer file]
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CDRI: cooperative digital resources initiative
The CDRI database provides access to digital images of woodcuts, photographs, slides, papyri, coins, maps, postcards, manuscripts, lithographs, sermons, shape-note tune books, and various forms of Christian art, architecture, and iconography. The CDRI is a joint project of the American Theological Library Association and the Association of Theological Schools, with funding from the Henry Luce Foundation.
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Multimedia Materials

Image Resources
ARTstor Authentication Required
ARTstor is a new cross-disciplinary image database. It offers collections of approximately 300,000 art images and descriptive information covering art, architecture and archeology. ARTstor's accompanying software tools will support a wide range of pedagogical and research uses including: viewing and analyzing images through features such as zooming and panning, saving groups of images online for personal or shared uses, and creating and delivering presentations both online and offline.
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Index of Christian Art Authentication Required
Early apostolic times up to A.D. 1400.
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Primary Source Materials

Archival Materials
Eighteenth Century Collections Online Authentication Required This database is enhanced by Find It: the University Libraries Linking Service.
Eighteenth Century Collections Online captures the essence of the Enlightenment in Great Britain between 1701 and 1800. ECCO is a comprehensive digital edition of /The Eighteenth Century/, the world's largest library of the printed book on microfilm. ECCO allows full-text searching of over 180,000 titles English-language titles and editions -- in essence, every significant English-language and foreign-language title printed in the United Kingdom, along with thousands of important works from the Americas. It includes books, pamphlets, essays, broadsides and more.
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Historical Documents

Sacred Texts


Societies, Agencies, and Organizations

Official Agency & Organization Websites
B'Nai B'Rith Interactive
"The world rests on three foundations: study, service, and benevolence." (Ethics of the Fathers)
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GMCC: The Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches
Mobilizing 700 congregations, 30,000 volunteers, and diverse community constituencies to serve human needs and seek social justice.
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Statistics and Data

Data Resources
ARDA [electronic resource] : the association of religion data archives
The targeted audience and the data collection include American and international collections and developing features for educators, journalists, religious congregations, and researchers. Data are submitted by the foremost religion scholars and research centers in the world. Currently housed in the Social Science Research Institute at the Pennsylvania State University, the ARDA is funded by the Lilly Endowment, the John Templeton Foundation, and the Pennsylvania State University.
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Statistical Resources

Religious Cultures of the World: A Statistical Reference
Wilson Reference BL85 .P325 1997
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Style Manuals and Writing Guides

Bibliography Software
RefWorks: Personal Citation Manager Authentication Required This database is enhanced by Find It: the University Libraries Linking Service.
RefWorks is a web-based citation manager that allows you to create your own databases of citations by importing references from MNCAT and other databases, and then in seconds automatically generate bibliographies in all major styles (MLA, APA, Turabian, Chicago, etc.).
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Style Manuals
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
Available in many libraries on campus including Walter, Wilson and Magrath: Reference LB2369 .G53 2003
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Style Manuals
A selected list of sources available in Wilson Reference Services.
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Writing Guides
QuickStudy -- Citing Sources
QuickStudy: Library Research Guide from the University of Minnesota provides examples online for APA, MLA and Turabian styles, including how to cite electronic sources.
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University of Minnesota

Related U of M Web Sites


Library Information

Primary Subject Location


Wilson Library houses the main humanities and social sciences collections of the University Libraries. Wilson Reference Services (General & Specialized) provide support for both undergraduate and graduate research for the humanities and social sciences.
Campus: West Bank, Minneapolis Campus
Address: 309 19th Ave. S.
Telephone: Reference: 612-626-2227; Circulation: 612-624-3321
Main URL: http://wilson.lib.umn.edu/
Reference URL: http://infopoint.lib.umn.edu/
Map URL: http://onestop.umn.edu/Maps/OMWL/index.html
Hours URL: http://www.lib.umn.edu/site/fetch_hours.phtml?LibID=40

Related Subjects

American Studies
History (general aspects)
Jewish Studies

Related Pages

<b>Bible and Reference Sources about the Bible</B>
Sacred Spaces: Anthropological Aspects of Sacred Landscapes and Monuments
Sacred Texts: Print and online content