Librarian for Religious Studies
Encyclopedias, dictionaries, and handbooks for learning more about your topic
Encyclopedia of Religion
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.
Call Number: OnlineISBN: 0028657330Publication Date: 2004-12-17
Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices
In 1,800 pages across 3 volumes, Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices provides information on current religious practices around the world with an emphasis on how religions impact the daily lives of their followers.
Call Number: OnlineISBN: 0787666114Publication Date: 2005-11-18
Critical Terms for Religious Studies by
Provides a concise history of each critical term, explores the issues raised by the term, and puts the term to use in an analysis of a religious work, practice, or event. Moving across Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Native American and Mayan religions, contributors explore terms ranging from experience, territory, and image, to God, sacrifice, and transgression.
Call Number: OnlineISBN: 0226791572Publication Date: 1998-08-15
The Brill Dictionary of Religion by
Multi-media reference with over 500 entries on the different theologies and doctrinal declarations of the official institutionalized religions as well as their role in daily life and public discourse. It helps to map out and define the networks and connections created by various religions in contemporary societies, and provides models for understanding these complex phenomena
Call Number: OnlineISBN: 9004124330Publication Date: 2005-12-23
The Oxford Handbook of Global Religions by
This is a reference for understanding world religious societies in their contemporary global diversity. Comprising 60 essays the volume focuses on communities rather than beliefs, symbols or rites.
Call Number: OnlineISBN: 0195137981Publication Date: 2006-10-12
- Cambridge CompanionsCambridge Companions are a series of authoritative guides, written by leading experts, offering lively, accessible introductions to major writers, artists, philosophers, topics, and periods.
- Oxford Handbooks OnlineOxford Handbooks Online provides scholarly research reviews for several subjects including religion.
Finding Books
Start by searching the catalog at Emory: DiscoverE
- The Catalog tab searches books, ebooks, journal titles, music, videos, Emory theses and dissertations, and archival collections.
- The Emory Repositories tab searches holdings for items in our electronic repositories, including Emory Electronic Theses & Dissertations.
- The Combined Search tab searches the contents of the catalog, a selection of articles, Emory Electronic Theses & Dissertations, and the HathiTrust Digital Library. It's convenient but it may not be the best option if you are researching a topic for which you are likely to retrieve a large number of search results.
Searching Tips
- Basic Searching Tips
- The default basic search functions as a keyword search. You can type in subject, author, title, or another keyword.
- The left dropdown box lets you limit your search to books, journals, videos, music, etc.
- Searching for an exact phrase such as a title or author name? Use " " to only find records where those words appear in sequence
- Example: "Introduction to Religion" for finding results containing that phrase in the title or elsewhere in the record
- Advanced Searching Tips
- You can select Advanced Search on the right hand side of the main search box to search directly by title, author, subject, etc. You can also select specific languages and material types.
- Use wildcard symbols ( ? or *) to expand or refine your search. Learn more about these symbols here.
- When you find a relevant record in your search, under Details click on the Subject to find other records with the same subject
Once you have checked DiscoverE, conduct a search with WorldCat to search library catalogs worldwide.
Finding Resources by Subject Headings
To find materials located at any of Emory's libraries in DiscoverE, one option is to enter Library of Congress subject headings in the search field and click "Browse" then the "Subject" tab. Studies have shown that searching library catalogs with LC subject headings can be more effective than searching just with uncontrolled keywords.
Unlike dedicated online databases, the contents of books and articles are not searchable in DiscoverE. Read Finding a Journal Article in the Woodruff Library. Most materials in DiscoverE which say "held by GENERAL" are located in the Woodruff Library. See the Woodruff Library Location Guide.
When searching DiscoverE by subject, we recommend that you use the Browse search mode option provided on the main search page. Browsing with keywords will retrieve a list of subject headings established by the Library of Congress -- something like the lists below for the headings Religion and South Asia.
- Note that the search results are returned in descending order of acquisition, so titles with older publication dates may appear above those with more recent publication dates because they were acquired more recently..
- Note also that the search results will not capture every item in the collection for which the subject heading is relevant, because in practice catalogers cannot add every relevant subject heading to every item.
To find related works in DiscoverE not cataloged with the same subject headings as those on your results list, try the following:
- Click on related subject headings
- Click on the author for other publications that might be in the same subject area
- Click on the series title if present
- Click on the "browse shelves" tab and enter a call number from the results (call numbers group items by subject).
- Click on "see related headings for: RELIGION" to see links to narrower terms like "Animism" and links to parallel terms like "God," "Religions," and "Theology."
- For nations or regions within South Asia --e.g., India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bengal--substitute their names for "South Asia" in the search phrases below when you enter it into the DiscoverE interface.
Below, find search results for selected subject headings:
Finding Articles, Books, and Additional Reference Resources
JSTOR, LexisNexis, and Academic Search Complete:
Start by reading through the Finding Articles at Woodruff research guide. Databases such as JSTOR, LexisNexis, and Academic Search Complete provide citations and/or full text of journal articles, books, and other materials.
Databases devoted primarily to Religious Studies:
Here's a list of mostly proprietary online databases produced mainly for Religious Studies. Because they are proprietary, they are not usually available on or indexed by Google. Emory buys access. Some of them are citation indexes; some of them are full text. For a more comprehensive list that includes databases with broader coverage that likely include material relevant to religious studies, see Databases@Emory.
- ATLA Religion DatabaseAmerican Theological Library Association (ATLA) Religion Database with ATLASerials on the EBSCOhost platform.
- Association of Religion Data ArchivesIncludes American and international collections, e.g., Spiritual Life Study of Chinese Residents.
- Biblical Archaeology Society Online ArchiveProduced by the Biblical Archaeology Society (BAS), the user-friendly BAS Online Archive was specifically designed for educational institutions for both students and scholars. The Archive contains not only the editorial content of each issue of Biblical Archaeology Review (1975-2003), Bible Review (1985-2003) and Archaeology Odyssey (1998-2003), but also five books published by the Biblical Archaeology Society (BAS): Ancient Israel: From Abraham to the Roman Destruction of the Temple; Aspects of Monotheism: How God is One; Feminist Approaches to the Bible; The Rise of Ancient Israel and The Search for Jesus: Modern Scholarship Looks at the Gospels.
- Buddhist Digital Resource Center (formerly the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center)Over 5,000 digitized Tibetan texts published over the last 40 years including reprints of ancient texts in all subjects including art, politics, history, linguistics, religion, medicine, biography, and literature.
- Cambridge Histories OnlineIncludes Cambridge Histories of the Bible, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Full-text access to more than 300 volumes published since 1960 across 15 subject areas. Users can create accounts and save searches, place bookmarks, and adjust search results.
- Catholic Periodical and Literature IndexPublisher's blurb: "The Catholic Periodical and Literature Index Online is the product of a partnership between ATLA and the Catholic Library Association. The database covers all aspects of the Catholic faith and lifestyle, and includes over 436,000 index citations of articles and reviews published in Roman Catholic periodicals, Papal documents, church promulgations, and books about the Catholic faith that are authored by Catholics and/or produced by Catholic publishers."
- Christian Periodical IndexThe Christian Periodical Index is a bibliographic citation index updated four times per year. It is produced and owned by the Association of Christian Librarians. Its purpose is to provide access to articles and reviews written from an evangelical Christian perspective or of interest to the evangelical community. Beginning in 1956 with twenty titles, CPI currently indexes over 130 selected publications from the broad spectrum of knowledge including religion, science, literature, medicine, music, philosophy, history, sociology, nursing, and education. Coverage is representative of the major doctrinal positions within evangelical Christianity. The online version includes added current indexing as well as ongoing efforts to provide retrospective indexing for titles back to their initiation or the beginning of the index.
- Dictionary of Gnosis and Western EsotericismCritical overviews on the nature and historical development from Gnosticism and Hermetism to Astrology, Alchemy and Magic, from the Hermetic Tradition of the Renaissance to Rosicrucianism and Christian Theosophy, and from Freemasonry and Illuminism to 19th-century Occultism and the contemporary New Age movement. Furthermore it contains articles about the life and work of the major personalities in the history of Gnosis and Western Esotericism.
- Digital Karl Barth Library"The database features the entire corpus of Barth's Gesamtausgabe, which is the definitive edition of Karl Barth's works in German, comprising 42 volumes of theological writings, lectures, letters, sermons, and interviews. Also included is Barth's magnum opus, the 14-volume Kirchliche Dogmatik."
- Encyclopaedia of IslamThe Encyclopaedia of Islam Online Edition includes the entire text of volumes I to XI and Supplement (Volume XII) of the printed edition, over 12,000 printed pages, and sets out the present state of our knowledge of the Islamic World from religion and history to politics and culture. It embraces articles on distinguished Muslims of every age and land, on tribes and dynasties, on the crafts and sciences, on political and religious institutions, on the geography, ethnography, flora and fauna of the various countries and on the history, topography and monuments of the major towns and cities. Its geographical and historical scope encompasses the old Arabo-Islamic empire, the Islamic countries of Iran, Central Asia, the Indian sub-continent and Indonesia, the Ottoman Empire and all modern Islamic states.
- Encyclopedia of the Qur’anEncyclopaedic dictionary of qur’ānic terms, concepts, personalities, place names, cultural history and exegesis, extended with essays on important themes and subjects within qur’ānic studies.
- Encyclopedia of Women and Islamic CulturesCovers methodologies, paradigms and sources; family, law and politics; body, sexuality and health; economics, education, mobility, and space; practices, interpretations, and representations.
- Index IslamicusIndexes literature on Islam, the Middle East and the Muslim world. Material cited in the Index Islamicus includes not only work written about the Middle East, but also about the other main Muslim areas of Asia and Africa, plus Muslim minorities elsewhere. Over 2,000 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.
- Index TheologicusThis theological database contains document descriptions of articles from more than 600 periodicals in theology and religious studies, and essays from Festschriften and congress publications. The database focuses mainly on articles written in Western European languages.
- International Medieval BibliographyThe International Medieval Bibliography is an interdisciplinary bibliography of the European Middle Ages, covering Europe, the Middle East and North Africa in the period 400-1500. Indexing begins in 1967 and the database regularly covers some 4500 periodicals and 5000 miscellany volume (conference proceedings, essay collections, Festschriften and exhibition catalogues).
- King James BibleThe King James or 'Authorized' edition of the Bible (1611) was the standard edition of the Bible for nearly three centuries, drawing heavily on previous editions and providing the principal influence for many subsequent versions. The text is given in full, with all introductory matter, annotation, calendars, genealogies and tables included.
- LGBT Religious Archives NetworkRepository for the preservation and historical study of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) religious movements from the 1950's forward. Within this archive individuals can listen to actual oral histories, view photographs, tour online exhibits or locate primary sources on gay religious movements in the United States.
- Library of Latin Texts (CLCLT)This database is comprised of Latin texts with translations in English, French, German, and Italian, chiefly from these corpora: Corpus Christianorum. Series Latina; Corpus Christianorum. Continuatio Medievalis; Corpus Christianorum ecclesiasticorum Latinorum; Patrologiae cursus completus. Series Latina; Patrologiae Latinae supplementum; Sources chrtiennes; S. Bernardi opera omnia; and Biblia sacra juxta vulgatam versionem.
- Luthers WerkeThe complete collection of Luther's writings is one of the largest editions of any individual author ever to have been created. This monumental work, of which the first volume was published in 1883, consists over 117 quarto volumes and is now published in full. The Weimar Edition of Luthers Werke provides an indispensable historical-critical tool for theologians, historians, linguists and literary critics carrying out research into Luther's life and work.
- New Testament AbstractsProduct of a partnership between ATLA and Boston College. The database is an indispensable research and bibliographic aid for scholars, librarians, clergy and students of the New Testament and its historical milieu. The database contains more than 42,000 article abstracts, 1,200 review abstracts, 15,600 book abstracts, and 50 software abstracts.
- Old Testament AbstractsProduct of a partnership between ATLA and the Catholic Biblical Association. The database features indexing and abstracts for journal articles, monographs, multi-author works, and software related to Old Testament studies. Topics covered include antiquities, archaeology, biblical theology, philology and much more.
- Oxford Islamic Studies OnlineProvides online access to more than 3,000 articles and electronic resources in English on the Islamic world, includes more than 150 primary source documents with editorial instructions, and has a glossary of Islamic terms. Also includes two interpretations and one concordance of the Koran.
- Past MastersFull-text electronic editions of classic western philosophical, theological (e.g., Anselm, Augustine, Acquinas) and literary authors, from ancient times to the early twentieth century and including personal writings as well as major works. All texts available in English translation. Some texts also available in Latin, French, or German.
- Patrologia LatinaElectronic version of the first edition of Jacques-Paul Migne's Patrologia Latina (1844-1855 and 1862-1865). The main chronological sequence of authors in Migne's Patrologia Latina covers the Latin Fathers from Tertullian in A.D. 200 through Pope Innocent III (d. 1216). AD. However, Migne did incorporate medieval texts written after 1216 where these were traditionally attached to an earlier work.
- Patrologiae GraecaeThe Patrologiae Graecae is a collection of the Greek writings from the Christian Church from its beginnings through the Council of Florence in 1439. The Patrologiae Graecae Database contains over 160 volumes and represents a complete electronic version of the first edition of Jacques-Paul Migne's Patrologiae Graecae (1857-1866). The collection includes both the Eastern "Fathers" and those Western Christians who wrote before the Latin takeover of the West in the third century.
- Periodicals Index OnlineAn electronic index to millions of articles published in 4,079 periodicals in the humanities and social sciences. PIO is unique in combining a broad subject base with deep chronological coverage going back over 200 years. PIO currently indexes over 13 million articles since the eighteenth century and every article in each journal is indexed. Over two centuries of scholarly publication in 40 languages and dialects are indexed, including English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and other Western languages.
- Religion and Philosophy CollectionDatabase with more than 243 full-text journals. It covers topics in spiritual, ethical, philosophical, cultural, and historical aspects of the world's major religions.
- Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy OnlineThe online version of the 10-volume Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, featuring original articles from leading international experts across the discipline of philosophy. The articles cover a wide breadth of subject matter, including Anglo-American, ethical and political, cross-cultural, interdisciplinary, continental, contemporary and world philosophies. Can be browsed by philosophical themes, historical periods, and religions.
- Sabin AmericanaSabin Americana 1500-1926 is a fully searchable online collection of books, pamphlets, serials and other works about the Americas, from the time of their discovery to the early 1900s. Sabin Americana, 1500-1926 is rich in original accounts of discovery and exploration, pioneering and westward expansion, the U.S. Civil War and other military actions, Native Americans, slavery and abolition, religious history and more. The resource currently contains an estimated 36,400 titles, 44,000 volumes totaling almost 9,500,000 pages. The genesis for this database is the noted bibliography compiled by Joseph Sabin: Bibliotheca Americana - a Dictionary of Books Relating to America from Its Discovery to the Present Time.
- World Religion DatabaseContains detailed statistics on religious affiliation for every country in the world. For each of the world’s religions, best estimates at multiple dates for the period 1900 to 2050 are given. The WRD provides access to the sources which underlie the figures in the database, including censuses and surveys. It is constantly updated with new sets of data as they become available.
Library of Congress Call Numbers for Religion
If you're seeking to browse resources in the stacks or reference sections of Pitts or Woodruff, here are some helpful call number ranges:
BL -- Religions. Mythology. Rationalism
BL 1100 - BL 1295 Hinduism
BL 1300 - BL 1380 Jainism
BL 1500 - BL 1590 Zoroastrianism
BL 1600- BL 1695 Semitic Religions
BL 1830- BL 1883 Confucianism
BL 1899 - BL 1942.85 Taoism
BL 2017 - BL 2018.7 Sikhism
BL 2216 - BL 2227.8 Shinto
BL 2390 - BL 2490 Religions of Africa
BM Judaism
BP 1 - BP 253 Islam
BP 300 - BP 395 Bahai Faith
BP 500 - BP 585 Theosophy
BQ Buddhism
Native American religions are in subclasses E and F.
The full list of Library of Congress Call Numbers for Subclass B is available.