World & Comparative Religions

Judeo-Christian
(See also Basic Reference Sources guide)

Dictionaries &
Encyclopedias

Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church

General

Ref BR95 .O8 1997

The authority for quick facts and bibs.

Encyclopedia of Religion

Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion

Ref BL31 .E46 1986. 16 v.

16 vol. encyclopedia. Start with index, usually.

Ref BM 50 .O94 1997

New contribution from OUP.

HarperCollins Dictionary of Religion

Encyclopaedia Judaica
Ref DS102.8 .E6. 16 v. + supps.

Ref BL31 .H37 1995

Covers large number of topics and traditions.

The authoritative multi-volume resource.

New Dictionary of Religions

New Catholic Encyclopedia

Ref BL31 .P48 1995

Focus on traditions with good bibliographies.

Ref BX841 .N44. 15 v. + supps.

Dated now but still invaluable.

Handbook of Religious Experience

World Christian Encyclopedia

Ref BL53 .H286 1995

Ref BR157 .W67 1982

Needs updating; country by country treatments.

Who's Who of World Religions

Ref BL72 .W54 1992
Biographical guide, brief entries.

Special
Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Encyclopedia of World Faiths

Ref B51 .R68 1998. 10 v.

Now the standard, some coverage of religious topics.

Ref BL80.2 .E495 1988

Basic data, nice presentation.

Encyclopedia of Women and World Religion

New Handbook of Living Religions

BL458 .E53 1999. 2 v.

A new survey, some bibliographies.

Ref BL80.2 .H275 1997

Up to date with extensive bibliographies.

Reader's Guide to the Great Religions. 2nd ed.

Ref BL80.2 .R43 1977
Dated bibliography but still useful.

Ref BL1005 .L4813 1989

General Collection

World's Religions
Ref BL80.2 .W68 1988

Islam
Encyclopedia of Islam
Ref DS37 .E52. 9 v.
Monumental, scholarly, not yet complete.

Concise Encyclopedia of Islam

Ref BP40 .G42 1991
Handy 1-vol. version of above.

Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World

Ref DS35.53 .O95 1995. 4 v.
Current, includes religious topics.

Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion

Faith Meets Faith [series]

55 vols.
Religious Life of Man [series]
11 vols.
World Religions [series]
11 vols.
World Spirituality [series]
25 vols.
Smith, Huston. The World's Religions
BL 80 .S66 1991
Hutchinson, John Alexander. Paths of Faith. 4th ed.
OSF BL80.2 .H78 1991
Griffiths, Paul J., ed. Christianity through Non-Christian Eyes.
BR127 .C47428 1990
Carmody, Denise Lardner. What Are They Saying About NonChristian Faith?
OSF BR127 .C26 1982

Archbishop Ireland Memorial Library

http://www.lib.stthomas.edu/ireland

Smart, Ninian. The World's Religions. 2nd ed.

BL80.2 .S615 1998
Renard, John. Responses to 101 Questions on Islam
BP163 .R46 1998
Renard, John. Responses to 101 Questions on Hinduism
BL1210 .R44 1999
The Eliade Guide to World Religions
BL80.2.E415 1991
A Reader in Comparative Religion. 4th ed.
BL 80.2.L44 1979
A World Religions Reader
BL80.W74 1996
Native American
Carmody, Denise Lardner. Native American Religions: An
Introduction
OSF E59.R38 C37 1993
Versluis, Arthur. Sacred Earth: The Spiritual Landscape of
Native America
OSF E98.R3 V47 1992
Native American Religions. Lawrence E. Sullivan, ed.
OSF E98 .R3 N38 1989

Databases

Subjects con't:
God (Hinduism)
Indians of North America--Great Plains--Religion
Islam--Customs and practices
Islam--Doctrines
Jesus Christ--Hindu interpretations
Mysticism--Judaism
Nirvana
Philosophy, Islamic
Ramakrishna
Reincarnation
Religious ethics--Comparative studies
Religions
Soul--Comparative studies
Shiites
Zen Buddhism--Doctrines

World Wide Web

Over Web browsers, UST provides many proprietary
databases for locating journal articles or essays. Go to
www.lib.stthomas.edu/databases for a list of resources.
Examples:
SilverPlatter

CLICnet

Array of indexes, including ATLA Religion Database (see

left column). Others may be helpful:

Book Catalog
On the Internet via telnet (telnet://clicnet.clic.edu) or in a
very slow Web version (http://webpac.clic.edu/tipac),
CLICnet is easy to use with common commands
presented on-screen. See examples of subject headings
below under "Sample Subjects".

ATLA Religion Database

Theology Article & Essay Index
There is a handout to help search the Web version of
ATLA (www.lib.stthomas.edu/databases). Choose
SilverPlatter and then ATLA is half way down the list.
Click <Search> near the bottom of the screen.

InfoTrac
Expanded Academic is the best choice. Several theology,
religion or philosophy journals. Some full text articles.

FirstSearch
A few databases out of over sixty might help. Try Artcile1st
ECO (some full text!), or Humanities Abstracts.

Lexis-Nexis
Mostly full text, including major newspapers and some
magazines, though strongest in business and law.

Web Gateways
Here are a few directories that link to pre-selected sites:
Academic Info on Religion

Sample Subjects
Below is a broad, merely representative sample of subject
headings from the book catalog. Individual traditions,
topics, comparisons and relations form the basis of
constructing a non-specific search.

www.academicinfo.net/religindex.html

Facets of Religion
www.BCCA.Org/~cvoogt/Religion

Virtual Religion Index

religion.rutgers.edu/vri/index.html

ATLA Religion Database and the CLICnet book catalog

share similar headings (though not identical in some
cases). A major heading in CLICnet is Christianity and
other religions--[Religion], whereas ATLA often uses the
subject Christianity and [Religion].
Buddhism--Dictionaries
Buddhism--Relations--Christianity
China--Religious life and customs
Christianity and other religions--Hinduism
Dakota Indians--Religion
Dharma
East and West
End of the world--Comparative studies
Future life

Voice of the Shuttle

vos.ucsb.edu/shuttle/religion.html

U of Florida's professor site

www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/rel

About.com
home.about.com/religion/index.htm?PM=59_0239_T
BUBL Link
link.bubl.ac.uk/religion

Yahoo
dir.yahoo.com/Society_and_Culture/Religion_and_Spirit
uality/Faiths_and_Practices
Archbishop Ireland Memorial Library
http://www.lib.stthomas.edu/ireland