Religious Studies

This is the best starting place for research on any aspect of religion. Get a good introduction and overview to your topic and excellent suggestions for primary and secondary sources.

Search a collection of religion dictionaries and encyclopedias to find background information on your topic.

This is a comprehensive encyclopedia of philosophy from ancient times to the present. Although its major focus is on Western philosophy, it does provide substantial coverage for all regions of the world. It serves as an excellent starting place for most research on philosophical topics.

This comprehensive dictionary (4th ed. 2022) has 6,500+ entries on Christian history, theology, liturgy, and related topics such as Biblical studies. Articles cover biographies, theological terms, historical events, creeds, major writings, countries, denominations, and religious organizations. The typical entry is several paragraphs long with 10-20 key references to primary and secondary sources. It is an excellent, authoritative starting point for most kinds of research on Christianity. The most recent edition has greatly expanded the coverage of global Christianity.

This comprehensive encyclopedia is an important starting point for any research related to Roman Catholicism, and to Christianity more broadly. It features extensive articles on the beliefs, practices, people, and history of Catholicism.

This supplement volume to the New Catholic Encyclopedia serves two purposes. The first 100+ pages provide a series of thematic essays that survey major themes of contemporary Catholicism. The remainder of the encyclopedia provides a detailed record of the papacy of John Paul II, including his biography, writings, major events, people, and institutions, as well as entries for the hundreds of people beatified or canonized as saints during his pontificate.

From the famous to the obscure, this book provides concise accounts of the lives, cults, relationships through patronage, and artistic associations of more than a thousand saints, including entries on the Martyrs of Korea, Mexico, and Vietnam, as well as the recently canonized such as Edith Stein, Padro Pio, and Josémaria Escriva.

Containing over 1,200 entries, this is the definitive source for information about the entire range of religious and social changes that altered the face of Europe in the 16th century. Covers the issues of church polity and theology as well as developments in politics, economics, demographics, art and literature.

This comprehensive print encyclopedia is the best source for beginning most research on topics related to Judaism. It provides extensive coverage of the religion, history, customs, beliefs, people, organizations, and events connected with Judaism. Article include excellent bibliographies of primary and secondary sources.

This comprehensive print encyclopedia is the most important starting place for research on Islam. Written by Western scholars of Islam, it provides thorough coverage of the history, people, ideas, religion, and culture of Islam worldwide. As this is a complex scholarly source, please feel free to ask for assistance in using it.

This extensive print encyclopedia provides an excellent starting point for most student research on Islam. It focusses on the beliefs, events, movements, and leaders in the modern period, although articles typically include coverage of the history and development of the topic. Articles include excellent (although somewhat dated) bibliographies to primary and secondary sources in English, with frequent reference to related articles in the Encyclopaedia of Islam.

This substantial print encyclopedia provides students and other researchers with an easily accessible introduction to research on Islamic culture and history. It covers the whole history of Islam and serves as a very useful companion work to the Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam in the Modern World. Entries provide the reader with excellent lists of books and articles on the topic. Those seeking more detailed information will want to consult the Encyclopedia of Islam as well.

This substantial print encyclopedia provides the student and other researchers with an excellent starting point for research on all aspects of Buddhism. It covers buddhist thought, practices, movements, art, history and culture. Articles examine Buddhism in its major regional expressions, such as in India, China, Tibet, Japan, and Southeast Asia, as well as thematic articles that compare regional differences and similarities. Good lists of books and articles for further research are included.