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Edens Library Resources
for Religion



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Selected Reference Books

Great for statistics, definitions, a general overview of the topic...

  • Commentaries
  • Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
  • Bible Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
  • Concordances
  • Women in Religion
  • Miscellaneous
  • Top of Page
    Commentaries
  • HarperCollins Bible Commentary
  • Ref BS 491.2 H37 2000
  • The Interpreter's Bible
  • Ref BS 491.2 I55 (v.1-9; 11-12)
  • The IVP Women's Bible Commentary
  • Ref BS 521.4 I97 2002
  • The New Interpreter's Bible
  • Ref BS 491.2 N484 1994 (v.1-9; 11-12)
  • The New Jerome Biblical Commentary
  • Ref BS 491.2 .N485 1990
  • Searching the Scriptures: A Feminist Commentary
  • Ref BS 2379 S43 1993 v.2
  • Women's Bible Commentary
  • Ref BS 491.2 W66 1992
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    Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
  • Dictionary of Biblical Imagery
  • Ref BS 537 D48 1998
  • A Dictionary of Buddhism
  • Ref BQ 130 K46 2003
  • Dictionary of Judaism in the Biblical Period
  • Ref BM 50 D525 1999
  • Dictionary of New Testament Background
  • Ref BS 2312 D53 2000
  • Dictionary of Religion
  • Ref BL 31 H37 1995
  • Encyclopedia Judaica
  • Ref DS 102.8 .E496 2007 (v.1-22)
  • Encyclopedia of Africa and African-American Religions
  • Ref BL 2462.5 E53 2001
  • Encyclopedia of American Religious History
  • Ref BL 2525 Q44 1996 (v.1-2)
  • Encyclopedia of Creation Myths
  • Ref BL 325 C7 L44 1994
  • Encyclopedia of Hell
  • Ref BL 545 V26 1998
  • Encyclopedia of Religion
  • Ref BL 31 E46 2005 (v.1-10)
  • Encyclopedia of Religion in American Politics
  • Ref BL 2525 E52 1999
  • New Catholic Encyclopedia
  • Ref BX 841 N44 1981 (v.1-18 + Jubilee vol.)
  • The New Encyclopedia of Islam
  • Ref BP 40 G42 2001
  • The New Encyclopedia of Judaism
  • Ref BM 50 E63 2002
  • The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge
  • Ref BR 95 .S435 (v.1-9)
  • The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World
  • Ref DS 35.53 O95 2001 (v.1-4)
  • Witchcraft Today: An Encyclopedia of Wiccan and Neopagan Traditions
  • Ref BF 1571 L49 1999
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    Bible Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
  • Anchor Bible Dictionary
  • Ref BS 440 A54 1992 (v.1-6)
  • A Dictionary of the Bible
  • Ref BS 440 B73 1996
  • The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary
  • Ref BS 440 .G7613 1987
  • Harper's Bible Dictionary
  • Ref BS 440 H237 1985
  • The New Bible Dictionary
  • Ref BS 440 D6 1962
  • The New Unger's Bible Dictionary
  • Ref BS 440 .U5 1988
  • The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible
  • Ref BS 440 Z63 (v.1-5)
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    Concordances
  • Concordance to the Bible
  • Ref BS 425 T45 1945
  • The Eerdmans Analytical Concordance to the Revised Standard Version of the Bible
  • Ref BS 425 W48 1988
  • Nelson's Complete Concordance of the Revised Standard Version Bible
  • Ref BS 425 E4 1957
  • The New Strong's Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
  • Ref BS 425 S8 2001
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    Women in Religion
  • All of the Women of the Bible
  • Ref BS 575 .D4 1988
  • Encyclopedia of Women and World Religion
  • Ref BL 458 E53 1999 (v.1-2)
  • Feminism and Christian Tradition: An Annotated Bibliography and Critical Introduction to the Literature
  • Ref BT 83.55 W3 1999
  • Goddesses in World Mythology: A Biographical Dictionary
  • Ref BL 473.5 A66 1995
  • Searching the Scriptures: A Feminist Commentary
  • Ref BS 2379 S43 1993 v.2
  • Women in Scripture
  • Ref BS 575 W593 2000
  • Women's Bible Commentary
  • Ref BS 491.2 W66 1992
  • The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets
  • Ref BL 458 W34 1983
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    Miscellaneous
  • The A to Z of Buddhism
  • Ref BQ 130 P73 2001
  • The Ancient Gods Speak: A Guide to Egyptian Religion
  • Ref BL 2428 A53 2002
  • Atlas of the Bible
  • Ref BS 630 R6 1985
  • Atlas of the World's Religions
  • Ref G 1046 E4 A85 1999
  • The Bible Almanac
  • Ref BS 635.2 B48
  • The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt
  • Ref BL 2450 G6 W56 2003
  • Contemporary American Religion
  • Ref BL 2525 C65 2000 (v.1-2)
  • Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography: Themes Depicted in Works of Art
  • Ref N 7560 E53 1998 (v.1-2)
  • Encyclopedia of the Scientific Revolution: From Copernicus to Newton
  • Ref Q 125 E53 2000
  • The History of Science and Religion in the Western Tradition: An Encyclopedia
  • Ref BL 245 H57 2000
  • Men and Women of the Bible: A Reader's Guide
  • Ref BS 571 T57 2002
  • Mythologies
  • Ref BL 311 .D513 1991 (v.1-2)
  • The Oxford Guide to Ideas & Issues of the Bible
  • Ref BS 440 O94 2001
  • The Oxford Guide to People & Places of the Bible
  • Ref BS 570 O94 2001
  • Religions of America
  • Ref BR 516.5 R67 1975
  • A SourceBook for Earth's Community of Religions
  • Ref BL 82 S58 1995
  • Who's Who in the Bible (Reader's Digest)
  • Ref BS 570 R43 1994
  • Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches
  • Ref BR 513 Y4 (2001-2002)

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    Suggested Subject Headings and Location of Books in Our Library

    Search the Library Catalog by keyword, subject, title, or author. Edens Library offers books and other materials on a variety of Religion subjects, including:

    Atheism
    Bible and feminism
    Bible as literature
    Black theology
    Buddhism
    Christianity and other religions
    Confucianism
    Judaism
    Liberation theology
    Religion and ethics
    Religions
    Ruth (Biblical figure)
    Taoism
    Theology, Doctrinal
    Women and religion
    Women in the Bible
    Women in the Catholic Church

    ...Or, you can browse the following sections in the library's General Collection and Reference areas:

    BL -- Religions, Mythology
    BM -- Judaism
    BP -- Islam, Bahaism, Theosophy, etc.
    BQ -- Buddhism
    BR -- Christianity
    BS -- Bible
    BT -- Christianity: Doctrinal Theology
    BV -- Christianity: Practical Theology
    BX -- Christian Denominations
    Top of Page

    Databases for Research

    *For additional databases, see the Databases for Research page.
    Top of Page
    Academic Search PremierCollegiate Discus The world’s largest academic multi-disciplinary database, Academic Search Premier contains indexing for over 8,000 publications, with full text for more than 4,450 of those titles. PDF backfiles to 1975 or further are available for well over one hundred journals, and searchable cited references are provided for more than 1,000 titles.
    *A User ID and password (obtainable at the library's reference or circulation desk: 786-3703 or 786-3877) are required for remote access.
    Expanded Academic ASAPDISCUS - South Carolina's Virtual Library For college-level and adult researchers and advanced high school students
    (1980 - present)

    * Comprehensive periodical database covering all academic disciplines
    * Millions of full-text articles from 2000+ scholarly, refereed and professional journals and selected general interest magazines
    * Indexing of additional professional and general periodicals
    *A password (obtainable at the library's reference or circulation desk: 786-3703 or 786-3877) is required for remote access.

    DISCUS - South Carolina's Virtual LibraryInfoTrac: OneFile For college-level and adult researchers and advanced high school students
    (1980 - present)

    * Comprehensive periodical database covering all subjects and all types of periodicals
    * Periodicals from nearly all InfoTrac collections merged into a single database
    * Over 25 million full-text articles on all subjects from over 5000 periodical titles
    * Articles from newswires and general, professional, scholarly and children's periodicals
    * Indexing of the New York Times, other major newspapers and 8000+ periodicals
    *A password (obtainable at the library's reference or circulation desk: 786-3703 or 786-3877) is required for remote access.

    Project Muse
    "Provides online, worldwide institutional subscription access to the full text of over 200 scholarly journals in the arts and humanities, social sciences, and mathematics."
    *Your Columbia College email username and password are required for remote access. (Don't know your CC email username and password? Contact the Office of Information Technology: 786-3007).
    America: History and Life A complete bibliographic reference to the history of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present. Published since 1964, the database comprises almost 400,000 bibliographic entries. Covers over 2,000 journals published worldwide, including all key English-language historical journals, selected historical journals from major countries, state and local history journals, and a targeted selection of hundreds of journals in the social sciences and humanities.
    *Your Columbia College email username and password are required for remote access. (Don't know your CC email username and password? Contact the Office of Information Technology: 786-3007).
    Historical Abstracts A complete bibliographic reference guide to the history of the world from 1450 to the present (excluding the United States and Canada, which are covered in America: History and Life). Covers over 2,000 journals published worldwide, including the key historical journals from virtually every major country, as well as a targeted selection of hundreds of journals in the social sciences and humanities.
    *Your Columbia College email username and password are required for remote access. (Don't know your CC email username and password? Contact the Office of Information Technology: 786-3007).
    DISCUS - South Carolina's Virtual LibraryScribners Writers Scribner Writer's Series includes 15-20 page signed essays on more than 1,600 authors and literary genres drawn from 13 acclaimed Scribner print series, including The Books of the Bible.
    *A password (obtainable at the library's reference or circulation desk: 786-3703 or 786-3877) is required for remote access.
    DISCUS - South Carolina's Virtual LibraryTwayne's Authors Series The acclaimed Twayne's Authors Series of literary criticism offers in-depth introductions to the lives and works of writers, the history and influence of literary movements and to the development of literary genres. This online series features the content of nearly 600 books that comprise three print series --United States Authors, English Authors and World Authors -- each of which were carefully coordinated with input from librarians and educators to include authors universally studied in high schools and colleges.
    *A password (obtainable at the library's reference or circulation desk: 786-3703 or 786-3877) is required for remote access.
    DISCUS - South Carolina's Virtual LibrarySIRS Knowledge Source For advanced middle school students through adults

    * Articles, images, reference information, Web sites and more on all subjects
    * Articles selected from 2,500+ U.S. and international magazines, newspapers, government publications and reference sources
    * News, current events and organized links to evaluated Web sites
    * Includes special features on - literature, terrorism and other topics
    * Interactive textbook on citizenship with teacher resources
    * Images, maps, country profiles, primary sources and Supreme Court decisions
    *This database is only available on the Columbia College campus.

    Biography Resource Center + The Complete Marquis Who's Who®DISCUS - South Carolina's Virtual Library For all age groups

    * Comprehensive source for biographical information
    * Over 350,000 biographies of people from around the world and throughout history
    * Quick reference information on nearly one million people from Who’s Who sources
    * Full-text articles from hundreds of magazines and links to selected biography Web sites
    *A password (obtainable at the library's reference or circulation desk: 786-3703 or 786-3877) is required for remote access.

    Collegiate DiscusPsychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
    "This database provides nearly 575 full text publications, including nearly 550 peer-reviewed titles. Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection covers topics such as emotional and behavioral characteristics, psychiatry & psychology, mental processes, anthropology, and observational and experimental methods. Nearly every full text title included in this database is indexed in PsycINFO. This database is updated daily via EBSCOhost."
    *A User ID and password (obtainable at the library's reference or circulation desk: 786-3703 or 786-3877) are required for remote access.
    DISCUS - South Carolina's Virtual LibraryCustom Newspapers For all age groups

    * Full-text articles from over 100 U.S. and international newspapers
    * New York Times (2000-)
    * Christian Science Monitor (1996-)
    * Post & Courier (Charleston, SC; 2000-)
    * Atlanta Journal-Constitution (1998-)
    * 40+ other domestic papers
    * Times (London; 1996-)
    * 60+ other international papers
    * Updated 1-3 days after publication of the print newspapers.
    * Complete lists of newspapers included, with beginning dates of coverage
    *A password (obtainable at the library's reference or circulation desk: 786-3703 or 786-3877) is required for remote access.

    NewsBank:The State Newspaper For all age groups

    * Archive of full-text articles from The State (Columbia), December 1987+ and The Greenville News, January 1999+
    * Locally written articles - news, editorials, sports, business, arts, features
    * Letters to the editor and major newswire articles
    * Includes obituaries & death notices, but this coverage is incomplete prior to 1999
    * Added features from NewsBank— Special Reports, Maps, and News Headlines/Activities
    * NOTE: Updated 1-2 days after publication of the print newspaper.
    * See thestate.com for free access to the latest 1-2 days of coverage.
    *This database is only available on the Columbia College campus.


    Top of Page

    Periodicals (Journals, Magazines, Newspapers)

    The following periodicals, held by Edens Library, are excellent resources for exploring current topics in Religion. Check the Library Catalog for holdings.

    Methodist History
    Theology Today


    Top of Page

    Recommended Internet Sites for Religion

  • Religion (General)
  • Women in Religion
  • Specific Religions
  • Christianity
  • Judaism
  • Islam/Muslim
  • Hinduism
  • Buddhism

  • Top of Page | Return to the Sites by Subject index
    Religion (General)
    American Religion Data Archive (ARDA) (Penn State, Dept. of Sociology)
    Exploring Religions (Univ. of Wyoming)
    Religion Religions Religious Studies (Univ. of Florida)
    Information and links for study and interpretation of religions
    The Religious Movements Homepage (Univ. of Virginia)
    "Dedicated to the study of religious movements on the web and in the world, this site provides a foundation for understanding how religious groups emerge, grow, stagnate, reinvigorate themselves, and sometimes die."
    Theology and Religion Resources on the Internet (Blackwell Publishers)
    Wabash Center: Guide to Internet Resources for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion (Wabash College)
    Top of Page | Top of Internet Sites

    Women in Religion
    Frank Henderson's Page on Liturgy and Medieval Women
    Offers listings of his scholarly writings, including the topics of baptism, the Catholic Lectionary, marriage, and more.
    Women-Related Religion/Spirituality Sites (UMBC: Univ. of Maryland, Baltimore County)
    "A highly selective listing of women-related sites focusing on religion and/or spirituality... chosen because they provide especially rich sources of information appropriate for an academic women's studies program"
    Top of Page | Top of Internet Sites

    Specific Religions — Christianity
    Biblenotes
    "The entire Holy Bible is summarized with easy-to-read review notes and keypoints"
    BibleGateway.com
    "The Bible Gateway is a tool for reading and researching scripture online -- all in the language or translation of your choice! It provides advanced searching capabilities, which allow readers to find and compare particular passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference."
    Catholic Community - The World-Wide Catholic Search Engine
    The Catholic Encyclopedia (New Advent Catholic Website)
    More than 11,000 articles on Catholic topics from the 1913 edition
    Christian Classics Ethereal Library
    Provides numerous links to primary classical Christian texts from the ancient, medieval, Reformation, and modern period.
    Early Church Fathers (Christian Classics Ethereal Library)
    "A 38-volume collection of writings from the first 800 years of the Church"
    Frank Henderson's Page on Liturgy and Medieval Women
    Offers listings of his scholarly writings, including the topics of baptism, the Catholic Lectionary, marriage, and more.
    National Council of Churches
    "The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA is the nation's leading organization in the movement for Christian ecumenical cooperation. The NCC's 36 Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox member communions and denominations include more than 50 million persons in 140,000 local congregations in communities across the United States."
    New Advent Catholic Website
    United Methodist Church (UMC)
    This official Web site includes a library of church documents, publications, financial information, and judicial decisions. Other useful sections are an archive of United Methodist images and icons and a locator to find affiliated schools and congregations.
    Top of Page | Top of Internet Sites

    Specific Religions — Judaism
    Biblenotes
    "The entire Holy Bible is summarized with easy-to-read review notes and keypoints"
    Judaism 101
    An "online encyclopedia of Judaism, covering Jewish beliefs, people, places, things, language, scripture, holidays, practices and customs." Includes "A Gentile's Guide to the Jewish Holidays," which provides a "general understanding of ... your Jewish friends' and colleagues' holidays." Searchable and browsable.
    Judaism and Jewish Resources
    MyJewishLearning.com
    This site "is a transdenominational website of Jewish information and education geared toward learners of all ages and educational backgrounds." It provides information about history, daily life, holidays, texts, rituals, laws, culture, food, and more. Includes bibliographies. Searchable.
    Top of Page | Top of Internet Sites

    Specific Religions — Islam/Muslim
    Al-Islam
    "Al-Islam.org is a work of the Ahlul Bayt Digital Islamic Library Project (DILP), which is a non profit Internet-based group of people operating from throughout the world. Our objectives are to digitise and present on the Internet quality Islamic resources, related to the history, law, practice, and society of the Islamic religion and the Muslim peoples with particular emphasis on Twelver Shia Islamic school of thought."
    Islam, Islamic Studies, Arabic, and Religion: Resources for Studying Islam (Univ. of Georgia)
    The Noble Qur'an (Univ. of Southern California)
    Includes three translations, a comprehensive search engine, and topical index
    Top of Page | Top of Internet Sites

    Specific Religions — Hinduism
    Study of Hindu Religion
    A comprehensive study of the principles and practices of Hindu religion, yoga, and philosophy, this site also includes the basic tenets and beliefs of Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Shintoism, Taoism, and Confucianism from a Hindu point of view.
    Meeting God: Elements of Hindu Religion
    Created to accompany an exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History, this detailed site explores aspects of Hinduism, including worship in the home, community, and temple. The site features a gallery of images and a "Portrait of Worship," about American Hindu practice. Searchable.
    Top of Page | Top of Internet Sites

    Specific Religions — Buddhism
    BuddhaNet: Buddhist Information and Education Network
    Buddhist Studies (Academic Info) - An Annotated Directory of Internet Resources on Buddhism
    Top of Page | Top of Internet Sites


    Return to the Sites by Subject index
    Return to the Resource Guides page

    Page last modified by Sarah Hood
    Date: 1/24/07
    [Columbia College]
    [Edens Library, Columbia South Carolina]