LibGuides: Theological Studies: Background Information

Using Background Information (reference works)

Finding background information at the beginning of your research will help you find pertinent scholarly sources and write a more convincing argument. Background information in reference books or databases can provide:

Introduction to key issues
Major dates and events
Keywords and subject-specific vocabulary terms that can be used for database searches
Bibliographies that lead to additional resources

Background Information for Theological Studies

e-Reference Databases

Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
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Subjects: MANY
Description: General e-book collection from Gale Cengage Learning containing full text.
Contents: eBooks; Encyclopedias.
Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window
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Subjects: MANY
Description: General encyclopedia containing full text.
Contents: E-books; Encyclopedias
Oxford Islamic Studies Online This link opens in a new window
Subjects: Theological Studies, History, International Relations, Islamic Studies
Description: Background Information database containing full text. Mainly focused on Middle East; North Africa; Central, South, and Southeast Asia. Scholarly overviews and primary sources addressing major figures, movements, and other topics from around 570 CE to the 21st century. Includes searchable Qur'an translations and concordance.
Contents: Book Chapters; Primary Sources; Primary texts in translation; Encyclopedias; Handbooks
Oxford Handbooks Online This link opens in a new window
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Subjects: MANY
Description:Complete texts of Oxford Handbooks, including over 40 in religion on topics ranging from American Islam to Maximus the Confessor.
Contents:Book Chapters; E-books
More info
Cambridge Companions to Philosophy, Religion and Culture This link opens in a new window
Subjects: Philosophy, Theological Studies, Catholic Studies, Ethics
Description: E-book collection containing full text. Mainly focused on North America and Europe. Scholarly essays that provide overviews and references to major sources on a topic.
Contents: Book Chapters; E-books

e-Reference Books

Encyclopedia of Religion, 2nd edition

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion
Scholarly encyclopedia that covers a very wide range of religious traditions. Articles provide overviews and citations to important sources.

New Catholic Encyclopedia Online
Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception Online
Scholarly encyclopedia offering articles with references on (1) the origins & development of the Bible in Judaism and Christianity, and (2) the history of the Bible's reception in the Christian churches and the Jewish Diaspora; Islam; and other religious traditions and current religious movements, as well as in literature, art, music, and film.

Brill's Encyclopedia of Early Christianity Online
Addresses a range of traditions, including iconographic, martyrological, ecclesiastical, and Christological traditions, as well as cultic phenomena, such as the veneration of saints. The history of the transmission of texts and the attention to recent scholarship will play an important role. The BEEC focuses on early Christianity from a historical perspective in order to uncover the lasting legacy of the authors and texts until the present day. Its content is intended to bridge the gap between the fields of New Testament studies and patristics, covering the whole period of early Christianity up to 600 CE.
Brill's Encyclopedia of Buddhism Online
Comprehensive academic reference work devoted to the plurality of Buddhist traditions across Asia, offering readers a balanced and detailed treatment of this complex phenomenon in six thematically arranged volumes. Database currently holds volume 1, with new content being added.
Brill's Encyclopedia of Hinduism Online
Scholarly entries covering regional traditions as well as deities, from a variety of methodological standpoints. Includes material on yoga philosophy and historical practices more broadly.
Brill's Encyclopedia of Jainism Online
Research on main aspects of the Jain traditions in original essays written by some of the world’s foremost scholars on Jainism. The articles address topics such as the human condition, pantheons, historical perspectives, regional cultures, renunciation, lay society, ritual, devotion, visual and material culture, time and space, literature, and philosophy and logic.
Brill's Encyclopedia of Sikhism Online
Presents a balanced and impartial view of the Sikh traditions in all their multiplicity and as both historical and contemporary institutions. The articles, published in two volumes, focus on history, literature, and the rich social landscape of the Sikh community; their practices, places, arts, and performances; specialists and leadership; migration both within South Asia and beyond; and contemporary issues and relations.
Index Buddhicus Online
Academic bibliographical reference in the field of Buddhist studies. It consists of bibliographical records for monographs, reviews, chapters in edited volumes, journal articles, reference works, electronic resources, and other. The Index Buddhicus covers Western language secondary literature.

Print Reference

Religion Past and Present by H. Betz et al. (editors)
Call Number: REF BL31 .R4213 2007
Publication Date: 2007-2014
Complete, updated English translation of the well-known 14-volume encyclopedia of religion worldwide, Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart.

Find other print or e-reference books (Library catalog search)
To find other reference books about classics, add your own keywords to this custom search in LINUS, the library catalog. The library's collection includes many reference works that focus on specific civilizations, aspects of the ancient world, and time periods, like ancient Near Eastern mythology and Greek literature.