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Religious Studies
Finding Books
Use the library catalog to find materials in Z. Smith Reynolds Library. Search by Author or Title in the basic search tab, or by keyword or phrases in the Guided Keyword tab.
Most Religious Studies books have a Library of Congress call number that starts with the letter "B," and they are located on Wilson 1. Religious Studies is broken down as follows:
- 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
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Dictionaries and encyclopedias provide an overview of a subject, introduce basic concepts, summarize key issues, define terms, and cite factual information. The articles may also refer to other entries on related topics. The following print encyclopedias and dictionaries are located in the Reference Department:
- A Concise Encyclopedia of Buddhism Ref BQ128 P69 2000
- Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Ref BS440 B26 1988
- Dictionary of Judaism in the Biblical Period Ref BM50 D525 1996
- NRSV Exhaustive Concordance Ref BS425 N453 1991
- The Anchor Bible Dictionary Ref BS440 A54 1992
- The New Encyclopedia of Islam Ref BP40 G42 2001
- The Encyclopedia of Judaism Ref BM50 E63 1999
- The Hindus: Encyclopedia of Hinduism Ref BL1105 H56 2000
- The New Interpreters Bible Ref BS491.2 N484 1994
- The Oxford Guide to People and Places of the Bible Ref BS570 O94 2001
Finding Articles Using Online Databases
Use electronic databases to find journal articles, book chapters and book reviews. The library has over 200 databases for finding journal articles. To find the databases most useful for Religious Studies, go to the left sidebar, expand the Subject List under Arts and Humanities and select "Religion."
Don't forget that the electronic resources for other disciplines will also be useful for Religious Studies! Check out the offerings in Classics, Philosophy, Literature, History, Sociology and Psychology!
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ATLA Religion Full-Text Database
"Indexes and abstracts journal articles, essays in multi-author books, and book reviews, covering nearly all areas of international religious research."
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ProQuest Religion
"Full text coverage of religious affairs and theology."
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JSTOR
"A full-text database of archived issues of academic journals. Since JSTOR is a backfiles project, a typical coverage range is the beginning of a journal until three or five years ago."
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Academic Search Premier
"Provides abstracts, indexing, and full-text for journals covering the social sciences, humanities, education, and more."
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Research Library
"Contains articles from magazines, newspapers, and journals. Areas included: business, health, education, psychology, science, sports, and literature."
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Old Testament Abstracts
"(Journal citations and abstracts) covering antiquities, archaeology, Biblical theology, and philology."
Other Electronic Resources
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Encyclopedia of Religion
"Includes all historical religions and the religious systems of the East and the West. The entries are written by religious scholars, are signed, and include bibliographies."
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Bible in English
"Contains twenty different versions of the English Bible from the tenth to the twentieth century, including 12 full Bibles, 5 New Testament texts, 2 versions of the Gospels only, and William Tyndale's translations of the Pentateuch, Jonah and the New Testament."
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Encyclopaedia of Islam
"Corresponds to volumes 1-9 of the printed Encyclopaedia of Islam."
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Encyclopedia Judaica
"Entries on Jewish life, culture, history, and religion, written by Israeli, American and European subject specialists."
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Digital Library of Classic Protestant Texts
"Covers the Reformation and post-Reformation eras. Includes the full text of theological writings, biblical commentaries, confessional documents, and polemical treatises written by more than 300 Protestant authors."
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Digital Library of Catholic Reformation
"Includes papal and synodal decrees, catechisms and inquisitorial manuals, Biblical commentaries, theological treatises and systems, liturgical writings, saints' lives, and devotional works."
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Oxford Guide to People and Places of the Bible
"This essential guide offers 325 articles that describe the people and places that appear in the New Testament and Old Testament of the Bible. From prophets, apostles, and groups (such as Hebrews and Angels) to kingdoms and countries, cities and mountains where Biblical events took place. "
Finding Journals
Find out if the Library subscribes to the journal you need by looking up the title through the Journals page. If we subscribe to the journal, you will see information regarding the print and/or electronic versions of the journal. You can also use the "Subject Browse" feature to view journals by subject (selected journals only).
Current issues are shelved in Current Periodicals. Bound volumes are shelved in the stacks. If the Library does not have a journal or book you need, request it through Interlibrary Loan.
Here are some samples of the 300+ Religious Studies journals that ZSR subscribes to:
- Buddhist-Christian Studies
- Catholic Biblical Quarterly
- International Journal for the Psychology of Religion
- Journal of Biblical Literature
- Journal of Early Christian Studies
- Journal of Pastoral Care
- Journal of Religion in Africa
- Journal of Religious Ethics
- Journal of Women and Religion
- Modern Judaism
- Near Eastern Archaeology
- New Testament Studies
- Religion and American Culture
- Shofar
- Studia Islamica
- Theological Studies
- Vigiliae Christianae
- Zygon
Internet Sources
These internet resources include websites and information that have been collected and organized by librarians and other subject experts.
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INFOMINE
Scholarly internet resources compiled by professional librarians
- Intute: Religion
- ATLA Cooperative Digital Resource Initiative
- New Testament Gateway
- Resource Pages for Biblical Studies
- Divinity School Library of Duke University
- Princeton Theological Seminary Library
- Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion
Publishers
The following are reputable publishers who specialize in Religious Studies texts:
- Abingdon Press
- Anchor Bible
- Augsburg Fortress
- Baker Book House
- E.J. Brill/Leiden
- Eerdmans Publishing Co.
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Hendrickson Publishers
- Liturgical Press
- Morehouse Group/Trinity Press
- Routledge
- Society of Biblical Literature
- Thomas Nelson Publishers
- University Presses, i.e. Oxford, Chicago, Duke
- Westminster/John Knox
- Zondervan Publishers
Citing Your Sources
If you've found something useful and are going to mention it in your paper or presentation, give credit where it's due by citing it. Either mention the source in parenthesis, endnotes, or footnotes. Either use an abbreviated guide to MLA, or use the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (2003) located at the Reference Desk.
Back to topNeed Help?
If you need more individual help, please request a Personal Research Session.
If you're having trouble connecting to our resources, take a look at the Off-Campus Access Instructions for the Wake Forest community.
Good luck in your search! If you aren't finding enough information, please contact:
- Sharon Snow, Rare Books, 758-5755
- Kaeley McMahan, Reference, 758-4661, AIM: kaeleymc
or ask at the Reference Desk (758-5475), or email the Reference Staff.
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