Earlham Libraries Home: All Religion Resource Guide: Reference

Reference: Comprehensive Guides

Wiley Online Library (formerly Blackwell Reference Online) This link opens in a new window
Books and articles in life, health, humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences.
Includes the complete texts of almost 300 encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, and other reference works from Wiley Blackwell Publishing in the Wiley Blackwell Reference Online collection. Also contains description-only citations of over 21,000 other online books, journals and articles.
Oxford Handbooks Online: Religion This link opens in a new window
Includes essays on Religion from leading Scholars in the fields. Handbooks cover: Atheism, Biblical Studies, British Sermon (1689-1901), Dead Sea Scrolls, Early Christian Studies, English Literature and Theology, Eschatology, Evangelical Theology, Feminist Theology, Global Religions, Holocaust Studies, Islam and Politics, Jewish Ethics and Morality, Jewish Studies, Kierkegaard, Methodist Studies, Millenialism, Natural Theology, New Religious Movements, Philosophical Theology, Quaker Studies, Reception History of the Bible, Religion and American Politics, Religion and Ecology, Religion and Emotion, Religion and Science, Religion and the American News Media, Religion and the Arts, Religion and Violence, Religious Diversity, Systematic Theology, Sociology of Religion, The Trinity, Theological Ethics, Theology and Modern European Thought.

Reference: Online Encyclopedias

Encyclopedia Judaica
ISBN: 9780028659282
Publication Date: 2007
Online version of the 22-volume, 2nd edition set from Macmillan (2007).
Providing an exhaustive and organized overview of Jewish life and knowledge from the Second Temple period to the contemporary State of Israel, from Rabbinic to modern Yiddish literature, from Kabbalah to "Americana" and from Zionism to the contribution of Jews to world cultures.
Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World by Richard C. Martin
ISBN: 9780028656038
Publication Date: 2003
A look at Islam's role in the modern world, in the context of the religion's history and development over the last 13 centuries. Contains thematic articles, biographies of key figures, definitions, illustrations, maps and more.
Encyclopedia of Religion by Lindsay Jones
ISBN: 9780028657332
Publication Date: 2004
Online version of the fifteen volume, 2nd edition (Macmillan, 2005). An outstanding scholarly work on almost any religious topic. We also have both the 1st and 2nd editions in print in our reference section.

Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary This link opens in a new window
Extensive dictionary of Biblical people, places, and topics.
The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary is a six-volume state-of-the-art dictionary of the Bible offering the most up-to-date and comprehensive treatment of biblical subjects and topics.

Reference: Print Encyclopedias

Here is just a small sampling of what we have available in our print reference collection:

A Dictionary of Asian Christianity by Sunquist, Scott.
ISBN: 080283776X
Publication Date: 2001
Describing Christianity as it exists in the region from Pakistan to Japan, this volume's 1,260 signed articles include biographies of important Asian church leaders as well as information on the political, cultural, and religious movements that have shaped the Christian faith in this part of the world. It includes maps, cross-references, and bibliographies.
Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics by Hastings, James
ISBN: 0003000207
Full text of the 1910 edition is available online through Google Books.
Encyclopedia of Religion by Lindsay Jones
ISBN: 9780028657332
Publication Date: 2004
Online version of the fifteen volume, 2nd edition (Macmillan, 2005). An outstanding scholarly work on almost any religious topic. We also have both the 1st and 2nd editions in print in our reference section.
Handbook of Christianity in Japan by Mark R. Mullins.
ISBN: 9004131566
Publication Date: 2003
Divided into three parts, Part I of the Handbook of Christianity of Japan focuses on Christianity in Japanese history and includes studies of the Roman Catholic mission in pre-modern Japan, the 'hidden Christian' tradition, Protestant missions in the modern period, Bible translations, and theology in Japan. Part II examines the complex relationship between Christianity and various dimensions of Japanese society, such as literature, politics, social welfare, education for women, and interaction with other religious traditions. Part III focuses on resources for the study of Christianity in Japan and provides a guide to archival collections, research institutes, and bibliographies.
New Catholic Encyclopedia by Catholic University of America
ISBN: 0787640042
Publication Date: 2002
Named as one of the top "50 resources for the Millennium" by "Library Journal, The New Catholic Encyclopedia" has long been regarded as one of the best core references in use today by libraries and religious organizations around the world. (15 v.) In addition to the 2003 edition, the library also owns all 18 volumes of the 1967 edition.
The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity by Parry, Kenneth
ISBN: 0631189661
Publication Date: 2000
Also available as an E-Book.
The Encyclopedia of Christianity by Erwin Fahlbusch & G W Bromiley
ISBN: 0802824137
Publication Date: 2008
5 volumes.The encyclopedia describes Christianity through its 2000-year history within a global context, taking into account other religions and philosophies. A special feature is the statistical information dispersed throughout the articles on the continents and over 170 countries. Social and cultural coverage is given to such issues as racism, genocide, and armaments, while historical content shows the development of biblical and apostolic traditions.
The Encyclopedia of Protestantism by Hillerbrand, Hans Joachim
ISBN: 0415924723
Publication Date: 2004
Four volumes. International in scope and attentive to developmental histories that have varied geographically. Provides information on theology, culture, eminent lives, material artifacts, and comparative religions.
The Oxford Handbook of Global Religions by Juergensmeyer, Mark
ISBN: 0195137981
Publication Date: 2006
Also available as an ebook.
Comprising 60 essays, the volume focuses on communities rather than beliefs, symbols, or rites. It is organized into six sections corresponding to the major living religious traditions: the Indic cultural region, the Buddhist/Confucian, the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim regions, and the African cultural region.
Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices by Riggs, Thomas
ISBN: 0787666114
Publication Date: 2006
Provides information on current religious practices around the world, with an emphasis on how religions impact the daily lives of their followers. (3 v.)