Background Research

The items listed below are meant as a starting point for your research, and are by no means comprehensive. General reference works such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, and directories offer background information and answers to specific questions. All items are located in the Rose Main Reading Room, unless otherwise noted.

Encyclopedias

Balmer, Randall, Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2004) *R-RMRR BR1640 .B35.

Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition, edited by Jaroslav Pelikan and Valerie Hotchkiss (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003), 4 vols., *R-RMRR BT990 .C64. An examination of the creeds of eastern and western Christianity from the apostolic church to the present, concluding with an historical and theological guide to the nature and purpose of creeds in the Christian tradition.

Encyclopedia of the American Religious Experience; Studies of Traditions and Movements, edited by Charles H. Lippy and Peter W. Williams (New York: Scribner, 1987), 3 vols., *R-RMRR BL 2525 .E53. Anthology of scholarly essays examines the history and character of American religions, exploring organizational development and the spread and influence of various movements and trends.

Encyclopedia of African and African-American Religions, edited by Stephen D. Glazier, (New York: Routledge, 2001) *R-RMRR BL2462.5 .E53.

Encyclopedia of Apocalypticism, edited by Bernard McGinn et al., (New York: Continuum, 1999), 3 vols., *R-RMRR BL501 .E53. Examines the origin of apocalypticism in Western religions and its development and various manifestations from the classical period to the present.

The Encyclopedia of Christianity, edited by Edwin Fahlbusch et al., edited by Geoffrey W. Bromley et al. for the English-language version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans; Leiden; Boston: Brill, 1999- ), 5 vols., *R-RMRR BR95 .E8913. A translation of Evangelisches Kirchenlexikon, a scholarly examination of Christian history, doctrine, movements, trends, and biography.

The Encyclopedia of Islam, (Leiden: Brill, 1960-) (available in print and electronic formats in Asian and Middle Eastern Division).

Encyclopaedia Judaica, (Detroit: Macmillan Reference, 2007), 22 vols., *R-RMRR DS102.8 .E497 Another print copy is available in the Jewish Division. In addition, this work is available electronically throughout the Library. (link to this electronic source)

Encyclopedia of Mormonism: The History, Scripture, Doctrine, and Procedure of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan, 1992), 5 vols., *R-RMRR BX 8605.5 .E62.

The Encyclopedia of Religion, edited by Lindsay Jones, (Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005), 15 vols., *R-RMRR BL31 .E46. . Includes historical and philosophical approaches to religion as well as social scientific interpretations for both Christian and non-Christian religions. For the older edition of this work edited by Mircea Eliade, please consult CATNYP.

Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, edited by James Hastings, (New York: Scribner, 1970), 13 vols., *R-RMRR BL31 .E4. This comprehensive work explores all facets of the field of religion with a particular focus on historical, theological, philosophical, and ethical themes.

Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, edited by Bron R. Taylor et al., (London; New York: Thoemmes Continuum, 2005), 2 vols., *R-RMRR BL31 .E465.

Encyclopedia of Religious Revivals in America, (Westport, Conn., Greenwood Press, 2007), 2 vols., *R-RMRR BV3773 .E53, with another copy at Schomburg. An examination of the revival tradition in American Christianity, examining its causes, prevalence, effects, and relationships to the larger society.

The New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2nd ed. (Detroit: Thomson/Gale Group, 2003), 15 vols., *R-RMRR BX841 .N44. (The 1913 edition of The Catholic Encyclopedia is available in electronic and print formats, and the 1967-79 edition of the New Catholic Encyclopedia, issued in the wake of Vatican II, is available in print format.) (link to this electronic resource)

The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation, edited by Hans J. Hillerbrand [New York: Oxford University Press, 1996], 4 vols., *R-RMRR BR302 .8 .O93.

Encyclopedia of Religious Rites, Rituals, and Festivals, edited by Frank. A. Salamone, (New York: Routledge, 2004), *R-RMRR BL31 .E47.

Encyclopedia of Science and Religion, edited by J. Wentzel Vrede van Huyssteen, (New York: Macmillan Reference, 2003), 2 vols., *R-RMRR BL240.3 .E53.

Encyclopedia of Women and Religion in North America, edited by Rosemary S. Keller and Rosemary Reuther (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2006), 3 vols., *R-RMRR BL458 .E52. Explores the role of women in North American religious traditions and employs a cross-disciplinary approach in its analyses.

Encyclopedia of Women and World Religion, edited by Serinity Young (New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 1999), 2 vols.,, *R-RMRR BL458 .E53. A comprehensive analysis and study of women in the world’s religions, with particular strengths in non-Western faiths. Contains synoptic outline which provides conceptual themes to the reader.

Religion Past and Present: Encyclopedia of Theology and Religion, edited by Hans Dieter Betz et al., (London; Boston: Brill, 2007 - ), multi-volume set in progress, *R-RMRR BL31 .R4213. An English-language translation of Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart, a scholarly compendium of articles on a vast range of subjects within the field of religion.

Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, edited by J. Gordon Melton et al., (Santa Barbara, Calif.,: ABC-CLIO, 2002), 4 vols., *R-RMRR BL80.3 .R45. An examination of religions, beliefs, practices, motifs, history, and themes, with particular attention to cross-disciplinary approaches.

Sacramentum Mundi, (New York: Herder and Herder, 1969-1970), 6 vols.,*R-RMRR BR95 .S24. Detailed analysis of the theological principles and concerns of the Roman Catholic Church, and a scholarly guide to the major doctrinal developments and controversies of Christianity.

Dictionaries, Handbooks, and Standard Texts

The Book of Saints: A Comprehensive Biographical Dictionary, 7th ed., (New York: Continuum, 2002), *R-RMRR BX4655.3 .B66

Butler, Alban, Butler’s Lives of the Saints (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1995-2000), 12 vols. *R-RMRR BX4654 .B8ZK. (Other dictionaries of the saints may also be found in this same area of the Rose Main Reading Room.)

The Catholic Almanac, (Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor, annual; latest edition available under Pub. Cat. AY81 .R6 N3). Handbook of the Roman Catholic Church with succinct information on doctrine, practice, and ethics relevant to that church; includes current liturgical calendar and notable events and personalities of the preceding year.

Dictionary of Historical Theology, (Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans Pub., 2000), *R-RMRR BT21.2 .D53.

Eerdmans' Handbook to Christian Belief, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982), *R-RMRR BT77 .E35.

A Handbook of Ancient Religions, edited by John R. Hinnells (Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007), *R-RMRR BL41 .H325. An examination of classical and non-Western religions which also provides an understanding of religious life at the origins of Christianity.

Handy, Robert T., A History of the Churches in the United States and Canada, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1976), *R-RMRR BR510 .H35.

Hudson, Winthrop S., Religion in America: An Historical Account of the Development of American Religious Life, 6th ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1999), *R-RMRR BL2525 .H83.

Kelly, John N. D., The Oxford Dictionary of Popes, updated ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005), *R-RMRR BX955.2 .K45.

Mead, Frank Spencer, Handbook of Denominations in the United States, (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2001; available under Pub. Cat. BL2525 .M425). Brief description of the major Christian bodies in the United States, including beliefs, practices, polity, and history.

Melton, J. Gordon, The Encyclopedia of American Religions, (Wilmington, NC: McGrath Pub. Co., 1978- , latest edition available under Pub. Cat. BL2525 .M4493.) Dictionary of American religious bodies, Christian and non-Christian, providing basic information on their history, doctrine, and practice; especially valuable for its coverage of small or new religious movements which are not examined elsewhere. This is also available electronically. (link to this electronic resource)

New Westminster Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship, edited by J. G. Davies, (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1986), *R-RMRR BV173 .N49

Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, edited by F. L. Cross, 3rd edition, revised (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005),*R-RMRR BR95 .O8. The most comprehensive one-volume work dealing with all aspects of the Christian Church.

Oxford Dictionary of World Religions, edited by John Bowker (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997),. *R-RMRR BL31 .O84.

Oxford Handbook of Religion and Ecology, edited by Roger S. Gottlieb (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2006),. *R-RMRR BL65 .E36 O94.

Oxford History of Christian Worship, edited by Geoffrey Wainwright and Karen W. Tucker (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2006), *R-RMRR BV15 .O95. A scholarly analysis of the history of Christian liturgy covering all times and the various Christian traditions and movements

Piepkorn, Arthur Carl, Profiles in Belief: The Religious Bodies of the United States and Canada, (New York: Harper and Row, 1977-1979), 4 vols. in 3, *R-RMRR BL2530 .U6 P53. An examination, sensitive to theological and historical concerns, of the principal Christian bodies in North America; includes extensive historical information and doctrinal analysis.

Walsh, Michael J., New Dictionary of Saints; East and West (London; New York: Burns and Oats, 2007), JFF 07-711.

Westminster Dictionary of Christian Ethics, (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1986), *R-RMRR BJ1199 .W47.

Westminster Dictionary of Christian Spirituality, (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1983), *R-RMRR BV4488 .W47.

Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology, (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1983), *R-RMRR BR95 .W494.

Williams, Peter W., America’s Religions: From Their Origins to the Twenty-first Century (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2002), *R-RMRR BL2525 .W485.

Wood, James Edward, Church and State in Historical Perspective: A Critical Assessment and Annotated Bibliography (Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2005), *R-RMRR BL65 .S8 W66.

World Christian Encyclopedia, edited by David B. Barrett, 2nd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001), 2 vols., *R-RMRR BR157 .W67. A comprehensive work which attempts to list every Christian body by country; valuable for its statistical information on membership and attendance. Provides historical commentary and analysis of present and future trends for Christianity in every country.

Directories

Annuario Pontificio, (Vatican City: Libraria Editrice Vaticana, annual; latest edition under Pub. Cat. BX845 .A75.) List of Roman Catholic officials throughout the world as well as of the offices which constitute the Roman Catholic bureaucracy. Notable for its enumeration of all Roman Catholic dioceses and archdioceses.

Episcopal Church Annual, (Wilton: Morehouse-Barlow, annual; latest edition available under Pub. Cat. BX5830 .L785ged .) Listing of all Episcopal dioceses, parishes, and clergy. Particularly valuable for providing the names of all former diocesan bishops (arranged under the name of the appropriate diocese where they served).

National Directory of Churches, Synagogues, and Other Houses of Worship, (Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1994), 4 vols., *R-RMRR BL2525 .N38. Arranged geographically and, within that, by denomination, this guide provides the only comprehensive listing of houses of worship throughout the country.

Official Catholic Directory, (Wilmette, Illinois: P. J. Kenedy, annual; latest edition under Pub. Cat. BX845 .C5.) Lists all Roman Catholic dioceses, archdioceses, parishes, and clergy in the United States and Canada; all Roman Catholic organizations and institutions (including parochial schools) are listed under the name of the appropriate diocese. Names of former bishops of dioceses may be found under the entries for the dioceses where they served.

Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches, (Nashville: Abingdon, annual; latest edition available under Pub. Cat. BR513 .Y4.) Includes the principal Christian churches of the United States and Canada and lists the headquarters, principal officers, juridical divisions, and publications of each body.

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