Resources for Theological Research

Dictionaries, Encyclopedias and Handbooks
The following is a highly selective list of recent reference sources that contain short entries and articles on theological ideas, terminology, religious figures, practice and doctrine. Entries with “dictionary” in the title tend to have shorter entries and to focus more on terminology.

Those with “encyclopedia” in the title tend to have longer entries on a wider range of topics. Both frequently have signed articles by prominent scholars and bibliographies of important literature.

In addition to the general sources listed below, Archabbey Library has numerous more specialized reference sources like these on narrower topics, such as: angels, the early Church, Islam, Judaism, Coptic Christianity, monasticism, patristics and saints. To find these, consult the library catalog or ask a librarian.

• Catholic Encyclopedia, 2^nd ed. Ed. by Berard L. Marthaler, O.F.M. Detroit: Thomson/Gale, 2003. Call number: Ref. BX841.N44 2003. 15 volumes. A basic resource for all subjects relating to Catholicism and Catholic theology.
• The Catholic Encyclopedia. First edition of the 15-volume Catholic Encyclopedia (1907-1913) made available online by New Advent. Some of the scholarship is dated, but many articles are still useful.
• Dictionary of Fundamental Theology. Ed. by René Latourelle. New York: Crossroad Publishing, 1994. Call number: Ref. BT1102.D5813 1994. One volume. In-depth articles by major scholars on figures, ideas, schools and movements in Christian theology. Each article has a bibliography.
• The Ecole Initiative. The Early Church On-Line Encyclopedia (Ecole) Initiative is a cooperative Internet encyclopedia of Church history up to the Reformation. Includes hundreds of short articles, a growing number of longer articles and links to images available on the Internet. It is maintained by scholars of Church history.
• The HarperCollins Encyclopedia of Catholicism. Ed. by Richard P. O’Brien, et al. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1995. Call number: Ref. BX841.H37 1995. One volume. Short articles on figures, events, movements, ideas and institutions, with longer articles on some theological issues.
• The Oxford Companion to Christian Thought. Ed. by Adrian Hastings. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Call number: Ref. BR95.O94 2000. One volume. Entries by prominent scholars on theological, spiritual and moral aspects of Christianity. Each entry has a short bibliography.
• The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 3^rd ed., Ed. by E.A. Livingstone. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Call number: Ref. BR95 .O8 1997. One volume. A good first source. Entries on figures, events, practices, terms and movements. Most entries have a short bibliography.
• World Christian Encyclopedia, 2^nd ed. Ed. by David B. Barrett et. al. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Call number: Ref. BR95.W67 2001. Two volumes. A comparative and statistical survey of churches and Christian denominations in the contemporary world. Organized by country, region, language, institutions, etc.

Indexes and Databases
The following indexes and databases are available through Archabbey Library. Some are available in print, some are online, others are on CD and are searchable on computers in the Library, and some are available in more than one format. Two online indexes, Academic Search Elite and ATLASerials, provide full-text access to some of the articles indexed.

• EBSCOhost databases. Includes Academic Search Premier which contains citations, abstracts and full-text articles. Indexes over 10,000 journals from all academic disciplines, including more than 500 in religion and philosophy, most of which are available full-text.
• ATLA Religion Database with ALTASerials. Online index accessed through EBSCOhost. Contains over one million bibliographic citations to journal articles, essays in books and book reviews in the field of religion. Contains abstracts for some articles and some full-text access to articles.
• Catholic Periodical and Literature Index. Online through EBSCOhost and in print. Indexes periodicals, books, newspapers and papal documents dealing expressly with the practice of Catholic faith and life. Online begins with 1981. For pre-1981 literature, consult print edition in Indexes, call number: Ref. AI3.C3.
• ETHX on the Web. Index of journal articles, book chapters, bills, laws, court decisions, reports, books, audiovisuals and news articles relating to bioethics and professional ethics.
• New Testament Abstracts. Online through EBSCOhost and in print. Online edition begins with 1985. Sources are both journal articles and books. Print edition begins in 1956 and is found in the Archabbey Library Periodicals collection.
• Old Testament Abstracts. Online through EBSCOhost and in print. Begins in 1978. Sources are predominantly journal articles but also include books, essays and software. Print edition is shelved in Reference, call number: Ref. BS410.O42.
• JSTOR These collections contain a wealth of full-text articles on religion and theology, Church history, art, architecture, and music, as well as classical languages and literature.
• Religious and Theological Abstracts. Print only. Provides abstracts from nearly 600 journals in biblical studies, theology, religion and ministry. Covers several journals that are not indexed in ATLA Religion Database. Shelved in Reference, call number: Ref BR1.R286.

Useful Internet Sources
There are many open access online sources for both primary and secondary literature in theology. Here are a few of the more reliable sources of high-quality literature and scholarly tools such as Bible concordances.

• BibleGateway.com. A concordance and subject search engine for a large array of Bible translations in many languages, including 21 English versions. A concordance is an alphabetical list of all the words in a work. A biblical concordance can be used to locate a known biblical passage or to learn how a particular word or phrase is used throughout the Bible.
• Christian Classics Ethereal Library. A good source for the writings of Church Fathers and classic Christian writers. It also has numerous editions of the Bible in original languages, multiple English versions, as well as other modern language versions.
• Corpus Thomisticum A site devoted to the study of the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. It contains a Latin edition of his complete works, bibliographies of secondary literature, links to works about St. Thomas and modern language translations of St. Thomas’ writings. It also has a very useful online concordance, Index Thomisticus, which allows electronic word searching in St. Thomas’ writings.
• Crosswalk.com. A concordance for 27 different English translations of the Bible. It also allows searching two English translations using Strong’s Concordance, which searches using the root form of the Greek or Hebrew word from which words in the English were translated.
• Textes des Philosophes. Provides links to web pages about individual philosophers and philosophical theologians as well as links to online editions of their writings.
• Wabash Center Guide to Internet Resources for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion. A good source for a wide variety of resources. Organized by resource type (electronic journals, books, images, etc.) and by subject (archeology and the Bible, philosophy and theology, social thought, etc.).