Guides: Theology and Religious Studies Research Guide: Encyclopedias & Dictionaries

Encyclopedias

Online encyclopedias have identical content to their print counterparts, but full-text searching can sometimes be useful to find articles related to a topic of interest.

New Catholic Encyclopedia This link opens in a new window
Available online and in print. Call Number: BT 6 .N53 2003
A standard in public, academic, and high school libraries worldwide, and prized for its scholarly presentation of persons and subjects related to Catholicism and the humanities, this book is the first place to turn for answers for questions on topics such as abortion, divorce, cloning, and reproductive technologies. In addition to the hundreds of new, signed articles on a wide variety of topics, this edition also features biographies of contemporary religious figures, thousands of photos, maps, and illustrations, and completely updated bibliographical citations. The 15th volume is a cumulative index to the entire encyclopedia.
Encyclopedia of Religion This link opens in a new window
The second edition of a resource that is considered a standard reference in the field. Presents a cross-cultural approach that emphasizes religion's role within everyday life and as a unique experience from culture to culture. The original 2,750 entries have been retained, many heavily updated, and approximately 600 entirely new articles have been added by an international team of scholars and contributors.
Encyclopedia of American Religions This link opens in a new window
Available online and in print. Call Number: BL2525 .M45144 2003
The second edition of a resource that is considered a standard reference in the field. Presents a cross-cultural approach that emphasizes religion's role within everyday life and as a unique experience from culture to culture. The original 2,750 entries have been retained, many heavily updated, and approximately 600 entirely new articles have been added by an international team of scholars and contributors.

The Encyclopedia of Christianity
Call Number: BR95 .E9213 1999
Encyclopedia of the Vatican and Papacy
Call Number: BX103 .E52 1999

Dictionaries

Unlike standard dictionaries, Subject Dictionaries provide brief summaries for terms or names associated with the subject. These works can be quite useful for vasic information about a topic, or to clarify terminology found in other sources.