Religion: A Research Guide: Encyclopedias & Dictionaries

Available online and in print. The standard work "treating theoretical (doctrines, myths, theologies, ethics), practical (cults, sacraments, meditations), and sociological (religious groups, ecclesiastical forms) aspects of religion; includes extensive coverage of non-Western religions.... Signed articles, many quite substantial, by an international group of contributors conclude with extensive bibliographies.... This [2nd] edition includes 14 "visual essays" on such topics as sacred time, which are scattered out of sequence throughout the volumes. An alphabetical list of entries appears in v. 1. Vol. 15 provides a synoptic outline of contents, an extensive general index, and a group of 21 articles received too late to be included in the main set." [Guide to Reference]

Online only.
"Substantive, peer-reviewed, and regularly updated, the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion combines the speed & flexibility of digital with the rigorous standards of academic publishing... All articles are written and peer reviewed by certified experts of the topic... Reference articles are monitored by experts to ensure fresh and timely updates reflect new insights." [from the catalog record]

Available online and in print. "[O]ver 15,000 signed articles covering the entire Islamic world, past and present. Entries include biography, history, geography, religion, institutions, manners and customs, tribes, industries, science, and terminology. The new edition places greater emphasis on social and economic topics. Geographical entries include towns, the larger political divisions of the Ottoman Empire, and other countries in which Islam is a major religion. Entries include bibliographies. Numerous cross-references. The on-line edition includes v. 1-12 of the new edition plus all new material from the 3rd ed. (2007) as it becomes available." [Guide to Reference]

For a more approachable work at the undergraduate level, see Encyclopedia of Islam in the United States, 2 volumes, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2007. (Olin Reference BP 67 .U6 E53 2007 +)

For broader and deeper coverage of Islam, see Oxford Islamic Studies Online--3,500 entries from 11 Oxford reference titles. More information.

Available online and in print. An excellent source on the religions and cultures of the ancient world. The online version includes the recent volumes on the classical tradition. "'Originally published in German as Der Neue Pauly. Enzyklopdie der Antike. In Verbindung mit Hubert Cancik und Helmuth Schneider herausgegeben von Manfred Landfester. Title Page, Verso... Wide coverage of the classical (Greco-Roman) world and its interactions with other cultures in antiquity and the early Middle Ages. Alphabetically arranged. Includes extensive bibliographical references. Plans of sites and maps are included with the texts of articles." [Guide to Reference]

Available online and in print. "The definitive reference work for Judaic studies. Includes about 22,000 entries on people, places, events, topics, concepts, and texts. More than 2,600 entries are new to this edition; over half of the remainder were substantially revised. Note that this edition of the EJ includes an entire volume providing extensive coverage for the state of Israel and expanded coverage of women; it is also a rich resource on the Holocaust. Entries range from a paragraph to very substantial essays; all include bibliographies. Every volume includes a list of abbreviations and a glossary.... Some items found in the earlier edition [16 volumes, copies shelved in Olin 602 and in the Olin stacks, DS102.8 .E558 ++] have been omitted, so it is sometimes worth consulting both editions." [Guide to Reference]

For a shorter entry reference source on Judaism, see the Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion, online and in print (Olin Reference BM 50 .O94 2011).

Online only.
"Asante... elevates the African religious experience above its common Western identification with primitive or tribal religions found in much broader works. Featuring nearly 500 entries ranging in length from a few paragraphs to several pages, this epic work illuminates the depth of African religious diversity through essays on topics such as circumcision, ontology, oral traditions, vodou, and zin.... Numerous titles focusing on particular beliefs in Africa exist, including Marcel Griaule's Conversations with Ogotemmeli, but this one presents an unparallelled exploration of a multitude of cultures and experiences. It is both a gateway to deeper exploration and a penetrating resource on its own. This is bound to become the definitive scholarly resource on African religions." [Choice review, 01 April 2009]

Available online and in print. "Over 400 signed articles with bibliographies cover history, doctrines, texts, persons, schools, and practices. A number of entries extend to contemporary Buddhism and its influence in the West. Also includes coverage of Buddhist art. Synoptic outline of entries. Numerous black-and-white illustrations; some maps and color plates. Appendix includes timelines of Buddhist history in India, Southeast Asia, China, Japan and Korea, and Tibet and the Himalayas. Users should refer to the index, as coverage of many individuals and topics is found within larger articles. Most comprehensive general reference work on Buddhism in English. " [Guide to Reference]

Online only.
The first English language multi-volume account of the key historical, liturgical, doctrinal features of Eastern Orthodoxy, including the Non-Chalcedonian churches. Explores of the major traditions of Eastern Orthodoxy in detail, including the Armenian, Byzantine, Coptic, Ethiopic, Slavic, Romanian, Syriac churches.

Online only.
Covers the significant denominations and movements that have originated or flourished in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, from the beginning of European settlement to the present. This broad, multidisciplinary work includes coverage of religious life among indigenous peoples; specific aspects of religious life; and the relationship of religion to the political, social, economic, and cultural spheres

Includes a large bibliography of sources cited in the text and an index.

Available online and in print. "The second edition of this standard reference work updates some of the articles contained in the first edition and its supplements to reflect current canon law and recent scholarship yet includes many articles from the former edition verbatim. New entries have been added, particularly on such topics as gender and reproduction, and many of the 3,000 photos, maps, and other illustrations are new. Emphasis is on the Catholic Church in North America and the English-speaking world, but scope is international. Biographies of living persons are excluded, with the exception of Pope John Paul II. Articles are signed and include short bibliographies. Brief subject overview articles and cross-references lead to related articles. Vol. 15 is an index. To make space for new entries, many articles from the earlier edition were cut, and libraries may wish to keep the first edition [Olin Stacks Oversize BX 841 .N532 +, 17 volumes] and its supplements. Those with historical interests are well advised to also consult the original Catholic encyclopedia [Olin Stacks Oversize BX 841 .C36 +, 15 volumes] as well. " [Guide to Reference]

The 2009 supplement is available only online.

Series: Handbook of oriental studies = Handbuch der Orientalistik, Section two, South Asia; volume 31.
Volume 1 of a projected multi-volume set. Organized thematically, rather than by the usual dictionary entry approach. "Sikhism is one of the most important religious traditions of South Asian origin... Brill’s Encyclopedia of Sikhism aims to make available in-depth critical scholarship on all the main aspects of the Sikh traditions...." [Publisher]

"Provides a wealth of information on early Christian history; saints and other important Coptic church figures; art and architecture; and archaeology of the lands currently called Egypt, Nubia/Sudan, and Ethiopia. An international group of scholars contributed 2,800 signed articles, ranging in length from a brief paragraph to several pages and including cross-references, bibliographies, and many illustrations. More than 400 entries are devoted to monasteries. Vol. 8 consists of an appendix of articles on the current knowledge of the origins of the Coptic language and its dialects, 12 maps, and the index." [Guide to Reference]

"[P]resents Caribbean religions in a way that combines the breadth of the comparative approach with the depth of Caribbean spirituality as an ever-changing and varied historical phenomenon." [Introduction]

Sponsored by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard. Volume 1 is an A to Z sequence of articles on Islamic culture, religion, and people in the contemporary U.S. Articles cover major events, organizations, religious practices, and gender and family issues, and end with timely bibliographies. Volume 2 reproduces primary documents on these issues.

Available online and in print. The Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World is the first cohesive and discreet reference work that covers the Jews of Muslim lands particularly in the late medieval, early modern and modern periods. The online edition is updated with newly commissioned articles, illustrations, multimedia, and primary source material. [adapted from the publisher's description]

Online only.
"...provides an overview of the main religions of Latin America and the Caribbean, both its centralized transnational expressions and its local variants and schisms. These main religions include (but are not limited to) the major expressions of Christianity (Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Pentecostalism, Mormonism, and Jehovah’s Witnesses), indigenous religions (Native American, Maya religion), syncretic Christianity (including Afro-Brazilian religions like Umbanda and Candomblé and Afro-Caribbean religions like Vodun and Santería), other world religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam), transnational New Religious Movements (Scientology, Unification Church, Hare Krishna, New Age, etc.), and new local religions (Brazil’s Igreja Universal, La Luz del Mundo from Mexico, etc.)." [Introduction]

"Offers 625 signed articles with bibliographies, written by an international group of scholars, on all aspects of monastic life in Eastern Christianity, Western Christianity, and Buddhism.... Well illustrated with photographs and diagrams in color and black and white." [Guide to Reference]

"Covers the history and theology of Protestantism, which Hillerbrand essentially defines as any Christian denomination not Roman Catholic or Orthodox, thus including some that many (including themselves) would not define as such. Over 1,000 signed articles include denominations, people, places, events, texts, doctrines, and topics. Entries range from a column to several pages; each has a short bibliography. Alphabetization is problematic, with some headings inverted and others not; readers will need to use the thematic list of entries or the index to be sure of finding relevant articles...." [Guide to Reference]

Online only.
"Notwithstanding all the controversies associated with the notions and practices of religion and spirituality, they both permeate practically every sphere of human culture, from literature and music to health and scholarship. Concepts associated with them are ubiquitous in the language; religious names and symbols enrich and inspire human culture and societies.This compendium of brief essays on some of the major topics associated with religion and spirituality is informative and erudite, but by no means exhaustive in its selection of topics or complete in their treatment. Practically all the scholars included are of the Judeo-Christian tradition. The list of leading religious and spiritual figures consists only of those associated with the Abrahamic faiths and Buddha. Not all Christian denominations have an entry. On the other hand, there are articles on some major organizations, such as the Sierra Club and UNICEF; places of religious significance; and key concepts and practices, like rituals, yoga, and prayer." [Choice review, 01 June 2006]

Available online and in print. Extensive articles on women's experiences with a wide variety of religions represented in North America--African traditions, Catholicism, Protestantism, Orthodox, Judaism, Asian religions, and new religious movements. Covers ordination, social reform, women-centered theology, religious education, and other contemporary issues. Substantial bibliographies.

4th edition. 2021.
Online only.
"Over 6,500 entries.... The Fourth Edition represents a shift in focus to a more global perspective, with expanded coverage of Christianity in Asia, Africa, Latin America, North America, and Australasia, and a wider range of voices and viewpoints. Significant updates have also been incorporated on liturgy, canon law, non-Anglican missionary activity, moral and pastoral theology, and recent and international developments, among many other topics." -- Publisher's summary

Covers for the first time the 2000-year old story of Christianity in India and its neighbouring countries. Looking at Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Maldives, alongside India, as well as Myanmar, Afghanistan, and the global South Asian diaspora, the Encyclopaedia celebrates the trans-cultural, migratory, and unique nature of South Asian Christianity. [Publisher's description]

Available online and in print. "[T]he most comprehensive and authoritative dictionary of Buddhism ever produced in English. It is also the first to cover terms from all of the canonical Buddhist languages and traditions: Sanskrit, Pali, Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.... [B]ridges the major Buddhist traditions to provide encyclopedic coverage of the most important terms, concepts, texts, authors, deities, schools, monasteries, and geographical sites from across the history of Buddhism." [from the publisher's description]

"[E]ditor Susan de-Gaia employs a three-form structure developed by scholar of religions Joachim Wach. Entries illustrate what the religion says about itself (theoretical), what believers of it do (practical), and how it is organized internally as well as in society and culture (sociological). Within this larger framework, the contributors explicitly bracket their own beliefs and assumptions in order to achieve critical distance in their exposition, even as they strive, de-Gaia explains, to promote the voices of women who need to be heard and in some cases vindicated. One additional goal is to foster greater tolerance by increasing knowledge and understanding." [ARBAOnline]

Available online and in print.

2nd edition. CQ Press, 2007.
Available online and in print.

2nd edition. Springer, 2014.
Available online only.

Available online and in print.
Print edition: Thoemmes Continuum, 2005.
Online version: Oxford Reference, 2010

Routledge, 2004.
Print only.

Available online and in print.

2020.
Available online only.

Rev. ed. of the Historical Dictionary of Hinduism [Asia Reference BL 1105 .S85x 1997]. Covers events, individuals, texts, sects, and concepts of this varied complex of beliefs and practices. A chronology and an introduction provide broader context for individual entries. While entries have been updated, this work lacks the substantial bibliography of its earlier manifestation. [Guide to Reference].