Library of Congress Subject HeadingsLarge call number ranges are devoted to topics related to Christianity, including all of the books with call numbers starting BR (on Christianity) and BX (on Christian denominations). In addition, the BS range covers the Bible while the BTs and BVs are on doctrinal and practical theology, respectively. And, of course, you can books relevant to research of Christians and Christianity with almost any other call number too. The subject heading Christianity might be a useful starting point, but would require narrowing. These subject headings are just a few that might be more useful for research on Christianity.
- Any denomination (e.g. Catholic Church or Catholics, Orthodox Eastern Church, Pentecostalism or Pentecostal Churches, Quakers, etc.)
- Bible, New Testament (many results, so you might try, e.g. Bible, New Testament--Criticism, Interpretation, etc., Bible. John or other subjects connected to particular books, etc.)
- Bible--Theology
- Christianity--China (or other geographic areas, e.g. Christianity--Nigeria, Christianity--United States)
- Christianity--Philosophy
- Christianity and Culture
- Christianity and other Religions (many results, but many subheadings, e.g. Christianity and other Religions--Roman, Christianity and other Religions--Islam)
- Christian Heresies (also Arianism, Albigenses, Hussites, Waldenses, etc.)
- Church History--Primitive and Early Church, ca. 30-600
- Counter Reformation
- Eschatology
- Evangelicalism
- Feminist Theology
- History--Religious Aspects--Christianity
- Jesus Christ (too many results, so try subheadings, e.g. Jesus Christ--Art, Jesus Christ--History of Doctrines, Jesus Christ--Humanity, Jesus Christ--Person and Offices, etc.)
- Missions (too many results, so try subheadings, e.g. Missions, Spanish, Missions--China or other geographic areas, Missions--Educational Work, Missions--Theory, etc.)
- Monastic and Religious Life
- Reformation (too many results, but adding a country like Reformation--Germany or Reformation--England helps)
- Women in Christianity
General Reference Works:
Cambridge Companions to ReligionCall Number: E-books and print booksISBN: 9781107052741Publication Date: 1997-There are many volumes of the Cambridge Companions series of relevance to researchers of Christianity. For example:- The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Interpretation
- The Cambridge Companion to Black Theology
- The Cambridge Companion to Christian Doctrine
- The Cambridge Companion to Christian Ethics
- The Cambridge Companion to Christian Political Theology
- The Cambridge Companion to Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- The Cambridge Companion to Feminist Theology
- The Cambridge Companion to Jesus
- The Cambridge Companion to Liberation Theology
- The Cambridge Companion to Martin Luther
Oxford HandbooksCall Number: E-books and print booksISBN: 9780199859993Publication Date: 2002-There are too many relevant volumes in the Oxford Handbook series to list here, but some examples include:
- The Oxford Handbook of Aquinas
- The Oxford Handbook of Christianity and Economics
- The Oxford Handbook of Christianity in Asia
- The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Apocrypha
- The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Studies
- The Oxford Handbook of Eschatology
- The Oxford Handbook of Medieval Christianity
- The Oxford Handbook of Millennialism
- The Oxford Handbook of Music and World Christianities
- The Oxford Handbook of the Protestant Reformations
Church History: An Introduction to Research Methods and Resources by Call Number: E-bookISBN: 9780802874054Publication Date: 2016In their widely praised, long popular Church History, James Bradley and Richard Muller lay out the guidelines, methods, and basic reference tools for research and writing in the fields of church history and historical theology.
New Catholic Encyclopedia by Call Number: E-bookISBN: 0787640042Publication Date: 2003The first edition of this reference work, called the Catholic Encyclopedia, was published around the turn of the 20th century, with the last revised edition appearing in 1967. This new edition includes the best of the previous entries - many completely revised and updated - as well as new entries, written by subject experts, covering the latest topics of interest. Many thousands of articles are biographical profiles of the people who make up the history of the Catholic Church.
The Oxford Companion to Christian Thought by Call Number: Wells Library - Reference Reading Room - BR95 .O94 2000ISBN: 0198600240Publication Date: 2000This ambitious and imaginative new reference work is the most authoritative, yet accessible, introduction in English to the living tradition of Christian thought-the 'spiritual, moral, and intellectual luggage' that Christians carry with them into the future. It focuses on the broad sweep of ideas rather than factual detail, surveying all traditions and centuries but concentrating more on the present than the past.
The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church by Call Number: Wells Library - Reference Reading Room - BR95 .O8 2005ISBN: 9780192802903Publication Date: 2005-09-08Uniquely authoritative and wide-ranging in its scope, The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church is the indispensable one-volume reference work on all aspects of the Christian Church. It contains over 6,000 cross-referenced A-Z entries, and offers unrivaled coverage of all aspects of this vast and often complex subject, including theology, churches and denominations, patristic scholarship, the bible, the church calendar and its organization, popes, archbishops, saints, and mystics.
Topical Reference Works:
Encyclopedia of Catholicism by Call Number: E-bookISBN: 9780816054558Publication Date: 2007In about 700 A-to-Z entries, this encyclopedia provides easy access to the theological concepts, personalities, historical events, institutions, and movements that helped to shape Catholicism and the way it is practiced today. Encyclopedia of Catholicism explores a 2,000-year-old religion that has more than a billion followers worldwide. Including issues the church currently faces, such as its inculturation in non-European societies, the status of women, and the struggles over sexual morality, abortion, euthanasia, and environmental challenges, Encyclopedia of Catholicism covers the landmark people, movements, institutions, practices, and doctrines of Roman Catholicism, from its origins to the present.
Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music by Call Number: E-bookISBN: 9780313344251Publication Date: 2010The first comprehensive overview of contemporary inspirational music, covering its historical roots and dramatic growth into one of America's most vital music genres.
Encyclopedia of Early Christianity by Call Number: E-bookISBN: 9780815316633Publication Date: 2010"The Encyclopedia of Early Christianity addresses general readers, students, and professionals in other fields who want information about early Christianity. The articles, therefore, avoid technical language as much as possible, and where such is necessary provide definitions or explanations. Specialists in patristics and early Christian history will find the Encyclopedia useful for concise, accurate summaries, ready access to facts, and basic bibliographies."
Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism by Call Number: Wells Library - Stacks - BR1640 .B35 2004ISBN: 193279204XPublication Date: 2004In this completely revised and expanded edition of the Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism, Randall Balmer gives readers the most comprehensive resource about evangelicalism available anywhere. With over 3,000 separate entries, the Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism covers historical and contemporary theologians, preachers, laity, cultural figures, musicians, televangelists, movements, organizations, denominations, folkways, theological terms, events, and much more--all penned in Balmer's engaging style. Students, scholars, journalists, and laypersons will all benefit from Balmer's insights.
Encyclopedia of Medieval Pilgrimage by Call Number: E-bookISBN: 9789004181298Publication Date: 2009The Encyclopedia of Medieval Pilgrimage is published in English in one illustrated volume of 550,000 words in 435 signed entries, and is compiled and written by over 180 contributors from Europe and North America.
Encyclopedia of Protestantism by Call Number: Wells Library - Reference Reading Room - BX4811.3 .E53 2003ISBN: 0415924723Publication Date: 2004The Encyclopedia of Protestantism is the definitive reference to the history and beliefs that continue to exert a profound influence on Western thought. Featuring entries written by an international team of specialists and scholars, the encyclopedia traces the course of Protestantism from its beginnings prior to 1517, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of Wittenberg Cathedral, to the vital and diverse international scene of the present day.
Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception OnlineCall Number: E-bookISBN: 3110229854Publication Date: 2009-Covers the current state of knowledge on the origins and development of the Bible in its different canonic forms in Judaism and Christianity. Also documents the history of the Bible's reception in the Christian churches and the Jewish Diaspora; in Islam, in other religious traditions and current religious movements, Western and non-Western alike, as well as in literature, art, music, and film.
Oxford Encyclopedia of Martin Luther by Call Number: E-bookISBN: 9780190461843Publication Date: 2017Comprising 125 extensive articles, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Martin Luther examines the contexts that shaped his social and intellectual world, such as previous theological and institutional developments; the genres in which he worked, including some he essentially created; the theological and ethical writings that make up the lion's share of his massive intellectual output; and the complicated and contested history of his reception across the globe and across a span of disciplines.
The Oxford Encyclopaedia of South Asian Christianity by Call Number: E-bookISBN: 0198073852Publication Date: 2012Ambitious, authoritative, and comprehensive, The Oxford Encyclopaedia of South Asian Christianity covers for the first time the 2000-year old story of Christianity in India and its neighbouring countries.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation by Call Number: E-bookISBN: 0195064933Publication Date: 1996-02-29The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation is the first major reference to cover the immense subject of the Reformation in its entirety. Setting the issues of theology and ecclesiology within the broader context of the social and intellectual history of the time, it is the most authoritative reference available on early modern European society as a whole.The Encyclopedia is a unique compendium of contemporary scholarship focusing on the complete range of religious and social changes wrought by the Reformation-- including not only issues of church polity and theology but also related developments in politics, economics, demographics, art, and literature.
Theologische Realenzyklopädie by Call Number: Wells Library - Stacks - BR95 .T47ISBN: 3110138980Publication Date: 1977-2004The Theologische Realenzyklopädie (TRE) is a German encyclopedia of theology and religious studies. It contains some 2000 articles in 36 volumes.
The tabs below represent three call numbers (BR, BS, and BX) with material particularly relevant to research on Christianity. E-books do not have call numbers and consequently have their own tab.
The primary sources below are arranged according to broad chronological categories (early Christianity, medieval Christianity, Reformation-era Christianity, and modern Christianity). Of course, this is just a small sample of material that is out there. Check the History Research Guide or contact me for help finding other sources.
Early Christianity
- Ancient World Digital Library
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The Ancient World Digital Library (AWDL) is an initiative of the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW) at New York University. AWDL will identify, collect, curate, and provide access to a broad range of scholarly materials relevant to the study of the ancient world. It includes both secondary sources and primary sources. - Corpus Christianorum: Series LatinaCritical editions of early Christian authors.
- Desert FathersSee also, this more general search.
- Early Church Fathers
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Free, online versions of the Ante-Nicene Fathers and the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers. Note that these publications are also available at other websites (e.g. Archive.org, Hathitrust, and Google Books).
- Library of Latin Texts
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Contains texts from the beginning of Latin literature to the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). - Loeb Classical Library
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Interconnected, fully searchable, perpetually growing, virtual library of Greek and Latin literature.
- Patralogia Graeca
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This site makes it easier to find digitized copies of the Patralogia Graeca.
- Patrologia Latina
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Electronic version of the first edition of Jacques-Paul Migne's Patrologia Latina, published between 1844 and 1855, and the four volumes of indexes published between 1862 and 1865. Covers the works of the Latin Fathers from Tertullian in 200 A.D. to Pope Innocent III in 1216. Includes the complete Patrologia Latina, including all prefatory material, original texts, critical apparatus and indexes. Migne's column numbers, essential references for scholars, are also included.
Medieval Christianity
- Acta Sanctorum
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Electronic version of the Acta Sanctorum, a collection of documents examining the lives of saints, organized according to each saint's feast day.
- Major Works of Anselm of Canterbury
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Digital edition of The Major Works of Anselm of Canterbury as part of The Past Masters collections. Edited with an introduction by Brian Davies and G. R. Evans. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press (1998).
- Bibliotheca Laureshamensis – digital: Virtual Monastic Library of Lorsch
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"The project's aim was to virtually reconstruct the monastic library of UNESCO-World Heritage Site Abbey Lorsch. More than 300 medieval manuscripts have survived and today they are spread over 73 libraries worldwide. The unification of the Lorsch codices and fragments for the first time makes the Abbey's intellectual foundation, and moreover the Carolingian world picture visible and researchable." - Cambridge Digital Library Christian Works
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In this selection we present some of our finest Christian manuscripts and early printed books, spanning over 1000 years of worship and debate and reflecting both Church ceremonial and private devotion. - Corpus Christianorum: Continuatio MediaevalisCritical editions of medieval Chrsitian authors.
- Digital Scriptorium
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An image database of medieval and renaissance manuscripts that unites scattered resources from many institutions into an international tool for teaching and scholarly research.
- Epistolae: Medieval Women's Letters
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Epistolae is a collection of letters to and from women dating from the 4th to the 13th century AD. These letters from the Middle Ages, written in Latin, are presented with English translations and are organized by the women participating. Biographical sketches of the women and descriptions of the subject matter or the historic context of the letter is included where available.
- Manuscripts in the Libraries of the Greek and Armenian Patriarchates in Jerusalem (LoC)
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In 1949 Kenneth W. Clark arrived in Jerusalem to begin a project that would microfilm manuscripts from the great libraries of the Middle East under the auspices of the Library of Congress and the American Schools of Oriental research. In Jerusalem, his team examined the Greek Patriarchate’s collection of 2,400 manuscripts in 11 languages and chose 998 to be filmed in their entirety. From the 4,000 manuscripts then in the custody of the Armenian Patriarchate, the team chose 32.
- Medieval Family Life
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Contains full-color images of the original medieval manuscripts that comprise the Paston, Cely, Plumpton, Stonor, and Armburgh family letter collections, along with full-text searchable transcripts from printed editions
- Monastic Manuscript Project
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The Monastic Manuscript Project is a database of descriptions of manuscripts that contain texts relevant for the study of early medieval monasticism, especially monastic rules, ascetic treatises, vitae patrum-texts and texts related to monastic reforms. We provide lists of manuscripts for each of these texts, which are linked to manuscript descriptions. The purpose is to offer a tool for reconstructing not only the manuscript dissemination of early medieval monastic texts but also to give access to the specific contexts in which a text appears.
- Collected Works of St. Thomas Aquinas
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Translations of the work of influential Catholic theologian and philosopher, St. Thomas Aquinas.
- Patrologia Latina
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Electronic version of the first edition of Jacques-Paul Migne's Patrologia Latina, published between 1844 and 1855, and the four volumes of indexes published between 1862 and 1865. Covers the works of the Latin Fathers from Tertullian in 200 A.D. to Pope Innocent III in 1216. Includes the complete Patrologia Latina, including all prefatory material, original texts, critical apparatus and indexes. Migne's column numbers, essential references for scholars, are also included.
Reformation-Era Christianity
- Early English Books Online
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This database offers complete citation information and page images from every book published in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and the United States between 1475-1700. - Early European Books
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Digital access to European works printed before 1701. The contents are drawn from major repositories, including the Danish Royal Library, the National Central Library in Florence, the National Library of France, the National Library of the Netherlands, and the Wellcome Library in London. - Hungarian Reformation Online
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Original writings of Hungarian reformers.
- Internet Modern History Sourcebook: Reformation Europe
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A collection of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts presented cleanly (without advertising or excessive layout) for educational use. Note that this site was started in 1996 and many of the links no longer function. Most of the primary sources, however, remain accessible on other sites and the IHSP can therefore be useful to help determine what sources you might want to look for. - Kessler Reformation Collection (Emory University)
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Much of this massive collection has not been digitized, but many important works are available. Note, particularly, the collection of Reformation-era images. - Post-Reformation Digital Library
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The Post-Reformation Digital Library (PRDL) is a select database of digital books relating to the development of theology and philosophy during the Reformation and Post-Reformation/Early Modern Era (late 15th-18th c.). Late medieval and patristic works printed and referenced in the early modern era are also included. The PRDL is a project of the Junius Institute for Digital Reformation Research. - Project Wittenberg
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Project Wittenberg is home to works by and about Martin Luther and other Lutherans. Here you will find all manner of texts from short quotations to commentaries, hymns to statements of faith, theological treatises to biographies, and links to other places where words and images from the history of Lutheranism live.
Modern Christianity
- Archives of Sexuality and Gender
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Provides access to materials exploring important aspects of LGBTQ life. Includes periodicals, newsletters, manuscripts, government records, organizational papers, correspondence, an international selection of posters, and other primary source materials.
- Chinese Christian Texts-Database
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The Chinese Christian Texts Database (CCT-Database) is a research database of primary and secondary sources concerning the cultural contacts between China and Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries (from 1582 to ca. 1840). The cultural contacts comprise documents in the various fields of cultural interaction: religion, philosophy, science, art, etc.
- Church Missionary Society Periodicals
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Features publications from the Church Missionary Society (CMS), the South American Missionary Society and the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society (CEZMS) between 1804 and 2009.
- Digital Karl Barth Library
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Provides access to the works of renowned Swiss Reformed theologian, Karl Barth (1886-1968).
- Edinburgh 2010 Resources
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On the centenary of the 1910 World Missionary Conference, delegates met again in Edinburgh. This page includes resources about both the 2010 conference and the one in 1910.
- Empire Online
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Contains over 70,000 images of original manuscripts (including biographies and chronologies) and printed materials covering Africa, the Americas, Australasia, Oceana, and South Asia.
- Global Digital Library on Theology and Ecumenism
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Documents and special collections on ecumenical, intercultural and contextual theologies, theological education, world Christianity, and interreligious studies, regularly receiving updates from the Index Theologicus, International Bibliography of Theology and Religious Studies.
- HistoryMakers Digital Archive
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African American oral history video collection.
- International Mission Photography Archive
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"The photographs record missionary endeavors and reflect the missionaries’ experience of communities and environments abroad ... The pictures document indigenous peoples’ responses to missions and the history of indigenous churches ... They also offer views of traditional culture, landscapes, cities, and towns before and in the early stages of modern development." - Joseph Smith Papers
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"Joseph Smith (1805-1844) was the founding prophet and first president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Joseph Smith Papers Project is an effort to transcribe, contextualize, and publish all his writings and teachings, including revelations, translations, letters, discourses, journals, histories, and legal and financial records." - Livingstone Online
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“Livingstone Online is a digital museum and library that allows users to encounter the written, visual, and material legacies of the famous Victorian explorer David Livingstone (1813–73). The site draws on recent scholarship and international collaboration to restore one of the British Empire’s most iconic figures to the many historical and cultural contexts in which he worked, traveled, and is remembered.”
- North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories
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Full text of letters, diaries, autobiographies, and oral histories of immigrants to America and Canada. Covers 1840 to present, but heaviest focus is on 1920-1980.
- Yale Divinity School Library Digital Collections
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Particular emphasis on missionary records and audio-visual materials associated with missions, but also other types of collections.