Books used by a Librarian “behind the stacks”.

by James L. Sauer – Director of University Library

Although there are great reference tools in our catalog, especially in the Credo Reference site; there are still many tools that are still available only in print in our library. In certain fields, like theology and Biblical Studies there are a number of neat encyclopedias that can help any academic author working on a paper.

1. New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (Ref BS 440 N443 2006) is in reality an encyclopedia. It is a revision of the classic 1962 work. This multivolume tool analyzes from a scholarly liberal viewpoint.
2. The Encyclopedia of Christianity (Ref BR 95 E8913 1999) is a multivolume historical encyclopedia of church history from Eerdmans’ publisher.
3. The Encyclopedia of Religion (Ref BL 31 E46 2005)  is a multivolume set with scholarly non-sectarian articles on general world religious themes.
4. Religion Past & Present: Encyclopedia of Theology and Religion (Ref BL 31 R4213)  this set by Brill publishers is very scholarly with an historical and world religious emphasis. The set is in development with additional volumes in production.
5. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Ref BS 440 I6 1979) is a standard (the title says so) tool of Evangelical scholarship and a complete revision from the earlier 1939 version.   The earlier tool, although dated in terms of archaeology and most recent scholarship, still has some classic Evangelical analysis by authors like James Orr and B.B. Warfield. (No relation to B. B. King.)
6. The New Catholic Encyclopedia (Ref BX 841 N44 2003) is a post-Vatican II set. The work revises the older 1967 version which was based upon the earlier 1917 set.   No “nihil obstat” in this modern edition.