Comparative Religion  Tags: religion bible christianity  

Encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, and other reference resources are a great source of background information and may help you to expand or refine your search terms.

Not sure where to begin? Try this critical guide to reference books about the world's religions, major traditions, and research methodologies:

Recent Reference Books in Religion: A Guide for Students, Scholars, Researchers, Buyers & Readers

Print reference sources can be found on the first floor of the Suzzallo library and are shelved by Library of Congress call numbers. Based on the topic, call numbers may begin with these letters (BL - BX):

BL: Religions, Mythology, Rationalism, Hinduism

• The Brill Dictionary of Religion BL31 .M4813 2006
• Contemporary American Religion BL2525 .C65 2000
• A Dictionary of Comparative Religion BL31 .B7  
• Dictionary of Religion and Philosophy BL31 .M23 1989
• Eliade Guide to World Religions BL80.2 .E415 1991  
• Encyclopedia of the American Religious Experience: Studies of Traditions and Movements BL2525 .E53 1988
• On Common Ground: World Religions in America BL2525 .E252 1997
• Religion: A Cross-Cultural Encyclopedia BL80.2 .L463 1996

• Historical Dictionary of Hinduism BL1105 .S85 1997  eBook
• Harper's Dictionary of Hinduism: Its mythology, folklore, philosophy, literature, and history BL1105 .S88 1977a
• The Hindu World: An Encyclopedic Survey of Hinduism BL1105 .W34 v.1-2

BM: Judaism (See Jewish Studies)

BP:  Bahaism, Theosophy, Islam (See also Islam: An Introduction)

• The Concise Encyclopedia of Islam BP40 .G42 1987
• Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World BP40 .E525 2004 v.1-2
• The Qurʼan: An Encyclopedia BP133 .Q87 2006 

BQ: Buddhism

• Dictionary of Buddhist doctrinal and technical terms BQ130 .C38 2005
• Encyclopedia of Buddhism BQ128 .E63 2007
• Encyclopedia of Buddhism BQ128 .E62 2004 v.1-2
• Encyclopedia of Buddhist deities, demigods, godlings, saints and demons. Emerging perceptions in Buddism. BQ130 .B86 1994 v. 1-2
• Historical Dictionary of Buddhism BQ130 .P74 1993

BR: Christianity (See Christianity)

BS: The Bible (See Christianity: Biblical Studies)

BT: Doctrinal Theology (See Christianity: Theology and Ethics)

BV: Practical Theology (See Christianity: Theology and Ethics)

BX: Christian Denominations (See Christianity: Church History)

Recommended reference sources in religious studies: