LibGuides: Reference Guides: History & Ecumenics: E-resources

Early Christianity

Fathers of the Church series, Catholic University of America
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Ante-Nicene, Nicene, and Post-Nicene Fathers, Schaff

Coptic Gnostic Library Online -- A Complete Edition of the Nag Hammadi Codices
Main sources of information for the Gnostic religion are the so-called Nag Hammadi codices, written in Coptic. Continues where the Dead Sea Scrolls left off. Recommend installing the Unicode font Antinoou to view contents.
Loeb Classical Library
Virtual library of Latin, Greek, and English texts in a browsable, searchable interface from Harvard University Press. Includes epic and lyric poetry; tragedy and comedy; history, travel, philosophy, and oratory; the great medical writers and mathematicians; those Church Fathers who made particular use of pagan culture.
Translated Texts for Historians E-Library
Historical sources from A.D. 300–800 translated into English. Contains 66 volumes from the series that bring together a wealth of important early medieval texts in translation, with scholarship from leading academics.

Coptic Gnostic Library Online -- A Complete Edition of the Nag Hammadi Codices
Main sources of information for the Gnostic religion are the so-called Nag Hammadi codices, written in Coptic. Continues where the Dead Sea Scrolls left off. Recommend installing the Unicode font Antinoou to view contents.
Loeb Classical Library
Virtual library of Latin, Greek, and English texts in a browsable, searchable interface from Harvard University Press. Includes epic and lyric poetry; tragedy and comedy; history, travel, philosophy, and oratory; the great medical writers and mathematicians; those Church Fathers who made particular use of pagan culture.
Monastic Manuscript Project
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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. Lists of manuscripts for each of these texts are linked to manuscript descriptions.

Supported by the Institute for Research in the Humanities, Copyright Albrecht Diem & Will May
Patrologiae Graecae
Electronic version of Migne's Greek patristic texts, with Latin translations.
Patrologia Latina Database
Covers the works of the Latin Fathers from Tertullian around 200 AD to the death of Pope Innocent III in 1216. In 221 volumes, it covers most major and minor Latin authors, and contains the most influential works of late ancient and early medieval theology, philosophy, history, and literature.
Patrologia Orientalis Database
Patristic texts from the Christian East, including works, recorded in non-Latin languages, that come from geographical, cultural, or religious contexts somehow linked to Rome or the Eastern Roman Empire. Search for items (such as keywords or quotes) in the language into which a text was translated in the PO and check the translation with the original text visible alongside as a non-searchable PDF file.
Sources Chretiennes Online
Searchable critical texts and French translations that have been published in the printed “Sources Chrétiennes” series. The database will receive 4 updates per year.
All volumes will be available by 2025.
Thesaurus Linguae Graecae
Includes most ancient Greek literary texts from Homer to the fall of Constantinople. Authorized users must create a personal account on the site (in addition to the authentication established with the institutional subscription).

The Cambridge Companion to Augustine (e-book) by David Vincent Meconi (Editor); Eleonore Stump (Editor)
Call Number: Online
ISBN: 1139178040
Publication Date: 2014-06
Also available in print at B655.Z7 C35 2014

Clavis Clavium
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An open access database of Late Antique and Medieval Christian literature, incorporating the almost 8,000 pages of data found in six so-called claves: the Clavis Patrum Latinorum and the Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina, the Clavis Patrum Graecorum and the Bibliotheca Hagiographica Graeca, the Clavis Apocryphorum Veteris Testamenti and the Clavis Apocryphorum Novi Testamenti. It contains essential information regarding authorship, authenticity, chronological and geographical contexts, manuscript transmission, and editorial history.
New Pauly Online
Modern reference work for the ancient world covering 2,000+ years of history, ranging from the second millennium BC to early medieval Europe. The English edition of the authoritative Der Neue Pauly, published by Verlag J.B. Metzler since 1996. Special emphasis is given to the interaction between Greco-Roman culture on the one hand, and Semitic, Celtic, Germanic, and Slavonic culture, and ancient Judaism, Christianity, and Islam on the other hand.

Medieval/Byzantine Christianity

Past Masters
Full-text, comprehensive collections of selected philosophers, theologians, and English literary writers such as Abelard, Anselm, Aquinas, Augustine, Calvin, Kierkegaard, Knox, Luther, Newman and Ockham, in both the original language and in English translation. Includes published and unpublished texts, articles, essays, and correspondence.
Translated Texts for Historians E-Library
Historical sources from A.D. 300–800 translated into English. Contains 66 volumes from the series that bring together a wealth of important early medieval texts in translation, with scholarship from leading academics.

Analecta carminum
Latin songs and poems of the high and late Middle Ages as well as secular poetry.

Latin songs and poems of the high and late Middle Ages as well as secular poetry.
Analecta Hymnica Medii Aevi
Full-text, searchable version of the 55-volume edition of 1886-1922. Large collection of the texts of medieval Latin hymns and other sacred songs, with historical and bibliographical notes.
Patrologia Latina Database
Covers the works of the Latin Fathers from Tertullian around 200 AD to the death of Pope Innocent III in 1216. In 221 volumes, it covers most major and minor Latin authors, and contains the most influential works of late ancient and early medieval theology, philosophy, history, and literature.
Vetus Latina and Library of Latin Texts - Series A and B
CLCLT is the world's leading database for Latin texts. In total, the present version of the Library of Latin Texts contains over 53 million Latin words, drawn from more than 2800 works that are attributed to approximately 860 authors. The texts which are incorporated are selected by virtue of their having been edited according to best contemporary scholarly practice. Independent research is undertaken to verify facts relating to the text, such as the veracity of the authorial attribution or the dating. In addition, errors in word-forms from the printed version are corrected.

Krämer: Bibliothecaecodicum medii aevi
Database of medieval manuscripts and libraries in Germany and other countries in Europe. An attempt to reconstruct medieval libraries based on the present manuscript tradition.
Krämer: Scriptores possessoresque codicum medii aevi
Database of writers and owners of medieval manuscripts.

Database of writers and owners of medieval manuscripts.
Monastic Manuscript Project
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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. Lists of manuscripts for each of these texts are linked to manuscript descriptions.

Supported by the Institute for Research in the Humanities, Copyright Albrecht Diem & Will May
Petrarcae codices Latini
Latin manuscripts by Francesco Petrarca and other medieval and early renaissance authors with about 1,700 bibliographic descriptions.

Index of Medieval Art
Largest database of medieval art in existence with full-text records for over 23,000 works of art dating from early apostolic times to A.D. 1400. Each work, depending on the medium can have up to fifty different classification fields, including data such as location/ownership, date, school, style, etc. The subject matter of each work is classified under one or more of the 27,165 subject terms developed over eighty-five years by the Index and a full-text description accompanies each work.

While the database itself is accessible both on and off campus (with login), links to images within the database only work from on campus. Index of Medieval Art is seeking a solution. As of July 1, 2017, the Index of Christian Art became The Index of Medieval Art. https://ica.princeton.edu/2017/06/12/a-new-name-for-a-new-century/
Oxford Art Online
Gateway to several art historical resources, most notably, the Grove Dictionary of Art ("Grove Art Online"), along with The Oxford Companion to Western Art, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms, The Encyclopedia of Aesthetics and numerous images.

Bibliotheca scriptorum Latinorum
Catalog of names of medieval and renaissance authors, including variant forms of name.

Catalog of names of medieval and renaissance authors, including variant forms of name.
Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques (DHGE)
Coverage of the Byzantine period, medieval theology, Catholic biography, and ecclesiastical data
Iter: Gateway to the Middle Ages and Renaissance
A bibliography of books and articles about philosophy and history of philosophy including: Antiquity, Middle Ages, Renaissance to Enlightenment, 19th and 20th Centuries, and Non-Western Traditions. Language scope: Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, Spanish and Catalan.
Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität
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Foremost lexicographical resource in Byzantine Studies mainly covering the period from the 4th to the 15th century A.D. taken from more than 3,000 texts. This online version of the LBG is the result of the collaboration between the Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität published by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (Die Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften) and the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae (TLG) at the University of California, Irvine.

Reformation

Christian Classics Ethereal Library
Containing translations of the works of John Calvin, Martin Luther, and others

Luther's Works (The Works of Martin Luther)
Digital version of the 55-volume set of Luther's Works, a monumental translation project by Fortress Press and Concordia Publishing House which was published in print in 1957. Useful for church historians, theologians, Luther scholars, and Christians in general. (Find Luther's Works (Volumes 1-55) in the library's print reference collection at REF BR330 .E5 1955.)
Past Masters
Full-text, comprehensive collections of selected philosophers, theologians, and English literary writers such as Abelard, Anselm, Aquinas, Augustine, Calvin, Kierkegaard, Knox, Luther, Newman and Ockham, in both the original language and in English translation. Includes published and unpublished texts, articles, essays, and correspondence.

Calvini Opera
*For login credentials, please contact jeremy.wallace@ptsem.edu *
The Calvini Opera Database is a primary source publication of the Institute for Reformation Research at the Theological University, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands. The complete works of John Calvin in the edition of the Corpus Reformatorum have become a monumental tool in Reformation research. Since long this collection has only been available at the antiquarian market or in a reprint version. The Institute for Reformation Research has published this collection in a DVD and Online format. The publication in DVD is a combination of images and searchable text. This combination provides the opportunity to view the text as if you have the original CR-text in front of you, as well as to search this text by means of an advanced search program, making research in this important source convenient and stimulating. All 59 volumes, with a total of more than 22.000 pages are now easily accessible.

Complete Works of John Calvin
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Large collection of Reformation writings including but not limited to the collected works of John Calvin. CUNITZ, Edouard, BAUM, Johann-Wilhelm, REUSS, Eduard Wilhelm Eugen, (eds.). Joannis Calvini opera quae supersunt omnia. Brunsvigae : C.A. Schwetschke, 1863. Series also available in print.
Digital Library of Classic Protestant Texts
An extensive range of works from the Reformation and post-Reformation eras. Includes sermons and lectures given by theologians in leaders in the Protestant Reformation.
Digital Library of the Catholic Reformation
Documents, including papal and synodal decrees, catechisms and inquisitorial manuals, biblical commentaries, theological treatises, liturgical writings, saints' lives and devotional works.
Luthers Werke
Luthers Werke on the World Wide Web reproduces the Weimar Edition in electronic form. The Weimar Edition, which is regarded as a monumental work in the field of theology and the German language, was first published in 1883 and includes 127 volumes.
Sixteenth Century Pamphlets Online / Flugschriften Online
"This series contains some 11,000 German and Latin pamphlets printed in the Holy Roman Empire. The pamphlets from 1501-1530 are concerned with the early Reformation movement, the Peasants' War, the threat presented by the Turks, and the various conflicts among the Western European countries. The pamphlets from 1531-1600 deal with a broad spectrum of themes, the Turkish wars, the revolt of the Netherlands, the persecution of French protestants, the status of Calvinists and Zwinglians in the Holy Roman Empire, propaganda against the papacy and the Jesuits, intra-Protestant theological quarrels, the building of confessional networks, witch-hunting, and anti-Jewish polemics."

The Cambridge Companion to John Calvin (e-book) by Donald K. McKim (Editor)
Call Number: Online
ISBN: 1139000012
Publication Date: 2004-06
Also available in print at REF BX9418 .C386 2004
The Cambridge Companion to Martin Luther (e-book) by Donald K. McKim (Editor)
Call Number: Online
ISBN: 9780511998744
Publication Date: 2003-07
Also available in print at REF BR325 .C26 2003 and BR325 .C26 2003
The Cambridge Companion to Reformation Theology (e-book) by David V. Bagchi (Editor); David C. Steinmetz (Editor)
Call Number: Online
ISBN: 0511999976
Publication Date: 2004-11-18
Also available in print at BR305.3 .C36 2004

American

American Religion: Denominational Newspapers
320+ rare newspapers published between 1799 and 1900 from 30+ states. Supports research of early American history, religious history, ethnic studies, abolitionism, Civil War, and gender studies.

American Religion: Denominational Newspapers is part of the America's Historical Newspapers (AHN) collection. The Library also purchases access to another part of AHN, Early American Newspapers, Series I.
Early American Imprints, Series I: Evans, 1639-1800
Books, pamphlets and broadsides published in America, 1639-1800. Based on Charles Evans' renowned "American Bibliography" and Roger Bristol's supplement.
Early American Imprints, Series II: Shaw-Shoemaker, 1801-1819
Comprehensive set of American books, pamphlets and broadsides published in the early part of the 19th century. Based on the noted "American Bibliography, 1801-1819" by Ralph R. Shaw and Richard H. Shoemaker.
Early American Newspapers, Series I, 1690-1876
Searchable, cover-to-cover reproductions from more than 650 historical (largely 18th century) American newspapers. Based on Clarence S. Brigham's "History and Bibliography of American Newspapers, 1690-1820" and other authoritative bibliographies. View, magnify, print and save items.

Anti-Racism Digital Library
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"The Anti-racism Digital Library serves as a clearinghouse for information resources about people, groups, and projects who are building inclusive and caring communities. Anti-racism can be defined as some form of focused and sustained action, which includes inter-cultural, inter-faith, multi-lingual and inter-abled (i.e. differently abled) communities with the intent to change a system or an institutional policy, practice, or procedure which has racist effects." Founded and curated by Dr. Anita Coleman, "a PC(USA) anti-racism facilitator, ordained Deacon, contemplative, and lay theologian who teaches Bible Studies integrated with the practice of mindfulness."
Black Life in America, Series 1, 2 and 3
The content in this database is sourced from more than 19,000 American and global news sources, including over 400 current and historical Black publications and presents the experience and impact of African Americans as recorded by the news media, 1704 to today. Introducing Black Life in America (video)
Oxford African American Studies Center
More than 20,000 articles, over 2,500 images, more than 700 primary sources with specially written commentaries, and nearly 200 maps relating to the lives and events which have shaped African American and African history and culture. Among the Oxford reference sources included are Black Women in America, The Concise Oxford Companion to African American Literature, Encyclopedia of African American History, 1619-1895, and Africana. Subjects include arts, leisure, business, economics, education, politics, history, religion, science, and medicine.
Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law
This collection, part of HeinOnline's Social Justice Suite, brings together a multitude of essential legal materials on slavery in the United States and the English-speaking world. This includes every statute passed by every colony and state on slavery, every federal statute dealing with slavery, and all reported state and federal cases on slavery. Searching tools and tips, plus an entire guide from HeinOnline.

The Wright Library has registered for this free resource and is required to proxy access as for other subscriptions. The collection is free for anyone with an interest in the topic, but registration is required, https://home.heinonline.org/subscriptions/social-justice-suite/.

Access World News Research Collection
Full-text news from over 12,800 local (i.e. The Trenton Times), regional, national and international sources (over 7,900 US and 4,900 international sources) on topics including economics, business, political science, environmental issues, health and welfare topics, social problems, consumer affairs, education, local government, international affairs and defense, laws and sports, among others. Includes primary source information from newspapers, newswires, transcripts, video clips, and blogs.
America: History & Life
United States and Canadian history and culture from prehistoric times to the present. Contains abstracts of articles published 1964 to the present in 1,800+ scholarly history journals, plus citations for book reviews, articles in collections, dissertations, and media reviews.
Bloomsbury Religion in North America | Theology and Religion Online
Contains, e-books, images and digitally exclusive, peer reviewed articles organized around key themes, including African American religion; Islam in North America; Religion and the Environment in North America; Secularity and Non-Religion in North America; Religion, Science and Technology in North America; and more.

Databases

Archives of the Presbyterian Church of Cuba Online
The records of the Iglesia Presbiteriana-Reformada en Cuba (IPRC) and predecessor Presbyterian churches and missions in Cuba, including a complete run of Heraldo Cristiano, the church’s newsletter, 1919 – 2010, which provides a framework for the history of the church. Also includes the periodicals Juprecu and Su Voz, early mission records, originally maintained in English and then in Spanish as the congregations took over management of their churches and schools from the mission workers. These include session minutes and membership / baptism / marriage / death records, as well as minutes of men’s, women’s, and youth groups, including their mission work in their communities.
Church Missionary Society Periodicals
Searchable and browsable publications (1804-2009) from the Church Missionary Society, the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society and the latterly integrated South American Missionary Society documenting missionary work from the 19th-21st century. Includes articles, illustrations, photos relating to cultures around the world.

Handbook of Latin American Studies Online (HLAS)
A bibliography on Latin America consisting of works selected and annotated by scholars. Edited by the Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress, the multidisciplinary Handbook alternates annually between the social sciences and the humanities.

History of Global Christianity Online
Searchable reference work on the history of Christianity and its global development over the past five centuries. Addresses church history and the cultural role of Christianity in its widest sense: from the many interactions of Christianity within society, politics, economics, philosophy and the arts, to the myriad of ventures that form civilizations, nations, and communities.

Links

Encyclopedia of Christianity in the Global South
Christianity has transformed many times in its 2,000-year history, from its roots in the Middle East to its presence around the world today. From the mid-twentieth century onward the presence of Christianity has increased dramatically in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and the majority of the world’s Christians are now nonwhite and non-Western. The Encyclopedia of Christianity in the Global South traces both the historical evolution and contemporary themes in Christianity in more than 150 countries and regions. The volumes include maps, images, and a detailed timeline of key events.
Latin America Collection in Theological Commons
La Colección Latinoamericana / The Latin America Collection contains materials from Princeton Theological Seminary’s deep collection of Latin American books and periodicals, digitized through the generous financial support of the Henry Luce Foundation.
A Treasure Field to be Explored and Exploited: PTS Latin American Periodical Collection
Reflection by Luis N. Rivera-Pagán

European

British Online Archives
90+ primary source collections in the Humanities and Social Sciences, ranging from colonial, missionary and transatlantic relations to twentieth century political and social development over 1,000 years of history.
Early Modern Pamphlets Online, The
SEE: Dutch Pamphlets Online, and Sixteenth Century Pamphlets Online / Flugschriften Online There are 3 collections in this resource: (1a) Dutch Pamphlets 1486-1853: The Knuttel Collection. The Knuttel Collection at the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the National Library of the Netherlands, is the most extensive pamphlet collection in the Netherlands; (1b) Dutch Pamphlets, 1542-1853: The Van Alphen Collection. The Van Alphen collection supplements the Knuttel collection; (2) Flugschriften des 16. Jahrhunderts. The Sixteenth-Century Pamphlets collection contains well over 10,000 German and Latin pamphlets printed in the Holy Roman Empire.
Historical Abstracts
Indexes books and journal articles, back to 1955, on the history of the world (excluding the U.S. and Canada) from 1450 to the present.
World Council of Churches Online: World War II Era Records
Collection of documents from a section of the archives dealing with Germany and fifteen other countries during the period 1932-1957 as well as the beginning years of the World Council of Churches. Documents include: newspapers, press clippings, press releases, telegrams, correspondence, minutes, manuscripts and personal notes. The collection includes correspondence and personal letters of such notable individuals as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, George Bell, Hans Schönfeld, Karl Barth, James McDonald, Georges Casalis, Adolf Freudenberg, Martin Niemöller, Otto Dibelius, Gerhart Riegner, Marc Boegner, and Willem Adolf Visser 't Hooft.

World Religions

Twentieth Century Religious Thought, Volume I: Christianity
Includes the complete 17-volume German edition of Dietrich Bonhoeffer Werke (DBW) and 16 volumes of the English edition of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works Series (DBWE); an international selection of English-language editions of key authors such as Hans Urs von Baltasar, Rudolf Bultmann, James Cone, Gustavo Gutiérrez, Adolf von Harnack, Henri de Lubac, Wolfhart Pannenberg, Rosemary Radford Ruether, Dorothee Sölle, and Ernst Troeltsch; and a selection of the papers of Reinhold Niebuhr.

Twentieth Century Religious Thought is a multivolume, cross-searchable online collection that brings together the seminal works and archival materials related to worldwide religious thinkers, from the early 1900s until the turn of the 21st century.
World Christian Database
Provides comprehensive statistical information on world religions, Christian denominations, and people groups.

Encyclopaedia Judaica
"Provides an exhaustive and organized overview of Jewish life and knowledge from the Second Temple period to the contemporary State of Israel, from Rabbinic to modern Yiddish literature, from Kabbalah to "Americana" and from Zionism to the contribution of Jews to world cultures..."
Encyclopaedia of Judaism
200+ entries describe the way of life, history, art, theology, philosophy, and the practices and beliefs of the Jewish people with an emphasis on the classical literature of Judaism and its history, along with contemporary issues in American Judaism.
Twentieth Century Religious Thought: Volume III, Judaism
Focuses on modern Jewish theology and philosophy and details Judaism's evolution from the late 19th century by examining printed works and rare documents.Includes an international selection of English-language editions of key thinkers such as Eugene Borowitz, Elliott Dorff, Emil L. Fackenheim, Blu Greenberg, David Hartman, Mordecai Kaplan, Adolf Neubauer, and Joseph B. Soloveitchik; writings in German and Hebrew from the Markus Brann collection, and a selection of contextual monographs and reference works.

Encyclopaedia of Islam THREE
Reference tool on the Islamic World. Includes comprehensive coverage of Islam in the 20th century and of Muslim minorities around the world. Edited by: Kate Fleet, Gudrun Krämer; Denis Matringe; John Nawas; Everett Rowson with: Roger Allen, Edith Ambros, Thomas Bauer, Johann Büssow, Ruth Davis, Ahmed El Shamsy, Maribel Fierro, Najam Haider, Konrad Hirschler, Nico Kaptein, Alexander Knysh, Corinne Lefèvre, Scott Levi, Roman Loimeier, Daniela Meneghini, Negin Nabavi, M'hamed Oualdi, D. Fairchild Ruggles, Ignacio Sánchez, and Ayman Shihadeh
Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an
An encyclopaedic dictionary of qur'anic terms, concepts, personalities, place names, cultural history and exegesis extended with essays on the most important themes and subjects within qur'anic studies. First comprehensive, multivolume reference work on the Qur'an in a Western language.
Oxford Islamic Studies Online
Collection of English-language reference resources on the Islamic world, including the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World, The Oxford History of Islam, The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, and two translations of the Qur'an. Also includes a timeline of Islamic events and a date converter for the Christian and Islamic calendars.
Twentieth Century Religious Thought: Volume II, Islam
Focuses on modern Islamic theology and tradition and details Islam’s evolution from the late 19th century by examining printed works and rare documents by Muslim writers, both non-Western and Western voices.
It includes an international selection of English-language editions of key thinkers such as Sadiq Jalal Al-Azm, Khaled Abou el Fadl, Fethullah Gülen, Sayyid Ahmad Khan, Said Nursî, Tariq Ramadan, Abdolkarim Soroush, Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, and Amina Wadud; writings in Arabic by Muhammad Abduh and in French by Abdou Filali-Ansary, and a selection of more contextual monographs. Future releases will introduce more works by significant thinkers and archival content.

The Princeton University Library has successfully negotiated shared access to this Alexander Street Press database for the Seminary community.

Twentieth Century Religious Thought Library, Volumes I, II and III
Search all three volumes (Christianity, Islam and Judaism) at once.
World Religion Database
Detailed statistics including censuses and surveys on religious affiliation for every country of the world. It offers best estimates at multiple dates for each of the world's religions, 1900-2050.

Reference Guides

Cambridge Companions

Reference e-books

Early Christianity

Medieval/Byzantine Christianity

Reformation

American

European

World Religions