Browsing the stacks to find books can be a good way of finding sources. Most of the libraries in the Columbia system use Library of Congress (LC) call numbers. A book's call number is based on the first subject heading listed in the book record in the CLIO Catalog.
These are the main call numbers for religion:
Books titles (as well as many other types of material) can be found in the CLIO Catalog, the online catalog of the Columbia University Libraries. CLIO includes Barnard Library, but not Teachers College, Jewish Theological Seminary, or the Law Library.
Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary (located on the northwest corner of Broadway and 120th) has the largest collection of books on religion available in the Columbia Library System. Jewish Theological Seminary (located on the northeast corner of Broadway and 122nd) also has a library that can be used, but Barnard/Columbia students must pay $20 per term for a library card.
Commentaries are a key part of religious studies in academia when focusing on the Judeo-Christian Bibles. These often analyze, explain, and interpret portions of scriptural works, often chapter by chapter. Many commentaries are applicable for both Jewish and Christian Bible studies, as there is much overlap in scholarship.
While most of these will be housed in the Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary (UTS), Butler's Ancient and Medieval Reading Room, located on the sixth floor of Butler Library, also houses many works relevant to biblical studies.
The New Interpreter's Bible by
General and Old Testament Articles; Genesis; Exodus; and Leviticus New Interpreter'sBible offers critically sound biblical interpretations for the 1990s and beyond. Easy-to-use Format: * Full texts and critical notes: NIV and NRSV * Detailed, critical Commentary providing an exegetical "close-reading" of the biblical text * Reflections that present a detailed exposition of issues raised in the discussion and dealt with in the Commentary Key Features: The entire Bible (including the Apocrypha Deuterocanonical books) in twelve volumes * Introductions; to each book that cover essential historical, sociocultural, literary, and theological issues An ecumenical roster of contributors Comprehensive, concise articles. Numerous visual aids (illustrations, maps, charts, timelines) enhance use.
These books may help in writing about different aspects of Religion.
Biblical Criticism by
This Guide for the Perplexed will demonstrate how modern biblical scholars have expressed dissatisfaction with a one-sided historical-critical approach to biblical texts and have argued that developments in secular literary theory should be applied in biblical studies. Whereas the historical-critical approach was concerned with the moment of a text's production (authorship, date, place of writing etc), the literary approach is concerned with the moment of the text's reception. Eryl W. Davies shows how and why approaches such as 'reader-response criticism', 'feminist criticism', 'ideological criticism', 'canonical criticism' and 'post-colonial criticism' are now becoming more popular in many quarters. The volume explains to the uninitiated in a readable and accessible form how strategies originally derived from secular literary criticism have been adopted by biblical scholars in order to understand the text of Scripture and to appreciate its relevance.
A Companion to Biblical Interpretation in Early Judaism by
A Companion to Biblical Interpretation in Early Judaism presents eighteen commissioned articles on biblical exegesis in early Judaism, covering the period after the Hebrew Bible was written and before the beginning of rabbinic Judaism. The essays, all written by experts in the field, are arranged in seven categories: Hebrew Bible, Rewritten Bible, Qumran Literature, Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments, Wisdom Literature, Hellenistic Judaism, and Biblical Interpretation in Antiquity. Together these essays provide a systematic and comprehensive introduction to the diverse modes of scriptural interpretation practiced by a variegated and dynamic spectrum of Jewish groups in the Hellenistic and early Roman eras.
Dictionary of Biblical Criticism and Interpretation by
Compiling the results from contemporary and exciting areas of research into one single important volume, this book stands ahead of its field in providing a comprehensive one-stop Handbook reference of biblical interpretation. Examining a wide range of articles on many of the recognized interpreters including Augustine, Luther and Calvin, up to the modern figures of Martin Hengel and T.W. Manson, Porter expertly combines the study of biblical interpretation with the examination of the theological and philosophical preconceptions that have influenced it, and surveys the history of interpretation from different perspectives. Key perspectives studied include: the historical dimension; addressing how interpretation has developed at various periods of time; from early Jewish exegesis to the historical-critical method the conceptual approach; looks at the various schools of thought that have generated biblical interpretation, and compares and contrasts competing conceptual models of interpretation the personal perspective; addresses the reality of biblical interpretation by individuals who have helped plot the course of theological development.
The Future of the Biblical Past by
What does global biblical studies look like in the early decades of the twenty-first century, and what new directions may be discerned? Profound shifts have taken place over the last few decades as voices from the majority of the globe have begun and continue to reshape and relativize biblical studies. With contributors from Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, and North America, this volume is a truly global work, offering surveys and assessments of the current situation and suggestions for the future of biblical criticism in all corners of the world.
Global Voices by
Ethnically and nationally diverse scholars familiar with both non-western and Western hermeneutic traditions explore what it means to hear, heed, and appreciate biblical interpretations from the non-Western world in this illuminating collection of writings.
Handbook for Biblical Interpretation by
This handbook provides a comprehensive guide to methods, terms, and concepts used by biblical interpreters. It offers students and non-specialists an accessible resource for understanding the complex vocabulary that accompanies serious biblical studies. Articles, arranged alphabetically, explain terminology associated with reading the Bible as literature, clarify the various methods Bible scholars use to study biblical texts, and illuminate how different interpretive approaches can contribute to our understanding. Article references and topical bibliographies point readers to resources for further study.
Islamic and Comparative Religious Studies by
1.History and Interpretation of Islamic Religion; 2.The Qur'an as Scripture, and 3. Scripture in the History of Religion. Each section opens with a new introduction by Graham, and a bibliography of his works is included. Graham's work in Islamic studies focuses largely on the analysis and interpretation of the religious dimensions of ritual action, scriptural piety, textual authority/revelation, tradition, and major concepts, such as grace and transcendence. This invaluable resource will be of primary interest to students of the Islamic tradition, especially as regards Qur'anic piety, Muslim 'ritual' practice, and fundamental structures of Islamic thought, and to students of the comparative history of religion, especially as regards the phenomenon of 'scripture' and its analogs.
Methodology in Religious Studies by
Methodology in Religious Studies assesses the impact of women's studies on the various methods employed in studying religion. Since its inception in the 1860s, the study of religion as an academic discipline has evolved over time, ranging from the classically historical to the boldly hermeneutical.
Oxford Encyclopedia of Biblical Interpretation by
The Encyclopedia will contain nearly 120 entries, ranging in length from 3,000 to 5,000 words. Organized in an A-to-Z format. Each entry will be signed, contain a bibliography for further reading, and will be cross-referenced to other useful points of interest within the Encyclopedia.
Quality Research Papers by
Nancy Vyhmeister's Quality Research Papers is fast becoming a standard reference textbook for writing research papers in the field of religion and theology. It takes the student from the beginning assignment of a paper through the research phase to the finished paper. This second edition gives improvements and added material for such things as the expanding field of online research and doing church-related research in a professional manner. Resources for doing research are updated throughout the book.
Reading Religion in Text and Context by
To what extent is religion inherently textual? What might the term 'textual' mean in relation to religious faith and practice? These are the two key questions addressed by the eleven thought-provoking essays collected in this volume. Accounts of the content and structure of sacred texts are commonplace. The rather more adventurous aim of this book is to disclose (within the context of religion) the various ways in which meaning can be read of more or less obviously sacred writing and from discourses such as the body, the built and natural environment, drama and ritual.
The Routledge Handbook of Research Methods in the Study of Religion by
This is the first comprehensive survey in English of research methods in the field of religious studies. It is designed to enable non-specialists and students at upper undergraduate and graduate levels to understand the variety of research methods used in the field. The aim is to create awareness of the relevant methods currently available and to stimulate an active interest in exploring unfamiliar methods, encouraging their use in research and enabling students and scholars to evaluate academic work with reference to methodological issues. A distinguished team of contributors cover a broad spectrum of topics, from research ethics, hermeneutics and interviewing, to Internet research and video-analysis. Each chapter covers practical issues and challenges, the theoretical basis of the respective method, and the way it has been used in religious studies, illustrated by case studies.
Reinventing Religious Studies by
"Reinventing Religious Studies" offers readers an opportunity to trace the important trends and developments in Religious Studies over the last forty years. Over this time the study of religion has been transformed into a critical discipline informed by a wide range of perspectives from sociology to anthropology, politics to material culture, and economics to cultural theory. "Reinventing Religious Studies" brings together key writings which have helped shape scholarship, teaching and learning in the field. All the essays are drawn from the CSSR Bulletin, a provocative, occasionally irreverent, and always critical journal which has long been at the centre of debates in Religious Studies.
Studies in Bible and Feminist Criticism by
A JPS Scholar of Distinction title The best writings of the long and distinguished career of renowned feminist Bible scholar Tikva Frymer-Kensky Each of the 30 essays here delves into a topic that gives us much food for thought: the Bible as interpreted through ancient Near-Eastern creation myths, flood myths, and goddess myths; gender in the Bible; the feminist approach to Jewish law; comparative Jewish and Christian perspectives on the Hebrew Bible; biblical perspectives on ecology; creating a theology of healing; feminine God-talk. The volume concludes with the author's own original prayers in the form of poetic meditations on pregnancy and birthing. This book is unique, not only because it is the only volume in the JPS Scholar of Distinction series written by a woman, but also because Frymer-Kensky's personal and forthright voice resonates so clearly throughout each piece. Scholars and students of Bible, Jewish studies, and women's studies will surely find this to be a one-of-a kind collection.
Studies in Biblical Interpretation by
A JPS Scholar of Distinction Title Nahum Sarna is one of the most regarded and well-known names in biblical academia. This collection contains 26 essays, spanning his career. Together they cover the Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, the Psalms, and biblical history.
