LibGuides: History of World Religions: Western Religions

Western Religions Defined

At the risk of being very Eurocentric, Western Religions are those religions historically associated with the Western Hemisphere. This includes Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

Western Religion Websites

Below is a list of useful websites for traditionally Western Religions. Many of the links are to research guides similar to this one at other universities or colleges so you may not have access to their databases but you can request materials like books and journal articles via Interlibary Loan.

I have indicated under each link which Religion(s) are represented in the website.

Library of Congress Religion and Philosophy Collections
Digital collections at the Library of Congress on Religion topics.

Islam Websites

Islamic Philosophy Online
This site contains hundreds of full-length books and articles on Islamic philosophy, ranging from the classical texts in the canon of Islamic philosophy to modern works of Muslim philosophy.

Note: There isn't much information on this site as to who the organization is so just be sure to check the validity of the sources available. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't use this source just be sure to check into what you find here.
Internet Medieval Sourcebook, Selected Sources: Islam
Sources in Islam from Fordham's Internet Medieval Sourcebook.
Basic Primary Sources in Islamic Religion
This is a Bibliographic Journal essay in Theological Librarianship: An Online Journal of the American Theological Library Association by Paula Youngman Skreslet. It provides useful information on Islamic texts and finding translations in English for these texts.
The link goes to the correct volume, you will need to scroll down to find the article.
Assessing English Translations of the Qur'an
Article on the Middle East Forum from the Middle East Quarterly by Khaleel Mohammed. Discusses the history and issues surrounding English translations of the Qur'an.

Christianity Websites

Villanova University's Digital Library
Check out three collections in VU's Digital Library: Catholica Collection, Contributions from Augustinian Theologians and Scholars, and Saint Augustine Reference Library. Most of these materials deal with Catholicism.
Catholic Portal
This is an alliance between multiple Catholic Universities and Colleges to digitize and make Catholic resources available on the Internet.
Christian Classics Ethereal Library
Classic Cristian books are freely available to read. Can search or browse by title, author, format, language or subject.

Judaism Websites

Jewish Women's Archive
A national non-profit organization founded in 1995, the Jewish Women's Archive is devoted to making known the stories, struggles, and achievements of Jewish women in North America. Each primary source can be located by the TYPE of primary source it is, the TIME it was created, or the TOPICS it reflects.
Hebrew Books.org
Hebrewbooks.org was founded in order to preserve old American Hebrew books that are out of print and/or circulation. Many American Rabbis wrote seforim (Hebrew books) in the early part of the 20th century. They have long since passed away and in many instances so has their holy work.

Can be searched or browsed.
University of Chicago Library Research Guide for Jewish Studies
Guide contains links to primary resources in Hebrew, which are freely accessible. Please note that some of the resources listed are only available at UC.
Center for Jewish History: Digital Collections
Ongoing digitization project of the holdings of the New York Center for Jewish History. Many archives in the center document the experiences of Jewish migrants from Europe in America or relate directly to European Jewish history.

Subject Guide

Rachel McMullin

Email Me

Contact:

F.H. Green Library, Room 209

Subjects: English, Ethnic Studies, History, Information Literacy, Languages & Cultures, Library Instruction, Literature, Philosophy & Religion, Women's & Gender Studies