Christianity Pre-1000
This guide focuses on resources for the Christian tradition before the year 1000, as well as historical and cultural sources for the context in which Christianity developed: the early Jewish and hellenistic Mediterranean worlds. Additional related resources may also be found on the Divinity Research Resources, the Study of Religions Research Resources, and the Classics guides.
Feel free to schedule a research meeting with me through my appointment calendar.
Kaeley McMahan
mcmahak@wfu.edu
Reference Resource
Use reference resources to locate background information on your topic, including:
- biographical information
- definitions of terminology
- historical context
- geographical information
- recommended sources to continue your research
The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Studies by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9780199271566Publication Date: 2008
Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity by Call Number: ebook & REF BR66.5 D5813 2014, 3 vols.ISBN: 9780830829439Publication Date: 2014
A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs by Call Number: REF BR66.5 D53 1998ISBN: 1565633571Publication Date: 1998
The Oxford Handbook of New Testament, Gender, and Sexuality by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9780190213398Publication Date: 2019
The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages (4 Volume Set) by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9780198662624Publication Date: 2010
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome by Call Number: ebookISBN: 0195170725Publication Date: 2009
- New PaulyCovers more than 2,000 years of Greco-Roman history, ranging from the second millennium BC to early medieval Europe.
Dictionary of Judaism in the Biblical Period by Call Number: REF BM50 D525 1996, 2 vols.ISBN: 0028972929Publication Date: 1995
A Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological Terms by Call Number: REF BR95 M8 1985xISBN: 0801061857Publication Date: 1985
The Westminster Handbook to Patristic Theology by Call Number: REF BR162.3 M38 2004ISBN: 0664223966Publication Date: 2004
Finding Scholarly Books
Take a look at this page for more information on searching the library catalog.
Browsing the main stacks on Wilson 1 for books is also a great search strategy. Here are a few call number areas to focus on:
BL-Religion
BL700-820-Greek & Roman Religions
BM- Judaism
BM510-518-Midrash
BR-Christianity
BR60-67-Early Christian Literature
BR160-275-Early & Medieval History
BR195 W6-Women in the Early Church
BS-The Bible
BT-Doctrinal Theology
BT109-115- Doctrine of the Trinity
BV-Practical Theology
DE-Greco-Roman World
DF501-649-Byzantine Empire
DS101-151-Israel/Palestine, The Jews
DS155-156-Asia Minor
PA- Greek & Latin Language & Literature
PA3818-4505- Individual Greek authors, alphabetically
PA6202-6971- Individual Latin authors, alphabetically
PJ4501-5192-Hebrew Language & Literature
PJ5201-5329.5-Aramaic Language & Literature
PJ5401-5809-Syriac Language & Literature
Finding Schoarly Journal Articles
Scholarly journal articles can be found through the bibliographies of the resources you have already found, as well as through ZSR databases. See this page for how to evaluate whether an article is scholarly or not, and see below for a list of good databases.
- Annee PhilologiqueProvides citations to international scholarly work concerning the areas of: ancient Greek and Latin language and linguistics; Greek and Roman history, literature, philosophy, art and music, archaeology, religion, mythology, science, and more. The scholarship concentrates on the second millennium BCE to roughly 500-800 CE.
- International Medieval BibliographyA bibliography of modern scholarship concerning the European Middle Ages (c.450-1500).
- Iter: Gateway to the Middle Ages and RenaissanceIndexes books and over 1700 periodicals concerning Europe and the Middle East from 400-1700.
Research & Instruction Librarian: Art History, Theatre & Dance, Film Studies, Study of Religions, and School of Divinity
Finding Primary Sources
You will frequently find primary sources through the footnotes and citations of the books and articles you read. ZSR also has a number of primary source databases of Greek and Latin texts that may be of use.
- Apostolic FathersCurrent English translations of early church writers.
- Ancient Christian Commentaries on Scripture: Old TestamentCollections of writings by early Church authors on biblical texts.
- Ancient Christian Commentaries on Scripture: New TestamentCollections of writings by early Church authors on biblical texts.
- Loeb Classical Library This link opens in a new windowAncient texts with the original Greek or Latin and English on facing pages.
- Library of Latin Texts This link opens in a new windowContains Latin texts from Antiquity through Vatican II. Texts are selected based on editing and contemporary scholarly practice. Coverage: c. 300 B.C.E. to 1965 A.D.
- Patrologia Latina This link opens in a new windowWorks of the Christian Latin Fathers from Tertullian around 200 C.E. to the death of Pope Innocent III in 1216. In Latin. Coverage: 200 A.D. to 1216 A.D.
- Thesaurus Linguae Graecaeince its inception the project has collected and digitized most texts written in Greek from Homer (8 c. B.C.) to the fall of Byzantium in AD 1453 and beyond.
- Thesaurus Linguae LatinaeThe Thesaurus Linguae Latinae is the largest Latin dictionary in the world and covers all the Latin texts from the classical period up to about 600 A.D.
Scholarly Websites
There are many online scholarly projects that can help inform your research. Make sure that you are looking for resources that are sponsored by:
- libraries
- scholarly associations
- archives
- museums
- open access/online journals
- universities/university departments
Below are a few examples of the types of resources that might be appropriate to use:
- Christian Church TimelineAn open-access timeline of church history through the mid-19th century.