COLLECTIONS:

Special Collections

University Archives

Collection Preservation

Research Collections:
Theology Collection

Collection Overview
Reflecting the history of the university and its theology program, the theology collection is strongest in systematic theology, history of Christianity, and biography with strong emphasis on the Catholic and Jesuit traditions. Material on the Protestant denominations is also collected. The Theology Department has expanded its offerings in world religions by hiring new faculty trained in the academic study of Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam. As a result, the past decade has seen a strong increase in library materials covering these traditions. Other religions, interreligious dialogue, and ecumenism are additional areas of collecting activity. Given the strong interest in systematic thought in the Theology Department, scholarly materials which focus on the systematic and foundational aspects of biblical studies and ethics are emphasized. Our holdings in biblical studies are substantial but not meant to support extensive research in the original scriptural languages. Selected devotional, spiritual, and popular works reflecting contemporary Catholic life are also collected, as are professional materials supporting the curriculum of the Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry (IREPM).

Rapid advances in computer and networking technology have resulted in the acquisition of significant electronic resources, including electronic versions of familiar theology indexes and digitized full-text editions of primary sources. The next area of major collection growth in electronic formats will be in electronic journals. The theology collection program has emphasized acquisition of digitized information and texts when possible because they vastly improve a researcher's ability to identify and access research resources.

Jonas Barciauskas
Theology Bibliographer
1-617-552-4447
E-Mail: barciaus@bc.edu

Selected Resources

In the O'Neill Library:

• Collected works and critical editions of major theologians: Augustine, Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, Martin Luther, among others.

• Important series of critical editions: Patrologiae Cursus Completus: Series Latina and Series Graecae; Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum, Corpus Christianorum, Sources Chrétiennes, among others.

• Extensive holdings in theological journal literature, many from the first volume through the current issue.

• Reference works:

  • Dictionnaire de théologie catholique

  • New Catholic Encyclopedia

  • Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche

  • Dictionnaire de spiritualité ascétique et mystique

  • Acta apostolicae sedis

  • Acta sanctorum, among others.

• Indexes on CD-ROM: Database of Classical Bibliography (L'année philologique), International Medieval Bibliography.

• Full text databases on CD-ROM: CETEDOC Library of Christian Latin Texts; Thesaurus Linguae Graecae; Thomae Aquinatis Opera Omnia, among others.

• Microform sets:

  • Manuscripta, microfilms of rare and out-of-print books; from the Pius XII Memorial Library, Saint Louis University.

  • John Ireland Papers (Roman Catholic bishop)

  • The Dead Sea Scrolls on Microfiche

  • Mediaeval and Renaissance Manuscripts at Oxford Colleges

  • Manuscripta: Microfilms of Rare and Out-of-Print Books

  • Corpus Christianorum Thesauri

  • Puebla 79: Conferencia General del Episcopado Latinoamericano (3rd : 1979 : Puebla, Mexico)

On the Web (Restricted to the BC Community):

• Indexes to the literature:  ATLA Religion Database (Religion Index), Catholic Periodical and Literature Index, Philosopher's Index

• Full text databases: Patrologia Latina Database, Past Masters

• Full text electronic journals: Journal of Early Christian Studies, Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, Modern Judaism, Speculum

• Other databases in the humanities: Subject Indexes to Online Databases: Humanities.  This web page also has links to other subject lists of databases.

Research Guides
More information about available resources can be found in the following resource guides: Research Guide: Theology, Theology: A Guide to Print Resources and Theology: A Guide to Electronic Resources.

Interdisciplinary Elements of Subject Area
Theology intersects with all aspects of academic study, particularly those in the humanities, social sciences, and professional training. In particular, the following areas are significant to theology at BC: philosophy, classics, psychology, education, history, political science, economics, nursing, business management, literature, the arts, political science, and law. Any individual interdisciplinary title is purchased with theology funds if its major focus is theology.

Formats and Types of Materials
Formats collected include print, electronic, microform, and audiovisual. Types of materials include monographs, serials, editions of major scriptures, textbooks (to a limited extent), selected popular works, professional materials for ministry, and reference works including major indexes, abstracts, catalogs, bibliographies, yearbooks, dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, concordances, scriptural commentaries, research guides, and directories.

Languages
Theological materials published in Western languages are emphasized, particularly English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Significant texts in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew are also collected. Other languages are selectively collected.

Geographic Areas (Subject Approach)
Major geographic emphases are on the Americas, Europe, and the Near East. Material about religions of India, African religions, and Buddhism in Asia is also collected. The arrival of a faculty member specializing in Islam may widen the geographic focus of the collection.

Time Periods (Subject Approach)
The chronology of the Judaeo-Christian tradition ranges from the second millenium b.c.e. to the present; the materials selected reflect an interest in the tradition's history through all its stages. Particular attention is paid to the patristic, medieval, and modern periods, and to 19th century Catholic theologians in Europe and North America. Selection of materials dealing with other religious traditions also reflects each tradition's historical development.

Date of Publication
Works with current imprints are emphasized. Significant theological titles, particularly in the Catholic tradition, are retrospectively collected. All modern editions of scriptures of world religions, significant scriptural commentaries, and modern editions of theological and historical works considered as classics by the various religious traditions are also collected.

Subject Areas Collected by Library of Congress Classification Number
BCAT, the online catalog, can be searched by LC classification number to get a better idea of what specific titles the theology collection contains.  For example, the command c=BV1460 will produce the beginning of a list of works on religious education.  This list can be browsed by pressing the F8 key or typing f and pressing the Enter/Return key.  Please note: BCAT also contains the catalog records for St. John's Seminary Library which is not part of the Boston College Libraries; it is situated within walking distance of Boston College's main campus and its collection is available for on-site research.