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Religious Law Research Guide

Introduction

This is a brief guide to researching religious law. If you have questions, please feel free to contact the Wolff Library reference desk at 202-662-4195 or by email: intlref@law.georgetown.edu. You may also submit your question via this online form.

Key Resources

Canon Law Abstracts

• A twice-yearly review of Periodical Literature in Canon Law by members of the Canon Law Society of Great Britain and Ireland. The January issue covers periodicals which appear during the period January to June of the previous year, the July issue those which appear between July and December of the previous year.

Print - in the Library Location: 5TH FLOOR / Call No.: Z7776 .C3 Not available elctronically.

Roman Replies and CLSA Advisory Opinions

• edited by F. Stephen Pedone, James I. Donlon

Print - in the Library Location: INTL / Call No.: KBR21 .R6 Not available electronically.

Yearbook of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law

• The Yearbook covers Islamic and non-Islamic legal subjects, including the laws themselves, of some twenty Arab and other Islamic countries.

Print - in the Library Location: INTL / Call No.: KMC112 .Y43 Not available electronically.

Treatises and In-Depth Resources

Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England: a Handbook

• by Rhidian Jones

Print - in the Library Location: 5TH FLOOR / Call No.: BX1935 .J66 2000 Not available electronically.

Encyclopedia of Islamic Law: A Compendium of the Major Schools

• by Laleh Bakhtiar

  "The various schools of law are compared and contrasted on all issues of the Shariah including individual worship (purification, prescribed prayer, prescribed fasting, prescribed charity and prescribed pilgrimage), economic issues including inheritance, endowments, wills and bequests, legal disability and social issues of marriage and divorce."

Print - in the Library Location: INTL / Call No.: KBP40 .B35 1996 Not available electronically.

Halakah: An Encyclopedia of the Law of Judaism

• by Jacob Neusner

  "In this complete, all-encompassing encyclopaedia of the Halakhah, the various laws are classified in such a way that a systematic and coherent structure is obtained. Each entry of the Halakhah is presented in a logical fashion. Where applicable, the original biblical wording is given, extended with literal abstracts from the Torah. Next, problems and questions that may arise from that law are stated and any additional information given. Finally, each entry gives comprehensive explanations and recommendations as to how these laws are to be observed in daily life – where to be and where not to be, what to do and what not to do, what to say and what not to say."

Print - in the Library Location: 5TH FLOOR / Call No.: BM520.4 .N48 2000 Not available electronically.

Jewish Law and Legal Theory

• edited by Martin P. Golding
  "Dealing with issues pivotal to Jewish law theory, this volume offers English-language readers a concise presentation of an important legal tradition. This volume touches on theological concerns of Judaism and the law, but it focuses on broader trends in legal theory. essays address the philosophy of law and jurisprudential analysis which have contributed to modern legal systems."

Print - in the Library Location: INT'L / Call No.: KBM521 .J48 1993 Not available electronically.

Religion and American Law

• edited by Paul Finkelman
  "Encompassing cases from the colonial period to the Supreme Court's important decisions in 1997, this pioneering volume is written in a clear, concise style that will be useful to professionals and specialists and accessible by students. With contributions by leading scholars in the field, this encyclopedia will benefit all reference libraries, students of law and religion, and anyone working in the field of church and state."

Print - in the Library Location: 5TH FLOOR / Call No.: KF4783.A68 R45 2000 Not available electronically.

Research Guides and Tutorials

Jewish Law Research Guide

• University of Miami Law Library Jewish Law research guide.

WWW free to all Call numbers specific to University of Miami Law Library collection.

Religion (Georgetown University)

• Guide detailing religion related databases available through Georgetown University's Lauinger Library.

WWW for GULC students & faculty only *NOTE*: GULC students have on-campus access ONLY to Georgetown main campus databases.

Associations and Organizations

Canon Law Society of America (CLSA)

• "A professional association whose members are dedicated to the promotion of the study and application of canon law in the Roman Catholic Church."

WWW free to all Online Bookshelf - contains CLSA Publications that are available online, in Adobe PDF format.

Islamic Center of America

• "Established in 1963, the Islamic Center has been serving the needs of Muslims in the greater Detroit area as well as throughout the United States."

WWW free to all Koran online

Other Resources

Atla Religion Database (Georgetown University)

• Indexes a fairly comprehensive list of religion periodicals with extensive coverage of essay collections and Festschriften. Covers biblical commentary, mission activity, and topics in religion and theology. The database represents the following print sources: Religion Index 1 - Periodicals, 1949-present; Religion Index 2 -Multi-author works, 1960-present; Research in Ministry, 1981-present; Index to Book Reviews in Religion, 1949-present; Methodist Reviews Index, 1818-1985.

WWW for GULC students & faculty only *NOTE*: GULC students have on-campus access ONLY to Georgetown main campus databases.

Atla Serials Online

• Fulltext collection of over 50 religion and theology journals. The collection's over 50,000 articles (and many more books reviews) address topics in the following fields: Archaeology, Bible, Ecumenism, Ethics, Missions, Pastoral Ministry, Philosophy, Religion, Society, and Theology.

WWW for GULC students & faculty only *NOTE*: GULC students have on-campus access ONLY to Georgetown main campus databases.

Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (Georgetown)

• "The Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding was founded in 1993 by an agreement between the Fondation pour L'Entente entre Chretiens et Musulmans, Geneva and Georgetown University to build stronger bridge of understanding between the Muslim world and the West as well as between Islam and Christianity. The Center's mission is to improve relations between the Muslim world and the West and enhance understanding of Muslims in the West."

WWW free to all Research and Publications

Jewish Law (jlaw.com)

• Provides information on Halacha, Jewish issues and secular law. Provides access to articles, legal research, briefs and Halachic resources.

WWW free to all Jewish Law - Law & Policy

Jewish Law (torah.org)

• Website offering Jewish educational and legal material.

WWW free to all Jewish law resources.

Vatican: The Holy See

• Official website to the Vatican.

WWW free to all Vatican Library

Woodstock Theological Center Library (Georgetown University)

• One of the oldest and most notable Catholic theological libraries in the United States. The Woodstock library is currently housed as a separate collection in Georgetown's Joseph Mark Lauinger Library for use by Woodstock Theological Center fellows, Georgetown university students and faculty and by scholars from around the world.

WWW free to all Georgetown Law students have full access to all Woodstock materials.

© Georgetown University Law Library.
These guides may be used for educational purposes, as long as proper credit is given.  These guides may  not be sold.  Requests to republish or adapt a guide should be directed to the Head of Patron Services. Proper credit includes the statement: Written by Georgetown Law Library (current as of .....).