The literature of theology: A guide for students and pastors

By John A. Bollier

This updated reference guide directs students to over five hundred significant theological resources across a wide area of theological research. It details bibliographic sources for encyclopedias,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0664242251
• ISBN13: 9780664242251
• Release Date: January 1979
• Publisher: Westminster Press
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Making the list...

David Stewart's book 'The Literature of Theology' is essentially a book of lists. In this book, one will find a list (current as of late 2002) of the essential reference books for the seminary student, teacher, and practicing minister. There are several sections of the book. Lists contained herein fall in the following broad categories:*Basic ResourcesThis section could be perhaps termed 'the best of the best', or perhaps 'the most general of the general'. These are the basic references that will cover, in brief, most topics students and pastors will ever encounter. About 20 books are listed here.*Books about the BibleThese books are about the Bible as a whole -- its history, geography, language, literature, archaeology, etc. Dictionaries and handbooks also fall in this category. Books here are different from commentaries generally in that they do not look at particular books, or the entire Bible, in an exclusively or primarily exegetical way. An additional 70 books are listed here. *Bible CommentariesCommentaries often come in sets -- there are series of commentaries, some by the same author, others by teams assembled. Stewart's recommendation here is sound, as so many students and pastors end up with far more commentaries than are really useful -- find a series that is worthwhile and stick with it, and be selective about finding additional commentaries. Many of the 24 listings here are in fact for series, rather than individual books.*The Church in HistoryStewart lists about 70 works in history, from general one-volume surveys to books that specialise in ancient/early church, medieval church, Reformation, modern era, and North American church topics.*Christian Thought and TheologyTheological activity is very diverse and constantly being updated, not only with new texts but even with new strands and fields emerging. Among the almost 90 books listed in this section (making it one of the larger sections numerically), Stewart lists texts according to theological school (feminist, liberation, etc.); denomination/jurisdiction (particularly along the Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox); and traditional topical area (Christology, ethics, ecclesiology, etc.).*World Christianity, Ecumenics, and World ReligionsThe 51 texts listed here include traditional reference volumes that survey the religions of the world as well as newer texts that look at growing and emerging traditions within and outside of Christianity around the world. This is a fast-growing area.*Christian DenominationsWith 111 volumes listed, this is the largest section. The one, holy church has fractures galore. Broken into four main sections (protestant, catholic, orthodox and other), there are texts that cover the major denominational splits, as well as the major doctrinal and jurisdictional areas in catholic and orthodox perspectives. Many denominations and traditions lack good resources, as Stewart notes in his preface to this section.*Practical TheologyThe 30 books