Bar Ilan Global Jewish Database now on trial

logo_small_v1_en-USThe Bar Ilan Global Jewish Database is now on trial until 20 June. The Bar Ilan Responsa Project is the world’s largest electronic collection of Torah literature of its kind. The database includes the Bible and its principal commentaries, the Talmud Bavli and Talmud Yerushalmi with commentaries, Midrash, Zohar, Halachic Law (Rambam, Shulchan Aruch with commentaries), a large Responsa collection of questions and answers and the Talmudic Encyclopedia.

Access to the database is via http://www.ed.ac.uk/is/databases-trials. University of Edinburgh users have IP based access on campus, or off campus via the VPN, and clicking on search or browse should allow access to the content.

Digital Library of Latin Texts is now available

LLTLibrary of Latin Texts - Series BLibrary of Latin Texts (LLT) Series A & B  is now available  to University of Edinburgh Users. Access is available on campus and off campus via the VPN – find LLT on the A-Z Databases list or the Divinity subject list.

The Library of Latin Texts – Series A (formerly known as the Cetedoc Library of Christian Latin Texts) contains texts taken from the Corpus Christianorum series. These include the Vulgate and the Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, the complete corpus of decrees from the ecumenical Church councils from Nicaea to Vatican II and many Latin versions (ancient, medieval or modern) of works by Aristotle, Averroes, Avicenna, Dionysius the Areopagite, Flavius Josephus, Irenaeus of Lyon, Maximus the Confessor, Origen, Plato and Porphyrus. Each text draws on additional intensive research work undertaken by the Centre ‘Traditio Litterarum Occidentalium’. The complementary Library of Latin Texts – Series B database gathers other Latin texts of all genres and all periods including chronicles, medieval saints’ lives and travel narratives, legal texts, and theological, philosophical and scientific treatises from the early modern period, drawn from existing scholarly editions.

New online journal – Journal of Catholic Social Thought

The Journal of Catholic Social Thought

The Journal of Catholic Social Thought

The Journal of Catholic Social Thought is  now accessible to University of Edinburgh users via the e-journals list or library catalogue. The Journal of Catholic Social Thought brings together authors from the fields of law, theology, philosophy and political theory to focus on the rich field of Catholic social teaching and its implications for both theory and practice. Every issue of the journal from 2004 to the present is available online.

This journal was purchased to support new courses in Catholic social thought being developed by the Theology & Ethics subject area at the School of Divinity, Edinburgh University.

Studying Ancient Galilee – new online resources

A postgraduate study day on current discoveries in Galilean Archaeology, given by Dr Ken Dark,  is being held today (Wed 29th May) in the Baillie Room, New College.  The University of Edinburgh has recently added Oxford Handbooks Online to its range of digital library resources,  giving access to scholarly research reviews in this successful and cited series. Included are the titles below, relevant to Galilean Archaeology. All titles can be accessed by University of Edinburgh users via the A-Z Databases list.

ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Full Text now available at University of Edinburgh

ProQuest Dissertations and ThesesProquest’s Dissertations & Theses database is now available for University of Edinburgh users.

We have been subscribing to Proquest’s Dissertations & Theses – Abstracts & Indexes for some time but have been able to upgrade our  access to the full subscription which offers full text for graduate works added since 1997, along with selected full text for works written prior to 1997. To access, look under P for ‘ProQuest Dissertations & Theses’ in the A-Z list of databases http://www.ed.ac.uk/is/databases-a-z

Thank you for all your feedback which was key to putting together a case for purchasing this  expensive resource.

For information about more resources and services for theses, see the Theses Subject Guide.

Christianity in facts and figures – Online Reference Resources

Did you know that the the World Christian Database is now available online to University of Edinburgh users? It provides access to comprehensive statistical information on world religions, Christian denominations, and people groups. Use it for research on religious activities, growth rates, religious literature, worker activity, and demographic statistics. Additional secular data is incorporated on population, health, education, and communications.

Also, if you previously consulted the UK Christian Handbook, you’ll find it useful to know that it is now freely available online as the Christian Resources Directory,  listing  Christian services, agencies, businesses and organisations in the UK.  Archived print editions remain available at the National Library of Scotland. Christian Resources Directory

New online journals for Divinity

Two new electronic journals are now accessible to University of Edinburgh users via the e-journals list.

Journal of Reformed Theology

The Journal of Reformed Theology (JRT) is a refereed international journal of systematic, historical, and biblical theology. The JRT is an instrument for the study of living and contextual theology that provides a forum for debate on classical and contemporary theological issues and offers an update on new theological and biblical literature.

Buddhist Studies ReviewBuddhist Studies Review is published  on behalf of the UK Association for Buddhist Studies. It covers the different cultural areas where Buddhism exists or has existed (in South, Southeast, Central and East Asia); historical and contemporary aspects (including developments in ‘Western’ Buddhism); theoretical, practical and methodological issues; textual, linguistic, archaeological and art-historical studies; and different disciplinary approaches to the subject.

New online EndNote course now available

learn logoThe IS Skills Development team in Information Services has released an online course to help University of Edinburgh staff and students get started with the reference management software, EndNote. The course is available through Learn, the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) as a self-enrol course. Learn can be accessed by MyEd.

New Divinity digital resources available

hinduismNew Divinity digital resources are now becoming available.  New Brill resources already added to the A-Z list of databases are Context of Scripture Online, Coptic Gnostic Library, Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Encyclopedia of Women & Islamic Cultures and Religion Past and Present. Due to appear shortly are World Christian Database, World Religion Database and Library of Latin Texts.

All Divinity databases are available on the Divinity Databases by subject list at http://edin.ac/115ga9T.