A Study in Syriac

Posted on September 18, 2012 by cloverodgers

Syriac has been taught at New College, Edinburgh, since its earliest days, as part of the family of ancient languages studied here. Today, for University of Edinburgh Students in years 3 and 4, Aramaic and related Semitic languages (post-Bibilical Hebrew, Syriac and Ugaritic) can be taken as options in Hebrew, Hebrew Bible, and New Testament honours programmes.

Schola Syriaca (1672). New College Library, Hebrew 14.

This item, Schola Syriaca: unà cum synopsi Chaldaica et dissertatione de literis & lingua Samaritanorum (1672) looks back at the tradition of Syriac learning.

Held in New College Library’s Special Collections, it is three books bound in one, covering Syriac grammar, syntax and comprehension passages. Despite the main language of the book being in Latin, the text reads from back to front as a book entirely in Syriac would.

One of many books presented to the library in 1924 by the widow of Rev. J.E.H. Thomson, this book belongs to the Hebrew Collection recently catalogued as part of the Funk Cataloguing Projects. With thanks to our Hebrew Cataloguer, Janice Gailani, for sharing details of this item.

Science and religion : a natural history

Posted on September 13, 2012 by cloverodgers

R. Brookes. A new and accurate system of natural history, containing, 1. The history of quadrupeds …London : Printed for J. Newbery at the Bible and Sun in St. Paul’s Church Yard, 1763. New College Library Nat. 109

Today’s Opening Lecture for the 2012-13 academic session at the School of Divinity will be given by Professor Wentzel van Huyssteen of Princeton Theological Seminary, and will launch the new MSc in Science and Religion.

New College Edinburgh’s history of teaching Science and Religion goes back to the original Chair of Natural Science that was occupied at New College until 1934. The books in New College Library’s Natural History collection, now part of its Special Collections, reflect this academic past.

This volume, A new and accurate system of natural history, containing, 1. The history of quadrupeds … contains striking animal illustrations, and is part of a series covering the whole of the natural world.

A bookplate and stamp marks the item as originating from the United Presbyterian Library. The 1900 Union of the Free Church and the United Presbyterian Church prompted the amalgamation of their library into New College Library, and many volumes in Special Collections bear these marks.

Welcome to New College Library

Posted on September 10, 2012 by cloverodgers

A big welcome to all students starting and returning to the University of Edinburgh today, at the beginning of Freshers week 2012. We’re looking forward to meeting you. To help you get started at University, check out this guide for new students to Library & IT services.

If you want to get ahead with using New College Library, you could start with the Virtual Tour.

There will be a programme of tours for students at New College Library – students please watch your email for details. There will also be events happening all over the University Library to help you get connected with your IT and Library services.

New books at New College Library – September

Posted on September 3, 2012 by cloverodgers

New College Library has a regular display of new books at the far end of the Library Hall, close to the door to the stacks. We also acquire some titles as e-book versions when these are available.

New book of the month for September is the Blackwell Companion to Religion and Violence (Oxford : Wiley-Blackwell, c2011)

This book has been purchased as an e-book and is available via the Edinburgh University Library Catalogue. Access is restricted to University of Edinburgh users. It was purchased to support the course Religion, Violence and Peacebuilding, a Year 2 undergraduate course at the School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh.

You can see an regularly updated list of new books for New College Library on the Library Catalogue – choose the New Books Search and limit your search to New College Library. Here’s a quick link to new books arriving in the last few weeks. A word of caution – some of the books listed here may still be in transit between the Main Library (where they are catalogued) and New College Library, so not on the shelf just yet. Please ask at the New College Library Helpdesk if there’s a book that you are interested in and can’t find.

New JSTOR collections benefit e-journals for Divinity

Posted on August 23, 2012 by cloverodgers

Are you a fan of JSTOR electronic journals ? In 2012 the University of Edinburgh purchased the JSTOR Collections V & VIII. This has increased the coverage of backruns of a number of titles relevant to Divinity, such as:

Canadian Journal of Philosophy 1971-2006
Contemporary Religions in Japan 1960-1970
The Catholic Historical Review 1915-2006
International Journal of the Classical Tradition 1994-2007
International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 1970-2007
International Journal of Hindu Studies 1997-2007
Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1974-2011
Jewish History 1986-2007
The Journal of Ethics 1997-2007
Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 1985-2011
Journal of Religion and Health 1961-2007
The Journal of Religious Ethics 1973-2005
The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 1835-2006
Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions 1997-2011
Prooftexts 1981-2010
Religion & Literature 1965-2008
Religious Studies 1965-2011
Scottish Historical Review 1903-

New College Library Archives

Posted on August 13, 2012 by cloverodgers

An image from the New College Archive of New College Library as it appeared in 1946

Did you know that New College Library holds significant collections of archives and manuscripts?

These collections include the papers of Thomas Chalmers, J.H. Oldham, James S. Stewart and Norman W. Porteous. Hidden among the older archives are gems such as the last speech and testimony of the covenanter James Renwick (1662-1688). The Archives also include a New College Archive which includes group photographs of students and staff, and of the New College buildings.

Recently added to our collections are the papers of Rev Tom Allan (1916-1965), Rev. Professor Alec Campbell Cheyne (1924-2006), Rev. Professor John McIntyre (1916-2005), and the Very Rev Professor James Whyte (1920-2005). The listing of these papers was funded by a generous bequest from the estate of Rev. Professor Alec Campbell Cheyne .

See the New College Archives web page to find out more.

New books at New College Library – August

Posted on August 6, 2012 by cloverodgers

New College Library has a regular display of new books at the far end of the Library Hall, close to the door to the stacks.

Currently in the display is Why there almost certainly is a God : doubting Dawkins, by Keith Ward. This book was purchased to support the Atheism in Debate course at the School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh.

New College Library Stacks now open

Posted on July 23, 2012 by cloverodgers

New College Library’s Stack I is now open.

Apologies to all who have been inconvenienced by the closure of Stack I during the last five weeks. The New College Library Helpdesk had more than 500 books requested during the closure period, so there is obviously no such thing as a” quiet time” in the Library any more.

The stack room is now freshly painted for the first time in sixty years!!

Islamic Collections at New College Library

Posted on July 23, 2012 by cloverodgers

Muslims all over the world join together this week for Ramadan, the greatest religious observance in Islam. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, when Muslims fast during daylight hours.

New College Library’s collections in Islamic Studies reflect the current teaching and research activities within the School of Divinity’s Religious Studies programmes. These collections complement the rich collections held at the University of Edinburgh’s Main Library and Islamic Studies Library. Students and staff have access to the online resources for Islamic and Middle-Eastern Studies, including the Encyclopaedia of the Qu’rān.

Recent acquisitions to New College Library’s collections include Women under Islam : gender, justice and the politics of Islamic Law by Christina Jones-Pauly. Another recent addition to the shelves is Jesus and Muhammad : parallel tracks, parallel lives by Francis E. Peters.

Global Missions and Theology Collection online at University of Edinburgh

Posted on June 27, 2012 by cloverodgers

In the week of the Yale-Edinburgh Group on the History of the Missionary Movement and World Christianity Conference, a reminder that the Global Missions and Theology Online Collection is now available to University of Edinburgh users. Part of the Archives Unbound collection from Gale, this collection documents a broad range of nineteenth century missionary activities, practices and thought by reproducing personal narratives, organizational records, and biographies.

Find the link on the Databases for Divinity page on the library website.

New College Librarian

News and views from New College Library, Edinburgh

Tag Archives: Divinity