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Divinity

Welcome to the Divinity subject guide - your guide to using the library resources, services and facilities for your subject.

Religious Studies

Books relating to Religious Studies will be found at a variety of locations in New College Library and the Main Library – check this on DiscoverEd. However, classmark BL for  Religions – Mythology - Rationalism might be a useful place to start browsing.

  • Excellent current and historic collections for Christianity can be accessed at New College Library
  • Strong historic and current print collections for Judaism can be accessed at New College Library, with further historic and some current collections at the Main Library.
  • The Main Library has strong collections of printed resources on Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, with some current research and teaching collections on Islam held at New College Library. The Serjeant & Watt Collections at the Main Library contain around 6,400 titles on a wide range of subjects related to Islam.
  • The East Asian and South Asian Collections at the Main Library have strong print collections relating to world religions including Buddhism and Hinduism, with some current research and teaching collections also at New College Library.

Heritage Collections

Gandharan sculpture fragments: Seated Buddha. University Art Collections The University Art Collections include Gandharan sculptures, like this seated Buddha.The Centre for Research Collections (CRC) holds the Oriental Manuscripts Collection, which includes Arabic manuscripts such as commentaries on the Koran; traditions of the Prophet and Imam and prayers, as well as early texts of the Mahabarata.  The CRC's collections also include rare Buddhist palm-leaf manuscripts. 

All of these collections can be accessed at the CRC on the 6th floor, Main Library.

Databases for Religious Studies

Journals for Religious Studies

Search DiscoverEd to find print and electronic Religious Studies journals. These include:

New College Library Heritage Collections for Religious Studies

New College Library holds Jewish sacred texts, biblical scholarship and devotional works in Hebrew as well as many examples of travel writing from Israel, Palestine and surrounding areas, collected by nineteenth century travellers such as William Fulton Jackson. The New College Library archives hold the papers of several Old Testament and Hebrew and Semitic Languages scholars.

To arrange to consult New College Special Collections and archives, please email: HeritageCollections@ed.ac.uk

Reference books for Religious Studies

Search DiscoverEd to find print and electronic Religious Studies reference books, or browse the shelves in the New College Library Hall. These include:

Data sources