Coptic Church Review: open access journal

The Coptic Church Review is available as an open-access journal from 1994-2004. The journal is a Coptic Orthodox publication, published in the USA by the Society of Coptic Church Studies.
Link via the AWOL blog (Ancient World Online) or directly from the Coptic Church Review site

Excavations at pre-Islamic Christian site in the UAE

Archaeological excavations on Sir Bani Yas Island in the UAE have revealed the remains of a Christian monastery dating from circa 600 AD. Read a report on the historical significance of the site, and view a slide-show of photographs of the excavations from the online version of the UAE newspaper, The National

New bibliographic database: theses on Mission studies and Non-Western Christianity

Click on link below to explore this database:

Researching World Christianity: doctoral dissertations on Mission since 1900

Bibliographic database of research-level theses (PhD, ThD, D.Min, D.Miss etc.) on Mission studies and Christianity outside the West, compiled by the International Bulletin of Missionary Research, with Yale Divinity School Library. Content has been expanded from lists published in the International Bulletin of Missionary Research between 1983 and 2003, and now covers over 6,000 titles dating back to 1900 and can be searched by subject, keyword, author, title etc. Results give a brief abstract and publication details only.

Faith-based search engines

A feature from ReadWriteWeb, a technology blog founded in 2003 to analyse the internet industry.
Curt Hopkins asks "What would Jesus search?" and looks at how three faith-orientated search engines - NPR Report, I'm Halal (Islamic), SeekFind (Christian) and Jewogle (Jewish) - treat a set of pre-defined search terms.

Updated research guide launched on the BLE

Just posted on the BLE - an updated in-depth guide to researching topics in the study of Religions, using bibliographic and full-text databases, and other electronic resources in SOAS and beyond. This also contains tips on internet research, managing your references and maintaining current awareness.
Go to the Library Information Skills pages of the BLE, look under Religions and the Research Guides tab

Resources for the study of religions: handout added to BLE

 A PDF guide "Resources for religions" has been added to the Library Information Skills section of the BLE. Go to Religions and look under Research Guides.
This is the handout from the demonstration given on 26th November. 


If you have any further queries, please contact me 
ms28@soas.ac.uk
Tel: 020-7898-4167

Study of Religions: Online resources demonstration (26th November)

Reminder: there will be a demonstration of online resources in SOAS Library for the study of religions taking place on Friday 26th November, between 1 and 2 p.m. in Room 379. This is suitable for all students. The classroom only accommodates about 12 people comfortably, so please let me know if you are planning to attend.

Mary Seeley - ms28@soas.ac.uk 

David and Solomon: Biblical archaeology vs. land rights and politics

Article from the latest issue of National Geographic (cover date December 2010) looking at the historical and  political controversy that has arisen from the excavation a Bronze Age settlement in Jerusalem, including what is claimed by some to be the palace of King David

Jewish-Muslim dialogue today: Centre for Jewish Studies talk

"Isaac and Ishmael: what next? - On Jewish-Muslim relations today"
A talk by Dr. Ed Kessler of the University of Cambridge (chaired by Prof. Tudor Parfitt) will take place in the Brunei Gallery (Room B104) on 17th November between 5.30 and 7.30 p.m.
This is one of a series of lectures being given this term by the Centre for Jewish Studies

For further details, contact cs52@soas.ac.uk, or phone 020-7898-4358

Religion, the state and historical artifacts

Article by journalist Sabria Jawhar in the Huffington Post on state policy towards the preservation and display of pre-Islamic (and particularly religious) antiquities in Saudi Arabia

The Tiger in Asian Religions: Study Day

Asia House (the UK's leading pan-Asian organisation) is hosting a study day on "The tiger in Asian religions" to be held at 63 New Cavendish Street, London W1G 7LP on Saturday 13th November (9.45 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
The programme will explore the tiger's symbolic role in the religions and arts of Asia across the centuries.
The study day costs £35.00, or £25.00 to Friends of Asia House, including tea and coffee.
For further details, contact enquiries@asiahouse.co.uk or phone 020-7307-5454

The study day is in conjunction with Asia House's exhibition, "The tiger in Asian art: symbol of power and protection" which runs from 5th November 2010 to 12th February 2011.

Jews from Arab lands (LMEI conference)

The London Middle East Institute (SOAS) in partnership with the University College of Bahrain has announced a conference on Jews from Arab lands, to take place in the Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre on Tuesday 23rd November (9.15 a.m - 5.00 p.m) and Wednesday 24th November (9.30 a.m - 1.00 p.m).
The conference will look at the Jewish diaspora to Iraq, Egypt, Morocco and Yemen (as well as other Judeo-Arabic communities) in historical, political and cultural contexts. Speakers include Professor Saimi Zubaida (UCL), Professor Shmuel Moreh (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Professor Tudor Parfitt (SOAS), and Professor Zvi ben Dor Benite (New York University).
The Conference costs £15.00 (£10.00 for LMEI affiliates and OAPs)
It is FREE for students.
Lunch and refreshments on both days are included.
For further information and booking, contact Louise Hosking (lh2@soas.ac.uk) or Vincenzo Pac-Delton (vp6@soas.ac.uk)
Tel: 020-7898-4330 / 4490

Japanese Buddhism: aesthetics of colour lectures

The Embassy of Japan announces a celebration of the 1300th anniversary of Nara Heijo Kyo Capital.
There will be a  series of events in London and Norwich between 15th and 18th November, consisting of lectures on the aesthetics of colours in Buddhism by Sachio Yoshioka, a textile historian, and Shomyo (chanting) by Taiin Murakami, a priest from Yakushi-ji, Nara.
Click here for more details and brief interviews with Yoshioka and Murakami, about the event.

Book review: Beyond the Qumran community

Review of John Collins' "Beyond the Qumran community: the Sectarian Movement of the Dead Sea Scrolls" by Alex Jassen (University of Minnesota) in the H-Judaic pages of H-Net Online ("an international consortium of scholars and teachers")
Collins argues in support of the theory that the Khirbet Qumran site is a sectarian settlement. Jassen states that the book "advances considerably our understanding of the origins and identities of the communities of the Dead Sea Scrolls"

Find "Beyond the Qumran community" in SOAS Library at QI296.815 / 733599 (Level C, Stacks 95-96)

Religion, tourism and development

New York Times article on Ezekiel's tomb in Kifl (Iraq) looks at the historic and religious context of the site and the "competing aims of historic preservation and modern development".
This online article includes a slide show (pictures of the shrine) and video about the plans for the restoration and development of the historic centre of Kifl, including Ezekiel's shrine

Updated research guide launched on the BLE

A fully updated version of the Study of Religions research guide (containing information on how to search full-text and bibliographic databases, internet resources in SOAS and beyond, and tips on how to keep up to date with your research and manage references and citations) has just been launched on the Information Skills: Religions site on the BLE - go to the Research Guides tab

Riot in Alexandria (Book Review)

Edward Watts' "Riot in Alexandria: tradition and group dynamics in late antique pagan and Christian communities" (published this year by the University of California Press) has just been reviewed in the Bryn Mawr Classical Review by Peter Van Nuffelen of Ghent University.

Read the book in SOAS Library. It is shelved at NE916.2104 / 741999 on Level B (between stacks 59 and 61)

Reminder on Religions database trials

The following Brill databases are available on trial until the 26th October. Please let us know what you think, by e-mailing bc3@soas.ac.uk with your comments. 
They are also accessible from http://www.soas.ac.uk/library/resources/a-z/database-trials.html
Brill Online - Christian-Muslim Relations: A Bibliographical History
"A bibliographic history" covering the period 600-1500 and recording details of more than 200 works in various languages where encounters between the two faiths are described. 
http://bit.ly/BrillCMR

Brill Online - Index to the Study of Religions
A cross-searchable database of abstracts of articles "which contribute to the academic study of religions". It currently contains 20,000 records. The abstracts are in English, derived from articles in various languages from a variety of journals. This is an ongoing project, with 600 or so entries being added annually. 
http://bit.ly/BrillISR

Brill Online - Religion Past and Present
An online encyclopedia - the English translation of the 4th edition of the "definitive encyclopedia of religion worldwide" - Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart (RGG). 
http://bit.ly/BrillRPP

Welcome to SOAS

Welcome to all new and returning students

The Study of Religions Library blog will give

• details of information skills training offered by Library staff
• Library updates
• details of new web resources and recommended websites
• and lots more !!

If you have not been on a Library tour yet, there are more tours running next week on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. 

The tours start from open area at the top of the stairs on the 3rd Floor of the School Building (near "Library Tours Start Here" sign !!)

Library training sessions run throughout the year. There will be general introductory sessions on a variety of topics during the first few weeks of term. 

Pick up a handout at the Enquiry Desk for further details of our introductory sessions - Getting started, Electronic journals and bibliographic databases, and Beyond Google: using the Internet for research

For further information on the Library and Library resources, go to the main Library website or go to the Information Skills section on the BLE

As your Librarian, I will be here to help. You can contact me on ms28@soas.ac.uk  or drop in to Room C3 in the Library

Brill database trials

SOAS Library has a 30 day trial subscription (until 26th October) to the following Brill databases for the study of religions (and history of religions)

•  Religion Past and Present Online  RPP is the English language edition of the 4th edition of the German Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart. [note not all volumes have been published yet] SOAS Library has the German version in print
• Index to the Study of Religions - a cross searchable database of abstracts of articles contributing to the academic study of religions. The database currently contains 20,000 entries, and will have new content added as suitable articles are indexed
• Christian-Muslim Relations Online -the database covers relations between the two faiths between 600-1500 throughout the extended Mediterranean basin area, and comprises (along with introductory essays) over 200 detailed entries on all works recorded where Christian-Muslim encounters are described

These can be accessed from http://www.soas.ac.uk/library/resources/a-z/database-trials.html

Please let me know what you think!

(ms28@soas.ac.uk)

Book review: The Power of Religion in Late Antiquity

Review of "The Power of Religion in Late Antiquity"  from the Bryn Mawr Classical Review.

The collection of papers is edited by Andrew Cain and Noel Lenski and was originally presented at the 7th Biennial Conference on Shifting Frontiers in Late Antiquity (Boulder, Colorado) in 2007.  

SOAS Library has a copy of the book at A270.2 / 733005

QSB books (Coptic & Coptic Church)

Books on the Coptic Church and the Coptic language (classmark QSB) have been returned from off-site storage and are temporarily located in Room C3 of the Library (Teaching and Research Support Office). If you need to consult them, please come to Room C3 during office hours (9-5) or make a request to Mary Seeley (ms28@soas.ac.uk)
Please note that L.QSB ("large size") books remain off-site

New from SOAS Research Online

Daniel Schwemmer's "Gauging the Influence of Babylonian magic ..."  (full details below) is newly available from SOAS Research Online

Schwemer, Daniel 'Gauging the Influence of Babylonian Magic: the Reception of Mesopotamian Traditions in Hittite Ritual Practice.' In: Cancik-Kirschbaum, Eva and Klinger, Jörg and Müller, Gerfrid, (eds.), Proceedings of: Internationales Symposium “Normierung und Emanzipation: Bausteine für eine Kulturgeschichte des 2. Jts. v. Chr. im Alten Orient”, Berlin 29.–30. Januar 2010. FU Berlin. (Submitted)

Welcome to the SOAS Library Religions blog

This blog will contain information about and resources for the religions collection at SOAS Library.
It will include

• details of information skills training offered by Library staff
• Library updates
• details of new web resources and recommended websites
• and lots more!