Faithful, Reformational, Global
With an unwavering dedication to the Christian faith and a reformational perspective, ILT gathers students and professors from across the world, fostering a truly global academic community.
Welcome to the ILT Center for the Word
The Institute of Lutheran Theology exists to preserve, promote, and propagate the classical Christian tradition from a Lutheran perspective.
The Center for the Word engages:
- the contemporary cultural and intellectual horizon with the salvific and life changing Word of God in law and gospel.
- students and scholars, pastors and teachers, lay people and congregations with the highest quality theological resources.
- in a post-Kantian research paradigm that attempts to recover the original semantic and ontological assumptions of the Lutheran Reformation of the 16th century, which include theological realism, semantic realism and theophysical causality.
The Center for the Word exists to do the theology that the Church needs to deliver the Word of God to the world in need.
The Library
The Library at the Institute of Lutheran Theology serves as the scholarly foundation for the work of our students and faculty, and the theological endeavors of the Institute.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:1-2a
Electronic Database
Religion Past and Present
Religion Past and Present (RPP) Online is the online version of the updated English translation of the 4th edition of the definitive encyclopedia of religion worldwide: the peerless Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart (RGG). This great resource, now at last available in English and Online, Religion Past and Present Online continues the tradition of deep knowledge and authority relied upon by generations of scholars in religious, theological, and biblical studies. Including the latest developments in research, Religion Past and Present Online encompasses a vast range of subjects connected with religion.
Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart
Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart 4 Online is the online version of the 4th edition of the definitive Encyclopedia of Religion Worldwide: The Peerless Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart 4 (RGG4) (Mohr Siebeck, 1998-2007). This great resource continues the tradition of deep knowledge and authority relied upon by generations of scholars in religious, theological and biblical studies. Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart 4 indisputably belongs to the small class of essential reference works.
Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
This database provides over 25,000 encyclopedic entries covering a variety of subject areas.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP) has nearly 1600 entries online, as of March 2018. From its inception, the SEP was designed so that each entry is maintained and kept up-to-date by an expert or group of experts in the field. All entries and substantive updates are refereed by the members of a distinguished Editorial Board before they are made public. Consequently, our dynamic reference work maintains academic standards while evolving and adapting in response to new research. You can cite fixed editions that are created on a quarterly basis and stored in our Archives (every entry contains a link to its complete archival history, identifying the fixed edition the reader should cite.) The Table of Contents lists entries that are published or assigned. The Projected Table of Contents also lists entries which are currently unassigned, but nevertheless projected.
Ancient History Encyclopedia
Every submission to the encyclopedia is carefully reviewed by our editorial team, making sure only the highest quality content is published to our site. Our publication follows academic standards, but it is written in an easy-to-read manner with students and the general public in mind. As a result, our publication is recommended by many educational institutions including:
- Oxford University
- European Commission’s e-Learning Initiative
- School Library Journal
- MERLOT
- University of Wisconsin-Madison projected.
Science Reference Center
Science Reference Center is a comprehensive research database that provides easy access to a multitude of full text science-oriented content. This database contains full text for nearly 640 science encyclopedias, reference books, periodicals, etc. Topics covered include: Biology, Chemistry, Earth & Space Science, Environmental Science, Health & Medicine, History of Science, Life Science, Physics, Science & Society, Science as Inquiry, Scientists, Technology and Wildlife.
Science Reference eBook Collection
This eBook reference collection offers a rich selection of eBook titles covering Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Teacher Reference Center
Teacher Reference Center provides indexing and abstracts for 280 of the most popular teacher and administrator journals and magazines to assist professional educators.
Religion Online
Religion Online is designed to assist teachers, scholars and general “seekers” who are interested in exploring religious issues. The aim is to develop an extensive library of resources, representing many different points of view, but all written from the perspective of sound scholarship. While the initial orientation has been to seek material written primarily from a Christian perspective, the ultimate aim is to broaden the scope to include material on all the world’s major religions.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) is a classic Bible reference compiled from nearly 10,000 entries written by over 200 different Bible scholars and teachers. In addition to the encyclopedia articles, all of the major words of the Bible are represented and defined.
Critical Dictionary of Apocalyptic and Millenarian Movements
The Critical Dictionary of Apocalyptic and Millenarian Movements (CDAMM) is an online encyclopedia covering secular and religious expressions of apocalyptic and millenarian thinking throughout history and across cultures. Articles are commissioned to be academically rigorous and non-partisan by the Centre for the Critical Study of Apocalyptic and Millenarian Movements (CenSAMM)
eBook Religion Collection
The eBook Religion Collection provides titles ranging from introductory texts for undergraduate coursework to more complex and detailed works for advanced students and scholars in the Religion discipline. The eBooks included in the subscription cover diverse worldwide religions and explore popular areas of study such as the social, cultural and historical impacts of religion.
eBook Academic Collection
This growing subscription package contains a large selection of multidisciplinary eBook titles representing a broad range of academic subject matter, and is a strong complement for any academic collection. The breadth of information available through this package ensures that users will have access to information relevant to their research needs.
Luther’s Werke (Weimarer Ausgabe)
Luther’s Werke on the World Wide Web reproduces the Weimar Edition in electronic form. The Weimar Edition, which is regarded as a monumental work in the field of theology and the German language, was first published in 1883 and includes 127 volumes.
The Weimar Edition of Luther’s Werke is published by ProQuest with the co-operation and support of the publishers Hermann Böhlaus Nachfolger Weimar GmbH & Co.
Vogel’s Cross reference and index to the contents of Luther’s works
Most references to Luther’s works in scholarly writing are made to either the Weimar edition, the St. Louis edition, or the Erlangen edition. Readers of Luther’s Works: American Edition, which is a selection of Luther’s works, often ask whether a given reference to the Weimar, St. Louis, or Erlangen editions is included in the American edition. This cross reference facilitates finding such references in volumes 1–54 of Luther’s Works: American Edition.
DOAB: Directory of Open Access Books
The primary aim of DOAB is to increase discoverability of Open Access books. Academic publishers are invited to provide metadata of their Open Access books to DOAB. Metadata will be harvestable in order to maximize dissemination, visibility and impact. Aggregators can integrate the records in their commercial services and libraries can integrate the directory into their online catalogues, helping scholars and students to discover the books. The directory is open to all publishers who publish academic, peer reviewed books in Open Access and should contain as many books as possible, provided that these publications are in Open Access and meet academic standards.
Jacques Paul Migne. Patrologiae Cursus Completus. Series Latina.
The Patrologia Latina (Latin for The Latin Patrology) is an enormous collection of the writings of the Church Fathers and other ecclesiastical writers published by Jacques-Paul Migne between 1841 and 1855, with indices published between 1862 and 1865. It is also known as the Latin series as it formed one half of Migne’s Patrologiae Cursus Completus, the other part being the Patrologia Graeco-Latina of patristic and medieval Greek works with their (sometimes non-matching) medieval Latin translations. The Patrologia Latina comprises the works of the Church Fathers from Tertullian in 200 AD to the death of Pope Innocent III in 1216.
Jacques Paul Migne. Patrologiae Cursus Completus. Series Graeca.
The Patrologia Graeca (or Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Graeca) is an edited collection of writings by the Christian Church Fathers and various secular writers, in the Greek language. It consists of 161 volumes produced in 1857–1866 by J. P. Migne’s Imprimerie Catholique, Paris. It includes both the Eastern Fathers and those Western authors who wrote before Latin became predominant in the Western Church in the 3rd century, e.g. the early writings collectively known as the Apostolic Fathers, such as the First and Second Epistle of Clement, the Shepherd of Hermas, Eusebius, Origen, and the Cappadocian Fathers Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa.
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of “universal access to all knowledge.” It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, movies/videos, moving images and millions of books. In addition to its archiving function, the Archive is an activist organization, advocating a free and open Internet. The Internet Archive currently holds over 20 million books and texts, 3 million movies and videos, 400,000 software programs, 7 million audio files and 400 billion web pages in the Wayback Machine.
Loebolus
Loebolus provides PDFs of all the public domain volumes in the Loeb Classical Library.
Internet Ancient History Sourcebook
The Ancient History Sourcebook brings together primary source material relating to the Ancient, Hellenistic and Classical Worlds.
The Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library
This free, online, digitized virtual library of the Dead Sea Scrolls is presented by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).
Early Church Fathers – Additional Texts
These English translations, edited by Roger Pearse, were not included in the 38 volume collection of Ante-Nicene, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers. The texts are listed in chronological order.
Early Christian Writings
Early Christian Writings is the most complete collection of Christian texts before the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. The site provides translations and commentary for these sources, including the New Testament, Apocrypha, Gnostics, Church Fathers and some non-Christian references.
Internet Medieval Sourcebook
The Medieval Sourcebook is both a classroom resource and the largest collection of online medieval texts.
The Suda Online: Byzantine Lexicography
The Suda (or Stronghold) is a massive 10th century Byzantine Greek historical encyclopedia of the ancient Mediterranean world, covering the whole of Greek and Roman antiquity and also including Biblical and Christian material.
Preserved in several medieval manuscripts, it has been edited and published several times since the end of the 14th century in traditional hard-copy scholarly editions, most recently that of Ada Adler (Teubner, 5 volumes: 1928-1938, reprinted 1971). The Suda Online (SOL) project, begun in 1998 as part of the Stoa Consortium, opens up this stronghold of information by means of a freely accessible, keyword-searchable database, with English translations, notes, bibliography, and links to other electronic resources. With contributions (as Translators and/or Editors) from more than two hundred people worldwide, the SOL reached the landmark of all entries being translated and “vetted” (edited) to a usable standard on July 21, 2014.
Corpus Thomisticum
The Corpus Thomisticum project aims to provide scholars with a set of instruments of research on Thomas Aquinas, freely available via Internet. It has five parts:
- A full edition of the complete works of St. Thomas according, where possible, to the best critical texts.
- A bibliography covering all the studies on Aquinas and his doctrine, from the 13th century through our days.
- An index of the main tools of Thomistic research and the edition of the most important among them.
- A database management system, implemented to search, compare and sort words, phrases, quotations, similitudes, correlations and statistical information.
- A digital edition of the main manuscripts of Aquinas’ works.
- We choose Latin as the main language of the Corpus Thomisticum, for every student of Thomas can read his original texts, which are in Latin indeed.
Internet Modern History Sourcebook
The Internet Modern History Sourcebook is intended to serve the needs of teachers and students in college survey courses in modern European history and American history, as well as in modern Western Civilization and World Cultures.
The Post-Reformation Digital Library
The Post-Reformation Digital Library (PRDL) is a select database of digital books relating to the development of theology and philosophy during the Reformation and Post-Reformation/Early Modern Era (late 15th-18th c.) Late medieval and patristic works printed and referenced in the early modern era are also included. The PRDL is a project of the Junius Institute for Digital Reformation Research.
Perseus Digital Library
This excellent source of classical texts, history and language resources from Tufts University includes Liddel, Scott and Jones’ Greek Lexicon and Lewis and Short’s Latin Dictionary.
History of Missiology
This collection of missionary biographies, reports, sermons and theologies provides a rich resource for mission studies; this website is maintained by University of Boston School of Theology.
ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
Atla Religion Database® (Atla RDB®) with AtlaSerials® (Atlas®) combines the premier index to journal articles, book reviews and collections of essays in all fields of religion with Atla’s full text collection of 350+ major religion and theology journals. This database is produced by Atla, a membership association of collectors and connectors in religion and theology.
JSTOR Religion & Theology Collection
The JSTOR Religion & Theology Collection covers the history and philosophy of religious thought spanning traditions, periods and critical approaches. This collection contains the full-text runs of more than 80 journal titles, drawn exclusively from the existing JSTOR Arts & Sciences collections.
Ebsco Religion and Philosophy Collection
Religion & Philosophy Collection™ provides extensive coverage of such topics as world religions, major denominations, biblical studies, religious history, epistemology, political philosophy, philosophy of language, moral philosophy and the history of philosophy. With more more than 300 full text journals, the Religion & Philosophy Collection is an essential tool for researchers and students of theology and philosophical studies.
The Philosopher’s Index with Full-Text
The Philosopher’s Index™, produced by the Philosopher’s Information Center, is a current and comprehensive bibliographic database covering scholarly research in all major fields of philosophy. The Philosopher’s Index with Full Text, considered the most thorough index of journal literature on the subject, features author-written abstracts covering scholarly research published in journals and books, including contributions to anthologies and book reviews. The Philosopher’s Index contains research published since 1940 including over 680 journals from more than 50 countries with content representing a variety of languages.
Ebsco MegaFILE
EBSCO MegaFILE is a multi-disciplinary database providing full text for over 19,100 total publications and indexing & abstracting for nearly 24,000 publications. Coverage spans every area of academic study and general interest subject area and offers information dating as far back as the 1800s. In addition, the database contains more than 85,800 biographies, 118,000 primary source documents, 10,150 company profiles and an image collection of more than 502,000 photos, maps and flags. EBSCO MegaFILE is comprised of EBSCO’s Academic Search Premier, Business Source Premier and Regional Business News databases.
Academic Search Ultimate
Academic Search Ultimate offers students an unprecedented collection of peer-reviewed, full-text journals, including many journals indexed in leading citation indexes. The combination of academic journals, magazines, periodicals, reports, books and videos meets the needs of scholars in virtually every discipline ranging from astronomy, anthropology, biomedicine, engineering, health, law and literacy to mathematics, pharmacology, women’s studies, zoology and more.
Education Resource Information Center
The Education Resource Information Center (ERIC) provides access to education literature and research. The database provides access to information from journals included in the Current Index of Journals in Education and Resources in Education Index. Content includes journal articles, research reports, curriculum and teaching guides, conference papers, dissertations and theses, and books dating back to 1966.
Professional Development Collection
Designed for professional educators, this database provides a highly specialized collection of nearly 520 high quality education journals, including more than 350 peer-reviewed titles. This database also contains more than 200 educational reports. Professional Development Collection is the most comprehensive collection of full text education journals in the world.
Directory of Open Access Journals
The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) is a community-curated online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals. DOAJ is independent. All funding is via donations, 50% of which comes from sponsors and 50% from members and publisher members. All DOAJ services are free of charge including being indexed in DOAJ. All data is freely available.
Electronic Journals Library
The Electronic Journals Library (EZB) is a service to facilitate the use of scholarly journals on the internet. It offers a fast, structured and unified interface to access full-text articles online.
Sabinet
The Sabinet African ePublications (SA ePublications) service has been available online to clients with great success since 2001. This service is the most comprehensive, searchable collection of full-text African electronic journals available on one platform which focuses on information originating from or pertaining to Africa.
EbscoHost Resources
Links to all of our EbscoHost Research databases, Business Searching, Ebsco Job and Career Accelerator, Consumer Health Complete, and Points of View Reference Center.
Ebsco Open Dissertations
This free database offers access to more than 800,000 electronic theses and dissertations
E-Thesis Online Service
E-Thesis Online Service (EThOS) is the UK’s national thesis service which aims to maximize the visibility and availability of the UK’s doctoral research theses.
Open Access Theses and Dissertations
OATD.org aims to be the best possible resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities and research institutions. OATD currently indexes 4,091,710 theses and dissertations.
ATLA RIM
Research in Ministry® (RIM®) is a thesis and dissertation abstract database where users can search for and share the outcomes of research conducted in programs of study related to ministry, theology and religion.
ATLA Digital Library
The ATLA Digital Library brings together in a singular, searchable platform digitized collections from libraries, religious institutions and other organizations worldwide who collect and preserve texts, records, maps, photographs, recordings and other materials. The items found in the ATLA Digital Library are of importance to those with an interest in researching, studying, teaching, and otherwise searching for historical and archival content in religion and theology.
Association of Religion Data Archives
The ARDA provides free access to the most authoritative religion statistics, data and church membership reports from around the world, including Christian statistics and adherents data. The ARDA offers recent U.S. and international survey findings, local, national and global profiles of religion, and detailed demographic reports and maps of religious and protestant denominations in America.
Index Theologicus
The new IxTheo is a comprehensive bibliography for theology and religious studies. It is now possible to search not only for articles, but also for monographs, databases and relevant Internet links.
Theological Commons (Princeton Theological Seminary)
The Theological Commons is a digital library of over 110,000 resources on theology and religion. It consists mainly of public domain books but also includes periodicals, audio recordings, photographs, manuscript collections and other formats.
Louis F. Benson Collection of Hymnals and Hymnology
The Louis F. Benson Collection of Hymnals and Hymnology consists of approximately 12,000 volumes on virtually every aspect of hymnology, with the exception of musical scores and anthems. Over half of the collection is presented here in digital form. There are many early editions of the metrical psalms; historical hymnbooks of all of the major Protestant denominations; evangelistic, revival and gospel hymnbooks; hymns for the Sunday School and children; religious poetry; and books about hymns, hymn writers and the use of music and song in worship. While the collection especially reflects Dr. Benson’s interest in the Presbyterian and Reformed tradition and the development of English and American hymnody, there are representative materials of Greek and Latin hymnody; German, French, Dutch and other European hymn traditions; and hymnbooks in various languages designed for use in the mission field. There are many rare editions, particularly of English, Scottish and early American hymnbooks.
Bielefeld Academic Search Engine
Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (BASE) is one of the world’s most voluminous search engines especially for academic web resources. BASE provides more than 100 million documents from more than 5,000 sources. You can access the full texts of about 60% of the indexed documents for free (Open Access). BASE is operated by Bielefeld University Library.
The Global Digital Library on Theology and Ecumenism
The Globethics.net Library currently holds more than 40 million documents on theology and ecumenism, including special collections on ecumenical, intercultural and contextual theologies, theological education, world Christianity and interreligious studies.
HathiTrust Digital Library
HathiTrust is a partnership of major research institutions and libraries working to ensure that the cultural record is preserved and accessible long into the future. The mission of HathiTrust is to contribute to research, scholarship and the common good by collaboratively collecting, organizing, preserving, communicating and sharing the record of human knowledge.
Torrossa
Casalini Libri’s full text platform offers access to over 430,000 articles and chapters, 31,000 eBooks and 900 eJournals from over 220 Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese publishers.
Electronic Tools and Ancient Near East Archive
Electronic Tools and Ancient Near East Archive (ETANA) serves as a guide to networked open access data relevant to the study and public presentation of the Ancient Near East and the Ancient Mediterranean world.
DNI Bible: Dictionary of Nature Imagery of the Bible
DNI Bible is targeted at biblical scholars and students of Bible world wide. The Dictionary further gives professionals in the various fields of life & natural sciences and ecology in general access to the use of nature imagery in the literary texts of the Bible.
The corpus for DNI Bible is mainly the Hebrew Bible, although Second Temple literature and the New Testament are also addressed.
Resource Pages for Biblical Studies
The Resource Pages for Biblical Studies are intended as a resource for serious, scholarly studies of the early Christian writings and their social world. Content includes:
- Texts and Translations: Contains links to biblical texts and various other texts related to the Bible, and especially to the New Testament.
- Social World of NT: Presents sources and studies dealing with the social World related to the New Testament.
- Philo of Alexandria: Dedicated to studies of Philo of Alexandria.
Hymnary.org: a comprehensive index of hymns and hymnals
A comprehensive index of 5,042 hymnals, 1,040,060 published hymns, scores and media files, and information from sources such as Julian’s Dictionary of Hymnology, hymnal handbooks, and experts in the field. “–From home page.
GlobeTheoLib: The Global Digital Library on Theology and Ecumenism
The Global Digital Library on Theology and Ecumenism (GlobeTheoLib) is a multilingual online library offering access, free of charge, to more than 650,000 full-text articles, journals, books and other resources. Its focus is on theology, intercultural and interreligious dialogue, ethics and ecumenism in World Christianity.
Note: You must register for a free account.
Library Catalog
The Library at the Institute of Lutheran Theology has a physical collection covering all areas of theological and ministry instruction at ILT including: Biblical Theology, Comparative Religions, Doctrinal Theology, Ethics, Historical Theology, Philosophy of Religion and Practical Theology. These collections can be searched and requested by students through the library catalog. Any physical materials requested from the library are processed and shipped to students within one business day.
The ILT Press
The ILT Press is committed to bringing the classical Christian tradition into conversation with the issues confronting the Church in the world today. Modeling the reasoned logos of the theological tradition, the publications of ILT Press explore the truth-claims made by thinkers and examines the grounds upon which these assertions are made. ILT Press is dedicated to bringing the original semantic and ontological assumptions of the Lutheran Reformation of the 16th century into direct engagement with the world in the 21st century.
Learning Support Hub
As a community of faith and learning, the Institute of Lutheran Theology is committed to providing the highest level of support to ensure learning success for our students. The links below provide access to specific learning support offices in our campus intranet.