THEO 338 Fall 2024
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
While the Bible is ancient, it frequently enters into modern political thought and policy. This course seeks to understand political biblical-interpretation by examining the theorists and movements that have been inspired by the Bible and—in turn—have influenced how biblical texts are read. Students will develop critical skills for assessing and critiquing political-biblical beliefs and assumptions, including their own.
Selected Books in our collections and with Partner Libraries
- Utopias AND BiblePartner Library result list. You can Interlibrary Loan these directly from the catalog, if you sign in at the upper right once in Library Central
- Utopia in the age of survival : between myth and politicsChrostowska, S. D. (Sylwia Dominika). Utopia in the Age of Survival : Between Myth and Politics. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781503630000.
The Use of scripture in moral theology: Readings in Moral Theology by Call Number: Library Second Floor Stacks BX1758.2 .U83 1984ISBN: 0809125633Publication Date: 1984
Book subject searches in Library Central
- Library Central This link opens in a new windowLibrary Central combines SAU's book catalog and most of our databases into one unified searching interface. Use Library Central if you're looking to find a wide variety of sources with a minimum amount of searching. The sheer volume of results can be overwhelming, however, so use lots of search filters!
Credo Online Reference Books & Oxford Reference Books Online
- Catholic Political Thought"from Bloomsbury Guide to Human Thought
Catholic political thought has profoundly affected the development of Western political institutions...The influence of modern Catholic political thought within a given society is affected mainly by two factors: the level of modernization (or secularization) and the strength of competing ideologies or religions. But whatever their impact might be Catholics increasingly develop their political thinking under the influence of local and secular politics rather than papal or canonist influences." - UtopiasBreton, Rob. "Utopias." In The Oxford International Encyclopedia of Peace. : Oxford University Press, 2010.
- Utopia or UtopiasA list of reference entries from various online reference books (Credo Reference database)
- TotalitarianismFrom Oxford Reference Books Online
- Communismfrom the Oxford Reference Books Online
- Proudhon and Anarchyfrom the Oxford Reference Books Online
- JUSTICEfrom the Global Dictionary of Theology: "Justice is a central theme in Scripture; justice for the poor and oppressed a recurring motif. This concern for justice continues into the patristic era, and contemporary theology has continued to explore the meaning of justice and the church's role in promoting justice."
- Church of Social Justicefrom Encyclopedia of Diversity and Social Justice
"The Catholic Church and Social Justice is conceptualized as the right and obligation of individuals to be involved in determining the way in which larger social, economic, and political institutions of society are organized (U.S. Catholic Bishops, 1986)."
Theology/Philosophy Research Librarian
The Librarian is available for individual help as well, as needed.
“Wonderful things in the Bible I see,
most of them put there by you and me.”
~Plymouth-Brethren~
Atla Religion Database with AtlaSerials
- Atla Religion Database with AtlaSerials This link opens in a new windowThis religious studies database from EBSCO includes 380 full-text scholarly journals and 2,500 indexed journals. Also includes the CATHOLIC PERIODICAL & LITERATURE INDEX, which includes essay collections, church documents, papal documents, and electronic resources addressing the practice and intellectual tradition of Roman Catholicism.
- Religion Database This link opens in a new windowThis creatively-named religious studies database from ProQuest contains nearly 300 full-text scholarly journals and nearly 50 full-text magazines.
- Religion and Philosophy This link opens in a new windowThis unambitiously-named religion and philosophy database contains over 150 full-text scholarly journals.
other databases to try
Some examples of a search string in ATLA (and other databases) might be: (try only one at a time)
DE "Utopias"
Political rhetoric AND Bibl*
bibl* AND (utopia OR Utopias)
DE "Utopias" AND (DE "fascism" OR DE "Totalitarianism")
DE "Utopias" AND DE "communism"
Anarchy AND proudhon
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Jstor database for (ab:"utopias") AND (anarchy) has 21 results
Jstor database has over 100 results for (ab:"utopias") AND (communism OR communist ideology)
only 3 results for (ab:"utopias") AND ("fascism" OR 'fascist ideology")
_________________________________________________________________________________________
ProQuest Central database has over 100 results for
ProQuest Central database also has many results on
subject(utopias) AND (communism or "communist ideology")
subject(utopias) AND (fascism or "fascist ideology")
Slavery
ProQuest Central database has
author(moss, Candida) AND (slavery OR slave OR slaves OR bondage OR enslavement)
(bible OR biblical) AND (slavery OR slave OR slaves OR bondage OR enslavement) AND scriptural
ATLA has
AU moss, candida AND (slavery OR slave OR slaves OR bondage OR enslavement)
Jstor has
Marriage
ProQuest Central has
(bible OR biblical) AND subject(marriage OR wedded OR married) AND (scriptural OR scripture)
ATLA has
SU marriage AND (bible OR biblical OR scriptural OR scripture)
Jstor
(ab:"marriage") AND (bible OR biblical OR scriptural OR scripture) AND la:(eng OR en)
Environment
Books by David Horrell on the SAU shelves (look in Partner libraries tab for more once in Library Central)
Jstor
(environmental OR environment OR ecology) AND ab;(bible OR biblical OR scripture)
ProQuest Central
(environmental OR ecology) AND su(bible OR biblical OR scripture)
ATLA
(environmental OR ecology) AND SU (bible OR biblical OR scripture)
Abortion
ProQuest Central has
subject(abortion) AND subject(bible OR biblical OR scripture)
subject(abortion) AND abstract(bible OR biblical OR scripture)
ATLA
SU abortion AND TX (bible OR biblical OR scripture)
SU abortion AND TI (bible or biblical or scripture or theological or theology)
SU abortion AND SU (biblical teaching)
Jstor
(abortion AND (biblical teaching)) AND la:(eng OR en)
(((abortion) AND (scriptural OR scripture)) AND (Christianity)) AND la:(eng OR en)
Gender Roles
ProQuest Central database
subject("gender roles" OR gender) AND abstract(bible OR biblical OR scripture)
subject("gender roles" OR gender) AND abstract(christian)
ATLA database
SU(gender OR "gender roles" OR "sex roles") AND (bible OR biblical OR scripture OR theology)
TI(gender OR "gender roles" OR "sex roles") AND bible
Jstor
(gender OR "gender roles" OR "sex roles") AND bible AND la:(eng OR en)
(gender OR "gender roles" OR "sex roles") AND (scripture OR "biblical teaching") AND la:(eng OR en)
Trans Issues
ProQuest Central
Transgender persons as a subject
(transgender) AND subject(bible OR biblical OR scripture)
ATLA
(transgender) AND (bible OR biblical OR scripture)
SU transgender people AND (bible OR biblical OR scripture OR christian OR catholic)
Jstor
("transgender people" OR transgender) AND (scripture OR "biblical teaching") AND la:(eng OR en)
- JN "Politics, Religion & Ideology"Click on the link to be in a search for articles from the journal, add your own keyword in the search box above the result list to narrow it down.
- Religion Database This link opens in a new windowThis creatively-named religious studies database from ProQuest contains nearly 300 full-text scholarly journals and nearly 50 full-text magazines.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowThis interdisciplinary database contains over 2,800 full-text scholarly journals, 30,000 full-text eBooks, and 40,000 full-text research reports from various organizations and policy institutes. Beoved by many old-school professors in the humanities and social sciences.
ProQuest Central suite of databases
- ProQuest Central This link opens in a new windowThis interdisciplinary database searches all of the ProQuest company's databases in one unified search (we have 22 ProQuest databases at the library). Will contain a variety of scholarly articles, magazines, newspapers, and books.
- Health & Medicine This link opens in a new windowThis health and medicine database from ProQuest contains over 5,000 full-text scholarly journals and nearly 400 full-text magazines covering the medical, nursing, and psychology fields.
- Philosopher's Index with Full Text This link opens in a new windowThis philosophy database from EBSCO contains nearly 200 full-text journals and miscellany of other publications pertaining to world philosophy.
- APA PsycArticles This link opens in a new windowThis psychology database from ProQuest includes over 150 high-prestige, full-text scholarly journals. Widely considered the premier psychology database.
- APA PsycInfo This link opens in a new windowThis psychology database from EBSCO indexes over 1,400 scholarly journals and contains over 8,000,000 bibliographic citations. A portion of the content is available in full-text.
SAU Reference Librarian
Helpful Handouts
- Chicago Style Citation HelpYour papers have to use THIS style.
- Interlibrary LoanHow to obtain materials not full-text in our library or databases. We can get it for you.
- Searching for a particular Journal Name in our Library CentralClick here to get to the Journal Name search feature. Sign in at upper right for best results.
Books by SAU Professor
Re-Reading the Prophets Through Corporate Globalization : a cultural-evolutionary approach to economic injustice in the Hebrew Bible by Call Number: Second Floor Stacks HM671 .C645 2022ISBN: 9781666700756Publication Date: 2022"
Introduction: The lost contexts of eight century prophecy -- Cultural evolutionary theory and economic motivation -- Trade and transformation in the ancient world -- Twentieth century corporate globalization -- Reshaping landownership in Tunisia -- Insights to be gained through the modern context."
Bible and Justice by Call Number: Second Floor Stacks BS680.J8 B54 2011ISBN: 9781845535278Publication Date: 2014"Challenges and understandings of bible and justice. On the genesis of the alliance between the Bible and rights / Rough justice? / Is the belief in human rights either biblical or useful? / Jesus : the justice of God / Uses and approaches to bible and justice. Justice and violence in the priestly utopia / Signs source : approaching deaf biblical interpretation / From a reconstruction and development programme (RDP) of the economy to the RDP of the soul : public realm biblical appropriation in postcolonial South Africa / Prospects for applications of bible and justice. Old Testament and the environment / Ecojustice in the Bible? : Pauline contributions to an ecological theology / Can the Book of Revelation be a gospel for the environment? / Kindness of strangers : biblical hospitality and the politics of intervention / Prophets to profits : ancient Judah and corporate globalization /"
Selected Scholarly Web Sites
- Catholic Social Teaching"Catholic social teaching is based on and inseparable from our understanding of human life and human dignity."--from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
- Pontifical Council for Justice and Peacefrom the Vatican.
- The Catholic Worker Movement"Today 227 Catholic Worker communities remain committed to nonviolence, voluntary poverty, prayer, and hospitality for the homeless, exiled, hungry, and forsaken. Catholic Workers continue to protest injustice, war, racism, and violence of all forms.
Explore the life and writings of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin as well as sample contemporary Catholic Worker thought and action." - Prayers for Peace and Justice from the World's Religious Traditionsfrom the Harvard Divinity School
- The Campaigns Series: Speeches from the Conventions (6 Parts) 1988-2012How some issues are seen through the eyes of U.S. politicians, some of whom quote the Bible. SAU Users on campus only.
- Father Coughlin & The Search For "Social Justice"Speeches: A Primary Source. He uses Bible verses in the speech.
- Vatican Library"DigiVatLib is a digital library service. It provides free access to the Vatican Library’s digitized collections: manuscripts, incunabula, archival materials and inventories as well as graphic materials, coins and medals, printed materials (special projects)."
SAU Archive and Special Collections
The St. Ambrose University Archives holds many materials on the role that Peace and Social Justice has played in our SAU history.
Words by Pope Francis
"It makes me very happy to see you working together towards social justice! How I wish that such constructive energy would spread to all dioceses, because it builds bridges between peoples and individuals. These are bridges that can overcome the walls of exclusion, indifference, racism and intolerance."
~Pope Francis~
A note to users concerning database searching
If you are not an St. Ambrose University user, your local public library may have access to various databases that are subscription based. Call and ask your public library for details.