Church History

2nd edition. Washington, DC: Gale, 2003. 15 volumes+supplements.
For print version locations see the UofT Library Catalogue.
The major English-language encyclopedia on Catholic topics, it contains some 17,000 articles, each with a bibliography emphasizing the primary sources. Unfortunately many of the articles in the 2003/online edition are reprints from the 1967 edition without any updating. Use this work to get an overview of a subject and to see how it can be divided into narrower topics for a paper.

New York: Encyclopedia Press, 1905–1922. 16 volumes + 2 supplements.
For print version locations see the UofT Library Catalogue.
For over fifty years this work was the chief source of information on the Catholic Church in English-speaking countries. Owing to its length (it has almost twice as many words as the New Catholic Encyclopedia) and its emphasis on historical articles, it is still useful for some topics. In some articles the writers adopt an apologetic, even polemical, approach.

Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1999–2008. 5 volumes.
For print version locations, see the UofT Library Catalogue.
This work is the major English-language theological encyclopedia from a Protestant perspective. It emphasizes post-Reformation and particularly contemporary Christianity. The articles included are substantial but selective; there are many topics which are not addressed. Many of the articles are translated from the German Evangelisches Kirchenlexikon.

Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2007-2012. 2 volumes and 1 supplement.
A comprehensive and broad-ranging analysis of how the Catholic religious, moral, and intellectual tradition has and should shape society and social life.
The supplement volume is available online.

Paris: Letouzey et Ané, 1912–present. 28 volumes (in progress).
For print version locations, see the UofT Library Catalogue.
The most comprehensive reference work in Church history; mostly brief articles (with bibliographies) on terms, persons, places, events, and movements. Complete to the letter “K”.
Some volumes are available online on the Internet Archive, a trusted source, but one for which it is necessary to create a free account and login: volume 1 AAC-ALB, volume 2 ALC-ANE, volume 3 ANF-ARF, volume 4 ARG-ATH, volume 5 ATH-AZZ, volume 6 BAA-BAV, volume 7 not available, volume 8 BEN-BIS, volume 9 not available, volume 10 BOU-BZO, volume 11 CAA-CAT, volume 12 CAT-CLI, volume 13 CLI-CZO, volume 14 DAB-EGE, volume 15 EGE-EUS, volume 16 not available, volume 17 FUL-FRA, volume18 FRA-FRE, volume 19 not available, volume 20 GAT-GIR, volume 21 GIS-GRE, volume 22 GRE-HAE, volume 23 HAE-HER, volume 24 HER-HUB, volume 25 HUB-IRI, volume 26 IRI-JEA, volume 27 JEA-JON, volume 28 JON-KIL, volume 29 KIL-LAM, volume 30 LAM-LEC, volume 31 LEC-LIC,