Off Campus Access
If you are unsure of how to access material in our digital collections when not on campus, see the Remote Access LibGuide for more information. Off-campus accessibility is only provided to PTS students, faculty, and staff, with the exception of ATLAS for Alums. When entering your last name to log in for electronic access, omit hyphens, apostrophes, and spaces. If you encounter problems with remote access, call the circulation desk during library hours at 412-924-1354, or email Carrie Nelson, Mark Russell, Tisha Woo, or libraryinfo@pts.edu.
Online Commentaries
Two Volume Commentary Sets
Multi-Volume Commentary Sets
Hermeneia--a critical and historical commentary on the BibleISBN: 9780800660840Publication Date: 2006-11-01
Interpretation, a Bible commentary for teaching and preachingISBN: 9780664238698Publication Date: 2012-09-03
New international commentary on the Old Testament/New TestamentISBN: 9780802825391Publication Date: 2010-08-03
eBooks
Recently, Barbour Library has begun to increase the number of eBooks in its collection. Most eBooks are available through the library's catalog, and the following steps will teach you how to search for them. There are also some eBooks we have available only through databases. See the eBooks LibGuide for more in-depth instruction on utilizing the full range of available eBooks.
At this time, Barbour Library doesn't offer eBooks for checkout or download but for online reading purposes only. Some vendors allow portions of an eBook to be saved or printed but it varies by publisher.
How to Find eBooks
Online Catalog - Advanced Search
1. Go to the library's catalog and click on the Advanced Search link, located next to the search button
2. Enter in your search term(s)
3. Check the box next to Ebooks under the "Limits" section
4. Click the Advanced Search button
5. To view the full text, click the View Electronic Resource link on the results page
- You can also click on the title to view more details. To get to the full text from this display, scroll towards the button and find the View Electronic resource link.
Online Catalog - Library Search
1. Go to the library's catalog
2. Enter your search term(s) into the box and click the Search button
3. On the results list, on the right had side under the "Material Type" facet, check the box next to Electronic Book
4. Click the Include button
5. To view the full text, click the View Electronic Resource link on the results page
- You can also click on the title to view more details. To get to the full text from this display, scroll towards the button and find the View Electronic resource link.
Online Catalog - Database Search
1. Go to the library's catalog
2. Enter your search term(s) into the box
3. Select the Database Search from the first drop down menu
- OR select the Database Search tab once your results display
4. Click the Search button
5. If you have a limited view of your results page, please Log In to get a complete view of your results list.
6. To view the full text, click on the "Full Text" or "EDS Full Text" buttons.
- If you are off-campus, you may be asked to login using remote access.
Bible Commentaries
Barbour Library provides access to over 400 Bible commentaries. These commentaries are made available on a few different platforms, depending on where we purchased them (EBSCO, Project Muse, JSTOR, etc.). Click on the other tabs in this guide to find platform-specific information, such as how many pages are allowed for download.
Follow these instructions for finding online commentaries:
- Go to the PTS library catalog.
- Select 'Ebook' from the first drop-down menu 'Subject' from the second
- Type your search terms
- Click 'Search.'
- From the list of results, click on a title link to see the full record.
- Click on the 'View Electronic Resource' link (you may get more than one).
Find Online Resources in the Library Catalog
In order to find online resources for particular books of the Bible, follow these instructions:
- Go to the PTS library catalog.
- Click on the Advanced Search link or select Ebooks from the first drop down menu.
- Type your search terms in the "All These Words" or "This exact phrase" fields
- Check the box next to Ebook under Limits.
- Click Advanced Search
Here are a few more searches that will give you online Bible resources:
Bible - Criticism, Interpretation, etc.
(use the facets on the left to narrow the results)
Find Online Resources in Databases
BI210 English Bible Exegesis - Find Articles
(this is a page in another guide that provides resources and instructions for finding journal articles related to Bible research)
More guides for particular Bible courses can be found on the LibGuides page.
Finding eBooks in Databases
You can directly access the majority of the library's eBooks through the catalog including eBooks from the following vendors: EBSCO, Project MUSE, JSTOR, ProQuest, Brill, Cambridge, Liverpool, and Oxford.
There are a few eBook collections that aren't available in the library's catalog or the interface combines multiple collections into one platform, including some dictionaries, encyclopedias, T&T Clark/Eerdmans, Early English Books Online (EEBO), etc.
- Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary This link opens in a new windowThe Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary is a six-volume state-of-the-art dictionary of the Bible offering the most up-to-date and comprehensive treatment of biblical subjects and topics.
- Brill Dictionary of Religion Online This link opens in a new windowContains more than 500 entries that addresses religion as an element of daily life and public discourse, the different theologies and doctrinal declarations of the official institutionalized religions, and gives equal weight and consideration to a multiplicity of other religious phenomena.
- Brill Encyclopedia of Early Christianity Online This link opens in a new windowFocuses on the history of early Christian texts, authors, and ideas. Its content is intended to bridge the gap between the fields of New Testament studies and patristics, covering the whole period of early Christianity up to 600 CE.
- Early English Books Online - EEBO This link opens in a new windowOnline collection of early printed works in English with digital copies of over 125,000 rare works from before 1700 discoverable through an interface tailored for early modern scholars.
- History of Global Christianity Online This link opens in a new windowThis resource deals with the history of Christianity and its global development over the past five centuries. Contains both the English and German versions.
- Loeb Classical Library - Digital This link opens in a new windowClassical Greek and Latin works with up-to-date texts and English translations covering a large area of subjects including Church Fathers, philosophy, history, oratory, satire, and much more.
- Theology & Religion Online This link opens in a new windowOne place to search and view all nine of the following databases: Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, Bloomsbury Religion in North America, Eerdmans Bible Commentaries: New Testament, Eerdmans Bible Commentaries: Old Testament, Eerdmans Digital Reference Library, Paulist Press: Classics of Western Spirituality Pre-1500, Paulist Press: Classics of Western Spirituality Post-1500, T&T Clark Jesus Library, and T&T Clark Theology Library.
Recommended Websites
There are a number of sources for material relevant to theology and Christianity that are freely available on the internet, like the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. These sites are trustworthy places where you may find a range of materials, from data and statistics about religion and congregations in the US to classic Christian texts in the public domain. The library has no affiliation or subscription for these sites, so if you encounter any access issues or site maintenance it is beyond our staff's control. See the list at our Online Resources page.
Journal Articles - PTS Databases
The Barbour Library's databases will be your primary source for electronic scholarly articles, and through indexing can also assist you in finding relevant print materials.
Accessing the Databases
- From the library homepage, choose the Articles and Databases link under RESEARCH.
- You will find all of the library databases listed in alphabetical order.
- If you are off campus and having trouble with online access, see Remote Access: Library Account & Databases for further assistance.
Searching the Databases
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Visit the Finding Articles LibGuide for instructions on navigating our various databases, as well as brief descriptions of their specific contents and subject coverage.
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Check out the Using the ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials Plus guide for more detailed instruction on using the ATLAS database. This database is a massive theological resource and the one you will likely find yourself using with the most frequency during your seminary studies. It also has specific tools for searching that are very helpful when doing biblical studies research.