How to read the bibliographies in
The Brethren Encyclopedia

This page explains how to read the abbreviated bibliographies at the end of articles in The Brethren Encyclopedia.

Example: a selection from the bibliography in the "Baptism, Theology of" entry:

European Origins (1958) index, cf. D. F. Durnbaugh, "Genius of the Brethren," BLT 4 (Winter, 1959) 26-27; Colonial America (1967) index; New Nation (1976) index; D. R. Stoffer, "Thought and Practice" (1980); P. Nead, Baptism for the Remission of Sins (1845), cf. Theological Writings (1850) 45-121, 245-307; ...

Helpful notes about the bibliographies:

  • Order. According to the introduction to the encyclopedia, citations are listed in the order of more important to less important sources. The "cf." indicates that the content of the second citation is derived from the first, as with the first two in this list above.
  • Semicolons separate each citation, so in the example above, Stoffer is the author of "Thought and Practice," not Nead.
  • Abbreviations. Many of the works in the bibliographies are cited in abbreviated form. It may be difficult to find the item in the library unless you know its full title. Abbreviations for some of the major and most-frequently-cited works are listed at the beginning of volume 1, just before the "A" entries. From this list one learns that the first item in the bibliography above is actually called European Origins of the Brethren and is edited by Durnbaugh. Complete citations for most of the works can be found in the large bibliography in the 3rd volume, beginning on page 1857. From this list one learns that Stoffer's work is actually entitled "The background and development of thought and practice in the German Baptist Brethren (Dunker) and the Brethren (Progressive) churches, c. 1650-1979."

Brethren research guide