New Catholic Encyclopedia

The New Catholic Encyclopedia is a Christian encyclopedia with a Catholic perspective that was first planned by Sophia University in 1977 and published in book form (a total of four volumes and a separate volume) from 1996 to 2010 by Kenkyusha. It is the largest encyclopedia on Christianity in Japan.

The New Catholic Encyclopedia provides an overview of the new self-understanding and various activities of the Church that were inspired by the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), which greatly reformed the form and consciousness of the modern Catholic Church. Totaling approximately 15,000 items by 1,400 authors, the encyclopedia is characterized by an entry organization that focuses on history, culture, the Bible, theology, liturgy, and spirituality related to Christianity, as well as the history and culture of various religions and peoples around the world. The overview entries across various fields can be used as textbooks and are ideal for learning about the history and major events of Christianity in Japan—from its introduction in the 16th century to the modern and contemporary Japanese Church in relation to the world.

The entire main text of the Japan Knowledge edition contains links to the “Table of Contents,” which summarizes entries in Japanese alphabetical order. The online edition also contains various materials that summarize items in a wide range of Christianity-related categories, such as history, scholarship and art, countries, names of personalities, and natural science. In addition to making direct searches for entries, it is also possible to search for target entries by following the links embedded in the “contents” and materials. Moreover, the Japan Knowledge edition will be updated each year to include the latest data by complementation and revision of the entries.

Edited by the Editorial Committee of the New Catholic Encyclopedia