Citing Religious Texts in Academic Writing

There are many religious texts in the world: the Bible, the Quran, the Dhammapada, etc. We’ll leave aside the question of which are correct (no spoilers). Instead, we’re focusing on the less controversial issue of how religious texts are referenced in academic writing.

Well, we say ‘less controversial’. In fact, there’s no one answer here either! It all depends on the referencing system you’re using. In this post, we look at three: APA, MLA and Chicago.

APA Referencing

In APA referencing, you cite a holy text by giving the title of the version used and the date of publication (plus the date of original publication where relevant):

The Bible (King James Bible, 1769/2017) contains many unusual stories.

If you are citing a particular passage, give a citation using the standard divisions for the text (e.g. book, chapter, and verse numbers for the Bible, not page numbers):

It is not clear why the children mock Elisha for being bald, but their punishment seems excessive (King James Bible, 1769/2017, 2 Kings 2:23–24).

Here, for example, the author is citing verses 23 and 24 in chapter two of the second Book of Kings. In the reference list, meanwhile, the format to use depends on how you accessed the text (e.g. for a print version, you would list it as a book; but for an online version, you would list it as a website).

MLA Referencing

With MLA, your first in-text citation of a religious text should specify the version you’re using, as well as the chapter/book and the verse:

Allah is noted for being ‘swift in account’ (The Holy Qur’an, Ghafir 40.17).

For additional citations of the same text, you can then simply give the passage being referenced in brackets (e.g. the book, chapter, and verse number). However, you may also want to shorten books of the Bible in citations using the MLA-approved abbreviations.

In the ‘Works Cited’ list, you should then list the source using the appropriate format (e.g. print for book, website for online) with full publication details. Minimally, references should include the title of the specific version, publication details, and the year of publication. However, make sure to provide any other details relevant to the version cited (e.g. some religious texts have a named translator).

Chicago Referencing

In Chicago referencing, the format for a religious text is similar regardless of whether you’re using footnotes or in-text citations.

In both cases, it is based on citing the Bible, so it involves giving the book, chapter, verse and version of the text you’re using:

Footnote citation: 1. 2 Kings 2:23-24 (New International Version).

Author-date citation: The bear attack was unexpected (2 Kings 2:23-24, NIV).

As shown above, you can sometimes shorten the version (e.g. New International Version = NIV). You may need to check this with your supervisor or your university’s style guide, though.

Chicago referencing does not require you to add religious texts to the bibliography/reference list. However, as above, you may want to check this with your supervisor, as your university might prefer you to include all cited texts at the end of your document.

Religious Texts in Harvard Referencing

Finally, a quick note on Harvard referencing. Many universities specify using ‘Harvard referencing’, but this is actually a generic word for author–date citations. As such, different versions of Harvard referencing take different approaches to citing religious texts.

If your university uses Harvard referencing and you need to cite a religious text in your work, it is therefore vital to check your style guide carefully.

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