Descriptive Summary
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Biography
Scope and Content of Collection
Indexing Terms
Descriptive Summary
Title: J. Stilson Judah: New Religious Movements collection
Dates: ca. 1973-1994
Bulk Dates: (Bulk 1973-1987)
Collection number: GTU 95-6-01
Creator:
Judah, J. Stillson
Collection Size:
16 boxes
11 linear ft.
Repository: The Graduate Theological Union. Library.
Abstract: The collection consists mainly of Library director N. Stilson Judah's materials on New Religious Movements. There is some
personal materials that reflect Judah's interest in tennis and ballroom dancing and an oral history about his life.
Physical location: 3/J/6 - 3/K/3
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to The Graduate Theological Union. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts
must be submitted in writing to the Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Graduate Theological Union
as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must
also be obtained by the reader.
Preferred Citation
New Religious Movements collection, GTU 95-6-01. Graduate Theological Union Archives, Berkeley, CA.
Acquisition Information
Gift of J. Stillson Judah, Jr. in 2000.
Biography
J. Stillson Judah (1911-2000), GTU library director from 1966 to 1976, was a pioneer in the early scholarly study of New
Religious Movements in Berkeley in the 1970's, writing many articles and papers about the various groups. He published Jehovah's
Witnesses and History and Philosophy of the Metaphysical Movement in 1964. In 1974, Hare Krishna and the Counterculture was
published. Among the book chapters and articles that he wrote were several that were seminal in the field of New Religious
Movements.
J. Stillson Judah was born on July 7, 1911 in Leavenworth, WA. He received an A.B. in Philosophy and Oriental Studies from
the University of Washington in 1934 and did his graduate work at the University of California, Berkeley in both 1940-1941
and in 1966-1969. He received his Library Certificate from the University of California in 1941. He served in Japan from
1945-46 as Japanese language interpreter for the 5th Fleet. In 1941-1969, he served at the librarian at the Pacific School
of Religion in Berkeley, CA. He was the editor and compiler of Index to Religious Periodical Literature from 1949-1952.
Under his leadership, seven separate seminary library collections were integrated into the Graduate Theological Union Common
Library. He became GTU's first librarian in 1966. He also served as Professor, History of Religions at GTU from 1969 until
his retirement in 1976.
Judah received many honors for his work. He was the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1956, the Faculty Fellowship of
the American Association of Theological Schools (Sealantic Fund) in 1957-1958 and received his Litt. D. Degree from Chapman
College in 1956. As an active participant in the religious freedom movement of the 1960's and 1970's he was also active in
the Alliance for the Preservation of Religious Liberty serving as the Vice-Chairman for a number of years.
Judah died on October 9, 2000.
Scope and Content of Collection
The material was collected from Judah's home after his death. Material was received in boxes, file folders and loose. Most
of the collection follows the original order. The collection pertains almost exclusively to the New Religious Movements. There
is a small amount of personal material that reflects his interest in tennis and ballroom dancing and a 1994 oral history.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Cults--United States--History--Sources
Hare Krishnas
International Society for Krishna Consciousness--History--Sources
Jews for Jesus--History--Sources
Religions--20th Century--History--Sources
Unification Church--History--Sources
Judah, J. Stillson