Access to materials in the Theology Special Collections can be requested by email.

Please include details of materials needed and the date you wish to visit the library to use them. These materials are for use in the J.D. McKean Library only and will not be checked out or allowed to leave the library at any time.

The LaSor Collection reflects the linguistic interests of its eponym, the 3,500 volumes of the William Sanford LaSor Memorial Library (LaSor) consist primarily of reference works on biblical and cognate Ancient Near Eastern languages, supplemented by volumes of specialized biblical, historical, and theological studies, many color transparencies of his extensive travels, and his personal teaching materials.

Ordained as a Presbyterian minister and serving as a military chaplain, LaSor also completed two Ph.D.’s – one in Old Testament studies, the other in New Testament. Author (some jointly) of twenty-six books, LaSor is acknowledged as a leading Old Testament evangelical scholar of the last quarter of the twentieth century. He taught for many years at Fuller Theological Seminary. His appreciation of ORU’s desire to foster irenic scholarship in Judaic-Christian studies facilitated the purchase of this personal study library from his estate by the School of Theology & Missions.

All materials must be used in the J.D. McKean Library.

Dr. Howard Ervin Collection. This special collection was the personal library of Dr. Howard Ervin, long-time ORU faculty member, donated by his family.

All materials must be used in the J.D. McKean Library.

The Santos Collection contains nearly 1,200 volumes, almost exclusively of valuable Judaic and early Christian biblical and religious texts and scholarly reference works. Almost all of these holdings are in non-English languages, mainly Hebrew, German, and Greek, requiring readers with more than minimal proficiency in each.

Elmar dos Santos was a distinguished Christian biblical scholar with a special interest in both Judaica (including Septuagint studies) and the Synoptic Gospels. His library expresses these interests, including rare and specialized Judaic sources.

Dos Santos received his doctoral training in Jerusalem, where he lived for twenty-three years, during which time he also taught in several venues. He became acquainted with then-student and now-Professor Brad Young during his studies. Together, they worked with the late Dr. Robert Lindsey, whose hypothesis of Lukan priority among the Synoptic Gospels continues to be evaluated and extended through scholars at ORU and in academic societies such as the Society for Biblical Literature. Portions of Santos support such scholarship.

All materials must be used in the J.D. McKean Library.

Dr. Brad Young Collection.
ORU professor Emeritus Dr. Brad Young donated this special collection of materials related to Judaic studies.

All materials must be used in the J.D. McKean Library.

Jewish Theological Seminary Collection. Especially through the work of Dr. Brad Young, the seminary has fostered strong ties with the Jewish community as part of its conviction that Christians should understand the origins of their faith in large measure by understanding respectfully and deeply the Judaism from which Christianity was born and with which it still has unique relations.

Through Dr. Young’s acquaintance with scholars and librarians at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, the University was able to purchase the holdings that constitute this special, secure, and non-circulating collection. Among its many volumes that are found infrequently to rarely in North American libraries is the Monatschrift für die Geschichte und Wissenschaft des Judentums.