Literally, the science of the divine, or of discourse about God. In Christianity, it is understood as the systematic critical clarification of the historical beliefs of the Church. It has been divided into natural theology, that which can be known about God from nature or by reason alone, and revealed theology, that which can only be known through the self-disclosure of God.
Theology (Greek θεος, theos, "God", + λογια, logia, "words," "sayings," or "discourse") is reasoned discourse concerning religion, spirituality and gods (See below, "Theology and religions other than Christianity"). Theology might be undertaken simply to help the theologian understand more truly his or her own religious tradition or another religious tradition, or to facilitate comparisons between traditions, or with a view to the preservation or reform of a particular tradition, or to assist in the propagation of a tradition, or to apply the resources of a tradition to some present situation or need, or for a variety of other reasons.
History of the term
The word "Theology" is derived from Hellenistic Greek, but its meaning has changed significantly through its use in the European Christian thought of the Middle Ages and Enlightenment
The term theologia is used in Classical Greek literature, with the meaning "discourse on the gods or cosmology" (see Lidell and Scott's Greek-English Lexicon for references). There, however, the word refers not to John the "theologian" in the modern English sense of the word but -using a slightly different sense of the root logos meaning not "rational discourse" but "word" or "message" - one who speaks the words of God - logoi tou theou. It is the last of these senses (theology as the rational study of the teachings of a religion or of several religions) that lies behind most modern uses (though the second - theology as a discussion specifically of a religion's or several religions' teachings about God - is also found in some academic and ecclesiastical contexts).The emergence of Christian theology
See the main article on the History of theology, particularly for the history of Jewish, Christian and Islamic theology.
The emergence of Christian theology has sometimes been presented as the triumph of Hellenistic rationality over the Hebraic faith of Jesus and the early disciples. The ideas and narratives drawn on in this process were transformed as they were given a new context in Christian practices of devotion, community - formation and evangelism - and the extent to which borrowings from Hellenistic culture (for instance) were given new meanings in this process should not be underestimated.
Theology and religions other than Christianity
In academic theological circles, there is some debate as to whether theology is an activity peculiar to the Christian religion. If so we should distinguish Christian Theology from others. (Hierology has been proposed as an alternative, more generic term.)
For example, some academic courses on Buddhism which are dedicated to the rational investigation of a Buddhist understanding of the world prefer the designation Buddhist philosophy to the term Buddhist theology, since Buddhism lacks the same conception of a theos. Some schools within the Vedanta branch of Hindu philosophy like Dvaita and Vishishtadvaita can loosely be called theologies.
Moreover, the application of the term Theology to religions similar to Christianity can be misleading. Nevertheless Jewish Theology has been historically very active and highly significant for Christian and Islamic Theology.
Theology and the Academy
Theology has a significantly problematic relationship to Academia that is not shared by any other subject. They were founded to train young men to serve the church in Theology and Law (often Church or Canon law). having Chapels and Chaplains) and are more likely to teach Theology than other institutions.
During the High Middle Ages theology was therefore the main subject at universities, being named "The Queen of the Sciences" alongside the Trivium and Quadrivium that young men were expected to study. Theology was no longer the principle subject and Universities existed for many purposes, not only to train Clergy for established churches. Theology thus became unusual as the only subject to maintain a confessional basis in otherwise secular establishments.
As a result theology is often distinguished from many other established Academic disciplines that cover the same subject area. Those who contend it is different sometimes claim that it is distinguished by viewpoint (suggesting that theology is studied from within a faith, rather than from without) and by practical involvement (suggesting theology cannot be truly studied or understood without a practical faith - an idea that would have been familiar to some of the early Christian Church Fathers, who described the theologian as a person who "truly prays."). Others would claim that theology involves taking seriously claims internal to a religious tradition on their own terms, as topics for investigation and analysis - studying people's beliefs about God, rather than necessarily studying God, perhaps - even if that inquiry is not carried out by one who is committed to the relevant tradition, or involved in practice flowing from it.
Nevertheless theology should be distinguished from the following disciplines;
Comparative religion/Religious studies Philosophy of Religion The History of Religions Psychology of Religion Sociology of ReligionAll of these normally involve studying the historical or contemporary practices or ideas of one or several religious traditions using intellectual tools and frameworks which are not themselves specifically tied to any religious tradition, but are (normally) understood to be neutral or secular. Noting that 'reasoned discourse about religion/God' is an idea with a very particular intellectual pedigree, with at least some roots in Graeco-Roman intellectual culture (see above, under The emergence of Christian theology), they argue that this idea actually brings with it deep assumptions which we can now see to be related to ideas underlying 'secularism': i.e., the whole idea of reasoned discourse about God/religion suggests the possibility of a common intellectual framework or set of tools for investigating, comparing and evaluating traditions - an idea with a strong affinity for a 'secular' worldview in which religions are seen as particular choices, set within an overarching religiously neutral public sphere.
Theological studies in different institutions
In Europe, the traditional places for the study of theology have been universities and seminaries.
In some countries, some state-funded Universities have theology Departments (sometimes, but not always, Universities with a medieval or early-modern pedigree), which can have a variety of formal relationships to Christian churches, or to institutions within other religious traditions. These range from Departments of Theology which have only informal or ad-hoc links to religious institutions (see, for instance, several Theology departments in the UK) to countries like Finland and Sweden, which have state universities with faculties of theology training Lutheran priests as well as teachers and scholars of religion - although students from the latter faculties can also go on to typical graduate careers such as marketing, business or administration, even if this is frowned upon by some.
In the United States, the Supreme Court ruled that the United States Constitution prevents the study of theology from enjoying state endorsement. Some hold that many of these American contexts for the study of theology have less academic freedom than the faculties of theology in many European state universities, pointing out that, at least in some of these contexts, theologians who end up with views deemed "heretical" by the denomination upholding the institution and may find themselves out of work.
Divisions of theology
Theology can be divided up in any number of ways.
In many Christian seminaries, the four Great Departments of Theology are:
Exegetical Theology Historical Theology Systematic Theology Pastoral TheologyThe four departments can usefully be subdivided in the following way:
1. Exegetical Theology:
Biblical Studies (analysis of the contents of Scripture) Biblical Introduction (inquiry into the origins of the Bible) Canonics (inquiry into how the different books of the Bible came to be collected together) Biblical Theology (inquiry into how divine revelation progressed over the course of the Bible). Historical Theology (study of how Christian theology develops over time):The Patristic Period (1st through 8th centuries) The Ante-Nicene Fathers (1st to 3rd Centuries) The Nicene Fathers (4th Century) The Post-Nicene Fathers (5th to 8th Centuries) The Middle Ages (8th to 16th Centuries) the Reformation and Counter-Reformation (16th to 18th Centuries) the Modern Period (18th to 21st Centuries)
3. Systematic Theology:
Prolegomena (First Principles) Theology Proper The Existence of God The Attributes of God The Trinity Creation Providence Christology Doctrine of Man (theological anthropology) Pneumatology (Doctrine of the Holy Spirit) Soteriology Justification Sanctification Ecclesiology (Doctrine of the Church) Eschatology and the Afterlife.(though note: subdivisions in the area of Systematic Theology are probably more apt to vary across differeng theologies than in the other 3 types of theology)
4. Practical Theology:
Moral Theology (Christian Ethics and Casuistry) Ecclesiology Pastoral Theology Liturgics Homiletics Christian Education Christian Counselling Missiology.Theology can also be divided up into :
Academic subdisciplines;
Biblical Theology - focused on the investigation and interpretation of a religions' scriptures, especially noting different emphases (theologies) within different biblical books. Historical Theology - focused on the intellectual history of the religion Moral Theology - explores the moral and ethical dimensions of the religious life Patrology - studies the teaching of Church Fathers. Practical Theology - dedicated to the practical application of theological insights. Generally includes the subdisciplines of pastoral theology, homiletics, and Christian education, among others. Systematic theology (doctrinal theology, dogmatic theology or philosophical theology) - focused on the attempt to arrange and interpret the ideas current in the religion. This is also associated with Constructive Theology. Spiritual theology - focused on the integration of spirituality and theology. Theology and the Arts - interdisciplinary study examining the relationship between theology and the arts (i.e., literature, music, film, painting, etc.)Topic (or by 'Loci'); Christology (normally only in Christianity) - Jesus Christ, the nature of Christ, the relationship between the divine and human in Christ Demonology (much less common than it used to be) - Satan, demons, evil spirits Ecclesiology - the church Eschatology - literally, the study of 'last things' or 'ultimate things'. Soteriology - the nature and means of salvation Theodicy - Attempts at reconciling the existence of all the evil and suffering in the world with the nature and power of the God or gods of the religion Theological anthropology - nature of human being, formerly known as the Doctrine of Man. Theology Proper - God or the divine: attributes, nature, and relation to the world. See the nature of God in Western theology.
Apophatic theology (or negative theology; sometimes contrasted with "cataphatic theology") - the discussion of what God is not, or the investigation of how language about God breaks down dialectical theology Natural theology - the discussion of those aspects of theology that can be investigated without the help of revelation, scriptures or tradition (sometimes contrasted with "positive theology") - the discussion of those aspects of theologyMovements;
Black theology Ecumenical theology Covenant theology, an interpretive grid that understands God's plans in the Old and New Testaments as being a result of God's covenant with his chosen people. (Covenant theology is one way to approach the subdiscipline of Biblical Theology.) Dispensational Theology - an interpretative grid that views God's relationship with the created order as passing through successive "dispensations", in each of which the covenants of the previous one(s) may no longer be valid. (Dispensationalism is one way to approach the subdiscipline of Biblical Theology.) Evangelical theology Reformed Theology Feminist theology Unification theology Holocaust theology(In response to the horrors of the Holocaust especially in relation to Theodicy) Liberal theology Liberation theology Neo-Orthodoxy Paleo-Orthodoxy Postliberal theology or Narrative theology Postmodern theology Process Theology or Neo-classical Theology Queer Theology Revisionist theology Transcendental Theology
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