Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 19.djvu/245

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THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION. 201 THEOLOGY. the religions of maukiud. Paris offers tlie amplest facilities for such study, but Leyden and Amsterdam also pay considerable attention to it. Critical methods prevail in Old Testament exegesis in Great Britain and America, as well as in the European universities. There is less consistency in their application to Xew Testa- ment exegesis. The treatment of ecclesiastical history is characterized by increasing fairness and objectivity. While many contributions have been made to dogmatics bj' theological teachers, the acceptance of the results of criticism has tended to render impossible the old type of sys- tematic theology. In so far as it concerned itself with the Bible and the creeds, biblical theology, embracing the religious views of the biblical writers and the history and philoso])hy of Chris- tian dogma, has taken its place. In so far as it attempted to bring all truth into one system, it can survive only as comparative theology studies all the religious phenomena of man's life. For this there is no adequate provision in any theological school in the English-speaking world, though at some universities there are chairs for the history and philosophy of reli- gion. The introduction of such a course is likely to cause a profound change not only in the theo- logical curriculum, but in the spirit of theo- logical study. Consult : K. A. Schmid, Ge- schichte der'Erzichung (Stuttgart, 1884-92); K. Schmidt, Gcschichte der Erziehung (Kiithen, 187ti) ; V. Lexis, Die deutschen Vniversitaten (Berlin. 1893). THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY OF THE RE- FORMED CHURCH IN AMERICA. A di- vinity school at Xew Brunswick, X. J., organ- ized in 1784. Its classes were held in Xew York City until 1790, and at Flatbush. L. I., till 1810, when it was removed to its present home. The seminary is under the direct control of the Gen- eral Synod of the Reformed Church. Its the- ology is in sympathy with the moderate Calvin- ism of the Refomied, Church standards. The school has a well-equipped dormitory. Peter Hert- zog Hall; a capacious building. James Suydam Hall, devoted to lecture rooms, museums, and gymnasium; a fireproof library in the (iardner A. Sage building, containing in 1903 over 47.000 vol- umes ; and six dwelling houses for professors. In 1003 its endowment was $473,000, and the at- tendance was 27, with a faculty' of six instruc- tors. THEOLOGY (Lat theologia, from Gk. ftoXo7ia, a speaking concerning God, from $e6s, thcos, god + -oyia, -lofi'ia, account, from ^ei.f, legein, to say). A term which, in the larger sense, may be used as equivalent to the science of religion, and will then include all the various theological disciplines, the sacred languages, and the interpretation of the Bible; the history of the Church, including the history of doctrine: the history of religions in general; the contributions of our own age to the knowledge of the objects of theological study from other sciences, such as biology" : systematic theology-, or the system of doctrines and duties : and. finally, practical the- ology", or the application of theologi' to life, in the pulpit, in Church administration, and in the vari- ous forms of contact with the world. But more strictly and correctly, the term theology is em- ployed of systematic theology-, which may be de- fined as the science of Christianity, or the scien- tilic explanation of the specific Christian life, the development of its characteristic principles, con- ditions, and general relations. 'iewed thus it yields a system of doctrines and a system of duties, or dogmatics and ethics. The claim of theology to be a science depends upon the question whetlier there are any peculiar facts of which it takes cognizance, as it professes, and whether its method is calculated to yield re- liable knowledge. As to the facts, these are not tangible facts, and if tangibility is made the criterion of reality, as is done by some writers, the case is closed against theology. But Chris- tians claim for themselves great facts of spiritual experience, which are matters of consciousness and thus belong in the same category as the facts of psychology. And if once the inspiration of the Bible is reached by processes of reasoning which are valid and hence yield true, though not tangible results, the teachings of this book form a body of objective facts which are capable of scientific treatment, and indeed demand it. Mod- ern theology has largely followed the method which is as valid in theology as in chemistry or biology, though some theologies have been and some still are a priori. Formerly a sharp distinction was drawn be- tween natural and revealed theology. The for- mer embraced those doctrines as to God, freedom, and inunortality which could be reached without the aid of revelation, and upon them was built the proof of the Bible as a revelation from God, and consequently the system of revealed theology, which was then conceived as exclusively the scien- tific interpretation of the Bible. But with the in- creasing evidence that even the first doctrines of natural theology, such as the existence of God, have been historically dependent upon revelation, and that the doctrines of revealed theology have their confirmation in facts drawn from other sources than the Bible, the sharp line between the two departments has been largely erased. Nat- ural theologv- is now replaced by apologetics, the business of which is to defend the doctrines de- veloped by systematic theology. Many of the special topics of theology will be found treated in separate articles. See also such articles as Development of Doctrine; German Theology: Theological Education. No at- tempt can be made here to give an adequate selection from the literature in all departments. Jlention may be made of the histories of doc- trine, such as Hagenbach (Leipzig, 1840; 12th ed. 1889; Eng. trans., Edinburgh, 1846, revised and enlarged. Xew York. 1861); Baur (Stutt- gart, 1847; 3d ed. 1867): Neander (Berlin, 1857; Eng. trans., London. 1858); Schmid (Xnirdlingen, 1860; 4th ed. 1887); Dorner (Oe- SfJiichte drr prutcslantischen Thiologie. Mu- nich, 1867; Eng. trans.. Edinburgh, 1871; Si/nfem drr christlichen Glaubenslehre, Berlin, 1879-81; 2d ed. 1886-88) ; Thomasius (Erlangen. 1874- 76; 2d ed. 1886-89); Werner (Munich, 1889); Loofs (Halle. 1889; 3d ed. 1893); Harnack (Freiburg. 1889; 3d ed. 1898; Eng. trans., Bos- ton, 1895-97). Tlie histories of doctrine of Shedd (New York. 1869), Sheldon (ib., 1886), and Fisher (ib., 1896) are brief manuals by .American writers. Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (Xew York, 1872), presents the Cal- vinistic system. Watson. Theological fiuttitutes (London." 1822-28: 8th ed. 18.50)^ is a standard