THEOLOGY, a term applied by the classic authors to treatises on the nature and worship of the gods, such as the "Works and Days" of Hesiod, and the "On the Nature of the Gods" of Cicero. Augustine quotes Eusebius and Varro as dividing theology into three kinds: the fabulous, that of the poets; the natural, that of the philosophers; and the politi cal, that of the priests and the common people. The first and second kinds could be changed according to the will of the investigators; but the last could not be altered without national consent.
In Christianity, theology is the science which treats of divine things, especially of the relations of man to God. Theology is primarily divided into natural and supernatural, or revealed; the former de duced by reason from a survey of the universe, the latter founded on revela tion. Natural religion is recognized in Scripture (Ps. xix: 1-6, Rom. i: 19, 20), and is held to establish the being, power, wisdom, and goodness of God, the obliga tion of His moral law and the folly and danger of transgressing it, and the im mortality of the soul. Revealed religion is considered to superadd to these doc trines those of the Trinity, the creation and fall of man, the penalty of sin, the mission, work, and atoning death of Christ, His resurrection, ascension, and second advent, with many other doc trines. Before a theology embracing the teaching of the Bible on these subjects can be constructed, the following sciences are required: Biblical criticism, to ascer tain the exact text of certain works claiming to be inspired, and, if possible, their time, place, and human authorship; apologetics, to establish and defend their claim to inspiration; hermeneutics, to in vestigate the principles of interpretation; exegesis, to carry those principles into practice by actual interpretation. Dog
matic theology follows; its province be ing to bring together and classify the doctrines scattered through the Bible; polemic theology defends these against adversaries; practical theology reduces them to practice, and pastoral theology investigates the most approved methods of presenting them to the people.
The New Testament theology consti tutes the chief basis of the theologies of all churches. It was followed by that of the Apostolic Fathers, and then by that of the Fathers in general. It varied ac cording to the idiosyncrasy of the several writers. The application of the comman dants of the moral law to individual conduct gave rise to moral theology. The Protestant theology, which commenced with Luther and Zwingli, was professed ly founded on Scripture, interpreted by private judgment, the right of exercising which was boldly asserted; that of the Roman Catholics was founded on the consensus of the Fathers, the decisions of councils, and of the Holy See, and not on the results of individual investigation. Fearless and resolute exercise of private judgment in Germany, Holland, the Prot estant cantons of Switzerland, etc., has resulted in rationalism, which has also arisen in most continental countries in union with Rome, by a reaction against authority. In the Methodist, Baptist, Re formed Episcopal, Presbyterian and Eng lish dissenting churches, evangelical the ology is generally accepted, though here and there more or less latent rationalism prevails.