THEOLOGY (Lat theologia, from Gk. &An/a, a speaking concerning God, from Oth, theos, god -login, account, from Niyciv, lcgein, 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 theology 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 tifie explanation of the _specific Christian life, the development of its characteristic principles, con ditions, and general relations. Viewed thus it yields a system of doctrines and a system of duties, or dogmatics and ethics.
The elaim of theology to he a science depends upon the question whether there are any pecullar 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 em 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 immortality 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 theology 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 a11 departments. Mention may be made of the histories of doc trine, such as Hagenbach (Leipzig, 1840; 12th ed. 1889; Eng. trans.. Edinburgh, 1846, revised and enlarged, New York, 1861) ; Baur (Stutt gart, 1847; 3d ed. 1867) ; Neander (Berlin, 1857; Eng. trans., London, 1858) : Schmid (Nfirdlingen, 1860; 4th ed. 1887) ; Dorner (Ge schichtc der protestantischcn Theologic, .11u ilia, 1867; Eng. trans., Edinburgh, 1871 ; System der ehristlichen Glaubenslehre, Berlin. 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, 1805-07). The histories of doctrine of Shedd (New York, 1869). Sheldon (ib., 1886), and Fisher (ib., 1866) are brief manuals by American writers. Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (New York, 1872), presents the Cal vinistic- system. Watson. Theological Institutes (London. 1822-28; 4th ed. 1850), is a standard Methodist work. The Systematic Theology of A, H. Strong (Rochester, 1886) is by a Baptist. Percival, Digest of Theology ( Philadelphia, 1892), and _Mortimer, Catholic Faith and Prac tice (London, 1901), are scholarly presentations of the High Church Anglican view of the teach ing of the undivided Church. Treatises from the point of view of the different religious denomina tions will be found mentioned in many of the articles upon the various religious bodies. The standard encyclopedic works are the Herzog Realeneyklopadie (2d ed., 1S vols., Leipzig, 1877-88; 3d ed., by Hauek, 1S96 et seq.), and (Roman Catholic) Wetzer and \Velte, Kirchen lexikon (12 vols., Freiburg, 1832-1901).