An Introduction to Theology and Theological Studies by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.
What Is "Theology"?
Theos= “God” or “god” in Greek
not a personal name, but a generic title for the divine being or beings
most ancient peoples believed in many “gods”; monotheists believe in only one “God”
Logos= “word; phrase; speech; reason” in Greek
Not just a single w-o-r-d, but any language-based thought or reasoning
In compound words in English, it is often translated “Talking about…” ; “Study of…”
Anthropo-logy = “study of humans”; Bio-logy = “study of life”; Geo-logy = “study of the earth”; Zoo-logy = “study of animals”
Theology = “Talking about God” or “Study of the Divine”
God’s being, essence, nature, and/or attributes; what God really IS (or is not)
God’s relation to human beings and to the whole world
What is "Philosophy"?
Philos = “Love; Friendship” in Greek
Philos is one of four ancient Greek words commonly translated “love” in English:
eros (emotional, sexual love), philos (friendship), agape (practical love, charity), storge (maternal/infant bonding)
Phil-adelphia = lit. “Love of Brothers” (thus Philly is often called “The City of Brotherly Love”)
Phil-anthropy = lit. “Love of Human Beings” (i.e., charitable assistance of other humans)
Sophia = “Wisdom” in Greek
Wisdom vs. intelligence vs. knowledge vs. understanding
Philosophy = “Love of Wisdom” or “Quest for Knowledge” or “Seeking after Truth”
Socratic Method: gaining knowledge by asking and answering questions!
Not just reading books, or dreaming on your own, but dialogue between persons
About what? Everything! Including “God”! (thus "theology" is a part of "philosophy"; also vice-versa?)
How Are Philosophy and Theology Related?
Ancient World:
Little specialization: all "lovers of wisdom" or "seekers of truth" talked about God, human beings, the world, etc.
No separately specialized “theologians,” no one who studied only the supernatural realm, but not also the natural world.
Yet different cultures had varying titles for their "wisdom-seekers": Classical Greece had philosophers; Ancient Israel had prophets & priests; other cultures had magi, physicians, wise kings, etc.
Medieval Universities:
Four main academic disciplines or "faculties": Philosophy, Theology, Medicine, Law
More and more divisions of academic specialization: Liberal Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Engineering, Visual & Performing Arts, Business, Education, Languages, Religious Studies, Ethnic Studies, etc.
Often "Theology" (faith-based, confessional) is distinguished from "Religious Studies" (neutral, objective, comparative); a graduate-level "School of Theology" or a professional "Divinity School" might even co-exist in the same university as a "Department of Religious Studies."
Post-Modern World:
Return to more and more "interdisciplinary studies": Science and Religion, Sociology of Religion, Religion & Politics, etc.
Types of Belief in God/gods – lots of “-isms”
Theism = Any type of belief in the existence of a God or multiple gods
This is the broadest/generic term, of which other –isms are subcategories
Atheism = Belief that God and/or gods do “not exist” at all
Agnosticism = “Not knowing” whether God exists or not; overall non-belief
Gnosticism = A religious system that believes salvation comes through “knowledge” (Gk. gnosis) of one’s divine origin and destiny
Deism = Belief that God created the world, but then abandoned it
God exists, created us, but exerts no further influence on the world
Based on 18th-century rationalism (e.g. Thomas Jefferson)
Pantheism = Belief that divinity resides “everywhere” (Gk. pan)
The whole universe is divine; divinity is within everything that exists
But there is no “God” separate from or external to the world
Polytheism = Belief in the existence of “many” (Gk. poly) gods
Egyptian: many gods, mostly in animal form
Greek & Roman: a large family of gods, on Mount Olympus
Henotheism = Allegiance to only “one” god, ignoring all other gods
Other nations may have their own “gods”; but “Our god is better than your gods”
Monotheism = Belief in the existence of one and “only” one God
What others call “gods” are merely objects, or at most spirits, but not divine
Trinitarian Monotheism = Christian belief that there is only one God, yet Jesus and the Spirit are also divine
“Trinity” = God is one divine “being” or “nature,” in three divine “persons” (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)
Yet these three divine “persons” are not three different gods (which would be Tri-theism)
Paganism = A general term for the religions of “others” who don’t believe in “our” God/gods
Popular connotations are negative: pagans, heathens, unbelievers
Academic meaning is neutral: refers to any/all non-Jewish, or non-Christian religions
Rationalism = Using "reason" (logical thinking) alone to attain any knowledge about God, the world, human life, etc.
Can be similar to Deism; no reliance on "divine revelation" or spiritual powers or religious traditions
Fideism = Relying on "faith" in "divine revelation" alone as the basis for all knowledge
No reliance on human "reason," which might lead people astray, away from God's truth
Identifying God (using Titles & Names):
Generic Titles & Metaphors:
God / god, Deity, Divine Power; El, Elohim (Hebrew), Theos (Greek); Deus (Latin); Allah (Arabic); Gott (German); Dios (Spanish); etc.