(knowledge of God, science of God).
According to Saint Thomas Aquinas it is a science; because he investigates the content of faith through reason enlightened by faith. Thus, it is distinguished from “theodicy” or “natural theology”, in that it studies God only by reason, independently of divine authority.
– Dogmatic theology: Study what we have to believe.
– Moorish Theology: What we have to do.
The Bible and Church Documents are essential to good theology.
Christian Bible Dictionary
Dr. J. Dominguez
http://bible.com/dictionary/
Source: Christian Bible Dictionary
The term theology etymologically means “treaty of God” (Theos, logos). Saint Augustine defines it as “Word or study of God and of his things” (De la Ciudad de Dios 8. 1)
In the first place, theology studies the divine reality itself, God: his nature, his existence, his actions. Secondly, the object of theology is everything that has to do with God, “considered as the beginning of everything or as the end of it.” (Summa Th. 1.1.7)
It is the science or activity that studies God in the light of faith. Since the 19th century, the branch or part of philosophy that studies God in the light of simple reason has been called “Theodicy”. It is the humble exploration of the divine mysteries, of the precepts derived from Revelation and of the worship that we pay to God as the Supreme Being, who has revealed his love to men and demands a response from them.
Theology is especially important for catechists and educators of the faith, since it is the instrument with which the mysteries that must be announced and the contents that must be transmitted to those being catechized are deepened.
Every catechist must be a theologian to the extent that deepening this science of God can be accessible to him. Without a theological basis it is not possible to be a good catechist
1. It’s rigorous science
The scientific character of Theology cannot be denied. Part of absolutely certain fundamental truths: the revealed truths. He draws from them new truths, by means of a strictly scientific method of argumentation, the theological conclusions. And it forms organized or coherent systems of principles and applications for life, in the light of what God is and reveals to men.
1.1. sublime science
However, it is not a science like the others, since its first object is the divine mystery itself and the mystery revealed by God. But, as such a mystery, it cannot be analyzed with rigorously scientific techniques or arguments. It takes the upper light and the attitude of faith to focus on them.
That is why the study of divine things in itself must not be confused with reflection. Theology is the study of divine things from faith. If it remains in mere reason, it is rather Religious Philosophy or Theodicy.
1.2. with various branches
The branches of Theology can be many and diverse in scope. The catechist needs them to the extent that they help him discover and clarify the Christian mystery for himself and for others.
1.2.1. speculative branches
There are those that have a theoretical or more speculative orientation and require a lot of data and reflections for their expression and understanding.
– Biblical Theology discovers, analyzes and takes advantage of the sources of the Christian mystery in the Word of God.
– Dogmatic Theology, Moral Theology, Liturgical Theology reflect and delve from the point of view of believing, acting or celebrating. And they do it each in different perspectives, according to objects or varied fields, such as Christology, Pneumatology, Ecclesiology, Mariology, Eschatology, and others. They speak of divine revelation around a specific focus: Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Church, Mary, the afterlife.
– Some aspects of Theological History contribute intensely to discovering the process of the Christian mystery: Patristic Theology, History of Dogmas, Theology of Councils, etc.
– In certain historical periods, Apologetic Theology was strong, which insisted on the need to base religious faith on dialectical arguments and defend the revealed truth from its opponents or from the difficulties that could arise from other human sciences.
1.2.2. There are application branches
There are other more practical forms of Theology. They are projected into the daily and personal life of believers.
– Legal theology studies ecclesial law or ascetic and mystical theology explores the demands of Christian life.
– Pastoral Theology analyzes the feasible aspects of evangelization and religious education: if it stops at the proclamative and celebratory forms of the kerygma, or divine message, it becomes Homiletic Theology; if it focuses on the processes of faith education, it is usually called Catechetical Theology.
– Missionary or Evangelizing Theology alludes to the models of the initial announcements of the faith.
– Sometimes there is talk of other areas such as the Theology of Ecumenism, Anthropological Theology or Interscientific or Comparative Theology.
So many forms reflect the difficulty of an objective and clear classification that collects all the pretensions of the theologians.
However, in theological studies there is a homogeneous object, which is the divine character of the content and the reference to God of the approaches.
They have their own method or style: the vision of the mystery in the light of faith, not only speculation. This dependence on the divine Word, on God himself, and the consequent dependence on the one who is entrusted by God himself to authenticate, preserve and proclaim that word, the authority of the Church, the Magisterium, does not alter in any way the scientific character of theology. The reference to the teaching ministry of the Church belongs to the very substance of the Church.
The catechist has to study theology, always in reference to that authority. His particular ministry as educator of the faith is included in the evangelizing mission of the Church.
2. Theology, science of faith.
Theology rises above the other sciences, due to the greatness of its object and the certainty of its knowledge. Study God himself, insofar as it is accessible to human intelligence. And it is based on the acceptance of the divine Word, of Revelation, by those who study it from faith.
From St. Augustine are the words “Crede ut intelligas (believe so that you understand)” (Sermon 43. 7) and from St. Anselm the idea that “faith seeks understanding (fides quaerens intellectu.” (Proslogium, Prologue)
Theology, according to Saint Thomas, is a speculative and practical science at the same time. (Summa Theologica II 4). He studies God, supreme truth, and he studies creatures in their relations with God. Study both objects putting intelligence below faith, not vice versa.
2.1. Theology in History
The way of understanding the ministerial nature of Theology has varied over time, according to the multiple schools that have arisen over the centuries.
– Augustinian tendencies have long preferred the primacy of faith and intuition over mere reason.
– The Franciscan preferences, in the style of St. Bonaventure, have liked more the reference to the will and personal life in the conclusions.
– The Dominican visions have been more rationalist, in the style of Sto. Thomas Aquinas or S. Alberto Magno. They have tried to rely primarily on logic and deductive argumentation as a methodology.
– The rationalism of Descartes, the criticism of Kant and the idealism of Hegel later influenced the plating of theological perspectives that were sometimes more logical, sometimes more critical and more idealistic in some thinkers, both in the choice of topics and in the preferred procedures to draw conclusions.
– In recent times, visions not pigeonholed in “schools” or related groups, but in more original and more personal approaches, have been preferred. Options and paths multiply with admirable profusion. Since the anthropological, sociological, and scientific movements of the nineteenth century, theological forms have diversified intensely.
– The theological tastes of the 20th century became more eclectic, existential, ecumenical and pastoral, receiving a singular ecclesiological impulse on the occasion of the Second Vatican Council held in the middle of the century (1963-1965).
2.2. theology in society
No theological preference enjoys primacy in the Church. And it is good that the catechist does not become incardinated in any theological fashion nor is he fond of any author or trend with an exclusive preference. After all, only one is the Master and this is Christ Jesus. (Mt. 23.10)
With this, he enjoys more freedom of spirit and is better able to rely solely on the Gospel, on the authority of the Magisterium and on the flexibility that has flowed throughout history and has facilitated the freedom of the followers of the Lord.
It must be taken into account that in Theology what is important is not the exposition method of the various schools, but rather the vitality of the Christian mystery, which is the central content of Theology.
On the other hand, the catechist is more interested in the moral behavior of man, in order to his ultimate supernatural end, than the mere explanation of the Christian mystery.
3. Instrument of catechesis
The speculative facet has the primacy in Theology, because as a science it aspires above all to know the divine truth. But the practical dimension is of more interest to those who are dedicated to the formation of consciences and the foundation of people’s faith. Thanks to it, ideas are clarified and truths are transmitted.
Its best service is to strengthen the mystery in the mind of the one who is going to transmit it and assure the truth to the one who is going to receive it.
For this purpose, theological science offers the richness of its contents, the seriousness of its method and the serenity of its procedures.
3.1. Instrument of faith and life
The catechist must not look at Theology as a simple science or a mere field of study, but as a way to better understand the mystery and adapt its teachings to its demands.
Theology is wisdom, because it studies the mysterious and supreme cause of everything that exists. It is the divine mystery inasmuch as God himself reveals it.
That is why it has to rely on “theological places” where that Revelation is found. First, in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, which are the remote rules of faith. “All scripture inspired by God serves to teach, rebuke, correct, educate in righteousness and to make every man competent and perfectly equipped for any good task.” (2 Tim. 3. 16) And secondly, in the teachings of the Magisterium, that is, of the Church, Councils, Popes, Bishops, which represent the proximate, immediate and concrete rules of truth…