A
seminary,
theological college,
or
divinity school is an institution of
higher education for educating students
(
seminarians) in
philosophy,
theology,
spirituality and the religious life, primarily
at the
postgraduate level, to
prepare students for
ordination as
clergy or for other
ministry. The English word is taken from
the Latin
seminarium, translated as
seed-bed, the
image from the
Council of Trent
document
Cum Adulescentium Aetas which called for the
first modern seminaries. As such, in
the
West the term historically referred to
Christian educational institutes, but has
widened to include
American Jewish
institutions.
History
Since at least the 4th century there have been seminaries for the
training of clergy. The first known group of seminarians was
gathered by St. Basil of Ancyra. The term dropped out of general
use in the Middle Ages, when most theological training was in
monasteries, and later, in the universities.
The establishment of modern seminaries resulted from
Roman Catholic reforms of the
Counter-Reformation after the
Council of Trent. Seminaries became live-in
institutions under the direct control of senior clergy. This later
led to the creation of
minor
seminaries to educate young boys for the priesthood at a time
when literacy was not widespread. The
Tridentine model of seminary was
similar to that of a monastary. These seminaries stood in contrast
to the freer intellectual atmosphere of the universities. The
Tridentine seminaries placed great emphasis on personal discipline
as well as the teaching of philosophy as a preparation for
theology; an approach that was explicitly rejected by Protestant
reformers such as
John Calvin.
The Tridentine model of seminaries has since been adopted and
adapted by other Christian denominations as well as by modern
American Judaism, though now in a more open fashion than the
Tridentine model and often without the Catholic emphasis on the
pre-requisite study of philosophy and the Catholic requirement to
live on campus within the Christian community of the
seminary.
Academic program
While the
Tridentine seminary model was one of in-house "formation", modern
seminary institutions now sometimes co-exist with theological
colleges, such as in the United Kingdom
, where they are the live-in college of another
tertiary institution. In
this case the Academic Institutions are typically called a
school of theology or
divinity school. They
usually offer undergraduate and graduate academic degrees (such as
the
Bachelor of Theology,
Bachelor of Sacred
Theology,
Master of Divinity,
Master of Theology,
Doctor of Ministry, etc.).
Bible colleges and theological
seminaries provide a type of religious and/or academic education,
including the study of religious history and theology and may also
award AA, BA, MA, and Ph.D or Th.D degrees. This type of
institution can be
Evangelical,
fundamentalist,
Pentecostal, Reformed, LDS (Mormon), Roman Catholic, or
multi-denominational in orientation. Such institutions may also
offer
lay education. Some accredited
Roman Catholic seminaries have their
degrees conferred by a
Pontifical University and through the
Vatican Congregation for Seminaries and Universities.
Although a primary purpose of a seminary is to prepare and equip
candidates for religious service in the
church or
synagogue— congregational leadership—many people
not intending to become such leaders may study in seminaries.
Qualifications may be obtained majoring in chaplaincies,
counseling, teaching and more
academic disciplines. It is common for
lay people to study in a seminary to enhance
their spiritual life, to explore academic interests, or to prepare
for non-ordained ministries (such as,
choir
directors or
Sunday school teachers).
Monks, priests and
nuns
attend seminary to qualify for service and usually belong to a
particular denomination.Many
Christian denominations cooperate in
providing
theological education for
students preparing for
ordination and a
number of consortia or other cooperative arrangements have been
established.
Christian seminaries offer courses in four key areas of studies, or
formation: human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral.
Catholic seminaries' intellectual formation requirements for
priestly
ordination, as per Vatican papal
directives and the
United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops guidelines, require completion
of four years of undergraduate study of philosophy and four years
of graduate study in theology (for those persons proceeding
directly from
high school). Ordination
to the diaconate takes five years of study in pastoral care and
theology, history, Catholic philosophy and theology, and Biblical
and sacramental instruction. Courses in formation for both programs
are taken in:
Sacred Scripture,
Theology,
Christian Ethics,
Spirituality,
Christology,
Mariology,
Metaphysics,
Ontology,
Ecclesiology,
Liturgy,
Music,
Sacraments,
Church History,
Pastoral Theology,
Homiletics,
Social
Justice,
Canon Law and
Catechetics.
Accreditation and recognition
Some seminaries elect to acquire
accreditation. In North America,
five entities that accredit religious schools in particular are
recognized by the
United States Department
of Education and the
Council for Higher
Education Accreditation: 1) the
American Board of
Theological Institutions, 2) the
Association
of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools, 3) the
Association for
Biblical Higher Education, 4) the
Association of Theological Schools in the United States and
Canada, and 5) the
Transnational
Association of Christian Colleges and Schools.
Some seminaries are accredited by, recognized by, or otherwise
affiliated with various church or denominational entities or
non-government recognized faith-based accrediting agencies, instead
of or in addition to government-recognized accreditation.
Other uses of the term
The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sponsors religious
education programs for
secondary
school students which are referred to as
seminaries.
In some countries, the term
seminary is also used for
secular schools of
higher education that train teachers.
During the
19th century in the United
States
, "Seminaries educated women for the only socially
acceptable occupation: teaching. Only unmarried women could
be teachers. Many early women's colleges began as female seminaries
and were responsible for producing an important corps of
educators."
References
See also
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