Christian theology

Christian theology
Name	Christian theology
Caption	Interior of St Paul's Cathedral, London (example of Christian worship space)
Main sources	Bible, New Testament, Old Testament
Major figures	Paul the Apostle, Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Anselm of Canterbury, John Wesley, Ignatius of Loyola
Traditions	Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Protestantism, Anglican Communion, Oriental Orthodoxy
Languages	Koine Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Church Slavonic

Contents

Christian theology Christian theology is the study of beliefs, doctrines, and practices originating from the life, teachings, death, and resurrection associated with Jesus. It investigates authoritative sources, doctrinal systems, historical development, liturgical practice, and ethical implications across diverse communities such as the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Lutheranism, Calvinism, Methodism, and Pentecostalism. Scholarship interacts with institutions like Vatican City, academic bodies such as University of Notre Dame and Princeton Theological Seminary, and councils including the First Council of Nicaea and the Council of Chalcedon.

Definitions and Scope

Christian theology defines doctrines about God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Trinity, incarnation, salvation, sin, grace, and eschatology within confessional communities like Roman Curia and movements such as Reformation. The scope covers biblical interpretation as practiced at Council of Trent and Second Vatican Council, dogmatic formulations found in the Nicene Creed and Apostles' Creed, and moral theology debated in forums like Synod of Bishops and university chairs at Harvard Divinity School and University of Oxford.

Scripture and revelation center on texts such as the New Testament, Gospels, Pauline epistles, and the Old Testament as read in Masoretic Text and Septuagint. Methods include historical-critical method, textual criticism, biblical hermeneutics, and approaches shaped by figures like Origen, Jerome, Martin Luther, Erasmus of Rotterdam, and Rudolf Bultmann. Canon formation involved councils like the Synod of Hippo and interactions with translations such as the Vulgate and the King James Version.

Systematic theology arranges doctrines—Christology, Pneumatology, Soteriology, Ecclesiology, Sacramentology, Hamartiology—into coherent frameworks influenced by Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, Karl Barth, and contemporary theologians at institutions like Yale Divinity School. Debates over predestination feature thinkers such as John Calvin and councils like the Synod of Dort, while debates on justification animated the Protestant Reformation and the Council of Trent. Theological method engages with philosophies from Aristotle and Plato, and modern movements including liberation theology, feminist theology, process theology, and neo-orthodoxy.

Historical development traces early creedal formulations at the First Council of Nicaea and the Council of Constantinople, medieval synthesis by Scholasticism centered on University of Paris and figures such as Thomas Aquinas, Reformation ruptures led by Martin Luther and John Calvin, and post-Reformation confessionalization in contexts like the Peace of Westphalia. The missionary expansion involved orders such as the Jesuits and events like the Council of Trent; modern eras saw ecumenical gatherings like the World Council of Churches and theological responses to events including Enlightenment and World War II with voices like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Karl Barth.

Major traditions include the Roman Catholic Church with papal structures in Vatican City; the Eastern Orthodox Church with patriarchates such as Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople; Oriental Orthodoxy with churches like the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria; Anglican Communion with provinces including the Church of England; and Protestantism subdividing into Lutheranism, Reformed tradition, Methodism, Baptist churches, and Pentecostalism. Each tradition references historical councils, canonical texts, creeds like the Nicene Creed, and reforming figures such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Wesley.

Worship and sacramental life vary: the Eucharist (also called Holy Communion or Divine Liturgy), Baptism, Confirmation, Confession, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick are central in Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy; many Protestant bodies emphasize two sacraments—Baptism and Lord's Supper. Liturgical forms include rites from Book of Common Prayer, Byzantine Rite, Tridentine Mass, and hymns by composers like Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley. Pastoral practice engages institutions such as parish structures, monastic orders including the Benedictines, and missionary societies like the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel.

Contemporary issues encompass debates over ordination of women, same-sex marriage within denominations such as the Episcopal Church (United States), ethical teaching on bioethics in institutions like Pontifical Academy for Life, and public theology in relation to events like Cold War and globalization. Ecumenical efforts are organized by bodies including the World Council of Churches, bilateral dialogues between Vatican Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity and Church of England, and agreements such as the Lima Document and the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification between the Catholic Church and Lutheran World Federation.