Theology is complex field, as it is complex discipline, bringing together a number of related fields helps in framing a good structure. The architecture of theology is mentioned below.
a) Biblical Studies:
The ultimate source of Christian theology is the Bible, which bears witness to the historical grounding of Christianity in both the history of Israel and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Both Bible and the person Jesus Christ is interlocked. As Christianity is mainly about Jesus Christ, it is very imminent to look at Bible deeply as it entirely describing about this person Jesus Christ from the very beginning of creation. Hence Bible study is of utmost importance. In trying to wrestle with the identity and significance of Jesus Christ, Christian theology is thus obliged to wrestle with the text that transmits knowledge of him. Christian theology is thus intimately linked with the science of biblical criticism and interpretation – in other words, with the attempt to appreciate the distinctive literary and historical nature of the biblical texts, and to make sense of them.
b) Systematic theology:
The term “systematic theology” has come to be understood as “the systematic organization of theology.” But what does “systematic” mean? Two main understandings of the term have emerged. First, the term is understood to mean “organized on the basis of educational or presentational concerns.” In other words, the prime concern is to present a clear and ordered overview of the main themes of the Christian faith, often following the pattern of the Apostles’ Creed. In the second place, it can mean “organized on the basis of presuppositions about method.” In other words, philosophical ideas about how knowledge is gained determine the way in which material is arranged. This approach is of particular importance in the modern period, when a concern about theological method has become more pronounced.
In classical period of theology was generally organized along the lines of Apostles creed or Nicene creed, beginning with the doctrine of God and ending with eschatology. And classical model of systematization of theology was provided by number of writings. The first major theological text book of western theology is Peter Lombard's Four Books of the Sentences. The book was centered on the Trinity, second about creation and sin, thirdly about incarnation and Christian life, fourth and final book was about the sacraments and the Duns Scotus. Thomas Aquina's "Summa theologiae", which was focusing on three main things. One principle's similar to those adopted by Peter Lombard, placed greater emphasis on philosophical questions and thirdly the need to reconcile the different opinions of patristic writers. Also two Protestant models emerged based on Martin Luther and John Calvin respectively. "Commonplaces" produced by Philip Melanchthon places emphasis on Lutheran side while John Calvin's "Institutes of the Christian Religion" is widely regarded as the most influential work of Protestant theology.
c) Philosophical theology:
Philosophical theology is both a branch and form of theology in which philosophical methods are used in developing or analyzing theological concepts. It therefore includes natural theology as well as philosophical treatments of orthodox and heterodox theology. Philosophical theology is also closely related to the philosophy of religion. One task of philosophical theologians is to attempt to reconcile certain aspects of Christian doctrine with developments in philosophy. One question concerns how to prove the existence and nature of God. The knowledge of God is dealt with in the epistemology of religion. There are many different perspectives with philosophical theology on such questions.
Thomas Aquinas's "Five Ways" that is five arguments for the existence of God are often cited as an example of philosophical theology, in which nonreligious arguments or considerations are seen to lead to religious conclusions.
d) Historical theology:
Historical theology is a branch of theology that investigates the socio-historical and cultural mechanisms that give rise to theological ideas, statements, and systems. Research and method in this field focus on the relationship between theology and context as well as the major theological influences upon the figures and topics studied. Historical theologians are thus concerned with the historical development of theology. For example, it demonstrates that it was no accident that the doctrine of justification by faith first became of foundational significance in the late Renaissance. It shows how, for example, the concept of salvation found in Latin American liberation theology is closely linked with the socioeconomic situation of the region. It illustrates how secular cultural trends – such as liberalism or conservatism – find their corresponding expression in theology.
e) Pastoral theology:
Pastoral theology is the branch of practical theology concerned with the application of the study of religion in the context of regular church ministry. This approach to theology seeks to give practical expression to theology. Normally viewed as an 'equipping' of ministers, practical theology is often considered to be more pragmatic than speculative, indeed, essentially a practical science. Hence its main interests are in those areas of theology which will aid the clergyman in ministry. Topics tend to include homiletics, pastoral care, sacramental theology, and ethics. Rather than seeing theology as an academic subject, which has no relevance to the practical techniques of counseling and therapy, pastoral theology emphasizes how a theological foundation provides both a framework and a resource for pastoral care. It “tries to answer the question of what we should do in the face of problems and challenges to faithful action” (Browning). At its heart, practical theology is thus critical reflection upon the actions of the church in the light of the gospel and the Christian tradition. Theology thus provides a way of evaluating situations, and offers resources to deal with them.
f) Spirituality or mystical theology:
Mystical theology is a branch of theology which focuses on experiences or states of the soul which are experienced mystically and cannot be produced by human effort.
The term “spirituality” has gained wide acceptance in the recent past as the preferred way of referring to aspects of the devotional practices of a religion, and especially the interior individual experiences of believers. Older terms which are still encountered in the scholarly literature to refer to this aspect of theology include “spiritual theology” and “mystical theology.” The use of the word “mystical” to refer to the spiritual (as opposed to the purely academic) dimension of theology can be traced back to the treatise On Mystical Theology, written in the early sixth century by Dionysius the Areopagite. The modern terms “spirituality” and “mysticism” both trace their origins back to seventeenth-century France, and specifically to the rather elitist circles of salon society associated with Madame de Guyon.
a) Biblical Studies:
The ultimate source of Christian theology is the Bible, which bears witness to the historical grounding of Christianity in both the history of Israel and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Both Bible and the person Jesus Christ is interlocked. As Christianity is mainly about Jesus Christ, it is very imminent to look at Bible deeply as it entirely describing about this person Jesus Christ from the very beginning of creation. Hence Bible study is of utmost importance. In trying to wrestle with the identity and significance of Jesus Christ, Christian theology is thus obliged to wrestle with the text that transmits knowledge of him. Christian theology is thus intimately linked with the science of biblical criticism and interpretation – in other words, with the attempt to appreciate the distinctive literary and historical nature of the biblical texts, and to make sense of them.
b) Systematic theology:
The term “systematic theology” has come to be understood as “the systematic organization of theology.” But what does “systematic” mean? Two main understandings of the term have emerged. First, the term is understood to mean “organized on the basis of educational or presentational concerns.” In other words, the prime concern is to present a clear and ordered overview of the main themes of the Christian faith, often following the pattern of the Apostles’ Creed. In the second place, it can mean “organized on the basis of presuppositions about method.” In other words, philosophical ideas about how knowledge is gained determine the way in which material is arranged. This approach is of particular importance in the modern period, when a concern about theological method has become more pronounced.
In classical period of theology was generally organized along the lines of Apostles creed or Nicene creed, beginning with the doctrine of God and ending with eschatology. And classical model of systematization of theology was provided by number of writings. The first major theological text book of western theology is Peter Lombard's Four Books of the Sentences. The book was centered on the Trinity, second about creation and sin, thirdly about incarnation and Christian life, fourth and final book was about the sacraments and the Duns Scotus. Thomas Aquina's "Summa theologiae", which was focusing on three main things. One principle's similar to those adopted by Peter Lombard, placed greater emphasis on philosophical questions and thirdly the need to reconcile the different opinions of patristic writers. Also two Protestant models emerged based on Martin Luther and John Calvin respectively. "Commonplaces" produced by Philip Melanchthon places emphasis on Lutheran side while John Calvin's "Institutes of the Christian Religion" is widely regarded as the most influential work of Protestant theology.
c) Philosophical theology:
Philosophical theology is both a branch and form of theology in which philosophical methods are used in developing or analyzing theological concepts. It therefore includes natural theology as well as philosophical treatments of orthodox and heterodox theology. Philosophical theology is also closely related to the philosophy of religion. One task of philosophical theologians is to attempt to reconcile certain aspects of Christian doctrine with developments in philosophy. One question concerns how to prove the existence and nature of God. The knowledge of God is dealt with in the epistemology of religion. There are many different perspectives with philosophical theology on such questions.
Thomas Aquinas's "Five Ways" that is five arguments for the existence of God are often cited as an example of philosophical theology, in which nonreligious arguments or considerations are seen to lead to religious conclusions.
d) Historical theology:
Historical theology is a branch of theology that investigates the socio-historical and cultural mechanisms that give rise to theological ideas, statements, and systems. Research and method in this field focus on the relationship between theology and context as well as the major theological influences upon the figures and topics studied. Historical theologians are thus concerned with the historical development of theology. For example, it demonstrates that it was no accident that the doctrine of justification by faith first became of foundational significance in the late Renaissance. It shows how, for example, the concept of salvation found in Latin American liberation theology is closely linked with the socioeconomic situation of the region. It illustrates how secular cultural trends – such as liberalism or conservatism – find their corresponding expression in theology.
e) Pastoral theology:
Pastoral theology is the branch of practical theology concerned with the application of the study of religion in the context of regular church ministry. This approach to theology seeks to give practical expression to theology. Normally viewed as an 'equipping' of ministers, practical theology is often considered to be more pragmatic than speculative, indeed, essentially a practical science. Hence its main interests are in those areas of theology which will aid the clergyman in ministry. Topics tend to include homiletics, pastoral care, sacramental theology, and ethics. Rather than seeing theology as an academic subject, which has no relevance to the practical techniques of counseling and therapy, pastoral theology emphasizes how a theological foundation provides both a framework and a resource for pastoral care. It “tries to answer the question of what we should do in the face of problems and challenges to faithful action” (Browning). At its heart, practical theology is thus critical reflection upon the actions of the church in the light of the gospel and the Christian tradition. Theology thus provides a way of evaluating situations, and offers resources to deal with them.
f) Spirituality or mystical theology:
Mystical theology is a branch of theology which focuses on experiences or states of the soul which are experienced mystically and cannot be produced by human effort.
The term “spirituality” has gained wide acceptance in the recent past as the preferred way of referring to aspects of the devotional practices of a religion, and especially the interior individual experiences of believers. Older terms which are still encountered in the scholarly literature to refer to this aspect of theology include “spiritual theology” and “mystical theology.” The use of the word “mystical” to refer to the spiritual (as opposed to the purely academic) dimension of theology can be traced back to the treatise On Mystical Theology, written in the early sixth century by Dionysius the Areopagite. The modern terms “spirituality” and “mysticism” both trace their origins back to seventeenth-century France, and specifically to the rather elitist circles of salon society associated with Madame de Guyon.
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