Divinity is the study of

Christian theology Christian theology is the theology – the systematic study of the divine and religion – of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. It concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Ch ...

and ministry at a

school A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...

, divinity school,

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

, or

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

. The term is sometimes a synonym for theology as an academic, speculative pursuit, and sometimes is used for the study of applied theology and ministry to make a distinction between that and academic theology. While it most often refers to Christian study which is linked with the professional degrees for

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

ministry or related work, it is also used in an academic setting by other faith traditions. For example, in many traditional British public schools and universities, the term is often used in place of Religious Studies, which deals with religion more broadly, to describe classes that include theology and philosophy in the context of religion as a whole, rather than just the Christian tradition.

Areas and specializations

Divinity can be divided into several distinct but related disciplines. These vary, sometimes widely, from church to church and from one faith tradition to another, and even among various programs within a particular church. For example, Scottish divinity programs are traditionally divided between biblical and theological studies. A typical divinity program will include many of the following:

Philosophical theology

* Systematic theology * Dogmatic theology * Moral theology or Christian ethics * Natural theology * Sacramental theology

Practice of worship

* Liturgics * Homiletics * Sacred music

Ministry in the field

* Pastoral theology * Pastoral counseling * Religious education techniques

Scriptural study and languages

* Biblical studies or Sacred Scripture *

Biblical Hebrew Biblical Hebrew ( or ), also called Classical Hebrew, is an archaic form of the Hebrew language, a language in the Canaanite languages, Canaanitic branch of the Semitic languages spoken by the Israelites in the area known as the Land of Isra ...

* New Testament Greek *

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

Old Church Slavonic Old Church Slavonic or Old Slavonic ( ) is the first Slavic languages, Slavic literary language and the oldest extant written Slavonic language attested in literary sources. It belongs to the South Slavic languages, South Slavic subgroup of the ...

Miscellany

Canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

* Church history *

Ecclesiology In Christian theology, ecclesiology is the study of the Church, the origins of Christianity, its relationship to Jesus, its role in salvation, its polity, its discipline, its eschatology, and its leadership. In its early history, one of th ...

Degrees

Studying divinity usually leads to the awarding of an

academic degree An academic degree is a qualification awarded to a student upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions often offer degrees at various levels, usually divided into und ...

or a professional degree. Such degrees, particularly in modern times the Master of Divinity, are prerequisites for ordained ministry in most

Christian denominations A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

and many other faith communities. The exception to this is all "plain" churches such as the

Amish The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church fellowships with Swiss people, Swiss and Alsace, Alsatian origins. As they ...

, Old German Baptist Brethren, Old Order Mennonite, Dunkard Brethren, and many others. In fact, such churches hold to the belief that seminaries are an institution of man and not supported by Holy Scripture. Students earn such degrees at a free-standing

, theologate or divinity school, or at a university. The Master of Divinity (M.Div.) is the most common degree taken before ordained ministry in North America.

List of degrees

The following is a list of most of the common degrees in divinity: *

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in Theology (B.A. or A.B.) * Bachelor of Canon Law (J.C.B.; B.L.C.) * Bachelor of Divinity (B.D.; B.Div.) * Bachelor of Hebrew Letters (B.H.L.) * Bachelor of Ministry (B.Min.) * Bachelor of Religious Education (B.R.E.) * Bachelor of Sacred Literature (B.S.Litt.) * Bachelor of Sacred Music (B.Mus. or S.M.B.) * Bachelor of Sacred Scripture (S.S.B.) * Bachelor of Sacred Theology (S.T.B.) * Bachelor of the History and Cultural Patrimony of the Church * Bachelor of Theology (B.Th.) * Lector of Sacred Scripture (S.S.Lect.) * Lector of Sacred Theology (S.T.Lect.) * Licentiate of Canon Law (J.C.L.) * Licentiate of Sacred Music (S.M.L.) * Licentiate of Sacred Scripture (S.S.L.) * Licentiate of Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) * Licentiate of the Cultural Patrimony of the Church * Licentiate of the History of the Church * Licentiate of Theology (L.Th.) * Master of Arts in Theology (M.A. or A.M.) * Master of the Cultural Patrimony of the Church * Master of Divinity (M.Div.) * Master of Ministry (M.Min.) * Master of Philosophy with a specialization in Theology (M.Phil) * Master of Religious Arts (M.R.A.) * Master of Religious Education (M.R.E.) * Master of Sacred Literature (M.S.Litt.) * Master of Sacred Music (M.Mus. or M.S.M.) * Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.) * Master of Theological Studies (M.T.S.) * Master of Theology (M.Th., Th.M., M.S.T., or M.Theol.) * Master of Worship Studies (M.W.S.) * Doctor of Canon and Civil Laws (J.U.D.; I.U.D.; D.U.J.; J.U.Dr.; D.U.I.; D.J.U.; Dr.iur.utr.; Dr.jur.utr.; D.I.U.; U.J.D.; U.I.D.) * Doctor of Canon Law (J.C.D.; I.C.D.; D.C.L.; dr.iur.can.; D.Cnl.; D.D.C.; D.Can.L.) * Doctor of the Cultural Patrimony of the Church * Doctor of Divinity (D.D.) * Doctor of the History of the Church * Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) *

Doctor of Missiology Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded ...

(D.Miss.) *

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

in Theology (Ph.D.) * Doctor of Practical Theology (D.P.T., D.Th.P.) * Doctor of Sacred Literature (D.S.Litt.) * Doctor of Sacred Music (D.M.A., D.S.M., S.M.D.) * Doctor of Sacred Scripture (S.S.D.) * Doctor of Sacred Theology (S.T.D.) * Doctor of Theology (Th.D., Dr. Theol., D.Theol.) * Doctor of Worship Studies (D.W.S.)

References

{{reflist Christian education Christianity studies *