Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline 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 ...

that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the

doctrine Doctrine (from , meaning 'teaching, instruction') is a codification (law), codification of beliefs or a body of teacher, teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a ...

s of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topics or what is true about God and His universe. It also builds on biblical disciplines,

church history Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritual side of t ...

, as well as

biblical The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

and

historical theology Historical theology is the study of the history of Christian doctrine. Alister McGrath defines historical theology as 'the branch of theological inquiry which aims to explore the historical development of Christian doctrines, and identify the fa ...

. Systematic theology shares its systematic tasks with other disciplines such as constructive theology, dogmatics, ethics,

apologetics Apologetics (from Greek ) is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and recommended their f ...

, and

philosophy of religion Philosophy of religion is "the philosophical examination of the central themes and concepts involved in religious traditions". Philosophical discussions on such topics date from ancient times, and appear in the earliest known Text (literary theo ...

Method

With a methodological tradition that differs somewhat from

biblical theology Because scholars have tended to use the term in different ways, Biblical theology has been notoriously difficult to define. The academic field of biblical theology is sub-divided into Old Testament theology and New Testament theology. Academic ...

, systematic theology draws on the core

sacred texts Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...

of Christianity, while simultaneously investigating the development of Christian doctrine over the course of history, particularly through philosophy, ethics, social sciences, and natural sciences. Using biblical texts, it attempts to compare and relate all of scripture which led to the creation of a systematized statement on what the whole Bible says about particular issues. In other words, "In reconstructing Christian teaching, systematic theology proceeds by a process of conceptual abstraction and schematization." In a seminal article, "Principles of Systematic Theology,"

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

theologian

John Webster John Webster (c. 1578 – c. 1632) was an English Jacobean dramatist best known for his tragedies '' The White Devil'' and ''The Duchess of Malfi'', which are often seen as masterpieces of the early 17th-century English stage. His life and car ...

describes systematic theology as proceeding along a series of principles, which he draws from various theologians including

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas ( ; ; – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican Order, Dominican friar and Catholic priest, priest, the foremost Scholasticism, Scholastic thinker, as well as one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the W ...

: * The Trinity: The Ontological Principle (''principium essendi'') * Scripture: The External/Objective Cognitive Principle (''principium cognoscendi externum'') * The Redeemed Intelligence of the Saints: The Internal/Subjective Cognitive Principle (''principium cognoscendi internum'') Webster has also considered the task of all systematic theology as articulating the Creator/creature distinction, known also as the Categorical Distinction or the

Infinite Qualitative Distinction The infinite qualitative distinction (; ; Dutch: ''oneindig kwalitatief onderscheid''), sometimes translated as infinite qualitative difference, is a fundamental concept in Christian theology. More colloquially, it is referred to as the Creator ...

, a concept also explored from the perspective of compatiblistic metaphysics by Kathryn Tanner in ''God and Creation in Christian Theology'' (1988). Within Christianity, different traditions (both intellectual and ecclesial) approach systematic theology in different ways impacting a) the method employed to develop the system, b) the understanding of theology's task, c) the doctrines included in the system, and d) the order those doctrines appear. Even with such diversity, it is generally the case that works that one can describe as systematic theologies begin with revelation and conclude with eschatology. Since it is focused on truth, systematic theology is also framed to interact with and address the contemporary world. Many authors have explored this area, including Charles Gore, John Walvoord, Lindsay Dewar, and Charles Moule. This process concludes with applications to contemporary issues.

History

The establishment and integration of varied Christian ideas and Christianity-related notions, including diverse topics and themes of the Bible, in a single, coherent and well-ordered presentation is a relatively late development. The first known church father who referred to the notion of devising a comprehensive understanding of the principles of Christianity was

Clement of Alexandria Titus Flavius Clemens, also known as Clement of Alexandria (; – ), was a Christian theology, Christian theologian and philosopher who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria. Among his pupils were Origen and Alexander of Jerusalem. A ...

in the 3rd century, who stated thus: "Faith is then, so to speak, a comprehensive knowledge of the essentials." Clement himself, along with his follower

Origen Origen of Alexandria (), also known as Origen Adamantius, was an Early Christianity, early Christian scholar, Asceticism#Christianity, ascetic, and Christian theology, theologian who was born and spent the first half of his career in Early cent ...

, attempted to create some systematic theology in their numerous surviving writings. The first systematic theology in Latin was Lactantius's ''Divine Institutes,'' and the term ''Intitutio'' would set a precedence for works of systematic theology in the western tradition. In

Eastern Orthodoxy Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

, an early example is provided by

John of Damascus John of Damascus or John Damascene, born Yūḥana ibn Manṣūr ibn Sarjūn, was an Arab Christian monk, priest, hymnographer, and apologist. He was born and raised in Damascus or AD 676; the precise date and place of his death is not know ...

's 8th-century ''Exposition of the Orthodox Faith'', in which he attempts to set in order and demonstrate the coherence of the theology of the classic texts of the Eastern theological tradition. In the West,

Peter Lombard Peter Lombard (also Peter the Lombard, Pierre Lombard or Petrus Lombardus; 1096 – 21/22 August 1160) was an Italian scholasticism, scholastic theologian, Bishop of Paris, and author of ''Sentences, Four Books of Sentences'' which became the s ...

's 12th-century ''

Sentences The ''Sentences'' (. ) is a compendium of Christian theology written by Peter Lombard around 1150. It was the most important religious textbook of the Middle Ages. Background The sentence genre emerged from works like Prosper of Aquitaine's ...

'', wherein he thematically collected a great series of quotations of the

Church Fathers The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical peri ...

, became the basis of a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

scholastic tradition of thematic commentary and explanation.

's '' Summa Theologiae'' best exemplifies this scholastic tradition. The Lutheran scholastic tradition of a thematic, ordered exposition of Christian theology emerged in the 16th century with

Philipp Melanchthon Philip Melanchthon (born Philipp Schwartzerdt; 16 February 1497 – 19 April 1560) was a German Lutheran reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, an intellectual leader of the ...

's '' Loci Communes'', and was countered by a Calvinist scholasticism, which is exemplified by

John Calvin John Calvin (; ; ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French Christian theology, theologian, pastor and Protestant Reformers, reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of C ...

's ''

Institutes of the Christian Religion ''Institutes of the Christian Religion'' () is John Calvin's seminal work of systematic theology. Regarded as one of the most influential works of Protestant theology, it was published in Latin in 1536 at the same time as Henry VIII of England's ...

''. The 17th century saw a boom in focused systematic theologies within a renaissance of the scholastic method. Francis Turretin's ''Institutes of Elenctic Theology'' (1696) and Petrus van Mastricht's ''Theoretical-Practical Theology'' (1680) became touchstone works in the field, profoundly influencing later theologians like William Cunningham,

Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards may refer to: Musicians *Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, pseudonym of bandleader Paul Weston and his wife, singer Jo Stafford *Jonathan Edwards (musician) (born 1946), American musician **Jonathan Edwards (album), ''Jonathan Edward ...

Charles Hodge Charles Hodge (December 27, 1797 – June 19, 1878) was a Reformed Presbyterian theologian and principal of Princeton Theological Seminary between 1851 and 1878. He was a leading exponent of the Princeton Theology, an orthodox Calvinist theo ...

, and Herman Bavinck. Similarly,

William Ames William Ames (; Latin: ''Guilielmus Amesius''; 157614 November 1633) was an English Puritan minister, philosopher, and controversialist. He spent much time in the Netherlands, and is noted for his involvement in the controversy between the Ca ...

's systematic treatise, ''The Marrow of Theology'' (1629)'','' would become the standard textbook for Harvard and Yale in their nascent years. In the 19th century, primarily in

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

groups, varieties of systematic theology arose that attempted to demonstrate that Christian doctrine formed a more coherent system premised on one or more fundamental

axiom An axiom, postulate, or assumption is a statement that is taken to be true, to serve as a premise or starting point for further reasoning and arguments. The word comes from the Ancient Greek word (), meaning 'that which is thought worthy or ...

s, often reasoned out as a form of dogmatic theology. Such theologies often involved a more drastic pruning and reinterpretation of traditional belief in order to cohere with the axiom or axioms, and continental theology divided between various schools of dogmatic theology, e.g. Erlangen Theology ( e.g. F.C.K. Hoffman, Thomasius, and Gisle Johnson), Mediating Theology (e.g. Isaak Dorner), classical confessionalism (e.g. Hans Lassen Martensen and Herman Bavinck), and liberal theology (e.g.

Friedrich Schleiermacher Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher (; ; 21 November 1768 – 12 February 1834) was a German Reformed Church, Reformed theology, theologian, philosopher, and biblical scholar known for his attempt to reconcile the criticisms of the Age o ...

and Albrecht Ritschle). In the United States,

's ''Systematic Theology'' became a popular text in conjunction with his work at Princeton Theological Seminary. Significant for this period,

Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher Friedrich may refer to: Names *Friedrich (given name), people with the given name ''Friedrich'' *Friedrich (surname), people with the surname ''Friedrich'' Other *Friedrich (board game), a board game about Frederick the Great and the Seven Years' ...

's ''Der christliche Glaube nach den Grundsätzen der evangelischen Kirche'' (''The Christian Faith According to the Principles of the Protestant Church'' 821-1822 espoused the fundamental idea of a universal presence among humanity, sometimes more hidden, sometimes more explicit, of a feeling or awareness of 'absolute dependence,' and this became a focal point of either acceptation, integration, or rejection among theologians. As such, systematic theology in the 19th century became a sophisticated endeavor of developing and articulating theology from certain assumed first principles, often on the back of the philosophical conversations inherited from Hegel, Kant, and Schleiermacher. Systematic theology likewise saw a great variety of development into the 20th century, most notably with the advancement of

Neo-Orthodoxy In Christianity, Neo-orthodoxy or Neoorthodoxy, also known as crisis theology and dialectical theology, was a theological movement developed in the aftermath of the First World War. The movement was largely a reaction against doctrines of 19th ...

and the multivolume ''Church Dogmatics'' of

Karl Barth Karl Barth (; ; – ) was a Swiss Reformed theologian. Barth is best known for his commentary '' The Epistle to the Romans'', his involvement in the Confessing Church, including his authorship (except for a single phrase) of the Barmen Decl ...

. Helmuth Thielicke wrote his three-volume work, ''The Evangelical Faith,'' as a confessionally-Lutheran theology with existentialist emphases, and

Wolfhart Pannenberg Wolfhart Pannenberg (2 October 1928 – 4 September 2014) was a German Lutheran theologian. He made a number of significant contributions to modern theology, including his concept of history as a form of revelation centered on the resurre ...

's three-volume ''Systematic Theology'' is an eclectic example of modernist systematics that attempts to integrate faith and science. Robert Jenson's two-volume ''Systematic Theology,'' stands as a final installment of 20th century systematic theology, looking to questions of postmodernity from a Barthian perspective. Several popular-level textbook-style works emerged during this period within Evangelical theology, from Lewis Sperry Chafer's eight-volume ''Systematic Theology'' to

Wayne Grudem Wayne A. Grudem (born 1948) is an American New Testament scholar, theologian, seminary professor, and author. He is a professor of theology and biblical studies at Phoenix Seminary in Phoenix, Arizona. Biography Early life and education Grud ...

's stand-alone title ''Systematic Theology,'' a particularly sophisticated non-textbook example being the epistemological worldview theology of Carl F.H. Henry, contained in his six-volume ''God, Revelation and Authority.''

Reformed theology Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

also saw considerable contributions in the twentieth century, including Louis Berkhof's popular ''Systematic Theology'' and G.C. Berkouwer's multivolume ''Studies in Dogmatics.'' The latter half of the twentieth century also saw the emergence of systematic theologies dealing with critical themes from social, political, and economic perspective, including the Liberation Theology of James Cone and

Gustavo Gutiérrez Gustavo Gutiérrez-Merino Díaz (8 June 1928 – 22 October 2024) was a Peruvian philosopher, Catholic theologian, and Dominican priest who was one of the founders of liberation theology in Latin America. His 1971 book '' A Theology of Lib ...

, the Post-liberal Theology associated with

Yale Divinity School Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...

, and

Feminist Theology Feminist theology is a movement found in several religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Sikhism, Jainism, Neopaganism, Baháʼí Faith, Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and New Thought, to reconsider the traditions, practices, scri ...

(e.g. Sarah Coakley). As such, the variety and perspectives of systematic theology in the 20th century has tracked well with both the broadening of ethical concerns post-World War II, its expansive pluralism, and the advent of postmodernism.

References

Resources

* Barth, Karl (1956–1975). ''Church Dogmatics''. (thirteen volumes) Edinburgh: T&T Clark. () * Berkhof, Hendrikus (1979). ''Christian Faith: An Introduction to the Study of the Faith''. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. () * Berkhof, Louis (1996). ''Systematic Theology''. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. * Bloesch, Donald G. (2002–2004). ''Christian Foundations '' (seven volumes). Inter-varsity Press. (, , , , , , ) * Calvin, John (1559). ''

''. * Chafer, Lewis Sperry (1948). ''Systematic Theology''. Grand Rapids: Kregel * Chemnitz, Martin (1591). ''Loci Theologici''. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1989. * Erickson, Millard (1998). ''Christian Theology'' (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998. * Frame, John. ''Theology of Lordship'' () * Fruchtenbaum, Arnold (1989). ''Israelology: The Missing Link in Systematic Theology''. Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries * Fruchtenbaum, Arnold (1998). ''Messianic Christology''. Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries * Geisler, Norman L. (2002–2004). ''Systematic Theology'' (four volumes). Minneapolis: Bethany House. * Grenz, Stanley J. (1994). ''Theology for the Community of God''. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. () * Grider, J. Kenneth (1994). ''A Wesleyan-Holiness Theology'' () * Grudem, Wayne (1995). ''Systematic Theology''. Zondervan. () * Hodge, Charles (1960). ''Systematic Theology''. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. * Jenson, Robert W. (1997–1999). ''Systematic Theology''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. () * Melanchthon, Philipp (1543). ''Loci Communes''. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1992. () * Miley, John. ''Systematic Theology''. 1892. () * Newlands, George (1994). ''God in Christian Perspective''. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. * Oden, Thomas C. (1987–1992). ''Systematic Theology'' (3 volumes). Peabody, MA: Prince Press. * Pannenberg, Wolfhart (1988–1993). ''Systematic Theology''. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. * Pieper, Francis (1917–1924). ''Christian Dogmatics''. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House. * Reymond, Robert L. (1998). ''A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith'' (2nd ed.). Word Publishing. * Schleiermacher, Friedrich (1928). ''The Christian Faith''. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. * St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430). ''

De Civitate Dei ''On the City of God Against the Pagans'' (), often called ''The City of God'', is a book of Christian philosophy written in Latin by Augustine of Hippo in the early 5th century AD. Augustine wrote the book to refute allegations that Christian ...

'' * Thielicke, Helmut (1974–1982). ''The Evangelical Faith''. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. * Thiessen, Henry C. (1949). ''Systematic Theology''. Grand Rapids: William B. Erdsmans Publishing Co. * Tillich, Paul. ''Systematic Theology''. (3 volumes). * Turretin, Francis (3 parts, 1679–1685). ''Institutes of Elenctic Theology''. * Van Til, Cornelius (1974). ''An Introduction to Systematic Theology''. P & R Press. * Watson, Richard. ''Theological Institutes''. 1823. * Weber, Otto. (1981–1983) ''Foundations of Dogmatics''. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. {{DEFAULTSORT:Systematic Theology Christian theology Christian terminology

Method

Categories

History

See also

References

Resources