theologians
Scholars of divinity
Theologians are scholars who study religion, religious belief, and the nature of the divine.
The term typically refers to those working within a faith tradition—Christian theologians, Islamic theologians—though it can include academic study of religion more broadly.
Medieval theologians debated how many angels could dance on the head of a pin.
Unchallengeable official beliefs
- creedStatement of belief
- orthodoxyAdherence to accepted beliefs
- heresyBelief opposing official doctrine
- catechismReligious teaching guide
predestination · transubstantiation · providence · trinity · atonement · incarnation · justification · sanctification
Clergy training college
- divinitySacred nature or nougat-like sweet
- hermeneuticsStudy of interpretation methods
- exegesisCritical textual interpretation
- dogmaticsStudy of church doctrine
systematic · biblical · philology · doctorate · dissertation · faculty · tenure · journals
Sustained reflective attention
- transcendenceSurpassing usual limits
- spiritualityConnection to the sacred
- meditationFocused attention practice
- asceticismSevere self-denial practice
gnosis · union · dark night · quietism · desert fathers · quietude · illumination · purgation
Study of ultimate destiny
- ecclesiologyStudy of church theology
- homileticsScience of sermon-making
- sacramentalOf sacred rites
- angelologyStudy of celestial beings
Right and wrong principles
- bioethicsMoral philosophy for medicine
- natural lawInherent moral principles
- casuistryApplying principles to particulars
- theodicyDefense of divine goodness
just war · liberation · stewardship · human dignity · common good · conscience · discernment · personalism
Of church fathers
- scholasticRelating to formal learning
- reformedImproved after abandoning wrongdoing
- evangelicalZealously advocating beliefs
- orthodoxConforming to established belief
catholic · liberation · feminist · womanist · process · fundamentalist · liberal · eastern
dogma
Unchallengeable official beliefs
- creedStatement of belief
- orthodoxyAdherence to accepted beliefs
- heresyBelief opposing official doctrine
catechism · predestination · transubstantiation · providence · trinity · atonement · incarnation · justification · sanctification · infallibility
seminary
Clergy training college
- divinitySacred nature or nougat-like sweet
- hermeneuticsStudy of interpretation methods
- exegesisCritical textual interpretation
dogmatics · systematic · biblical · philology · doctorate · dissertation · faculty · tenure · journals · conferences
contemplation
Sustained reflective attention
- transcendenceSurpassing usual limits
- spiritualityConnection to the sacred
- meditationFocused attention practice
asceticism · gnosis · union · dark night · quietism · desert fathers · quietude · illumination · purgation
eschatology
Study of ultimate destiny
- ecclesiologyStudy of church theology
- homileticsScience of sermon-making
- sacramentalOf sacred rites
angelology · pastoral · canon law · theodicy · phenomenology
morality
Right and wrong principles
- bioethicsMoral philosophy for medicine
- natural lawInherent moral principles
- casuistryApplying principles to particulars
theodicy · just war · liberation · stewardship · human dignity · common good · conscience · discernment · personalism · subsidiarity
patristic
Of church fathers
- scholasticRelating to formal learning
- reformedImproved after abandoning wrongdoing
- evangelicalZealously advocating beliefs
orthodox · catholic · liberation · feminist · womanist · process · fundamentalist · liberal · eastern
- Catholic ChurchVatican, papacy, cardinals, popes, papal
- believersbeliever, believers, adherent, devotee, theist
- notablesleaders, celebrities, dignitary, rulers, VIPs
- Catholic figurescardinals, archbishops, abbots, bishops, friars
- Christian ScholarsAugustine, Aquinas, Thomas Aquinas, Jerome, Athanasius
- medieval clergypriest, monk, nun, bishop, abbot
theologiansscientists
Systematic knowledge seekers
empiricists · materialists · naturalists · physicists · rationalists
theologiansatheists
Those without religious faith
antitheists · skeptics · freethinkers · secularists · nonbelievers