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Aseminary,school of theology,theological college, ordivinity school is aneducational institution for educating students (sometimes calledseminarians) inscripture andtheology, generally to prepare them forordination to serve asclergy, in academics, or mostly inChristian ministry.[1]
The English word is taken fromLatin:seminarium, translated as 'seed-bed', an image taken from theCouncil of Trent documentCum adolescentium aetas, 'Since the age of adolescence' which called for the first modern seminaries.[2]
In the United States, the term is currently used forgraduate-level theological institutions, but historically it was used forhigh schools.
The establishment of seminaries in modern times resulted from Roman Catholic reforms of theCounter-Reformation after theCouncil of Trent.[3] These Tridentine seminaries placed great emphasis on spiritual formation and personal discipline as well as the study, first of philosophy as a base, and, then, as the final crown, theology.[4] The oldest Catholic seminary in the United States isSt. Mary's Seminary and University inBaltimore founded in 1791.[5] In the United States, Protestant institutions also widely adopted the term 'seminary' for independent graduate schools (separate from a university) to train their ministers. The oldest such Protestant seminary in the United States was founded inAndover, Massachusetts, in 1807 as theAndover Theological Seminary and was affiliated with theCongregationalist Church. After two mergers and a number of relocations, Andover is now part of theYale Divinity School, inNew Haven, Connecticut.
General guidelines for seminary formation are set out in the governing document as of 2016 isRatio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis, 1992'sPastores dabo vobis, and theCode of Canon Law. Seminaries are overseen by regionalconferences of bishops. In the United States, the governing document isProgram of Priestly Formation: in the United States of America (6th Ed.), published by theUnited States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2022.
Seminaries in the Catholic Church are divided intominor seminaries for teenagers and major seminaries for adults, including both college seminaries, sometimes also known as minor seminaries, for undergraduate students and post-graduate seminaries for those who already have abachelor's degree. There are also seminaries for older adults who are well out of school, such as theSacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology in Wisconsin, and for other more specialized purposes.
All seminaries are run either byreligious orders or bydioceses or other similar structures. Often a seminary will train both that particular order's or diocese's priests and the priests of other orders or dioceses that select that particular seminary for its priests. For instance,Saint John's Seminary in Boston, Massachusetts trains priests for many of the other dioceses in New England which aresuffragan dioceses of theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. Either way, a man who seeks to enter a seminary to become a priest must be sponsored by either a diocese or by a religious order.
Often a diocese might be attached to or affiliated with a larger Catholic college or university so that the larger college and its faculty provides more general education in history or theology while the seminary focuses on topics specific to the needs of future priests, such as training incanon law, thesacraments, andpreaching, or specific to the particular order or diocese. For instance theTheological College inWashington, D.C., is part ofThe Catholic University of America.
Further, in Rome there are several seminaries which educate seminarians or already ordained priests and bishops and which are maintained by orders or dioceses from outside of Italy. Many countries have their ownpontifical seminary in Italy, usually very close to the Vatican. For instance, thePontifical North American College, which trains priests from the United States and elsewhere, is supported by theUnited States Conference of Catholic Bishops. These colleges usually award degrees to seminarians and priests pursuing further education and specializing in specific fields such asScripture,hagiography,moral theology, orCanon Law, among countless others. In addition to civil degrees, these pontifical seminaries confer ecclesiastical degrees (Baccalaureate of Sacred Theology,Licentiate of Sacred Theology, andDoctorate of Sacred Theology), which are backed by the Holy See. Only someCatholic universities may bestow these degrees; these are calledecclesiastical orpontifical universities. The only pontificalseminary outside of Italy is thePontifical College Josephinum, inColumbus, Ohio.
As outlined by theRatio, Catholic seminary formation is composed of four major components, or dimensions: human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral. Thehuman dimension focuses on the seminarian's ability to relate to others, show etiquette, and care for himself (in what he eats, frequency of exercise, healthcare, etc.). Thespiritual dimension aids the seminarian in becoming more responsive to God and forming a habit of prayer throughout the day. It also emphasizes the importance of theSacraments andliturgy. Theintellectual dimension consists of academic classes, usually beginning with a college degree, usually aBachelor of Arts or aBachelor of Philosophy, and terminating in a higher degree, such as aMaster of Arts in Theology or aMaster of Divinity. Thepastoral dimension helps to develop pastoral familiarity with situations such asbedside manner, marriage, and life in the parish.
For Catholic seminarians, seminary formation can be divided into four distinct stages of formation.
TheDallas Theological Seminary (DTS) is anevangelicaltheological seminary inDallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system ofdispensationalism. DTS has campuses in Dallas,Houston, andWashington, D.C., as well asextension sites inAtlanta,Austin,San Antonio,Nashville, NorthwestArkansas, Europe, andGuatemala, and a multilingualonline education program. DTS is the largest non-denominational seminary accredited by theAssociation of Theological Schools.
DTS was founded as "Evangelical Theological College" in 1924 by Rollin T. Chafer and his brother,Lewis Sperry Chafer, who taught the first class of thirteen students, andWilliam Henry Griffith Thomas,[6] who was to have been the school's first theology professor but died before the first classes began.[7] Their vision was a school whereexpositoryBible preaching was taught simply, and under Chafers' leadership, DTS pioneered one of the first four-year degrees in theology, theMaster of Theology (Th.M.). The present location of the school was purchased in 1926 andDoctor of Theology (Th.D.) program was started in 1927.[8] Chafer remained president until his death in 1952.
The seminary had a considerable influence in thefundamentalist movement by training students who established variousBible Colleges and independent fundamentalist churches in the southern United States.[9]
TheInternational Council for Evangelical Theological Education was founded in 1980 by the Theological Commission of theWorld Evangelical Alliance.[10] In 2015, it would have 1,000 member schools in 113 countries.[11]
In some countries, the termseminary is also used for secular schools of higher education that train teachers; in the nineteenth century, manyfemale seminaries were established in the United States.[12]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) hosts seminary classes forhigh school students ages 14 to 18, as part of theChurch Educational System. Unlike use in other religious contexts, the word "seminary", in an LDS Church context, does not refer to a higher education program designed to train students that they may obtain a church-based career.[13] LDS seminary students do not get high school credit for their seminary studies.
The dictionary definition ofseminary at Wiktionary
