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Theological Seminary

A religious college is a specialized and often live-in advanced training institution for the function of teaching students (called seminarists) in doctrine, theology, spiritualism and the pious living, commonly in order to make them to be members of the clergy. Theological seminaries are also called as divinity colleges, divinity schools or just seminaries. The English language term "seminary" is taken from the Latin term seminarium, translated as seedlings-bed. In the Western Countries, the term historically reffered to spiritual educational institutions for clergy (usually Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Anglican, as differing Protestants used another term for their theological colleges).

The Islamic and Judaic equivalents to a Christian theological school are termed as Madrasah and Yeshiva, respectively.

The constitution of today's theological seminary institutions was a result of Roman Catholic reforms of the Counter-Reformation after the Council of Trent whichasserted on thebetterment of the education of clergywith the creation of theological seminaries as live together colleges under the organized control of elderly clergy. This later resulted to the foundation of small-scale theological seminaries to educate younger students for the religious work. The Tridentine model of theological schools was one of a live in, nearly monastical community where lifestyle and prayer were properly supervised and rectified as a means to reforming pre-Reformation maltreatment between the clergy. The theological seminary establishments were in contrast to the freer intellectual atmosphere of the Colleges. The Tridentine theological seminaries put greater weight on personal discipline as well as the instruction of religious doctrine as a initial stage for theology. This way of teaching that was explicitly objected by Protestant reformers like John Calvin.

The Tridentine type of religious seminaries has since then been accepted and put into use by other Christian denominations and also by Judaism, however today in a more open way than the Tridentine model, and often times without the Catholic emphasis on the compulsory study of religious doctrine and the Roman Catholic requirement to live on campus within the religious fraternity of the religious school.

In some nations, the term theological seminary is also used to denote schools of higher education to instruct teachers. While the work of the teaching theological seminaries and religious colleges may be differing, the nomenclature has not undergone a change. During the 19th century in the United States, theological colleges provided education to women for the only socially acceptable occupation: teaching. Only bachelor women could be teachers. Many early female colleges began as women's seminaries and were responsible for making a significant corps of educators.

Today, theological colleges have come to be much less rigid. As a matter of fact, many theological schools provide online courses and degrees as well. If you have other commitments, but want to know more about philosophy and beliefs, online learning programs may be apt for you.

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