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FoundationsHow does theology know what it knows?

Divinity

What is divinity?

Divinity is an English institutional and degree designation for the academic study of theology and religion, often but not exclusively linked to preparation for religious leadership. It survives in the names of British and Irish faculties and chairs, in the BD, MDiv and DD, and in North American university divinity schools; elsewhere the same field is called theology.

  • 124Sources
  • 12Traditions
  • 16Dated entries
  • 15Minutes

Study v1.0, 15 October 2026

Divinity

At a glance

Why it matters for reading Scripture

Divinity is the degree through which most scholars and ministers are trained. Knowing how it is taught shows what they have studied.

What the study found

Divinity is the English institutional and degree name for the academic study of theology; a divinity degree is an academic qualification, not a licence to minister.

Where traditions divide

Traditions divide on who governs formation (a peer accreditor, the Holy See, a Holy Synod with the state) and on the ordination of women.

How the traditions compare

  • North America

    Until 30 June 2026 each school set its curriculum within the 2020 Standards of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), which define the MDiv by purpose, minimum credits, four content areas and supervised practice, and leave its length to the school; revised Standards took effect on 1 July 2026.

    Recognition comes from the ATS Commission on Accrediting, itself recognized by CHEA, and the churches add their own gates: the PC(USA) sets five standard ordination examinations, the Episcopal Church a General Ordination Examination and the PCA trials in Greek and Hebrew. The Orthodox seminaries use the ATS degree but leave ordination to the hierarchy.

    Sources1–8

  • Britain and Ireland

    The universities control curricula and award degrees; the churches select candidates and work through partnerships.

    In England, Common Awards, a partnership of the theological education institutions, the Church of England and Durham University, has delivered programs since autumn 2014, and a Church of England curacy is a fixed-term post of three and a half years from ordination as deacon. In Scotland, accepted candidates study divinity degrees at an affiliated college and serve supervised placements ending in a 15-month probationary period. Research pathways run to the PhD and to the DD, which survives as an earned higher doctorate.

    Sources9–12

  • Protestant churches of continental Europe

    Divinity mostly means state-university theology faculties working in partnership with the churches under church treaties: Heidelberg's Protestant faculty is guaranteed by the Baden church treaty of 14 November 1932, while Tübingen's Protestant faculty has no treaty guarantee.

    The German pastoral route is a full study of theology of ten semesters and 300 ECTS credits, with Hebrew, Greek and Latin, ending in the church examination or the university Magister Theologiae, which qualifies for the Vikariat, the church's practical training period. Switzerland and the Nordic countries pair a university master's degree with a church-run practical phase, as in Norway, where the cand.theol. qualifies for ordination as a priest in the Church of Norway, and Denmark, where it is followed by a pastoral seminary of about four months.

    Sources13–18

  • Catholic Church

    Ecclesiastical degrees follow Veritatis Gaudium (2017): a first cycle in sacred theology of five years or ten semesters, or three years or six semesters where a prior two-year course in philosophy is required, ends in the Baccalaureate, followed by the Licentiate and the Doctorate.

    Priestly formation is governed separately, by the Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis of 8 December 2016, so that the pontifical or university faculty grants degrees and the diocesan seminary forms priests. The Dicastery for Culture and Education holds competence over ecclesiastical faculties. In Germany the state faculty and the concordat combine: Freiburg's Catholic faculty is guaranteed by the Baden Concordat of 12 October 1932 and Tübingen's by the Reich Concordat of 20 July 1933.

    Sources1319–22

  • Eastern Orthodox churches

    Two models appear: a state university faculty under church canonical oversight, and church-run schools governed by the synod that seek state recognition separately; in every case documented, the bishop's blessing is the gatekeeper for admission, for teaching posts, or both.

    In Romania the Holy Synod approves the establishment, organization, functioning and closure of university theology faculties, which sit inside state universities under the supervision of the Church and the Ministry of Education. In Serbia the 2021 Law on Higher Education made Holy Synod approval a mandatory condition of employment at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Belgrade. Russia's model is dual: the church's Educational Committee monitors the quality of education in the theological schools, and theology entered the state list of higher education disciplines on 17 February 2000.

    Sources23–28

  • Oriental Orthodox churches

    Each Oriental Orthodox church controls its own schools, and the state's role differs by country.

    The Coptic Clerical College, founded by Pope Kyrillos V in January 1875, awards a four-year Bachelor of Theology and has Pope Tawadros II as its Dean. Armenia's Gevorkian Seminary gained state higher education status in 2002 and is the only body in the country that can award the Candidate of Theology. In Ethiopia a traditional system of church schools, from reading and memorizing Scripture to liturgical chant, poetry and the exegetical schools, runs alongside the theological college, and in India the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Theological Seminary awards degrees through the Senate of Serampore.

    Sources29–32

  • Eastern Catholic churches

    The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (1990) gives the synod of bishops of each patriarchal Church, or its council of hierarchs, the task of setting up the program of clerical formation, which must follow the tradition of its own Church sui iuris.

    Priesthood candidates study for at least six complete years, two of philosophy and four of theology, and pastoral formation is adapted to celibate or married students, a provision with no equivalent in the Latin Code. The academic degrees still come under Veritatis Gaudium.

    Sources1933–35

  • Africa

    Control of curricula is split three ways: public universities in partnership with churches, church colleges and universities under national regulators, and church-run schools that sit outside any framework.

    Recognition comes through the general higher education regulators, such as Kenya's Commission for University Education and South Africa's Department of Higher Education and Training, and evangelical peer accreditation runs through ACTEA. The Theological Education by Extension of the Organization of African Instituted Churches has run since 1980 on an informal model without a formal curriculum.

    Sources36–39

  • Asia

    Asia cannot be read as one system, because the legal conditions differ more than anywhere else.

    In China the Measures for the Administration of Religious Schools, in force from 1 September 2021, have the state religious-affairs authority set public courses that take at least 30 percent of class hours, and the credentials are not part of the national education system. Korea's model is denominational, with the church controlling both the graduate school and the ordination examination, while Protestant and Orthodox schools in India award degrees through the Senate of Serampore. Elsewhere in South-East and East Asia the peer accreditors dominate: ATESEA links 98 institutions in 13 countries, and the Asia Theological Association has 393 member institutions in 33 countries.

    Sources40–44

  • Oceania

    In Australia curricula are set by providers registered with the regulator TEQSA, several of them federations of church colleges.

    Melbourne's University of Divinity began by Act of the Victorian Parliament on 17 December 1910 as the Melbourne College of Divinity and is made up of twelve colleges. On 20 December 2024 TEQSA registered the Australian College of Theology as Australia's 44th university, renamed the Australian University of Theology in January 2025. In the Pacific, the South Pacific Association of Theological Schools, established in 1969, accredits member schools.

    Sources45–50

  • Latin America

    The Catholic faculties hold dual canonical and civil status: the Javeriana in Bogotá, for example, offers ecclesiastical degrees alongside civil degrees recognized by Colombia.

    The ecumenical Protestant network has passed through FEPETEAL, CETELA and the WCC-linked forum FETELAC, while on the evangelical side AETAL awards a quality seal. Brazil's national guidelines govern any theology bachelor's degree that seeks civil recognition.

    Sources51–55

  • Pentecostal and charismatic networks

    Curricula are controlled by the denominations, and accreditation is borrowed from regional bodies, states and partner universities; no global Pentecostal accreditor was found.

    In the Assemblies of God model in Latin America, each national church runs a three-year Bible institute on a common Basic Plan, and a fourth year through ISUM leads to a BA. Assessment for ministry is denominational credentialing rather than a degree: Global University's Berean School of the Bible is the credentialing route for Assemblies of God ministers.

    Sources56–57

How the field developed

  1. Medieval
    1215

    Robert de Courçon's Paris statutes bar anyone under 35 from lecturing in theology, the highest of the three higher faculties, and require at least eight years of study, including five years hearing theology.5859

  2. Medieval
    28 August 1413

    The St Andrews Faculty of Divinity is incorporated with the University, with Lawrence of Lindores as its first professor of theology.60

  3. Reformation
    1502

    The Cambridge indenture founding the Lady Margaret's Professorship is dated 8 September 1502; letters patent of 1497 had licensed Lady Margaret Beaufort to endow lectureships at the universities. It is Cambridge's oldest chair, and John Fisher is its first holder.616263

  4. Reformation
    1535 to 1540

    Royal lectures in divinity are founded at Oxford in 1535 and the formal regius appointments made in 1540, the year Henry VIII founds the Cambridge Regius Professorship of Divinity.64656662

  5. Reformation
    15 July 1563

    Session XXIII of the Council of Trent requires cathedral and larger churches to maintain a college in which youths are trained in ecclesiastical discipline. It is the origin of a distinction that still holds in Catholic practice: the pontifical or university faculty grants degrees, and the diocesan seminary forms priests.6721

  6. Modern
    1721

    The Hollis Professorship of Divinity is endowed at Harvard, the first named professorship at Harvard College and the oldest in the United States.68

  7. Modern
    1807 to 1812

    Andover is founded in 1807 by orthodox Congregationalists who broke from Harvard, and it claims to have been the first graduate school of any kind in North America; the Presbyterian General Assembly founds Princeton Theological Seminary in 1812.6970

  8. Modern
    1811

    Friedrich Schleiermacher's Brief Outline of the Study of Theology divides theology into philosophical, historical and practical theology, held together by the guidance of the Church. The argument keeps a professional theology faculty inside the modern research university, the model David Kelsey later calls the "Berlin" model.7172

  9. Modern
    1816

    Harvard Divinity School is established; it describes itself as the first nonsectarian theological school in the United States.68

  10. Modern
    28 April 1876

    A Dutch law creates the duplex ordo in the state theology faculties at Leiden, Utrecht and Groningen, moving the church-tied chairs into a church-run adjunct and adding the science of religion.73

  11. Modern
    1918 to 1938

    In August 1918, 101 delegates from about fifty schools meet at Harvard for the first Conference of Theological Seminaries and Colleges in the United States and Canada. A revision of 1936 renames the body the American Association of Theological Schools and creates the Commission on Accrediting, and the first accreditation report, in 1938, accredits 46 of 61 applicant schools.747576

  12. Modern
    1963 to 1964

    In Abington v. Schempp the US Supreme Court holds that state-required Bible reading and recitation of the Lord's Prayer in public schools violate the Establishment Clause, while stating that study of the Bible or of religion "presented objectively as part of a secular program of education" is consistent with the First Amendment. In 1964 the National Association of Biblical Instructors is incorporated as the American Academy of Religion.777879

  13. Modern
    1972

    The MDiv becomes the official nomenclature in North America, replacing the BD, and the Association takes its present name, the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada; two other ATS publications give 1974 for the renaming.74808182

  14. Modern
    8 December 2017

    Veritatis Gaudium is promulgated, setting the cycles of the Catholic ecclesiastical degrees.19

  15. Modern
    1 September 2021

    China's Measures for the Administration of Religious Schools come into force, requiring Sinicization and stating that the credentials apply within the religious community and are not part of the national education system.40

  16. Modern
    2026

    ATS members approve revised Standards of Accreditation in June, in effect from 1 July. On 15 July a committee of Kenya's National Assembly gives theology colleges 90 days to regularize their operations or face closure.2833684

How to study divinity

The questions it asks

  • Who controls the curricula?
  • What qualifications are awarded, and who recognizes them?
  • Who may study?
  • How are candidates for ministry assessed, and how does a degree relate to ordination?8
  • What research pathways exist?
  • Where do reliable data not exist, and what does each dataset actually count?

Its method

Start

  1. Keep apart four questions that the name does not settle: what is studied, what the unit is called, whether the study prepares for a role, and whether a church governs or sponsors it85186.

  2. Distinguish the five credentials of ministry and the bodies that grant them: the academic qualification, supervised practice and formation, ecclesiastical assessment, ordination, and professional certification887.

  3. Compare qualifications on the same terms: entry requirement, level, length, who recognizes them, practical training and relation to ordination, giving figures only where a source has been read.

  4. Examine each region and tradition against the same seven questions, describing each system in its own terms and none as the norm for the others.

  5. Start from the gatekeeper rather than the degree name, asking who holds each gate, from admission and teaching posts to ordination.

  6. Read each dataset for the population it counts, its year and scope, and what it can and cannot support; figures from different datasets cannot be added, ranked against each other or read as one trend.

  7. Where two sources disagree, record both and state the position taken; points that cannot be confirmed from a primary or official source stay open, not evidence that the facts do not exist.

  8. Where two institutions claim the same lineage, name each by its church, as with the two Kyiv academies8889.

What to read

Its primary witnesses

  • Robert de Courçon's statutes of the University of Paris of 1215, from the Chartularium Universitatis Parisiensis58.
  • The decree of Session XXIII of the Council of Trent, 15 July 156367.
  • Foundation documents of the chairs, such as the Cambridge indenture of 8 September 1502 and the royal grant of 26 August 1605 that annexed a Christ Church canonry to the Oxford chair6190.
  • The ATS Standards of Accreditation (2020), which define the MDiv1.
  • Veritatis Gaudium (2017) for ecclesiastical degrees and the Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis (2016) for priestly formation1920.
  • The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (1990) on clerical formation3334.
  • Church rules for ordination, such as the PC(USA)'s five standard ordination examinations and the Romanian Patriarchate's 2025 Regulation of Orthodox Theological Seminaries591.
  • State law, such as Brazil's Resolution CNE/CES No. 4 of 16 September 2016 and China's Measures for the Administration of Religious Schools (2021)5540.
  • The ATS Annual Data Tables for autumn 202592.
  • The Holy See's Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae, as summarized by the Central Office of Church Statistics9394.
  • The EKD Hochschulportal and the church examination figures for Germany9596.

Standard reference works

  • Friedrich Schleiermacher's Brief Outline of the Study of Theology (1811; second edition 1830)71.
  • Edward Farley's Theologia (1983), which opened, in L. Gregory Jones's words, "more than three decades of intellectual conversation"97.
  • Charles Wood's Vision and Discernment (1985), and David Kelsey's To Understand God Truly (1992) and Between Athens and Berlin (1993)9872.
  • Collinson, Rex and Stanton's Lady Margaret Beaufort and her Professors of Divinity at Cambridge, 1502-1649 (2003), the standard history of the first English chair99.
  • Educating Clergy (2006), from the turn to practice funded by Lilly and Carnegie100.
  • The Handbook of Theological Education in World Christianity (2010; reissued 2020)101102.
  • Cahalan and Mikoski's Opening the Field of Practical Theology (2014)103.
  • Bernhard Ott's Understanding and Developing Theological Education (2016) and Perry Shaw's Transforming Theological Education (second edition 2022)104105.
  • Aleshire's Beyond Profession (2021), which argues for a move from the professional model to formation in a wisdom of God106.
  • Willie James Jennings's After Whiteness107.
  • Journals of the field, among them Theological Education (ATS), the Harvard Theological Review (1908) and the Scottish Journal of Theology (1948)74108109.

Scholarship referenced in this study

The works below shaped the field and are cited in this study, from the earliest to the most recent. Hover over a book, or select it, to see its author and the sources behind it.

  • 1811; second edition 1830Brief Outline of the Study of TheologyFriedrich SchleiermacherBrief Outline of the Study of Theology (1811; second edition 1830)Friedrich SchleiermacherSources71
  • 1983TheologiaEdward FarleyTheologia (1983)Edward FarleySources97
  • 1985Vision and DiscernmentCharles WoodVision and Discernment (1985)Charles WoodSources98
  • 1988With Passion and CompassionFabellaWith Passion and Compassion (1988)Fabella, with OduyoyeSources110
  • 1992To Understand God TrulyDavid KelseyTo Understand God Truly (1992)David KelseySources98
  • 1993Between Athens and BerlinDavid KelseyBetween Athens and Berlin (1993)David KelseySources7298
  • 2003Lady Margaret Beaufort and her Professors of Divinity at Cambridge, 1502-1649CollinsonLady Margaret Beaufort and her Professors of Divinity at Cambridge, 1502-1649 (2003)Collinson, with Rex and StantonSources99
  • 2014Opening the Field of Practical TheologyCahalanOpening the Field of Practical Theology (2014)Cahalan, with MikoskiSources103
  • 2016Understanding and Developing Theological EducationBernhard OttUnderstanding and Developing Theological Education (2016)Bernhard OttSources104
  • 2021Beyond ProfessionAleshireBeyond Profession (2021)AleshireSources106
  • second edition 2022Transforming Theological EducationPerry ShawTransforming Theological Education (second edition 2022)Perry ShawSources105

Listed because this study draws on their published work; no association with or endorsement of Numa Verse is implied. Suggest a correction.

Key terms

The words that carry the most weight in this field, each defined from the sources of this study. Turn a card over to read its definition.

The older English name for theology: its earliest attested sense, from about 1300, is the science of divine things, before the senses of the quality of being divine and a divine being111.

A school that forms candidates for ministry, freestanding and usually church-founded; in its modern sense the word first appears in Cardinal Pole's English regulations of 1556, and a university faculty of theology is not a seminary21.

The field that studies about religion rather than practicing it, with roots in the nineteenth-century science of religion11273.

The English counterpart of the Paris bachelor of theology; it is not one degree, but a three-year school-leaver course at Edinburgh, a four-year graduate course at Serampore and a graduate-entry degree in Australia113114115.

The graduate degree that prepares people for religious leadership or service in congregations and other settings; it replaced the BD as the official North American name in 1972, and the 2020 ATS Standards set at least 72 semester credits174.

A degree that survives in Britain as an earned higher doctorate; Cambridge calls it the highest degree it awards in the subject12.

A royal chair in theology: Henry VIII founded the Cambridge chair in 1540, and at Oxford the lectures were founded in 1535 and the formal regius appointments made in 1540626465.

Degrees granted under Holy See norms in three cycles, the Baccalaureate, the Licentiate and the Doctorate19.

The German church's practical training period after the theology degree: two and a half years in the Rhineland, or two for those starting from 1 April 2026, ending in the second theological examination116.

The main route to theological training alongside the university in Africa; by 1980 it had reached 55,378 extension students in 77 countries, 38.1 percent of them in Africa117.

Where it sits

Builds on

Divinity

Questions people ask

No: a divinity degree, including the MDiv, is an academic qualification and not itself a license to minister, and St Vladimir's states that its MDiv "does not make a student automatically eligible for ordination"8. Supervised practice, church assessment, ordination and professional certification are separate credentials granted by other bodies; Stellenbosch's BDiv, for example, does not by itself lead to ordination in the Dutch Reformed or Uniting Reformed churches87. In no system documented does the academic qualification itself confer ordination.

Divinity is the older English name for theology111, and the English titles Faculty of Divinity, Bachelor of Divinity and Doctor of Divinity are best read as renderings of the Latin facultas theologiae and its degrees, not as a separate field. Outside Britain the word traveled with Anglo-American missions and church colleges; where Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran and Reformed churches built the institutions, the name is theology in the local language11811914.

No single figure exists, because each dataset counts a different population and none can be added to another. The 280 ATS schools in the United States and Canada enrolled 81,364 students in autumn 202592, the Catholic Church counted 103,604 major seminarians at 31 December 20249394, and German Protestant church examinations for the pastorate fell from 323 in 2015 to 174 in 202396. Much of the field lies outside every table: the Assemblies of God alone reported more than 1,100 Bible schools and 1,276 extension programs worldwide in 2015120.

In Catholic practice the distinction goes back to the Council of Trent, which in 1563 required cathedral and larger churches to maintain a college for training youths in ecclesiastical discipline67. The pontifical or university faculty grants degrees, and the diocesan seminary forms priests; the two existed side by side, and Paris seminarians attended lectures at the Sorbonne21.

Who may study and who may be ordained are separate questions, and each church answers the second in its own documents. The Catholic Church's Ordinatio Sacerdotalis (1994) holds that the Church has no authority to confer priestly ordination on women121, and the inter-Orthodox consultation at Rhodes in 1988 reaffirmed the male character of the sacramental priesthood while calling for the restoration of the order of deaconesses, according to a World Council of Churches report122. The Church of England ordained its first women priests on 12 March 1994123, while the Southern Baptist Convention's Baptist Faith and Message 2000 limits the office of pastor to men124. In autumn 2025 women were 27.5 percent of MDiv students at ATS schools92.

Contribute to divinity

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  1. 1Standards of Accreditation, 2020 (ATS Commission on Accrediting)https://divinity.duke.edu/sites/default/files/documents/standards-of-accreditation_0.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  2. 2Standards Review 2025 (Association of Theological Schools)https://www.ats.edu/StandardsReview2025 (opens in a new tab)
  3. 3About (Association of Theological Schools)https://www.ats.edu/about (opens in a new tab)
  4. 4ATS Commission on Accrediting (CHEA)https://www.chea.org/commission-accrediting-association-theological-schools?page=0 (opens in a new tab)
  5. 5Exam Handbook, Release 3.5, 2026 (Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.))https://pcusa.org/sites/default/files/2026-07/Exam%20Handbook%202026%20Rel%203-5%20FINAL%20%281%29.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  6. 6General Board of Examining Chaplains, mandate (The Episcopal Church)https://extranet.generalconvention.org/governing_and_interim_bodies/interim_bodies/1517/mandate (opens in a new tab)
  7. 7Book of Church Order 21-4 (PCA Historical Center)https://pcahistory.org/bco/fog/21/04.html (opens in a new tab)
  8. 8Master of Divinity (St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary)https://www.svots.edu/master-divinity-mdiv (opens in a new tab)
  9. 9Common Awards (Durham University)https://www.durham.ac.uk/common.awards (opens in a new tab)
  10. 10IME2 Handbook 2024-25 (Diocese of Norwich)https://www.dioceseofnorwich.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/IME2-Handbook-2024-25-v1.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  11. 11Ministry training (Church of Scotland)https://churchofscotland.org.uk/serve/vocations/training (opens in a new tab)
  12. 12Guide for applicants for the DD (University of Cambridge)https://www.cambridgestudents.cam.ac.uk/files/guide_to_applicants_dd.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  13. 13Denkschrift 2005, theology faculties (Rechnungshof Baden-Württemberg)https://rechnungshof.baden-wuerttemberg.de/fileadmin/Denkschriften/B025_2005.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  14. 14Evangelische Theologie, Kirchliche Prüfung (LMU Munich)https://www.lmu.de/de/studium/studienangebot/alle-studienfaecher-und-studiengaenge/evangelische-theologie-kirchl.-pruefung-ev.-hauptfach-5260.html (opens in a new tab)
  15. 15Magister Theologiae course flyer, 2023 (University of Rostock)https://www.uni-rostock.de/storages/uni-rostock/UniHome/Studium/2._Studienangebot/2.8_Alle_Studiengaenge/Studiengangsflyer/THF/Theologie_Magister_neu_Stand_2023.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  16. 16Magister Theologiae (University of Göttingen, Faculty of Theology)https://gcms-prod1.uni-goettingen.de/en/faculty+of+theology/595600.html (opens in a new tab)
  17. 17MF professional study in theology (utdanning.no)https://utdanning.no/utdanning/mf.no/profesjonsstudium_teologi (opens in a new tab)
  18. 18Consultation response on Betænkning 1503 (Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs, Denmark)https://www.blkm.dk/fileadmin/share/Praesteuddannelse/Teologiske_uddannelser.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  19. 19Veritatis Gaudium, Pope Francis (The Holy See)https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_constitutions/documents/papa-francesco_costituzione-ap_20171208_veritatis-gaudium.html (opens in a new tab)
  20. 20Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis, Congregation for the Clergy (CatholicCulture.org)https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=11462 (opens in a new tab)
  21. 21Ecclesiastical Seminary (Catholic Encyclopedia, New Advent)https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13694a.htm (opens in a new tab)
  22. 22Dicastery for Culture and Education, profile (The Holy See)https://www.vatican.va/content/romancuria/en/dicasteri/dicastero-cultura-educazione/profilo.html (opens in a new tab)
  23. 23Responsibilities of the Holy Synod (Romanian Patriarchate)https://patriarhia.ro/en/?p=7164 (opens in a new tab)
  24. 24Seminary and Romanian faculties form ties (St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, 26 June 2017)https://www.svots.edu/headlines/seminary-and-romanian-faculties-form-ties (opens in a new tab)
  25. 25Kovačević, on the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Belgrade, Rivista di Diritto Antidiscriminatorio 6 (2024) (dirittoantidiscriminatorio.it)https://dirittoantidiscriminatorio.it/app/uploads/2025/01/7_Kovacevic.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  26. 26Collected Documents of the Russian Orthodox Church, vol. 2, part 1, section II.4 (azbyka.ru)https://www.azbyka.ru/otechnik/pravila/sobranie-dokumentov-russkoj-pravoslavnoj-tserkvi-tom-2-chast-1/4_8 (opens in a new tab)
  27. 27Theology in Russian higher education, Journal of European Baptist Studies 21:1 (2021) (jebs.eu)https://jebs.eu/ojs/index.php/jebs/article/download/696/598 (opens in a new tab)
  28. 28Theology approved as a scientific specialty (OrthoChristian, from Interfax-Religion, 12 October 2015)https://orthochristian.com/86697.html (opens in a new tab)
  29. 29Clerical and Theological College (Coptic Orthodox Church)https://copticorthodox.church/en/?p=21802 (opens in a new tab)
  30. 30Gevorkian Theological Seminary (Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin)https://armenianchurch.org/en/gevorkian-theological-seminary (opens in a new tab)
  31. 31Tsegaw and Tsegaye, Between the University and the Monastery, Kulturní studia 25:2 (2025) (kulturnistudia.cz)https://kulturnistudia.cz/between-the-university-and-the-monastery-the-ethiopian-church-and-the-transformation-of-knowledge/ (opens in a new tab)
  32. 32History (Malankara Syrian Orthodox Theological Seminary)https://msotseminary.edu.in/history (opens in a new tab)
  33. 33Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, c. 330 (IntraText)https://www.intratext.com/IXT/ENG1199/__P96.HTM (opens in a new tab)
  34. 34Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, c. 348 (IntraText)https://www.intratext.com/IXT/ENG1199/__P9O.HTM (opens in a new tab)
  35. 35Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, c. 352 (IntraText)https://www.intratext.com/IXT/ENG1199/__P9S.HTM (opens in a new tab)
  36. 36Theology colleges ordered to regularise operations in 90 days or risk closure (Kenyans.co.ke, 16 July 2026)https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/125307-theology-colleges-order-regularise-operations-90-days-or-risk-closure (opens in a new tab)
  37. 37Annual Report 2024 (George Whitefield College)https://manage.gwc.ac.za/uploads/Annual_Report_2024_1_f8d8a0bdfb.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  38. 38ACTEA Board meeting in Kinshasa, June 2024 (Association of Evangelicals in Africa)https://aeafrica.org/?p=9308 (opens in a new tab)
  39. 39Gichimu, Enhancing Quality Training in African Independent Churches (WOCATI consultation, July 2011)https://www.wocati.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Gichimu-Standards-of-Quality-Assurance.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  40. 40Measures for the Administration of Religious Schools, SARA Order No. 16 (People's Political Consultative News, 8 May 2021)https://www.rmzxw.com.cn/c/2021-05-08/2849592.shtml (opens in a new tab)
  41. 41Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea hearing on ministerial supply (CBS Nocut News, 16 July 2025)https://www.nocutnews.co.kr/news/6370826 (opens in a new tab)
  42. 42Affiliated Colleges List (Senate of Serampore College, University)https://senateofseramporecollege.edu.in/affiliated-colleges-list/ (opens in a new tab)
  43. 43Home page (ATESEA)https://atesea.net/ (opens in a new tab)
  44. 44Search for the next General Secretary of the Asia Theological Association (Asia Theological Association, 2026)https://ataasia.com/ata-news/search-for-the-next-general-secretary-of-the-asia-theological-association-ata/ (opens in a new tab)
  45. 45History (University of Divinity)https://divinity.edu.au/about/history/ (opens in a new tab)
  46. 46University of Divinity (Yarra Theological Union)https://ytu.edu.au/about/university-of-divinity/ (opens in a new tab)
  47. 47About (University of Divinity)https://divinity.edu.au/about/ (opens in a new tab)
  48. 48TEQSA registers the Australian College of Theology as an Australian University (TEQSA)https://www.teqsa.gov.au/about-us/news-and-events/latest-news/teqsa-registers-australian-college-theology-australian-university (opens in a new tab)
  49. 49Australian College of Theology to become the Australian University of Theology (Australian University of Theology, 8 January 2025)https://aut.edu.au/australian-college-of-theology-to-become-the-australian-university-of-theology/ (opens in a new tab)
  50. 50South Pacific Association of Theological Schools (SPATS)https://spats.org.fj (opens in a new tab)
  51. 51Facultad de Teología, reseña histórica (Pontificia Universidad Javeriana)https://teologia.javeriana.edu.co/documents/d/teologia/resena-historica-facteo (opens in a new tab)
  52. 52Ulloa Alvarado, MA dissertation on FEPETEAL and CETELA (Universidade Metodista de São Paulo, 2010)https://repositorio.metodista.br/items/74966430-85f0-47be-a424-10ccdce36c1c/full (opens in a new tab)
  53. 53Latin American and Caribbean theologians strengthen collaboration (World Council of Churches, 16 May 2018)https://www.oikoumene.org/news/latin-american-caribbean-theologians-strengthen-collaboration (opens in a new tab)
  54. 54Associação Evangélica de Educação Teológica na América Latina (AETAL)https://aetal.com.br/ (opens in a new tab)
  55. 55Resolução CNE/CES nº 4 de 16 de setembro de 2016 (ABMES)https://abmes.org.br/public/arquivos/legislacoes/Res-CES-CNE-004-2016-09-16.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  56. 56Pentecostal theological education: Latin America Theological Seminary (Pneuma Review)https://pneumareview.com/pentecostal-theological-education-latin-america-theological-seminary/ (opens in a new tab)
  57. 57Global University marks 50 years (AG News, 13 September 2017)https://news.ag.org/en/News/Global-University-Marks-50-Years-of-Faithful-Ministry (opens in a new tab)
  58. 58Statutes of the University of Paris, 1215, Robert de Courçon (Fordham Medieval Sourcebook)https://sourcebooks.web.fordham.edu/source/courcon1.asp (opens in a new tab)
  59. 59History of Medieval Philosophy, section 231, De Wulf (Notre Dame Maritain Center)https://www3.nd.edu/~maritain/jmc/etext/homp231.htm (opens in a new tab)
  60. 60History (St Andrews School of Divinity)https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/divinity/about/history/ (opens in a new tab)
  61. 61The Lady Margaret Professorships (University of Leeds)https://professors.leeds.ac.uk/what-is-a-professor/the-lady-margaret-professorships/ (opens in a new tab)
  62. 62History (University of Cambridge Faculty of Divinity)https://www.divinity.cam.ac.uk/node/260 (opens in a new tab)
  63. 63Records of Lady Margaret Beaufort (St John's College Cambridge archives)https://www.sjcarchives.org.uk/institutional/index.php/the-records-of-lady-margaret-beaufort (opens in a new tab)
  64. 64Inaugural lecture of the Regius Professor of Divinity (University of Oxford, Faculty of Theology and Religion)https://www.theology.ox.ac.uk/node/4868371 (opens in a new tab)
  65. 65Logan, The origins of the so-called regius professorships, Studies in Church History 14 (1977) (Cambridge Core)https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/studies-in-church-history/article/abs/origins-of-the-socalled-regius-professorships-an-aspect-of-the-renaissance-in-oxford-and-cambridge/A6F5B02C261CCBA5C1D896F5E6825EA2 (opens in a new tab)
  66. 66Which were the first professorships in the UK? (University of Leeds)https://professors.leeds.ac.uk/what-is-a-professor/which-were-the-first-professorships-in-the-uk/ (opens in a new tab)
  67. 67Council of Trent, Session XXIII (Papal Encyclicals Online)https://www.papalencyclicals.net/councils/trent/twenty-third-session.htm (opens in a new tab)
  68. 68History and Mission (Harvard Divinity School)https://hds.harvard.edu/about/history-and-mission (opens in a new tab)
  69. 69History (Andover Newton Seminary at Yale)https://andovernewton.yale.edu/about/history (opens in a new tab)
  70. 70History (Princeton Theological Seminary)https://ptsem.edu/about/history/ (opens in a new tab)
  71. 71Review of Schleiermacher's Brief Outline (W. Wildman, Boston University)https://people.bu.edu/wwildman/schl/reviews/review_schleiermacher_briefoutline_tennant.htm (opens in a new tab)
  72. 72Kelsey, Between Athens and Berlin, chapter 1 (Religion Online)https://www.religion-online.org/?p=9296 (opens in a new tab)
  73. 73Platvoet, From Consonance to Autonomy, MTSR 10:4 (1998) (jangplatvoet.nl)https://jangplatvoet.nl/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/From-consonance.MTSR_.2016.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  74. 74Tanner, history of ATS, Theological Education 52:1 (2018) (Association of Theological Schools)https://www.ats.edu/files/galleries/2018-theological-education-v52-n1-tanner.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  75. 75Remaking a Learned Ministry for Each New Era (Harvard Divinity Bulletin)https://bulletin.hds.harvard.edu/remaking-a-learned-ministry-for-each-new-era (opens in a new tab)
  76. 76The Mission of ATS and COA: Continuity and Change (Association of Theological Schools)https://www.ats.edu/files/galleries/the-mission-of-ats-and-coa-continuity-and-change.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  77. 77School District of Abington Township v. Schempp, opinions (FIRE)https://www.fire.org/supreme-court/school-district-abington-township-pennsylvania-et-al-v-schempp-et-al/opinions (opens in a new tab)
  78. 78School District of Abington Township v. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203 (1963) (Justia)https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/374/203/ (opens in a new tab)
  79. 79History of the AAR (American Academy of Religion)https://aarweb.org/about-aar/history-of-the-aar/ (opens in a new tab)
  80. 80Tanner, Taking the Longer View: A History of the ATS Commission on Accrediting, 1934-2024 (Association of Theological Schools, 2024)https://www.ats.edu/files/galleries/coa-history.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  81. 812018 Annual Report, centenary timeline (Association of Theological Schools)https://www.ats.edu/uploads/resources/publications-presentations/colloquy-online/2018-annual-report.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  82. 82Glenn T. Miller, A Community of Conversation (Association of Theological Schools, 2008)https://www.ats.edu/files/galleries/community-of-conversation.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  83. 832026 ATS/COA Biennial Meeting (Association of Theological Schools)https://www.ats.edu/2026-ATS/COA-Biennial-Meeting (opens in a new tab)
  84. 84Petition on legislation to regulate the proliferation of theological colleges in Kenya (Mzalendo)https://mzalendo.com/legislative-trends/petitions/95/ (opens in a new tab)
  85. 85About (University of Chicago Divinity School)https://divinity.uchicago.edu/about (opens in a new tab)
  86. 86Mission and History (Yale Divinity School)https://divinity.yale.edu/about/mission-history (opens in a new tab)
  87. 87BDiv (Stellenbosch University)https://www.su.ac.za/en/programme/undergraduate/bdiv-bachelor-divinity (opens in a new tab)
  88. 88History and the modern times (Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy)https://kpba.edu.ua/en/history-and-the-modern-times/ (opens in a new tab)
  89. 89On the end of the Lavra agreement (Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary, 3 April 2023)https://kdais.kiev.ua/?p=85443 (opens in a new tab)
  90. 90Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1541-1857, vol. 8, Christ Church, fifth prebend (British History Online)https://www.british-history.ac.uk/fasti-ecclesiae/1541-1847/vol8/pp97-100 (opens in a new tab)
  91. 91Regulation of Orthodox Theological Seminaries, 2025 (Romanian Patriarchate)https://patriarhia.ro/images/pdf_2025/Regulamentul_Seminariilor_Teologice_Ortodoxe_-_2025.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  92. 922025-2026 Annual Data Tables (Association of Theological Schools)https://www.ats.edu/files/galleries/2025-26-annual-data-tables.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  93. 93In Africa aumenta il numero dei cattolici (L'Osservatore Romano, 28 March 2026)https://www.osservatoreromano.va/it/news/2026-03/quo-072/in-africa-aumenta-il-numero-dei-cattolici.html (opens in a new tab)
  94. 94New data of Annuario Pontificio 2026 shows Catholics growing in Africa (Vatican News, 28 March 2026)https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2026-03/new-data-from-annuario-pontificio-2026-shows-catholics-growing.html (opens in a new tab)
  95. 95Gesamtentwicklung der Studierendenzahlen 2024/25 und 2025/26 (EKD-Hochschulportal)https://www.ekd.de/ekd_de/ds_doc/Gesamtentwicklung-StudZahlen-und-Diagramme-2024-25-2025-26.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  96. 96Fewer theology degrees cause shortage in the pastorate (evangelisch.de, 29 July 2025)https://www.evangelisch.de/inhalte/246015/29-07-2025/weniger-theologie-abschluesse-sorgen-fuer-nachwuchsprobleme-im-pfarramt (opens in a new tab)
  97. 97Edward Farley obituary (Christian Century, 2015)https://www.christiancentury.org/article/2015-01/influential-writer-theological-education-dies-85 (opens in a new tab)
  98. 98David Kelsey (Yale Center for Faith & Culture)https://faith.yale.edu/people/david-kelsey (opens in a new tab)
  99. 99Review of Collinson, Rex and Stanton, Lady Margaret Beaufort and her Professors of Divinity at Cambridge (Journal of Ecclesiastical History, Cambridge Core)https://resolve.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-ecclesiastical-history/article/lady-margaret-beaufort-and-her-professors-of-divinity-at-cambridge-15021649-by-patrick-collinson-richard-rex-and-graham-stanton-pp-v97-cambridge-cambridge-university-press-2003-995-paper-0-521-53310-4/7B5AC9774B9809564FABC41D4FD3221D (opens in a new tab)
  100. 100Clergy education study (Carnegie Foundation)https://archive.carnegiefoundation.org/professional_graduate_education/clergy-education-study.html (opens in a new tab)
  101. 101Handbook of Theological Education in World Christianity published (World Council of Churches)https://www.oikoumene.org/news/handbook-of-theological-education-in-world-christianity-published (opens in a new tab)
  102. 102Handbook of Theological Education in World Christianity, 2020 (Fortress Press)https://www.fortresspress.com/store/product/9781506475905/Handbook-of-Theological-Education-in-World-Christianity (opens in a new tab)
  103. 103Opening the Field of Practical Theology (CSB/SJU Digital Commons)https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/sot_books/88 (opens in a new tab)
  104. 104Understanding and Developing Theological Education (Langham Literature)https://langhamliterature.org/understanding-and-developing-theological-education (opens in a new tab)
  105. 105Transforming Theological Education, second edition (Langham)https://books.langham.org/product/transforming-theological-education-second-edition/ (opens in a new tab)
  106. 106Review of Beyond Profession (Currents in Theology and Mission)https://mail.currentsjournal.org/index.php/currents/article/download/374/408/1804 (opens in a new tab)
  107. 107After Whiteness (Wabash Center)https://wabashcenter.wabash.edu/resources/scholarship/after-whiteness-an-education-in-belonging (opens in a new tab)
  108. 108Harvard Theological Review (Cambridge Core)https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/harvard-theological-review (opens in a new tab)
  109. 109Scottish Journal of Theology (Cambridge Core)https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/scottish-journal-of-theology (opens in a new tab)
  110. 110Catalogue record for Fabella and Oduyoye (eds), With Passion and Compassion (Orbis, 1988) (Anglican Church of Canada General Synod Archives)https://archives.anglican.ca/link/catalog8001 (opens in a new tab)
  111. 111divinity (Online Etymology Dictionary)https://www.etymonline.com/word/divinity (opens in a new tab)
  112. 112The Academic Study of Religion (University of Colorado Boulder)https://www.colorado.edu/rlst/about-us/academic-study-religion (opens in a new tab)
  113. 113Degree Regulations and Programmes of Study 2023/24, BD (General) (University of Edinburgh)https://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/23-24/dpt/utbdggend31f.htm (opens in a new tab)
  114. 114Bachelor of Divinity (Serampore College, Theology)https://theology.seramporecollege.ac.in/?p=147 (opens in a new tab)
  115. 115BDiv, Australian College of Theology (Perth Theological College)https://ptc.edu.au/courses/bdiv/ (opens in a new tab)
  116. 116Merkblatt Vikariat, March 2026 (Evangelische Kirche im Rheinland)https://pfarramt.meine.ekir.de/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/Merkblatt-Vikariat-03.2026.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  117. 117Schafroth, Theological Education by Extension in South Sudan, Evangelical Review of Theology 34:2 (2010) (gospelstudies.org.uk)https://gospelstudies.org.uk/biblicalstudies/pdf/evangelical-review-of-theology/ert_34-2_167.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  118. 118Facultad de Teología celebrates 90 years (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 2025)https://www.uc.cl/noticias/facultad-de-teologia-uc-celebra-90-anos-como-primera-facultad-canonica-y-centro-de-estudios-teologicos-de-latinoamerica/ (opens in a new tab)
  119. 119Academy structure (Moscow Theological Academy)https://mpda.ru/en/academy-structure/ (opens in a new tab)
  120. 120Thirst for Learning (AG News, 28 August 2015)https://news.ag.org/en/articles/news/2015/08/thirst-for-learning (opens in a new tab)
  121. 121Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, John Paul II, 22 May 1994 (The Holy See)https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1994/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19940522_ordinatio-sacerdotalis.html (opens in a new tab)
  122. 122Faith and Order on women's ordination (World Council of Churches, 1 June 1998)https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/documents/faith-and-order-on-womens-ordination (opens in a new tab)
  123. 123Celebrations mark 25 years of women's ordination to the priesthood (Church of England)https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/news/celebrations-mark-25-years-womens-ordination-priesthood (opens in a new tab)
  124. 124The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 (Southern Baptist Convention)https://bfm.sbc.net/bfm2000/ (opens in a new tab)

Page record

Reviewed and approved by Duane Herholdt, BA (Theology), Chief Executive Officer, Numa Verse

Study version: v1.0, 15 October 2026 (theology map v1.27)

Last reviewed: 9 November 2026

How these pages are made

  • 9 November 2026: First draft from the approved assessment v1.0.