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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Theology \The*ol"o*gy\, noun; pl. {Theologies}. [L. theologia, Gr. ?; ? God + ? discourse: cf. F. th['e]ologie. See {Theism}, and {Logic}.] The science of God or of religion; the science which treats of the existence, character, and attributes of God, his laws and government, the doctrines we are to believe, and the duties we are to practice; divinity; (as more commonly understood) ''the knowledge derivable from the Scriptures, the systematic exhibition of revealed truth, the science of Christian faith and life.''
Many speak of theology as a science of religion [instead of ''science of God''] because they disbelieve that there is any knowledge of God to be attained. --Prof. R. Flint (Enc. Brit.).
Theology is ordered knowledge; representing in the region of the intellect what religion represents in the heart and life of man. --Gladstone.
{Ascetic theology}, {Natural theology}. See {Ascetic}, {Natural}.
{Moral theology}, that phase of theology which is concerned with moral character and conduct.
{Revealed theology}, theology which is to be learned only from revelation.
{Scholastic theology}, theology as taught by the scholastics, or as prosecuted after their principles and methods.
{Speculative theology}, theology as founded upon, or influenced by, speculation or metaphysical philosophy.
{Systematic theology}, that branch of theology of which the aim is to reduce all revealed truth to a series of statements that together shall constitute an organized whole. --E. G. Robinson (Johnson's Cyc.).
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
theology
noun
1: the rational and systematic study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truth [syn: {divinity}]
2: a particular system or school of religious beliefs and teachings; "Jewish theology"; "Roman Catholic theology" [syn: {theological system}]
3: the learned profession acquired by specialized courses in religion (usually taught at a college or seminary); "he studied theology at Oxford"
From Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001) [jargon]:
theology n.
1. Ironically or humorously used to refer to {religious issues}. 2. Technical fine points of an abstruse nature, esp. those where the resolution is of theoretical interest but is relatively {marginal} with respect to actual use of a design or system. Used esp. around software issues with a heavy AI or language-design component, such as the smart-data vs. smart-programs dispute in AI.
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:
theology
1. Ironically or humorously used to refer to {religious issues}. 2. Technical fine points of an abstruse nature, especially those where the resolution is of theoretical interest but is relatively {marginal} with respect to actual use of a design or system. Used especially around software issues with a heavy AI or language-design component, such as the smart-data vs. smart-programs dispute in AI. [{Jargon File}]
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Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |