Theology is the study of religions and the divine. Its aim is to understand the nature and place of deities and other supernatural entities that figure in religious beliefs or practices. It is devoted to both epistemology, studying how one can come to know things about the supernatural, and metaphysics, studying what the supernatural is like and how it relates to the natural world. Theology has similar methods but different conclusions and commitments depending on the religious perspective one adopts.

The core topics introduce the field of theology and give students the skills and understanding to choose and pursue their interests in the specialized topics. On completing the core, students will be able to independently read the historical and academic literature. The core topics are:

• History of Religion
• Study of Chosen Scriptural Language*
• Study of Chosen Canon Scriptures
• Study of Chosen Non-Canon Scriptures
• Hermeneutics and Methodology
• Philosophy of Religion
• Sociology of Contemporary Religion

* Hebrew, New Testament Greek, Qur’anic, Arabic or Sanskrit.

Specializations should be discussed with the Director of Studies. On completing specializations, students will be able to independently read advanced literature and conduct a final project in that topic. Some suggested specializations are:

• Greco-Roman Mythology
• Norse Mythology
• Buddhism
• Hinduism
• Judaism
• Catholicism
• Orthodox Christianity
• Islam
• Protestantism
• Humanism
• Theological Themes in Literature and Art
• Systematic Theology
• Religion and Politics
• Anthropology of Religion
• Spinoza’s God
• Apologetics
• Conceptions of God
• Eschatology