Seminary
348361
224353836
2008-07-08T14:03:36Z
Steve Dufour
1440759
/* Christian */
{{dablink|For the Ecuadorian artist, see [[Manuel Rendón Seminario]]. For the institution of [[Torah study]] for women, see [[Midrasha]].}}
[[Image:Mountstmichael.jpg|thumb|right|280px|[[Mount Saint Michael]], [[Washington|WA]], former [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] seminary and scholasticate.]]
A '''seminary''' or '''theological college''' is a specialized and often live-in [[higher education]] institution for the purpose of instructing students (''seminarians'') in [[philosophy]], [[theology]], [[spirituality]] and the religious life, usually in order to prepare them to become members of the [[clergy]]. The English word is taken from the Latin ''seminarium'', translated as ''seed-bed''. In the [[Occident]], the term historically refers to [[Christianity|Christian]] educational institutes for [[clergy]] (mostly [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] and [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]], as many [[Protestant]] [[Christian denomination|denominations]] preferred another term for their theological colleges).
==History of Seminaries==
The establishment of modern seminary institutions was a direct result of [[Roman Catholic]] reforms of the [[Counter-Reformation]] after the [[Council of Trent]] which insisted on the improvement of the education of clergy through the creation of seminaries as live-in institutions under the direct control of senior clergy.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} This later led, when literacy was not universal, to the creation of [[Minor seminary|minor seminaries]] to educate young boys for the priesthood.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} The [[Wiktionary:Tridentine|Tridentine]] model of seminary was one of a live in, almost monastic community where lifestyle and prayer habits were carefully monitored and corrected as a means to reforming pre-Reformation abuses among the clergy.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} The seminary institutions were in contrast to the freer intellectual atmosphere of the Universities.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} The tridentine seminaries placed great emphasis on personal discipline as well as the teaching of philosophy as a preparation for theology; an approach that was explicitly rejected by Protestant reformers such as [[John Calvin]].{{Fact|date=June 2008}}
The Tridentine model of seminary has since been adopted and adapted by other Christian denominations as well as by modern American Judaism, though now in a more open fashion than the Tridentine model, and often without the Catholic emphasis on the pre-requisite study of philosophy and the Catholic requirement to live on campus within the Christian community of the seminary.
==Minor Seminaries==
{{main|Minor seminary}}
In post-Reformation Europe, and in modern nations where literacy is not yet universal, Minor Seminaries often exist as Church-funded high schools to prepare younger boys for later entry into adult seminary education. The stated purposes of minor seminaries include ensuring a high standard of literacy, numeracy and humanities in potential students for the priesthood as well as exemplary instruction and modelling in prayer, worship and ethical behaviour. Minor seminaries are also being re-established by Traditionalist Catholics who use the [[Tridentine]] rite in the modern United States.<ref>Hughes, Benedict. ''"The Foundation of St. Joseph Minor Seminary"'' as published in Adsum, the newsletter of Mater Dei Seminary. Retrieved from [http://www.cmri.org/minorsem.htm Religious Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen, Latin Mass (CMRI)] on August 27, 2006.</ref>
==Formation and education==
While the Tridentine seminary model was one of in-house "formation", modern seminary institutions now sometimes co-exist with ''theological colleges'', such as in the [[United Kingdom]], where they are the live-in college of another [[tertiary education|tertiary]] institution. In this case the Academic Institutions are typically called a ''school of theology'' or ''divinity school''. They usually offer undergraduate and graduate academic degrees (such as the [[Bachelor of Theology]], [[Bachelor of Sacred Theology]], [[Master of Divinity|M.Div.]], [[Master of Theology|Th.M.]], [[Doctor of Ministry|D.Min.]], etc.).
[[Bible college]]s and Theological Seminaries provide a type of religious and/or academic education, including the study of religious history and theology and may also award AA, BA, MA, and Ph.D or Th.D degrees. These type of institutions can be [[evangelicalism|evangelical]], [[Christian fundamentalism|fundamentalist]], Pentecostal, Reformed, LDS, Catholic, or multi-denominational in orientation. Institutions such as [[Criswell College]] in Dallas, Wheaton College in Illinois or Tucson Theological Seminary[http://americanbiblicalstudies.com]in Tucson, Arizona follow this model. Such institutions may also offer [[laity|lay]] education. Some accredited [[Roman Catholic]] seminaries have their [[academic degree|degrees]] conferred by a [[Pontifical University]] and through the Vatican Congregation for Seminaries and Universities.
Although the primary purpose of a seminary is to prepare and equip candidates for religious service in the [[church]] or [[synagogue]]— congregational leadership—many people not intending to become such leaders may study in seminaries. Qualifications may be obtained majoring in chaplaincies, counseling, teaching and more [[academic disciplines]]. It is common for [[laity|lay people]] to study in a seminary to enhance their spiritual life, to explore academic interests, or to prepare for non-ordained ministries (such as, [[choir]] directors or [[Sunday school]] [[teacher]]s).
[[Monk]]s, priests and [[nun]]s attend seminary to qualify for service and usually belong to a set denomination.
Many [[Christian denominations]] cooperate in providing [[theological]] education for students preparing for [[holy orders|ordination]] and a number of consortia or other cooperative arrangements have been established, for example in [[Australia]] there are the [[Melbourne College of Divinity|Melbourne]] and [[Adelaide College of Divinity|Adelaide]] Colleges of Divinity and the [[Australian College of Theology]] comprising a number of seminaries working together. In the United States, organizations such as [http://www.aeaministries.org American Evangelistic Association], established in 1954, ordains pastors through a seminary located in Tucson, Arizona called [http://www.americanbiblicalstudies.com Tucson Theological Seminary]
==Accreditation and state laws==
In the United States, accreditation is not required for seminaries to award religious AA, BA, MA, or Ph.D degrees. A religious degree (AA, BA, MA, or Ph.D) is valid in the United States. Institutions offering purely religious degrees are exempt from licensing requirements in many states, subject to specific rules in each state.<ref>[http://www.cga.ct.gov/2007/rpt/2007-R-0023.htm Connecticut State Website Report Exemptions from the Higher Education Licensing Process for Religious Colleges]</ref>
An historic event for seminaries in the United States occurred on Sept. 2, 2007, when [[Tyndale Theological Seminary]] won the constitutional right to practice as a seminary without state government interference. [http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005398.cfm] Texas Supreme Court states, “The fact that subchapter G [the relevant part of the Education Code] burdens all private postsecondary institutions does not lessen its significant, peculiar impact on religious institutions offering religious courses of study,” the court ruled. “Subchapter G requires a clear, public, instantly identifiable differentiation between a religious education that meets the Coordinating Board’s standards and one that does not: only an institution that meets those standards may call itself a seminary and its graduates associates, bachelors, masters, doctors, and the like. But setting standards for a religious education is a religious exercise for which the state lacks not only authority but competence, and those deficits are not erased simply because the state concurrently undertakes to do what it is able to do — set standards for secular educational programs. The state cannot avoid the constitutional impediments to setting substantive standards for religious education by making the standards applicable to all educational institutions, secular and religious.” The decision also cited several specific parts of the code that the court found to be unconstitutional attempts to tell a religious college how to operate. For example, the court said that the references to academic freedom were inappropriate because they were “inconsistent with a doctrinal statement like Tyndale’s that is at the core of its mission.”
Some seminaries elect to acquire accreditation in order to be recognized to award [[academic degrees]] versus religious degrees. There are several major accreditation agencies that specialize in traditional religious schools. These are the [[Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools]], the [[Association for Biblical Higher Education]], the [[Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada]], and the [[Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools]], and the [[American Board of Theological Institutions]] (ABTI). These five groups are recognized as accrediting agencies by the [[United States Department of Education]] (USDE) and the [[Council for Higher Education Accreditation]] (CHEA). Seminaries founded by emerging and alternative religions are almost never approved by these agencies however, because of their non-traditional theology or religious beliefs. Accreditation is thus virtually unobtainable for many new religious schools. Others such as many Bible colleges purposely choose not to submit to the accreditation process because they believe it constitutes state interference with religious freedoms.
In [[Australia]] there are over 20 approved teaching institutions, but only the [[Australian College of Theology]] is authorised by the [[Australian Government]] to grant degrees. The advantage to the Approved Teaching Institutions is that they don't need to go through the red tape, administration that the Government legislation involves; the Australian College of Theology does this for them."[http://www.act.org.au/]
== LDS Youth seminaries ==
{{seealso|Church Educational System#Seminaries}}
The word ''seminary'' is also applied by members of the [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] to a school of religious education for youths ages 14-18 that accompanies normal secular education. The seminary education system of the LDS Church provides extensive study of theology using as texts the "standard works" of the church ([[Old Testament]], [[New Testament]], [[Book of Mormon]] and [[Doctrine and Covenants]]) throughout the school week, in addition to normal Sunday classes. The 4 courses are taught, 1 per year, on a rotating basis (the 2007-2008 curriculum follows the Old Testament and the Pearl of Great Price). Seminary students are encouraged to study each scriptural text on their own time and to memorize a total of 100 scriptural passages or "scripture mastery" verses during their participation of the four-year program.
These types of seminaries schedule classes before or after regular school time, or negotiate agreed [[released time]] permits with the nearest [[public education|public school]] districts to allow students to voluntarily leave school grounds for an allotted amount of time (usually one class period) to receive seminary education. In communities with significant LDS populations, seminary facilities are commonly built on Church-owned properties that immediately neighbor the grounds of state-owned public schools, allowing individual students to simply walk between school and seminary during their scheduled release time. These arrangements work to ease the integration of secular and religious study into a youth's school day without inappropriately (or illegally) violating the [[separation of church and state]] in secular society. In many cases, seminary is held before school. This traditionally has been referred to as "early morning seminary", but has recently been renamed "daily seminary". "Daily Seminary" is often held at a member's house or local church building. "Daily Seminary" is very common when there are not enough LDS members that attend the local school to justify building a seminary classroom. Seminary teachers for early morning seminary are called as volunteers and do not receive remuneration for their time. As of 2008, there are about 365,000 seminary students worldwide with nearly 40,000 seminary teachers.
Seminary is part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [[Church Educational System]]. Many seminary graduates go on to attend Institute classes (which could be described as Seminary for [[Young Single Adult|college-age adults]]) if they do not attend Church-sponsored Universities.<!-- (EDIT NOTE: Can anyone elaborate on this concept to include daily youth seminaries for religious groups other than the LDS Church?) -->
==Teaching seminaries ==
[[Image:Jyväskylän seminaarin naisvoimistelijoita.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The curriculum of [[University of Jyväskylä|Jyväskylä Teacher seminary]] included gymnastics. Seminarians of the Female section in gym suits with gymnastic staffs in 1897]]
In some countries, the term ''seminary'' is also used for [[secular]], mostly state-owned schools that train teachers. While the function of the teaching seminaries and religious seminaries is different, the terminology has not changed (compare the use of "[[dean (education)|dean]]" in education and the use of the term "[[dean (religion)|dean]]" in religion). Teacher seminaries of the 19th century also employed stringent discipline and required impeccable behavior. In [[Nordic countries]] with a [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] [[state religion]], there was little ambiguity, as the training of Lutheran priests was the duty of [[theology]] departments of the state [[University|universities]].
When founded in the 19th century, teacher seminaries enrolled primary school graduates, but gradually the requirements were increased until, in the middle of the 20th century, the requirement was raised to [[high school]] [[diploma]]. At the same time, most teacher seminaries in the Nordic countries were incorporated into universities as part of their [[education]] colleges. Some–most notably the Seminary of [[Jyväskylä]], [[Finland]]–formed the basis of entire universities.
==Internationally noteworthy seminaries==
===Christian===
''See [[List of Roman Catholic Seminaries]]''
* [[American Institute for Biblical Studies]]
* [[Andover Newton Theological School]]
* [[Asbury Theological Seminary]]
* [[Calvin Theological Seminary]]
* [[Biblical Theological Seminary]]
* [[Candler School of Theology]]
* [[Catholic University of Leuven]]
* [[Chicago Theological Seminary]]
* [[Claremont School of Theology]]
* [[Conception Seminary College]]
* [[Concordia Seminary]]-[[St. Louis]]
* [[Covenant Theological Seminary]]-[[Fort Wayne]], IN
* [[Criswell College]]
* [[Dallas Theological Seminary]]
* [[Duke Divinity School]]
* [[Earlham School of Religion]]
* [[Erskine Theological Seminary]]
* [[Fuller Theological Seminary]]
* [[Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary]]
* [[George W. Truett Theological Seminary]]
* [[Grand Rapids Theological Seminary]]
* [[Graduate Theological Union]]
* [[Harding University Graduate School of Religion]]
* [[Hartford Seminary]]
* [[Harvard Divinity School]]
* [[Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology]]
* [[Interdenominational Theological Center]]
* [[Katholieke Universiteit Leuven]]
* [[Kenrick-Glennon Seminary]]
* Liberty Theological Seminary of [[Liberty University]]
* [[Luther Rice Seminary]]
* [[McCormick Theological Seminary]]
* [[Methodist Theological School in Ohio]]
* [[New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary]]
* [[New Brunswick Theological Seminary]]
* [[Notre Dame Seminary, New Orleans]][http://www.nds.edu]
* [[Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary]]
* [[Palmer Theological Seminary]][http://www.palmerseminary.edu]
* [[Pittsburgh Theological Seminary]]
* [[Pontifical Gregorian University]]
* [[Pontifical College Josephinum]]
* [[Pontifical North American College]]
* [[Princeton Theological Seminary]]
* [[Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary]]
* [[Regent University]] School of Divinity[http://www.regent.edu/schdiv]
* [[Reformed Theological Seminary]]
* [[St. John's Seminary (Massachusetts)]][http://www.sjs.edu]
* [[St. Mary's Seminary and University]] First Catholic Seminary in America
* [[Saint Meinrad School of Theology]]
* [[St Patrick's College, Maynooth]]
* [[Saint-Sulpice Seminary (Montreal)]]
* [[Saint Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary]]
* [[Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary]]
* [[Slavic Greek Latin Academy|Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary]]
* The [[Southern Baptist Theological Seminary]]
* [[Tabor College]] (also known as Tabor Seminary, and Tabor Theological Seminary)
* [[Talbot School of Theology]]
* [[Trinity Evangelical Divinity School]]
* [[Tucson Theological Seminary]]
* [[Unification Theological Seminary]] Only seminary of the world-wide Unification Church
* [[Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York]]
* [[University of Chicago Divinity School]]
* [[Vanderbilt Divinity School]]
* [[Western Seminary]]
* The [[Western Theological Seminary]] of the Reformed Church in America
* [[Westminster Theological Seminary]]
* [[Yale Divinity School]]
===Islamic===
{{main|Madrasah}}
* [[Al-Azhar University]]
* [[Ben Youssef Medrassa]]
* [[Islamic University of Madinah]]
* [[Qom]], the city with the world's largest concentration of seminaries for Shi'a Islam
* [[Darul Uloom Deoband]], [[Uttar Pradesh]] , [[India]]
* [[Darul Uloom Karachi]], [[Karachi]], [[Pakistan]]
* [[International Islamic University Islamabad]] , [[Pakistan]]
* [[University of Al Karaouine]] , [[Morroco]]
===Jewish===
{{main|Yeshiva}}
* [[Academy for Jewish Religion]]
* [[Hebrew Union College]]
* [[Jewish Theological Seminary of America]]
* [[Leo Baeck College]]
* [[London School of Jewish Studies|Jews' College London]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==See also==
*[[Yeshiva]]
*[[Madrasah]]
==External links==
* [http://www.jmclajot.net Pictures of Seminary in Namur (Belgium)] - Features by Jean-Michel Clajot, Belgian photographer
*[http://www.level-two.co.uk/report.php?locname=stjosephs Inside St Josephs Seminary, Wigan]
*[http://www.allenhall.org.uk] Allen Hall, The Seminary of the Diocese of Westminster, London
*[http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_INDEX.HTM Code of Canon Law (1983), IntraText edition with referenced concordance, hosted by the Vatican]
[[Category:School types]]
[[Category:Seminaries and theological colleges| ]]
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[[es:Seminario sacerdotal]]
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