L/V 10 Tip of the Day #65 Categories of theology i.e. where do I find ...?

MJ. Smith
MJ. Smith MVP Posts: 53,710
edited November 2024 in English Forum

Another tip of the day (TOTD) series for Logos/Verbum 10. They will be short and often drawn from forum posts. Feel free to ask questions and/or suggest forum posts you'd like to see included. Adding comments about the behavior on mobile and web apps would be appreciated by your fellow forumites. A search for "L/V 10 Tip of the Day site:community.logos.com" on Google should bring the tips up as should this Reading List within the application.

This tip is inspired by the feedback post include eschatology in systematic theology subjects | Faithlife.

Logos/Verbum provides two related classifications of the topics for systematic theology and biblical theology. 

  1. The categories documented in Brannan, Rick, and Peter Venable. Systematic Theology Cross-References: Dataset Documentation. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2015. and Brannan, Rick, and Peter Venable. Biblical Theology Cross-References: Dataset Documentation. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2015. which are used in the Biblical theologies guide section and the Systematic theologies guide section.
  2. The categories documented in Thompson, Jeremy. Lexham Systematic Theology Ontology: Dataset Documentation. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2019. and Ward, Mark, Jessica Parks, Brannon Ellis, and Todd Hains, eds. Lexham Survey of Theology. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018.

The first group is based on the classic branches of theology plus some FL added addition categories.

[quote]Classic Systematic Theology Categories

• Prolegomena: Introductory material involving the study and nature of systematic theology

• Theology Proper: The study of the being, attributes, and works of God

• Bibliology: The study of the Bible

• Christology: The study of Christ

• Pneumatology: The study of the Holy Spirit

• Soteriology: The study of salvation

• Anthropology: The study of humanity

• Angelology: The study of angels

• Demonology: The study of demons

• Hamartiology: The study of sin

• Ecclesiology: The study of the church

• Eschatology: The study of the last things

Additional Categories

• Exegesis: Discussion is more focused on exegetical matters than on theological discussion

• Theologians: Discussion of theologians or a particular theologian

• Traditions: Discussion of denominations, groups, or particular applications of systematic theology (e.g. Dispensationalism)

• Other: Theological discussion that is not presently categorizable

Rick Brannan and Peter Venable, Systematic Theology Cross-References: Dataset Documentation (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2015).

There are other classical theology topics missing from this list:

  • Mariology – the study of all things pertaining to Mary, the mother of Jesus
  • Missiology – the study of missionary work
  • Mystical theology - the study of experiential practices and state
  • Pastoral theology - the applied theology subfield interested in pastoral ministries e.g. homiletics, pastoral care, sacramental theology, and ethics.
  • Paterology — The study of God the Father
  • Teleology – The study of God’s design and purpose for the world and all He created in it

In the Guides, one may present results in these classifications.  If there are no results in a particular groups, the group will not show.

The second method of classification is based on the Lexham systematic theology ontology. According to Wikipedia "an ontology is a way of showing the properties of a subject area and how they are related, by defining a set of concepts and categories that represent the subject." This ontology is used within Factbook and Ward, Mark, Jessica Parks, Brannon Ellis, and Todd Hains, eds. Lexham Survey of Theology. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018. (Note: I believe that the LST needs significant revision.) The latter provides the list of available theological topics to enter into topical theological guide.

The top levels of this scheme are:

[quote]


The LSTO organizes systematic theology into eight major categories. Each category has up to five sublevels. The following represents the top two levels of the hierarchy to give an overview of the structure:

• The Doctrine of the Triune God
     • God’s Existence
     • The Divine Names
     • God’s Attributes
     • The Trinity
     • The Divine Decrees
• The Doctrine of Scripture and Revelation
     • General Revelation
     • Special Revelation
• The Doctrine of the Works of God
     • Creation
     • Providence
     • Covenants
• The Doctrine of Humanity
     • The Image of God
     • Human Nature
     • Humanity’s Fall into Sin
• The Person and Work of Christ
     • The Person of Jesus
     • Jesus As Mediator
     • Jesus’ Accomplishment of Salvation
• The Holy Spirit and Salvation
     • The Mission of the Spirit
     • The Spirit’s Application of Salvation
• The Doctrine of the Church
     • The Attributes of the Church
     • The Church’s Institutional Life
     • The Church’s Mission
• The Doctrine of the Last Things
     • The Kingdom of God
     • Life after Death
     • Jesus’ Second Coming
     • The Final Judgment


Jeremy Thompson, Lexham Systematic Theology Ontology: Dataset Documentation (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2019).

Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."

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