Chapter 1: On the Term Theology

The use of foreign terms — The danger of introducing foreign words into religion; its twofold occasion — The terms "theology" (theologia) and "theologian" (theologos), and the term "unwritten" (agrapha) — The names for theology among the Jews — The origin and use of this word among the Greeks — Who was the first among them to write on theology — The first theology: a fabulous description of theogony — The introduction of the names "theology" and "theologians" among Christians — John thus first so called — The title "The Theologian" (Theologos) — The absurdity of the Ethiopic version of the New Testament — How evangelical doctrine is called in the gospel itself — The term "theology" is accepted.

I. Those who undertake descriptions of things begin their web from the very names, lest they be ambiguous about the subjects they treat, and lest the vice of equivocation — which often breeds confusion in matters — be avoided. That great man spoke truly who said: "With respect to correct teaching, one must first examine the names" — "In all matters that are inquired into, one must occupy oneself chiefly with the name" — and so on; as he writes in On the Method of Medicine, ch. 5 (footnote: Our author refers to the work of Galen, the most celebrated physician, On the Method of Healing.): for words are the primary expressions of things, and their mark. Now in sacred matters, account must be taken of the naming, since the name has been given by the Holy Spirit. The apostle taught us to turn away from profane and empty chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge. We also know at how great a cost in truth, men have fought contentiously and repeatedly over the terms that the arbitrary will of certain persons introduced into our religion. Nor does that confusion which is seen in the Christian religion owe the least part of itself to the introduction of foreign words into ecclesiastical use, and to the twisting of those words which the Holy Spirit's dictation has made proper to it, into a common and vulgar sense. Hence the ancient complaint that the native simplicity and purity of evangelical doctrine — flowing from the perennial fountain of all purity — has been adulterated from the very beginnings of the churches, whether painted over with extraneous pigments or mixed with dross. That the succeeding ages stumbled on the same rock — especially after it came to pass in the manner of men that whatever pleased the majority was accounted right, until error grew to such an immense degree that within the Christian religion itself one would search almost in vain for the Christian religion — this is better known than to require proof. Indeed, it appears that that confusion and uncertainty, which can be seen to have flowed into virtually all branches of learning, arose either from ignorance of the words used by the ancients, or from the audacity of twisting them to alien usages and meanings.

II. Furthermore: there are two kinds of terms whose use, emerging from the virtually inexhaustible mass of writers, has come to occupy some celebrated place in our religion, yet which are not read in the sacred Scripture itself. The first kind consists of those which necessity compelled in order to refute the importunate objections of heretics; the second, of those which men distinguished by some learning either invented themselves, or took up from others' inventions for their own use, relying on their own ingenuity, under the pretext of illuminating truth or of teaching it more precisely. Now, just as you would find very few indeed who would wish to banish these terms from the hearths and altars of the church — except those who are at war with truth itself — so to wrangle importunately about retaining them is nothing other than to sacrifice to inveterate prejudices and party spirit in endless litigation.

III. Some stubbornly attack the naming of "theology" and "theologians"; and since both names are the product of pagan men, and no such word is found in the sacred Scripture, we have no desire to fight sharply over it. For just as every honorable — indeed magnificent — name will become a prejudice in favor of the thing that bears it, when it carries more weight than the thing itself: so likewise, when certain names can only be defended by bringing many arguments, the unlearned will judge that the things themselves are no less imperiled — especially where an atmosphere of self-authority is present. Moreover, since among those who once held, and still hold, the right and standard of speech, the custom has so far prevailed that by these terms a certain discipline is designated, as well as a certain class of men trained in it — from both of which the mystery of evangelical simplicity recoils — they seem insufficiently suited, whether in respect of their origin or their use, for expressing what is being inquired about. But since in every matter under dispute one must have some name: come then, with nails and hair scraped clean, let us be content with that term which usage, by the consent of very many, has introduced — while remaining entirely free in our investigation of the nature of the thing itself, which we have undertaken to expound. But concerning the designations by which it has been known among others, it is permitted to make a few preliminary remarks.

IV. The Jews designate theology variously: as "divine wisdom" (Buxtorf, Lexicon Talmudicum, p. 752); as "legal knowledge" (idem, ibid., and p. 984); and as "study of the law." They call the theologian a "divine man." Moreover, they divide theology into two parts —

— as the most learned among their theologians, Maimonides, explains in the preface to the second part of the More Nebuchim, and in the preface to the third part of the same work. For it is either the "work of creation" — that is, natural theology — or the "work of the chariot" — that is, mystical theology — a name taken from Ezech. 1; the former, he teaches, is to be expounded to the common people, the latter to few. But for the rest, there is no word in the Old Testament that can be rendered by "theology," nor any other term equivalent to it. Among Greek writers generally, a theologian is one who discourses about God; hence the "Delphic theologians" in Plutarch, concerning the salvation of those who consult the oracle. "Theologoumena" means "things disputed concerning God." Suetonius, in his Life of Augustus, mentions the books of "Theologoumena" by Asclepiades of Mendes — a monster of a man who brought to light and defended foul atheism, and the unspeakable intercourse which the Egyptians in the city of Mendes practiced with a goat. Nicomachus of Gerasa also wrote two books of arithmetical theological matters; a work, says Photius, Bibliotheca, Codex 187, far removed from its title — that is, inept. Now "theology," from the usage of the Greek language, signifies rather "discourse about God" than "the word of God"; and thus Augustine expounds that term, in The City of God, lib. viii. cap. 1: "It is," he says, "speech, or discourse, about God." But examples of another meaning are not lacking. A "theopropeion" ("oracle of God") is what God announces; and "theosemia" is "the sign that God exhibits." The most ancient writers of Greece, who treated of the gods and the worship of the gods, were first called theologians, and their knowledge was called theology. These were the poets, says Lactantius, On the Wrath of God, cap. ii., and accordingly they were commonly distinguished by that name. Aristotle (Metaphysics, bk. ii.), Clement of Alexandria (Stromateis), and Isidore (bk. v.) relate that Pherecydes the Syrian was the first among the nations to handle theological matters in prose. They affirm that the symbolic and cryptic or mystical doctrine — later used by the Pythagoreans — was derived from that man. Pythagoras's own primary teacher was himself called a "theologian." Diogenes and Hesychius Illustrius testify that Heraclitus wrote works of that theological kind; from where he is called "the obscure." This same Pherecydes lived in the age of Cyrus — so far behind in every branch of learning were the Greeks, when compared with the peoples of the East. This was reproached to Solon by a priest of the Saitic people who said: "O Solon, Solon, you Greeks are always children; there is no old man among the Greeks." And when Solon inquired why he said this, that old man himself is said to have replied: "You are all young in mind; for you have in yourselves no ancient opinion derived from old tradition, nor any learning made venerable by time" — Plato, in the Phaedrus. For indeed theology had obtained its splendor long before the times of Cyrus, and had even passed its peak. See Pliny, Natural History, lib. vii. cap. i., on "what each man discovered in life." "Theopompus asserts that he was the first of all the Greeks to write on nature and the gods" — Diogenes, in his Life. This also appears from the letter of Thales to Pherecydes, of which this is the opening: "Thales to Pherecydes: I learn that you were the first of the Ionians to venture to speak words about divine matters to the Greeks." Hesychius Illustrius believes that Pherecydes "the Syrian" was named from the island of Syra: "For," he says, "Syra is one of the Cyclades islands," in his Life of Pherecydes. Others hold that he was Syrian by nation, which is more probable. He himself, in the preface to his work, affirmed Musaeus, the son of Eumolpus, to have been the first to compose a theogony. The Platonists called Homer a theologian emphatically; and he was always considered the most excellent theologian. But concerning Homer, Philostratus in the Heroicus says: "He surpassed Orpheus himself in many things pertaining to theology" — and added his own discoveries. Their theology was an exposition of theogony; for they believed all the gods had been born. So Herodotus concerning the Persians in the Clio: "They did not consider the gods to have human form, as the Greeks do" — for the Persians worshipped natural gods. I speak of the Greeks after the introduction of Hellenism; for Eusebius, Praeparatio Evangelica, lib. i. cap. ix., proves that the ancient Greeks, after the manner of other nations, first worshipped the sky and the stars: "So then," he says, "there was among the Greeks no word of theogony such as existed among the most ancient barbarians, nor the ordinances of Orpheus, nor the current great folly of naming and pursuing the gods with male and female designations." And long before him, Plato in the Cratylus: "It seems to me that the first men of Greece supposed only these to be gods, as even now many of the barbarians do: the sun and the moon and the earth and the stars and the sky." But more on these matters later. At what time this word was admitted into the Christian community is uncertain. In the title of the Apocalypse, John is called "the Theologian." In the royal copy of Montanus it reads: "Revelation of the holy apostle and evangelist John the Theologian." In the remaining copies it is simply so stated. In the Ethiopic version there is added: "Who was John the bishop of the metropolitan city of Constantinople when he was about to suffer persecution" — foolish enough, and as befitted that translator. Moreover, since this title is of very uncertain origin, and rightly to be doubted, it can be seen as derived from the second verse of the book: "John testified to the word of God" — that is, the word of God, not discourse about God. But there is another more common meaning of the term, as we have shown. Not because he testified to the word of God, but because he most clearly expounded the Word of life, did the ancients call John par excellence the theologian. Origen was the first to do so. Dionysius the Areopagite, in On the Divine Names, ch. iii., makes such familiar mention of theology and theologians as if those technical terms had been at that time in very frequent use — but virtually everyone agrees that that writer is a forgery. And so those terms, as far as the sacred Scripture is concerned, are unwritten (agrapha). Indeed, evangelical doctrine is called "the word of life" (Philippians 2:16), "the word of the cross" (1 Corinthians 1:18), "the word of faith" (1 Timothy 4:6), "the word of Christ" (Colossians 3:16), "the word of God" (1 Thessalonians 2:13); and with reference to these and similar expressions, we do not reject the sober use of such terms — although we are well aware that their technical sense cannot be retained without prejudice to truth. Let us therefore call the matter of which we are to speak, with Eusebius in his letter to Marcellus, "Hellenistic theology" — that is, theology expressed in the Greek manner.