Course XXXIV - Teaching 2: Divisions in Theology

Theology, as a science that is mainly rational, tries to know God.
The man has two chances to achieve this attempt.
His first chance consists in thinking of God and knowing Him exclusive by reason.
His second chance consists in recognizing that his reason is limited and in including elements that are out of the circle of reason, by talking them as basis and starting point.
The so-called Natural Theology represents the first position, whereas Dogmatic Theology and its derived branches represent the second one.
So Natural Theology deals with God and His attributes and perfections independently of any other helps, that is, it tries to reach the Highest Being through reason.
Its primordial object is God as Absolute Being and Creator.
Also it is called Theodicy, qualified by Aristotle as early philosophy. It constitutes the so-called Fundamental Theology, in the whole Theology field.
Whereas faith is not included in its original elements, it is able to consider it, and eventually demonstrates that faith becomes a possibility.
Dogmatic Theology. It deals with God and His attributes and perfections of the light of Revealed Verities. So it rests on dogmas of faith, on revealed principles, in order to explore them rationally and get new Verities, which churches can convert or not into articles of faith.
Matters of study in Dogmatic Theology are, for instance, the following: God in Se; God Creator; God Redeemer; God Sanctifier.
Certain branches are derived from Dogmatic Theology; they must particularly mentioned by virtue of their importance and own life. Moral Theology. It deals with principles of Dogmatic Theology –an also of Natural Theology– applied to human actions. So refers to man, with intelligence and freewill, and to his consequent way of acting. Its fundamental postulate is freedom. It deals particularly with human actions and operations; generally, with passions, habits and virtues; with sins and vices; and with grace and merit. In developing these matters, it considers the law in force for human actions, justice and charity.
Ascetic Theology and Mystical Theology belong to the main spiritual aspect of theology.
Ascetic Theology is a part of Dogmatic and Moral Theology referred to exercising virtues, in other words, what to practice (virtues) and what to lay aside (sins).
Moral Theology is a part of Dogmatic and Moral Theology referred to perfecting one’s life in our more intimate relationships of the human intelligence with God, in active life and in contemplative life as well.
Methodologically speaking, also there are two positions: Scholastic Theology and Positive Theology. Scholastic Theology is the so-called dogmatics that, from Revealed Verities, gets its conclusions by means of principles and methods of Scholastic Philosophy. Or in more general words, it considers elements given by Revelation by giving them philosophical structure.
Positive Theology is the so-called dogmatics resting on and demonstrating mainly its conclusions with principles, facts and movements of the Revelation.