Historical Theology / History of Christianity / History of Religions

[seroteamavi]

Prepare to enter into my murkiness...

 

Do programs define these fields of study precisely, or according to the hermeneutics of their own departments? Judging from my research, it seems that how the departments define their own programs can greatly affect a candidate's research trajectory once they enter.

 

I think that what historical theology means is that basically one studies theology concurrent with the histories surrounding those theological developments. The difference between programs seems to be in the emphasis upon the "theology" part or the "historical" part. No?

 

So what, then, would the difference be between "historical theology" and "history of Christianity"? Seems like a change in terms means some sort of shift in emphasis, but that is unclear.

 

History of religions, on the other hand, would seem to emphasize the historical dimension and decline to make a judgment upon the theological dimension or the question of truth because of their treating many religions in the same department.

 

Please, someone with the γνωσις, educate me. Trying to find clarity from department web sites is challenging.

[dr. t]

The usual difference between historical theology and history of Christianity is emphasis, as you rightly pointed out. The former is more concerned with theology while the latter is more concerned with history. For example, I deal with the theology found in medieval sermon literature, yes, but I relate that theology to broader historical trends like crusading or scholastic culture. In general terms theological focus ends up being purely intellectual history, whereas historical focus is more of an intellectual-social mashup, as far as those artificial delineations make any sense, which is only vaguely. 

 

History of Religions is, IIRC, a comparative field.

[sacklunch]

The confusion is understandable. If you really want to determine the trajectory of a department, look at their research (and their students). Department names are often misleading. Consider how many programs have the title theology, divinity, Christianity, Judaism, et cetera, yet much of the research that goes on is in no way related to "theology" proper (e.g. systematics). Of course, the names matter to a certain degree, I think, once you are on the job market, though most people will be familiar enough with your program to know what type of research generally goes on there (theological, historical-critical, intellectual history, and so on).