Scholastic Theology is the disciplined and reasoned study of what God has revealed to man. This divine revelation comes to us in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, and is preserved and interpreted by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.
Unlike philosophy, which seeks truth through reason alone, theology begins with faith. It accepts what God has revealed and seeks to understand it more fully, to teach it more clearly, and to defend it more effectively. Theology does not invent truth—it receives truth from God and explores its meaning and consequences through sound reasoning.
The two sources of divine revelation are Sacred Scripture—the inspired Word of God written in the books of the Old and New Testaments—and Sacred Tradition, the oral teaching of Christ and the Apostles faithfully handed down through the life, worship, and doctrine of the Catholic Church. These two sources form a single deposit of faith. The Magisterium, or teaching authority of the Church, was established by Christ to interpret this deposit faithfully and guard it from error.
The goal of theology is not to serve curiosity or fuel debate, but to lead man to a deeper knowledge of God that results in love and obedience. As St. Anselm described it, theology is “faith seeking understanding.” It is the act of the believing mind striving to see more clearly what it already holds to be true, so that it may be practiced more perfectly.
The clearest and most complete expression of Catholic theology in the history of the Church is found in Scholastic Theology, the method developed and perfected in the medieval universities. This method rests on the foundation of classical philosophy—especially the works of Aristotle—and is guided by the authoritative teaching of the Church Fathers and Ecumenical Councils.
Two of the greatest figures in Scholastic Theology are St. Albert the Great and his student, St. Thomas Aquinas. St. Albert labored to unite the natural wisdom of the ancient world with the supernatural truths of the Catholic faith. St. Thomas perfected this work in his Summa Theologica, which remains the clearest, most complete, and most reliable summary of Catholic doctrine ever written.
The Scholastic method is marked by careful definition, orderly reasoning, and faithful submission to the Church’s teaching authority. It begins with Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, draws support from the writings of the wisest men in history, and uses reason to explain and defend the truths of the faith with precision and depth.
In the Classical Liberal Arts Academy, Scholastic Theology is not simplified or replaced with modern summaries. Students study theology through its authoritative sources, including Sacred Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas.
This is what we mean by Scholastic Theology: the faithful, reasonable, and ordered study of divine revelation, pursued with the guidance of the Church and perfected by the wisdom of the saints.
Mr. William C. Michael, O.P.
Headmaster
Classical Liberal Arts Academy
