علم الاهوت......theology

Theology is the study of religion from a religious perspective. It has been defined as reasoned discourse about God or the gods, or more generally about religion or spirituality. It can be contrasted with religious studies, which is the study of religion from a secular perspective. Theologians use various forms of analysis and argument (philosophical, ethnographic, historical) to help understand, explain, test, critique, defend or promote any of a myriad of religious topics. It might be undertaken to help the theologian

· understand more truly his or her own religious tradition,^[1]

· understand more truly another religious tradition,^[2]

· make comparisons between religious traditions,^[3]

· defend or justify a religious tradition,

· facilitate reform of a particular tradition,^[4]

· assist in the propagation of a religious tradition,^[5] or

· draw on the resources of a tradition to address some present situation or need,^[6] or for a variety of other reasons.

The word 'theology' has classical Greek origins. The term was first used by Plato in The Republic (book ii, chap 18), and is compounded from two Greek words theos (god) and logos (rational utterance). It was gradually given new senses when it was taken up in both Greek and Latin forms by Christian authors. It is the subsequent history of the term in Christian contexts, particularly in the Latin West, that lies behind most contemporary usage, but the term can now be used to speak of reasoned discourse within and about a variety of different religious traditions.

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