Seminary

A seminary is a specialized university-like institution for the purpose of instructing students in theology, often in order to prepare them to become members of the clergy. This usually, though not always, applies to Christian and Jewish education. These institutions may also be known as theological colleges. Where they are part of another tertiary education institution they are typically called a school of theology, or divinity school. Bible colleges tend to provide a similar but more evangelical or fundamentalist education, and may also focus more on lay education.

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Roman Catholic seminaries usually have their degrees conferred by a Pontifical University.

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Although the primary purpose of a seminary is to prepare and equip candidates for religious service in the church or synagogue—congregation leadership—many people not intending to become such leaders may study in seminaries. Qualifications may be obtained majoring in pastoral work and similar fields, as well as in the more academic disciplines.

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Many monks and nuns attend a seminary to enhance their qualifications. It is also quite common for lay people to study in a seminary to enhance their spiritual life, to explore academic interests, or to prepare for non-ordained ministries (for example, choir directors or Sunday school teachers).

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Many Christian denominations cooperate in providing theological education for students preparing for ordination and a number of consortia or other cooperative arrangements have been established, for example in Australia there are the Melbourne and Adelaide Colleges of Divinity and the Australian College of Theology comprising a number of seminaries working together.

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University: A university is an institution of higher education and of research, which grants academic degrees. A university provides both tertiary and quaternary education. University is derived from the Latin universitas, meaning corporation (since the first medieval European universities were simply groups of...

Theology: Theology is reasoned discourse concerning God (Greek θεος, theos, "God", + λογος, logos, "word" or "reason"). It also refers to the study of other religious topics. A theologian is a person learned in theology....

Clergy: Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. The term comes from Greek κληρος (fortune, or metaphorically, heritage)....