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[Middle English, seed plot, from Latin sēminārium, from sēminārius, of seed, from sēmen, sēmin-, seed.]
For more information on seminary, visit Britannica.com.
A place of education; a school, academy, college, or university; especially a school for the education for the priesthood.
The Council of Trent (1545–1563) required the creation of diocesan seminaries with the canon Cum Adolescentium Aetas, adopted during the council's twenty-third session in 1563. It became compulsory for every diocese to erect a seminary for the purpose of educating the local clergy.
Some historians claim that this legislation was fundamentally a return to the concept of cathedral school, where, from the beginning of Christianity, young men were prepared for priesthood. It was thus conceived as a restoration and renovation of the traditional way in which priests received their training. In its original design, the Tridentine seminary legislation was influenced by three factors. First, petitions coming from Italy, France, and the Holy Roman Empire had highlighted abuses in the education of the clergy, and had proposed either the reformation of cathedral schools or the erection of special schools attached to cathedral churches. Second, the Society of Jesus insisted on the necessity of providing adequate means for clerical education, and had already pursued this aim in founding and running colleges, including the famous Germanicum, founded in Rome by the Jesuit Claude Le Jay in 1552. Finally, the synodal legislation, promulgated for England by Cardinal Reginald Pole (1500–1558) in his Reformatio Angliae (1556), was taken as a model. Pole's solution was to cure the carelessness of the clergy by erecting seminaries at every cathedral church. This directly inspired the fathers of the council in their writing of the Tridentine decree.
According to this decree, the diocesan colleges were to be seminaria ('breeding grounds') for the future priests. The students were to be adolescents at least twelve years of age, who were born of lawful wedlock and were already able to read and write. They also had to show a sincere desire to dedicate themselves to the service of the church. Under the local bishop's control, students were to receive a liberal education first, then an ecclesiastical one. The young men were thus to study letters, humanities, chant, liturgy, sacred scripture, and dogmatic, moral, and pastoral theology. Their spiritual formation included daily attendance at Mass and monthly confession. However, the decree did not specify that all priests should pass through the seminaries. On the contrary, the seminary seemed rather a means to help poor but deserving young people to become priests. The rich could be admitted on the condition that they paid for their education. In fact, what is most important in this decree is that it placed the formation of future priests, or at least a good number of them, under the direct responsibility of the bishops. The local bishop, as the chief administrator of the school, had to have an eye on the content of the courses and the quality of the professors who provided them. The rest of the diocesan clergy was also closely associated in the project. Not only was it asked to finance the seminary, in paying a special tax imposed on its revenues, but it also had to delegate four of its members to help in the administration of the new institution.
The creation of seminaries became the main concern not only of the popes attached to the Catholic Reformation, such as Pius V and Gregory XIII, but also of the political powers (principally the Catholic sovereigns and sometimes the local authorities) who saw in this measure a good way to reinforce the expansion and the control of higher education. The number of seminaries expanded quickly in Europe under these conditions. Two small Italian dioceses disputed the honor of having founded the first Tridentine seminary in 1564, Larino in Umbria and Rieti in the kingdom of Naples. The seminary of Milan, founded by Archbishop Cardinal Carlo Borromeo, followed shortly, a year before his uncle Pope Pius IV founded the Collegio Romano. A great many seminaries were created in Italy but their spread was uneven. In fact, certain large dioceses, such as those of Genoa and Florence, had to wait until the seventeenth and even the eighteenth century before being endowed with a seminary.
Pope Pius IV and his successors worked hard to implement the Tridentine decision in countries where Catholics were in a majority. Thus, from 1564 onward, the number of seminaries spread quickly. In the German countries, seminaries were founded in Eichstätt, Breslau, Würzburg, Bamberg, Trier, Salzburg, Gurk, and Graz. Poland opened its first seminary in 1564 (Poznan, Warmia) and Hungary in 1567 (Tyrnau). However, the colleges established in Rome such as the Germanicum and the Hungaricum (united in 1580) had more impact on the formation of priests than the diocesan seminaries created in central Europe.
In the Netherlands, the development of seminaries progressed more slowly because of the 1566 uprising against the religious policies of Spanish king Philip II. These troubles led in 1579 to the revolt of the Calvinist provinces of Holland and Zeeland against Spanish domination and ended in 1609 with the independence of the United Provinces. Tridentine seminaries were thus erected almost exclusively in the southern provinces, in cities such as Ypres (1565), Namur, Bruges, Liège, and Malines.
Contrary to other countries, Spain had already secured training for its priests through a solid network of university colleges. Some of them, such as those of Grenada, Malaga, and Sigüenza, were used as diocesan seminaries. However, most of the Spanish bishops were willing to obey the Tridentine decree. At least twenty new seminaries were founded from 1565 onward, among them Burgos (1565) and Teruel (1566). In 1651, twenty-six out of fifty-four Spanish dioceses had a seminary. However, the expansion was not without difficulties. Because of hostility from the local chapters, many seminaries were short of financial and human resources. The need for training of the local clergy was also felt in the Spanish colonies. It took only ten years before the first seminary was founded in Antequera in Mexico (1574). Before the end of the sixteenth century, under the initiative of Saint Toribio, archbishop of Lima, the seminaries of Santiago de Chile, Lima, Bogota, Cuzco, and Sucre were created.
It is clear that there was a great desire among European bishops to apply the decree of the council, even in France, which had not yet officially accepted the council's decisions. In effect, many French bishops bypassed the offical position against Rome and tried to implement the Tridentine Reformation, especially the decree concerning the training of the local clergy. This explains why as early as 1567, Charles de Guise, the cardinal of Lorraine, founded the first seminary in Reims. However, because of the Wars of Religion, it was difficult to gather the necessary money for the founding of seminaries. After the wars ended, competition with colleges (which had chairs of theology) and universities impeded the growth of seminaries, which still remained optional for the aspiring priests. All this explains why, between 1580 and 1620, only sixteen seminaries were created in a country that counted 108 dioceses. The number increased from 1641 onward, however, and in 1790, most French dioceses had a seminary. This development was due to astounding founders of new orders for secular priests, such as Pierre de Bérulle, Vincent de Paul, Jean-Jacques Olier, and Jean Eudes, who founded, respectively, the seminaries of the Priests of the Oratory, the Lazarists, the Sulpicians, and the Society of the Sacred Heart. These institutions were to have considerable influence later in the erection of similar houses in the British Isles, Canada, and the United States.
Most of the Tridentine seminaries were modeled on that created in Milan by Cardinal Borromeo. He first opened a major seminary, that of St. John the Baptist, with facilities for 150 students. But recognizing that all candidates did not have the intellectual capacity to be admitted to this institution, he established La Canonica, a preparatory school for about sixty students who would receive a basic education about the care of souls, through classes on holy Scriptures, cases of conscience, and Roman catechism. He then founded three preparatory seminaries: one for younger boys, another for adolescents, and a third for older students. From these three institutions the candidates were to pass either to the major seminary or to La Canonica. Borromeo also wrote rules dictating students' life and piety, which were adopted by almost all the European seminaries. Most of them also adopted the Milanese way of giving the management of the study program to the Jesuits. In reality, the majority (excepted that of Pavia) were closely associated with the local Jesuit college. They ended up being boarding houses that lodged a rather small number of young men (sometimes fewer than ten, through lack of money) who attended classes with the Jesuits. In fact, the existence of these first seminaries was often brief and always difficult because of financial and political problems. In the seventeenth century, their failure was imputed to the young age of the students. Catholic reformers such as Vincent de Paul promoted the education of adults rather than that of adolescents with the "seminaries for ordinands," centered on a more practical religious education and destined for grown men ready to take the orders.
In fact, if the intellectual and moral qualities of the European clergy were stronger in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, that strength was due less to the Tridentine seminary training than to a better selection of candidates and better control of the local priests (by the bishop's visit and by the frequent holding of synods). Above all, the improved qualities were due to the Jesuit colleges, who trained a growing part of the European clergy. A strict schedule, tamed behavior and attitudes, the practice of prayer, the conferences about piety and spiritual examinations, the weekly confession and communion, all this prepared the priest to live and behave as dictated by the Council of Trent.
Bibliography
Broutin, Paul. La réforme pastorale en France au XVIIe siècle. Recherches sur la tradition pastorale aprés le Concile de Trente 2 vols. Tournai, 1956.
Darricaud, Raymond. La formation des professeurs de séminaires d'après un directoire de M. Jean Bonnet (1664–1735), supérieur de la congrégation de la mission. Piacenza, 1966.
——. "Le traité des séminaires d'Antoine Godeau et la formation des premiers séminaires français." In Antoine Godeau, 1605–1672, de la galanterie à la sainteté: actes des journées commémoratives, Grasse, 21–24 avril 1972. Edited by Yves Giraud, pp. 167–187. Paris, 1975.
Degert, Antoine. Histoire des séminaires français jusqu'à la Révolution. 2 vols. Paris, 1912.
Julia, Dominique. "L'éducation des ecclésiastiques en France au XVIIe et au XVIIIe siècle." In Problèmes d'histoire de l'éducation. Actes des séminaires organisés par l'école française de Rome et l'Università di Roma-La Sapienza, janvier–mai 1985. Rome-Paris, 1988, pp. 141–204.
——. "Le prêtre." In, L'homme des Lumières. Edited by Vovelle Michel, pp. 391–429. Paris, 1996.
O'Donohue, J.-A. Tridentine Seminary Legislation: Its Source and Its Formation. Louvain, 1957.
Quéniart, Jean. Les hommes, l'Église et Dieu dans la France du XVIIIe siècle. Paris, 1978.
Tallon, Allain. Le concile de Trente. Paris, 2000.
Taveneaux, René. Le catholicisme dans la France classique: 1610–1715. 2 vols. Paris, 1980.
Venard, Marc. "Les séminaires en France avant saint Vincent de Paul." In Vincent de Paul (colloque de Paris, 1981), pp. 1–17. Paris, 1983.
—DOMINIQUE DESLANDRES
A seminary or theological college is a specialized and often live-in higher education institution for the purpose of instructing students (seminarians) in philosophy, theology, spirituality and the religious life, usually in order to prepare them to become members of the clergy. The English word is taken from the Latin seminarium, translated as seed-bed. In the Occident, the term historically refers to Christian educational institutes for clergy (mostly Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic, as many Protestant denominations preferred another term for their theological colleges).
The establishment of modern seminary institutions was a direct result of Roman Catholic reforms of the Counter-Reformation after the Council of Trent which insisted on the improvement of the education of clergy through the creation of seminaries as live-in institutions under the direct control of senior clergy. This later led, when literacy was not universal, to the creation of minor seminaries to educate young boys for the priesthood. The Tridentine model of seminary was one of a live in, almost monastic community where lifestyle and prayer habits were carefully monitored and corrected as a means to reforming pre-Reformation abuses among the clergy. The seminary institutions were in contrast to the freer intellectual atmosphere of the Universities. The tridentine seminaries placed great emphasis on personal discipline as well as the teaching of philosophy as a preparation for theology; an approach that was explicitly rejected by Protestant reformers such as John Calvin.
The Tridentine model of seminary has since been adopted and adapted by other Christian denominations as well as by modern American Judaism, though now in a more open fashion than the Tridentine model, and often without the Catholic emphasis on the pre-requisite study of philosophy and the Catholic requirement to live on campus within the Christian community of the seminary.
In post-Reformation Europe, and in modern nations where literacy is not yet universal, Minor Seminaries often exist as Church-funded high schools to prepare younger boys for later entry into adult seminary education. The stated purposes of minor seminaries include ensuring a high standard of literacy, numeracy and humanities in potential students for the priesthood as well as exemplary instruction and modelling in prayer, worship and ethical behaviour. Minor seminaries are also being re-established by Traditionalist Catholics who use the Tridentine rite in the modern United States. [1]
While the Tridentine seminary model was one of in-house "formation", modern seminary institutions now sometimes co-exist with theological colleges, such as in the United Kingdom, where they are the live-in college of another tertiary institution. In this case the Academic Institutions are typically called a school of theology or divinity school. They usually offer undergraduate and graduate degrees (such as the Bachelor of Theology, Bachelor of Sacred Theology, M.Div., Th.M., D.Min., etc.).
Bible colleges provide a different type of religious education, including the study of philosophy and systematic theology, and are often focused on the undergraduate level, being either evangelical or fundamentalist in orientation. Institutions such as Criswell College in Dallas and Wheaton College in Illinois follow this model. Such institutions may also focus more on lay education. Some accredited Roman Catholic seminaries have their degrees conferred by a Pontifical University and through the Vatican Congregation for Seminaries and Universities.
Although the primary purpose of a seminary is to prepare and equip candidates for religious service in the church or synagogue—congregational 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.
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).
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. In the United States, organizations such as American Evangelistic Association, established in 1954, ordain pastors through an online seminary located in Tucson, Arizona called American Institute for Biblical Studies.[1]American Institute for Biblical Studies
In the United States, besides regional accreditors to approve academics in seminaries, there are four major religious accreditors. These are the Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools, the Association for Biblical Higher Education, the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, and the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools. These four groups are recognized as legitimate accreditors by the United States Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
Depending on the specific applicable state laws, it can be illegal to use the name "seminary" and issue degrees without meeting minimum standards. In 2005, Tyndale Theological Seminary was fined $173,000 for using the name "seminary" and issuing 34 degrees.[2] In August 2007, the Texas Supreme Court reversed the decisions of the lower courts, ruling in favor of Tyndale. The ruling allows seminaries to offer theological education and award religious degrees without state government approval or oversight.[2]
The state of Washington passed a bill in March 2006 "prohibiting false or misleading college degrees." [3] (The text is here.) The legislature "unanimously amended and approved a bill that would make issuing or using a fake or otherwise unaccredited degree a class C felony, a crime of fraud that could warrant five years in prison and a $10,000 fine."[4]
In Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom it is a criminal offense to issue university degrees without authorization through an act of federal or state parliament.[5][6][7]
In Australia there are over 20 approved teaching institutions, but only the Australian College of Theology is authorised by the Australian Government to grant degrees. The advantage to the Approved Teaching Institutions is
that they don't need to go through the red tape, administration that the Government legislation involves; the Australian College
of Theology does this for them."[8]
The word seminary is also applied by members of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to a school of religious education for youths ages 14-18 that accompanies normal secular education. The seminary education system of the LDS Church provides extensive study of theology using as texts the "standard works" of the church (Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants) throughout the school week, in addition to normal Sunday classes. The 4 courses are taught, 1 per year, on a rotating basis (the 2007-2008 curriculum follows the Old Testament and the Pearl of Great Price).
These types of seminaries schedule classes before or after regular school time, or negotiate agreed released time permits with the nearest public school districts to allow students to voluntarily leave school grounds for an allotted amount of time (usually one class period) to receive seminary education. In communities with significant LDS populations, seminary facilities are commonly built on Church-owned properties that immediately neighbor the grounds of state-owned public schools, allowing individual students to simply walk between school and seminary during their scheduled release time. These arrangements work to ease the integration of secular and religious study into a youth's school day without inappropriately (or illegally) violating the separation of church and state in secular society. In many cases, seminary is held before school. This is referred to as "early morning seminary" and is often held at a member's house or local church building. Early morning seminary is very common when there are not enough LDS members that attend the local school to justify building a seminary classroom. Seminary teachers for early morning seminary are called as volunteers and do not receive remuneration for their time. Seminary is part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church Educational System. Many seminary graduates go on to attend Institute classes (which could be described as Seminary for college-age adults) if they do not attend Church-sponsored Universities.
In some countries, the term seminary is also used for secular, mostly state-owned schools that train teachers. While the function of the teaching seminaries and religious seminaries is different, the terminology has not changed (compare the use of "dean" in education and the use of the term "dean" in religion). Teacher seminaries of the 19th century also employed stringent discipline and required impeccable behavior. In Nordic countries with a Lutheran state religion, there was little ambiguity, as the training of Lutheran priests was the duty of theology departments of the state universities.
When founded in the 19th century, teacher seminaries enrolled primary school graduates, but gradually the requirements were increased until, in the middle of the 20th century, the requirement was raised to high school diploma. At the same time, most teacher seminaries in the Nordic countries were incorporated into universities as part of their education colleges. Some–most notably the Seminary of Jyväskylä, Finland–formed the basis of entire universities.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Dansk (Danish)
n. - præsteseminarium
Nederlands (Dutch)
seminarie, kweekschool
Français (French)
n. - (Relig) séminaire
Deutsch (German)
n. - (Priester)seminar
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ιερατική σχολή
Português (Portuguese)
n. - seminário (m), viveiro (m), estabelecimento de ensino (m)
Русский (Russian)
семинария, школа, питомник
Español (Spanish)
n. - seminario
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - prästseminarium, plantskola, högre skola
中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
神学院, 发源地, 温床, 学校
中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 神學院, 發源地, 溫床, 學校
한국어 (Korean)
n. - (고등학교 이상의) 학교, 신학교, (죄악 따위의) 온상
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) معهد لاهوتي, معهد للتعليم ألثانوي أو ألعالي
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - מכללה להכשרת אנשי-דת, בית-מדרש
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Architecture. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| History 1450-1789. Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World. Copyright © 2004 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Seminary". Read more |
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