Divinity is a subject of immense variety. Its roots lie in evidence of spiritual awareness from the earliest times of humanity. In relation to the Christian faith, its origins are found in the ancient biblical world - the history of Israel, the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the rapid growth of the early church, and contacts between Christianity and Greek and Roman philosophy. Its dialogue partners have been philosophy, history, literature, the natural and social sciences. But the concerns of Divinity are not only related to ancient times.
Religious belief remains a significant component of human existence in the modern world.
The subject involves learning what Jewish and Christian traditions now have to say about God, investigating the major challenges to faith, exploring how religious belief and practice are understood in a multi-faith context, and examining how faith traditions can inform and be informed by contemporary culture and art. Contemporary studies in theology can involve, for example, Christian ethics, feminist perspectives, pastoral care, and theology in relation to literature, the arts and politics. There are also opportunities to learn the biblical languages, such as Hebrew and New Testament Greek. However neither the Master of Theology or Bachelor of Divinity degrees requires a student to take a language. In addition to these 'core' subject areas, St Andrews also offers many opportunities to take innovative modules in less familiar areas of Divinity, as classical theology is brought into contact with new voices and questions.