Editing Seminary (section)

{{Short description|Institution for educating students in theology}}
{{other uses}}
{{distinguish|Seminary}}
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{{Globalize|date=March 2023}}
[[File:2008-1226-Pasadena-005-FullerTS.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Fuller Theological Seminary]], in [[Pasadena, California]], [[United States of America|United States]].]]
[[File: IssySaintSulpice.jpg |thumb|right|250px|[[Saint-Sulpice Seminary (France)|Saint-Sulpice Seminary]], in [[Issy-les-Moulineaux]], [[France]].]]
A '''seminary''', '''school of theology''', '''theological college''', or '''divinity school''' is an [[educational institution]] for educating students (sometimes called '''seminarians''') in [[scripture]] and [[Christian theology|theology]], generally to prepare them for [[ordination]] to serve as [[clergy]], in academics, or mostly in [[Christian ministry]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopædia Britannica Concise|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/concise/seminary|chapter=Seminary|access-date=2014-12-01|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226235348/http://www.merriam-webster.com/concise/seminary|archive-date=2014-12-26}}</ref>

The English word is taken from {{Langx|la|seminarium}}, translated as 'seed-bed', an image taken from the [[Council of Trent]] document {{Langx|la|Cum adolescentium aetas|lit=Since the age of adolescence|label=none}} which called for the first modern seminaries.<ref>XXIII Session, [[Council of Trent]], ch. XVIII. Retrieved from {{cite book | url = http://history.hanover.edu/texts/trent/ct23.html | title = The Canons and Decrees of the Sacred and Oecumenical Council of Trent | editor = J. Waterworth | location = London | publisher = Dolman | year = 1848 | pages = 170–92 | access-date = June 16, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090610224316/http://history.hanover.edu/texts/trent/ct23.html | archive-date = June 10, 2009 | url-status = live }}</ref>

In the United States, the term is currently used for [[graduate-level]] theological institutions, but historically it was used for [[high schools]].