Offered over three years full-time or six years part time

To complete an application form please click here to download one. For more information on the Bachelor of Theology please contact the Administrator in the School of Theology: 011 380 9085 or the Assistant Registrar (Undergraduate) on 011 380 9012.

The course is designed for learners requiring a general academic introduction to the teachings of the Christian faith, in an integrating Catholic intellectual tradition. The course guides learners to develop their own spirituality and also furnishes skills essential for leading a Christian community. The uniqueness of the course lies in its full-contact delivery offered in English in a comprehensive theological programme in which the majority of the intended learners are lay people. It is also of value in offering the academic component required by students preparing for ordained Christian ministry.

The course is a critical exploration of the life of faith of the individual and of a faith community. The course relates the foundational events of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ to a tradition with continuing relevance through 2000 years of history. Wherever possible the course relates to theological developments in Africa, beginning before the time of St Augustine. Completion of the course equips the learner with an understanding of the Christian scriptures. At each stage, the learner encounters the development of this tradition of wisdom in relation to its social and cultural context, culminating with a consciousness of the place of Christianity within the pluralist global village, and within South Africa in particular.

Modules and majors offered in:

Biblical studies
Church History
Pastoral Theology
Systematic Theology 
Christian Ethics

More about the Bachelor of Theology

This exciting degree offers students a unique opportunity to grapple with difficult questions and learn more about their Christian faith.  The lecturing team include both lay people and clergy, all of whom come from a variety of Christian traditions encompassing the Roman Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church and Protestant churches.

Church history, pastoral theology, biblical studies, Christian ethics and systematic theology are the five main subjects are taught in this degree.  In all our courses the aim is to help students reflect on what it means to be part of the church in Africa and how best to influence effective ministries specific to the contemporary context. 

Church History
The focus of the first year is to give students an overview of the last two thousand years of Church history by focusing on the main events in the life of the universal Church and then on key thinkers who have shaped the Church.  In the second year we examine in more detail two specific periods in the history of the Church namely the early formative period and Medieval Church in Europe.  During the third year students have a choice of three courses which focus on the Reformation, the Modern Period and the Church in Africa.  

Pastoral Theology
The Pastoral Theology course offered by St Augustine is unique in its design and content.  In the first year learners are introduced to spirituality and liturgy, including African spirituality and liturgy in the context of the church in Africa.  In the second year the focus is on understanding ministry in the Church.  During this year learners focus on the various aspects of ministry and are introduced to the sociology of religion where they learn various tools which will help them to evaluate the efficacy of ministry and the needs of different communities.  In the final year learners do an intense course in Christian spirituality and ministry in the contemporary context.  In the Contemporary Ministry module learners are introduced to tools from industrial psychology which will help them become more effective in their various ministries. 

Biblical Studies
During the first year learners are introduced to a variety of styles of writing in the Bible as they study the Gospel of Mark, the letters to Philemon and the Philippians, the Pentateuchs and Wisdom Literature in some details. By examining the Gospel of John and the Deuteronomistic writings the second year course focuses on helping learners develop their knowledge of the geographical, historical, cultural and religious contexts of biblical writing and how these can influence exegesis.  In the third year the course focuses on meshianic and prophetic voices in the Bible and looks in detail at the prophets and the ministry of Jesus. 

Christian Ethics
This course uses the tools of philosophy and theology to ask the difficult questions about life, death and God.  During the first year the learners will be given an introduction to Christian Ethics by looking at the meaning of ‘call’ or ‘calling’ in the Christian tradition and the meaning of morality, philosophically and in the context of Christian ethical thinking. In the second year learners will deal with issues of life, death and sex by examining Bioethics and Sexual and Conjugal Ethics, where they will develop an appreciation of the value and worth of the human body and human life and the ethical norms, both natural and Christian, which surround these issues. In the second year the course helps the learner examine the social teachings of the church, particularly those teachings that relate to justice. At third year level the course focuses on Christian Social Ethics and a special emphasis is placed on social transformation in South Africa including a knowledge of the social encyclicals and other relevant literature applicable to current issues.

Systematic Theology
Systematic theology is a study of the doctrines of the church and in the first year learners will be introduced to some of the main issues in the Church namely the meaning of evil, faith, grace, Scripture and redemption.  The second year course focuses on creation, sin and salvation , and the arguments between faith and science.  From here the whole question of God and the Trinity is dealt with in detail.  In the third year the course examines the meaning, nature and purpose of the Church, its origin and foundations, how it understands itself, how it understands its role in society and culture, its structure as community of faith, and how it strives to fulfill the continuing mission of Christ.  During this year special attention is given to the Church in Africa its mission, liturgy and role in society.