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Best Research Seminary

Discussion in 'Baptist Colleges & Seminaries' started by Martin, Dec 6, 2007.

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  1. Martin

    Martin Active Member

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    What do you believe is the best research seminary in the United States?

    By research seminary, I mean an advanced seminary where a student can deal with actual manuscripts (etc). These are schools scholars go to study texts and students go to become scholars.

    I would say, on the evangelical side, it is probably New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. They have a center of New Testament textual studies and a center of archaeological research (etc).
     
    #1 Martin, Dec 6, 2007
  2. TCGreek

    TCGreek New Member

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    I would think that DTS would be right up there, because of what Dan B. Wallace is doing. How about TEDS?
     
    #2 TCGreek, Dec 6, 2007
  3. Brandon C. Jones

    Brandon C. Jones New Member

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    I'm not sure there is such a thing. Different colleges, universities, and seminaries have different collections that attract scholars and students interested in different things. No one place has it all. Calvin has the Meeter center for Calvin studies that attracts people interested in Calvin, but that's it up here. St. Olaf's Kierkegaard collection attracts people interested in Kierkegaard, etc, etc.

    Thankfully, with EEBO, ECC, and other fine resources available online that most libraries subscribe to one can access historical manuscripts with her own computer no matter where she is at. Once again, a major factor for where to study becomes the faculty one wants to study under...the documents are much more fluid with today's technology. I will include a disclaimer that this is true for historical studies from the early modern period to today. I can't speak for other disciplines.

    BJ
     
    #3 Brandon C. Jones, Dec 6, 2007
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 6, 2007
  4. Rhetorician

    Rhetorician Administrator
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    Research Seminaries?

    Gentlemen:

    It seems to me that all of the ones mentioned above are "research seminaries." But, I would not forget The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Gordon-Conwell, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and just a plethora of others out there.

    It might be a mistake on my part and I may not know what I am talking about!:laugh: But it seems to me that any RA or ATS school that has an active research program be it PhD or ThD (and some even the DMin/mine, Gordon Conwell's & Southern's) should be (could be) considered as a research institution! Could it not?!

    It could be that we need to define the OP just the least bit better?

    Just the ramblings of an old man who has a "non-academic" degree and who is teaching with this degree. Go figure!

    sdg!:thumbs:

    rd
     
    #4 Rhetorician, Dec 6, 2007
  5. PastorSBC1303

    PastorSBC1303 Active Member

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    I would agree that there is not just one. I would say several should be in the conversation: SBTS, NOBTS, DTS, Gordon-Conwell, SWBTS, SEBTS, and probably several others.
     
    #5 PastorSBC1303, Dec 6, 2007
  6. Martin

    Martin Active Member

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    ==Trinity Evangelical is a large seminary, and they do have great academic programs. I am not sure about their library resources (manuscripts, etc), but I am sure they have plenty of good resources. So I think they would qualify. I think Dallas would certainly be considered a great research seminary.
     
    #6 Martin, Dec 6, 2007
  7. Martin

    Martin Active Member

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    ==I would agree, and that is why I was asking about "the best" and not just a list of. I think we could all name dozens of great seminaries that have PhD/ThD programs, but I was looking for the program people considered the absolute best.
     
    #7 Martin, Dec 6, 2007
  8. Martin

    Martin Active Member

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    ==Do you think that one of those schools out ranks the others?
     
    #8 Martin, Dec 6, 2007
  9. Martin

    Martin Active Member

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    ==I sort of made up the term/phrase "research seminary". I am basing that term on the "secular" model. A research university, for example, is a university that offers PhDs and has a library with various rare collections (etc) that scholars/students can use for research. In the secular world I would be talking about schools like UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke, Harvard, George Washington, etc.

    ==No, but smaller schools like Temple or Luther Rice probably don't have manuscript collections (etc). Those are great schools, don't get me wrong, I am just talking about a different type of school.
     
    #9 Martin, Dec 6, 2007
  10. preachinjesus

    preachinjesus Well-Known Member
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    I'd recommend some of the above, particularly (in order of preference)
    DTS (the DFW area is great not only for research but access to churches and ministries)
    Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
    TEDS

    Two others that are worth looking into:
    Talbot
    Princeton (this would be my preference now if I had to choose)

    The term research seminary is a good one. To be honest you can get access to most texts and archeological data through a worthwhile seminary's interlibrary loan. Of course the best research seminaries out there might be:
    Regent Park College or Wycliffe Hall of Oxford
    St Andrews University
    Tubingen University

    I know I'll get shot for some of the above offerings, but if you're looking for a worthwhile research institution for academics it doesn't get better than them. :)
     
    #10 preachinjesus, Dec 6, 2007
  11. TCGreek

    TCGreek New Member

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    Outside of the obvious Evangelical seminaries, I like your European list. :thumbs:
     
    #11 TCGreek, Dec 6, 2007
  12. Broadus

    Broadus Member

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    I think the best is hard to quantify because many seminaries can have excellent collections of microfilm and microfiche copies of primary sources that may not get much press. When I did my PhD in church history at SBTS, I made use of what amounted to reams of English Separatist and early British and American Baptist monographs that were on microfilm.

    Bill
     
    #12 Broadus, Dec 9, 2007
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