Yale Divinity School

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Welcome to the YDS website!

Yale University was founded in 1701 to educate leaders for Church and civil society. Among the University's earliest graduates was the renowned preacher and prolific theologian Jonathan Edwards, a man who combined respect for tradition and openness to the intellectual and social currents of his day. His heritage continues at Yale Divinity School today.

Much has changed in the three hundred years since Edwards came to New Haven . The formal home of theological education is not, as it was in the eighteenth century, Yale College.

The Divinity School , which became a distinct faculty within the University in 1822, has been housed on Sterling Divinity Quadrangle since 1930. Those who engage in theological education have become more diverse. From its roots in New England Congregationalism, the Divinity School has become a thoroughly ecumenical institution, with men and women from across the spectrum of Christian communities living and studying together, along with fellow students from other faith traditions as well.

While those who pursue theological education are now more diverse than ever, theological education itself has developed considerably during the last three centuries. Study of scripture, the history of Christianity, and the systematic examination of the claims of faith and of moral and ethical challenges still form the core of the enterprise. Likewise, for those whose aims are pastoral, cultivating the ability to preach, teach, counsel and lead worship remains an essential part of theological study. Yet the context of theology has altered. The political, economic and environmental frameworks in which we all operate are full of new challenges. Christianity has become a truly global phenomenon, engaged in critical dialogue with a wide variety of cultures. Within the university intellectual dialogue partners of theologians are not simply philosophers and philologists, but natural and social scientists, engineers, artists and leaders in professions new and old.

Yale Divinity School , as an integral part of one of the world's premier research universities, is in a position to engage in theological discourse at its highest and most exciting level. Our students, who constitute a truly global community, participate fully in this rich intellectual environment. Our graduates have gone forth to serve and lead Christians Churches , synagogues, and academic institutions. They have used the intellectual skills they honed as theologians in the public sphere and in the business and professional worlds. They have contributed to struggles for peace and justice, to human rights and ecumenical collaboration in the US and throughout the world.

The Divinity School is able to provide a vibrant theological environment in part because of its close working relationship to its partners on Sterling Divinity Quadrangle, the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale and the Institute of Sacred Music . The spiritual and aesthetic resources assembled in this partnership are unequaled in the theological world.

The resources of this website offer a taste of life on Sterling Divinity Quadrangle, a window onto the people and programs that make this unique institution such a vibrant and engaging place. Whether you are contacting us for the first time, or renewing old acquaintances, you are welcome here as you are on the Quad.

Sincerely,

Harold W. Attridge
Dean