We established in our previous article that “theology” is a valid and necessary word. It is the label we put on the box containing the truth about God. But a label is one thing; the contents are another.
A skeptical man might look at the thousands of years of church history, the endless shelves of dogmatics, and the fierce debates over minute points of doctrine and ask: Is this real? Is theology actually a discipline rooted in reality, or is it merely a projection of human psychology? Are we just painting pictures of our own fathers and calling them “God”?
Furthermore, if theology is real, how on earth can finite men like us—who struggle to understand our wives, let alone the universe—claim to know the infinite God?
In the Second Question of his Institutes, Francis Turretin moves from the definition of the word to the reality of the thing. He lays out the landscape of all knowledge, drawing lines that separate God’s mind from our mind, and truth from error.
Theology is not a human invention but a divine necessity, rooted in the communicative goodness of God and the created capacity of man, bridging the gap between the Creator’s infinite self-knowledge and the creature’s finite understanding.
The Inescapability of Theology
Turretin first sets out to prove that theology must exist. He does not point first to a Bible verse, but to the very nature of God and man.
The Goodness of God
First, he argues from the “nature and goodness of God.” God is the summum bonum (the highest good), and it is the nature of good to be communicative. God is not a hoarder of His glory. “He cannot communicate himself more suitably to a rational creature… than by the knowledge and love of himself” (1.2.1). If God is good, He speaks. If He speaks, theology (the study of that speech) exists.
The Nature of Man
Second, he looks at us. There is a “universal, innate desire to know God” in all men (1.2.1). Turretin notes that no nation has ever been so barbarous that it did not have “hierophants” (priests) and a system of divine things. Even the atheist has a theology—a system of ultimate reality, even if that reality is a vacuum. We were designed for this. “God made rational creatures with this intention—that he might be recognized and worshipped by them” (1.2.1). You cannot worship what you do not know. Therefore, theology is the prerequisite for the purpose of our existence.
The Necessity of Salvation
Finally, there is a practical necessity. We are appointed for a supernatural end (eternal life with God). You cannot reach a destination if you do not know the way. Faith is the vehicle, but knowledge is the map. “Faith… absolutely requires the knowledge of God” (1.2.1). Without theology, we are blind men running toward a cliff.
The Great Divide: Archetypal vs. Ectypal
Once Turretin establishes that theology exists, he makes one of the most important distinctions in all of Reformed thought. If you get this wrong, you will either end up in Rationalism (thinking you can comprehend God fully) or Agnosticism (thinking you can’t know God at all).
He divides True Theology into two vast categories: Infinite (Archetypal) and Finite (Ectypal).
Archetypal Theology (Theologia Archetypa)
This is “God’s essential knowledge of himself” (1.2.6). God knows Himself perfectly. His understanding is infinite, immediate, and exhaustive. He is the Knower, the Knowledge, and the Known all at once.
- Can we have this? No. Never. Not even in heaven. To possess Archetypal Theology, you would have to be God.
Ectypal Theology (Theologia Ectypa)
This is “finite and created” knowledge. It is the “image and ectype” of the infinite original (1.2.6). It is the reflection of the sun in a pool of water. It is true, but it is not the sun itself.
- This is our domain. All theology available to creatures—angels or men—is Ectypal. We do not know God as God knows God; we know God as He has revealed Himself to created minds.
This distinction produces humility. We claim to speak the truth about God, but we never claim to comprehend Him fully. We are reading the “Ectype”—the authorized copy—not the “Archetype”—the original mind of God.
The Landscape of Ectypal Theology
Turretin further divides Ectypal Theology (our kind of theology) to show us exactly where we stand.
- The Theology of Union: This is unique to Jesus Christ. It is the knowledge the human soul of Christ possesses by virtue of being united to the Second Person of the Trinity (1.2.6). It is the highest form of created theology.
- The Theology of Vision: This belongs to the “angels and saints” in heaven (1.2.6). They “walk by sight, not by faith.” They see His face.
- The Theology of Revelation: This is for us—the “travelers” (viatorum) on earth. We walk by faith. We do not yet see the destination. This theology is further divided into:
- Natural Theology: What can be known of God through creation and conscience. Turretin notes this was “exquisite in Adam” but is now “highly disordered” in us due to sin (1.2.7).
- Supernatural Theology: This is the saving truth revealed in Scripture (OT and NT). It transcends reason, is communicated by grace, and centers on Christ.
The Unity of the Faith
With all these divisions—Natural vs. Supernatural, Old Testament vs. New Testament, Theoretical vs. Practical—does theology fall apart into pieces?
Turretin insists on the Unity of Theology. It is one science because it has one formal object: “divine things revealed to us by the word of God” (1.2.10).
Whether you are studying the Levitical priesthood or the Pauline epistles, you are studying the same substance of doctrine. The “manner of treatment” may vary (didactic, elenctic, casuistic), and the “degree of revelation” may differ (shadows in the OT, light in the NT), but the core is immutable. “Christ being the same yesterday, today and forever” (1.2.12).
Conclusion: You Are a Traveler
Why does this matter for the guy sitting in the pew or the father leading family worship?
It matters because it tells you who you are. Turretin classifies us as viators—travelers, wayfarers, pilgrims (1.2.6). We have not yet reached the “stadium’s goal.” We do not yet possess the “Theology of Vision.”
This checks our pride. When we debate doctrine, we must remember we are dealing with Ectypal knowledge—reflections of the infinite. We see through a glass darkly.
But it also fuels our hope. The theology we study now—in Scripture, in catechisms, in sermons—is not a waste of time. It is a “stream” flowing from the “fountain” of God’s own self-knowledge. It is the authorized map for the traveler. It is designed by the Goodness of God to lead us home.
So, when you open your Bible or read a theological work, realize what is happening: The Infinite God is translating His incomprehensible thoughts into finite words, so that you, a traveler, might know Him, love Him, and eventually see Him.
Key Terms
- Theologia Archetypa (Archetypal Theology): The infinite knowledge God has of Himself. It is uncreated and incommunicable to creatures. We cannot know God exactly as He knows Himself.
- Theologia Ectypa (Ectypal Theology): The finite knowledge of God communicated to creatures. It is a reflection or copy of the archetype, adapted to created capacities. All human theology is ectypal.
- Theologia Viatorum (Theology of Travelers): The theology of those “on the way” (earthly believers). It is based on faith and revelation, distinct from the Theology of Vision possessed by saints in heaven.
- Theologia Unionis (Theology of Union): The unique, supreme knowledge of God possessed by the human soul of Christ due to the hypostatic union.
- The Summum Bonum: The “highest good.” Theology posits that God is the highest good and therefore naturally communicative of Himself to His creatures.