MISSIOLOGY. - I. DEFINITION. - Missionary studies began in the last century, first through the work of Protestants and then of Catholics, in Germany. There were various terms to designate them in the different languages, until in 1915 Fr. van Rijchevorsel introduced the neologisms "m." and "missionologist." The new term was soon accepted everywhere, but while in Rome and in Italy the form "m." is preferred, in other nations they prefer to say "missiology," because it is easier to pronounce and shorter. Some Protestant authors have proposed strange terms, but without success.
It is evident that the definition of the missions necessarily leads to that of m. The definitions given by J. Schmidlin and G. B. Tragella were the most comprehensive and opened the way to today's definition, according to which m. objectively is the body of knowledge concerning the work of the planting of the Catholic Church in its doctrinal principles, in its practical norms and in its historical development.
The study, therefore, of m. has a doctrinal part, which draws on theology, and another practical part, which concerns methodology and history and therefore has rather the character of a specialization.
II. DIVISION
From the definition of missiology one must deduce the criteria for dividing it into its parts, which are fundamentally two: the doctrinal and the descriptive or historical. This division, proposed by Streit, was taken up and expanded by Schmidlin and followed with slight modifications by Tragella, Charles, Pio de Mondreganes, Perbal, Krol, Carminati, Rommerskirchen and Pageau.
In general the authors agree on these two fundamental divisions, but the criteria are not the same in determining their subdivisions and specifying their object. Almost all, however, divide doctrinal missiology into fundamental or general and practical or normative. The first treats the general principles of all missiology, determining in the first place the definition and the end of the missions, sets forth the teaching of the Church concerning the work of the propagation of the faith, and sets out the history of Catholic and Protestant missionary literature. The normative part is twofold, juridical and methodological. The juridical part has a particular importance, because the apostolate is an activity regulated by many canonical provisions, and it treats first of the general principles of missionary law and then speaks of the central and peripheral organization, that is, of the missionary hierarchy. Methodology deserves a particular development, because it establishes the practical norms for carrying out an effective work of apostolate among the various peoples to be converted. In the first place it speaks of the intellectual and moral formation of missionaries and then treats of the principles of adaptation and of the spiritual and natural means of apostolate. Among the latter are generally numbered preaching, the catechumenate, schools, the native clergy, and also art and music and charitable and social works. Then methodology treats of the principal religions and peoples, but only in order to establish the practical norms of the apostolate among them, so as to draw the maximum advantage from all those elements closer to the Catholic religion. Nor should the methodology to be followed in bringing Protestants and heterodox back to the fold be forgotten.
To the methodological part belongs also the exposition of the works of missionary cooperation and, according to some, also the treatment of the missionary duty of the Church and of the faithful, which for others should find a place in the fundamental part.
Last comes the descriptive part, which is divided into history of the missions and missiography, with the subdivisions of missionary geography and statistics. It is clear that in a general exposition of all missiology this part must be limited to the fundamental principles and general directives, leaving to particular publications the development of the whole vast subject matter.
Some introduce into the general division of missiology notions of ethnology and of the science of religions, but in the opinion of many the study of these auxiliary sciences, although very useful and often indispensable, can be carried out only in an appendix.
Bibliography9 works
Saverio Paventi