Instructing Theology seminaries
The organization of contemporary theological college institutions was a direct result of Roman Catholic reforms of the Counter-Reformation after the Council of Trent which asserted on the improvement of the teaching of clergy by the creation of Theology seminaries as live-in foundations under the primary control of senior clergy. Since at least the fourth century there have been Seminaries for the education of clergy.
The original known group of Seminarists was assembled by St. Basil of Ancyra. The usage devolved out of popular use in the Medieval Ages, when all religious education was in religious residencies, and afterwards, in the universities. After the Reformation and the emergence of new designations, Seminaries again came into usage, particularly in the U.S. The 16th-century Council of Trent dictated Theology seminaries to be opened in every diocese.
In several areas, the word seminary is also employed for other schools of higher learning that instruct teachers. While the function of the instructing Theology seminaries and theology seminaries is different, the nomenclature has not shifted. During the 19th century in the USA, Theology Degree prepared women for the sole socially acceptable job: education. Only single women could be teachers. Many older women’s colleges began as seminaries and produced an important corps of instructors.