What did Charles Hodge teach about theology as science?
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I can't seem to find any measurable difference between Owen and Hodge on this topic. Hodge does not even mention the word 'science' in his bible commentaries but in his book Systematic Theology he does. Here he starts his book in part by explaining what he means by 'theology'. Some say, theology is the 'science of religion', some say the 'science of the supernatural', etc. but Hodge prefers to say:
We have, therefore, to restrict theology to its true sphere, as the science of the facts of divine revelation so far as those facts concern the nature of God and our relation to him, as his creatures, as sinners, and as the subjects of redemption. All these facts, as just remarked, are in the Bible. (Systematic Theology 1.19, Charles Hodge)
What Hodge really meant by accepting the term science as used by various others others was simply to justify the need for the systemization of knowledge derived from scripture. Just as natural science does from facts in nature. Basically, although natural and theological sciences do not really overlap, they both need to 'systemize facts' they observe to derive understanding. They can't just leave things in there natural setting without make dogmatic deductions as a system. Otherwise a chemist could never predict the outcome of a chemical reaction, or an astronomer predict the location of a comet years to come.
John Owen and Hodge do also both agree that theology and science have a slight overlap under the title of natural theology. This just to accept that the heavens declare God's glory and his attributes of power and wisdom. These facts of nature manifest a lesser theology then scripture does.
Or as Hodge puts it:
All these facts, as just remarked, are in the Bible. But as some of them are revealed by the works of God, and by the nature of man, there is so far a distinction between natural theology, and theology considered distinctively as a Christian science. With regard to natural theology, there are two extreme opinions. The one is that the works of nature make no trustworthy revelation of the being and perfections of God; the other, that such revelation is so clear and comprehensive as to preclude the necessity of any supernatural revelation. (Systematic Theology 1.19, Charles Hodge)
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