The Queen of the Sciences

"Everyone [in the Middle Ages] agreed that theology was by far the most important and highly skilled profession of all. Only the most rigorously trained individuals could practice it. It took seven years to qualify as a theologian, and that was after spending at least four years working on a first degree.... If a philosopher did want to tackle matters of faith, then he was perfectly entitled to join the theology faculty and train as a theologian" (Hannam, The Genesis of Science).