Theology has traditionally been understood as a speculative discipline centered on God. However, the increasing dominance of historical methods in modern theological inquiry raises a fundamental question: Has theology shifted from being a science of God to a study of historical documents? This article examines how four early 20th-century Dominicans from the Saulchoir—Antoine Lemonnyer, Mannès Jacquin, Marie-Benoît Schwalm, and Ambroise Gardeil—responded to this challenge. Writing in the context of the Modernist crisis, they defended the primacy of speculative theology while integrating historical studies within a Thomistic framework. Their work articulated a synthesis in which historical research serves theology without displacing its speculative and supernatural character. These insights remain relevant for contemporary theological discourse, offering a model for balancing historical inquiry with the contemplative and systematic study of God.
