The approach of the Fathers and the study of the Bible in the medieval period can also be classified as "Biblical Theology", but a real critical reflection on the discipline began concretely with the famous address by Johann Philipp Gabler in 1787 on the right distinction between Biblical Theology and Dogmatic Theology and on the correct delimitation of the specific objectives of both. From that moment on, a complex debate on the identity and boundaries of the discipline began to emerge, a discussion that still persists today and that Paul Beauchamp framed in this way: "Biblical theology is something essential just because it continues to constitute a debate". Despite the centuries and the continuing difficulty of finding a shared sense of the expression "Biblical Theology" (Theology "of the Bible", "according to the Bible"?) and even a definition, there is no doubt that the subject arouses, especially in the present, an immense interest. It would be enough to count and scroll through the "biblical theologies" that proliferated in the last century to realize how varied are the problems that it raises and how much debate it continues to foment among professionals, and not only among experts. The Synod on the Word of God in the life and mission of the Church (2008) constantly drew attention to the need to seek, think and communicate the theological meaning of the biblical text in the context of that original hermeneutical location which is the life of the Church (cf. Verbum Domini 29). In this specific area, recalled by the Synod, one can perceive the thread that underlies the entire historical path of Biblical Theology, which has always sought to consider Scripture as the soul of theology.

Exegesis and theology have not always walked together. Often the critical study of texts hasmbeen accentuated too much without a theological and hermeneutical connection or, on the other hand, an unbiblical theology has been created, with all the dangers involved. After all, if we go back to the origins, we must recognize that we began to talk about this discipline when we became aware that it was not possible to consider statements of the sacred text in a merely "functional" way to support theological theses. Then, obviously, other dangers appeared and from its birth, Biblical Theology was a science at the margins. On the one hand, it shows that the work of an exegete is never ending in the ‘excavations of the subsoil’, to use the beautiful metaphor of Beauchamp, and on the other it emphasizes the importance of a right approach to the biblical datum, without enslavement to pre-established theses. This is therefore the challenge, with its resources and its risks.

The elements that characterize the Biblical Institute and our Department are in some way complementary. While the Pontifical Biblical Institute prefers analytical research, methodological aspects and the study of biblical languages, the Department of Biblical Theology of the Pontifical Gregorian University promotes synthesis, hermeneutics and interdisciplinary dialogue. The total number of students enrolled in both institutions is about 370 for the Licentiate and 150 for the Doctorate: a figure that testifies to the appeal of the two institutions of the Consortium. The origin of the students from various parts of the world and the credit that emerges from the prestigious paths and functions of responsibility entrusted to former students is an indication not only of the acclaim that the two institutions enjoy, but also of the esteem that the relative programs share.