評論家常以為聖伯納文都 (Bonaventure ) 在《溯諸藝於神學》(De reductione artium ad theologiam ) 中，依循經院哲學的傳統，把聖經研究當作最深奧、最接近真理的一門學科。可是也有評論家指出聖伯納文都其實是採取了神祕主義或奧古斯丁以降的神學傅統，把研讀聖經當作研究其他所有學科的根本。到底聖伯納文都是根據那個傳統將學科分成諸類呢？ 本論文將從這些傳統慣用之語言模式來回答這個問題。本論文認為聖伯納文都先採取了亞理斯多德影響下經院哲學論文中的語言，再融合入奧古斯丁以降的神學論文中之修辭學傳統及神祕主義論文中的語言。其論文先似提供學子一個合乎邏輯常理的學習進度表，然後藉由討論聖經研究和其他學科研究之類似性，說服讀者以聖經為研究作為研究其他所有學科的根本。最後聖伯納文都指出這類似性是由神藉作者所賜，故此類比可使讀者在研究任何學科時都可透過受神啟的作者與神合一。簡言之，本論文認為聖伯納文都透過結合經院哲學、神學與神祕主義的語言，精確呈現聖經研究和其他學科研究互相依附的關係。而聖伯納文都更藉融合各個傳統中之語言來描寫一個基督徒如何可在研究中經歷神祕經驗中由神而人、由人而神之互動。

Critics have been studying Bonaventure’s inheritance in The Reduction of Arts to Theology from philosophers in the scholastic, Aristotelian tradition, from theologians in the Neoplatonic, Augustinian tradition, or from mystics who focus more on faith than on learning. Some believe that he represents a certain tradition, and some believe that he is developing a new philosophical system. Most acknowledge that Bonaventure juggles with various traditions, but few focus on how he synthesizes them. This paper studies the two-part structure of the work and the languages used in each section. It explores how Bonaventure starts this treatise like a logician, classifying different arts, becomes to a rhetorical theologian in the middle, and finally provides a metaphysical basis for the rhetorical figures used, making them typological figures and suggesting that the faith in God is what finally enables biblical study and the other arts to work together in effecting a mystical relation between God and man. In short, this paper argues that Bonaventure synthesizes different traditions to strike a balance between biblical study and those of other arts. It also argues that Bonaventure believes that this balance can help readers form a mystical circle with God.