Cardinal John Henry Newman, a convert from Anglicanism, was one of the great theologians of the nineteenth century, and much of his thought would later be taken up by the Second Vatican Council. One of Newman’s key ideas was that of ‘development of doctrine’. Christian tradition holds that there is no new revelation after the death of the last witnesses to the earthly life of Christ. Yet it is clear that there are many elements of church teaching now generally accepted that had not been fully formulated by the end of the first century. Newman held that, as Christ’s followers through the ages have thought about, prayed with, and tried to live according to, his words and example, they have gained new and valid insights into the implications of these. It can thus be held both that all the Church teaches is implicit in Christ’s original revelation, and that new ideas can emerge which have a profound effect on the way in which the faith is lived at any given time in history. Much of what is written in this issue bears witness to such development.
£3.00
0