Newman's Early Roman Catholic Legacy, 1845-1854

This book is best suited for the graduate classroom and beyond, though the advanced undergraduate with adequate knowledge of Newman's theory of doctrinal development and its reception history would find this work useful. Shea's work is notably a reappraisal of a long-held narrative of the reception of Newman's Essay on Development, which is one of the most influential theology works of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Shea's work, most importantly, demonstrates that Newman's theory of doctrinal development gained traction much earlier than the Second Vatican Council. Because of this, Newman scholars and historical theologians interested in nineteenth-century European reception history should be acquainted with Shea's thesis.

Autorentext
C. Michael Shea completed his doctorate in Historical Theology at Saint Louis University in 2013, and is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Seton Hall University.

Klappentext

This volume considers the impact of Newman's Essay on Development (1845) on Roman Catholicism of the time immediately after his conversion.

Zusammenfassung
For decades, scholars have assumed that the genius of John Henry Newman remained underappreciated among his Roman Catholic contemporaries. In order to find the true impact of his work, one must therefore look to the century following his death. Newman's Early Roman Catholic Legacy, 1845-1854 unpicks this claim. Examining a host of overlooked evidence from England and the European continent, C. Michael Shea considers letters, records of conversations, and obscure and unpublished theological exchanges to show how Newman's 1845 Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine influenced a host of Catholic teachers, writers, and Church authorities in nineteenth-century Rome and beyond. Shea explores how these individuals employed Newman's theory of development to argue for the definability of the new dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary during the years preceding the doctrine's definition in 1854. This study traces how the theory of development became a factor in determining the very language that the Roman Catholic Church would use in referring to doctrinal change over time. In this way, Newman's Early Roman Catholic Legacy, 1845-1854 uncovers a key dimension of Newman's significance in modern religious history.