Believing Scholars: Ten Catholic Intellectuals

Chapter 5: Catholic and Intellectual: Conjunction or Disjunction?

c h a p t e r 5 Catholic and Intellectual: Conjunction or Disjunction? marcia l. colish M y title, ‘‘Catholic and Intellectual: Conjunction or Disjunction ?’’ directs attention to the copula, ‘‘and.’’ Does this word bind ‘‘Catholic’’ and ‘‘intellectual’’ in a harmonious and mutually supportive union? Or, does it place these terms in an either/or, contrasting, or even confrontational stance? To be sure, some non-Catholics opt for the second interpretation. As they see it, if one is a Catholic one has to cash in one’s brains. In particular, if one is a Catholic theologian , one is constrained to play Charlie McCarthy to the Edgar Bergen of whoever occupies the throne of Peter, or his self-appointed scriptwriter . Oddly enough, this same attitude can also be found in some Catholic circles, on the part of some would-be ventriloquists and those they have managed to convince. Proponents of this view also seek to obfuscate the distinction between the creeds of the church and the handful of infallible papal rulings made since 1870 and the large number of other doctrines which Catholic theologians may legitimately debate and on which they, and the rest of the faithful, may hold their own positions. How should Catholic academics who want to dissociate themselves from intraconfessional anti-intellectualism go about it? In re- flecting on these matters, it occurred to me that my own academic specialty, medieval intellectual history, provides some valuable insights and rationales. At the same time, it occurred to me that it would be worth considering how more recent thinkers had addressed this, and related, themes. So I decided to consult two previous commentators Believing Scholars 70 on the university, and the church-related university, John Henry Newman and Jaroslav Pelikan. Newman published The Idea of a University in 1855 and Pelikan published his reflections on that book, The Idea of a University: A Reexamination, in 1992. Although separated by the Atlantic and by almost 150 years, these authors, I found, had much to say of interest on this topic and to this audience, and much that I could use as the springboard for my own reflections on the subject. First, Newman. Particular historical circumstances inspired him to write The Idea of a University. In the 1850s, in England, one had to be a communicant of the Anglican Church in order to study and teach at a university. Indeed, Newman’s conversion to Catholicism forced him to resign his fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford. In response to this situation, which effectively barred non-Anglicans from the learned professions unless they had studied abroad, the decision was made by the Irish hierarchy to found a Catholic university in that part of the British Isles. Newman served as its first rector. It was in connection with this assignment that he outlined what we would call today the ‘‘mission statement’’ of the Irish Catholic University, in the lectures and occasional pieces published as The Idea of a University. In short, rather than projecting a Platonic ideal of a university, Newman aimed at explaining the policies he actually intended to implement in this newly launched institution. There are a number of key themes Newman emphasizes in describing the educational objectives of the new university, many of which still merit our consideration. The Irish Catholic university, he notes, teaches the liberal arts and also has faculties for specialized postgraduate study in the sciences, medicine, and law, equipping degree recipients to enter the learned professions. The university teaches theology as well, not only as a postgraduate discipline but also as a branch of liberal studies. Newman stresses the idea that theology should be taught as a university discipline; he does not want to see it ghettoized in seminaries or monasteries, aimed exclusively at the vocational formation of clergy-in-training. In this connection, Newman looks back to theology as a university discipline in medieval scholasticism, while at the same time he anticipates religious studies as a branch of the humanities, themes to which I will return. Catholic and Intellectual: Conjunction or Disjunction? 71 While he certainly pays attention to the learned disciplines that lead to professional accreditation, Newman’s primary concern is the BA curriculum, the liberal arts, and the qualities of mind they should impart whether or not students go on to postgraduate work. In the academic jargon of today, Newman is interested in ‘‘outcomes assessment ,’’ that is, what undergraduates actually...