Receptions of Newman ed. by Frederick D. Aquino and Benjamin J. King (review)

The historiography of John Henry Newman’s life and influence has always been a contested subject. Seen as early as the debate between scientist, T. H. Huxley (1825 – 1895), and literary critic, R. H. Hutton (1826 – 1897), are questions of who Newman was and what his influence is. Huxley “claimed the cardinal as an agnostic fellow-traveller,” while Hutton “praised Newman’s genuine faith and literary greatness” (p. 1). The conversation about the nature of Newman’s life and influence continues into the present century.

In 2002 Frank M. Turner published his monumental volume, John Henry Newman: The Challenge to Evangelical Religion, which caused a “fiery response” in Newman scholarship. In many ways Turner’s volume contested what had become the standard sketch of Newman found in many biographies of scholars such as Wilfrid Ward (1856 – 1916). Dedicated to Frank Turner and Basil Mitchell, this collection of essays is interested in challenging “the category of ‘official’ interpretation of Newman” and uncovering “areas where Newman’s readers have misunderstood him,” while at times offering a more nuanced read of Newman (p. 2–3).

This volume utilizes a multi-disciplinary approach and contains no uniform voice amongst the contributors, many of which are prominent voices in their respective fields —theology, history, and philosophy. One result of their meeting in Sewanee, Tennessee in 2013, is the consensus that the term “reception” should be used in its general sense, rather than strictly defined. This allows for the contributors to bring their unique training and questions to the text(s).

The first part of the volume is dedicated to the reception of Newman’s An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine. The two essays that make up Part I focus on the Protestant and Roman Catholic receptions of Newman’s theory of development. The first by Benjamin J. King attends to the Protestant reception of Newman’s Essay on Development between the years 1845 – 1925. The second by Kenneth L. Parker and C. Michael Shea looks at the Roman Catholic reception of Newman in 1846 and 1847, and then traces the Roman Catholic influence of Newman’s theory of development through major Catholic events such as the First and Second Vatican Councils.

The two essays that make up Part II deal with the philosophical and theological reception of Newman’s Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent. The first essay by Frederick Aquino addresses how scholars today have evaluated the Essay on two issues — “the phenomenological and epistemological conditions of belief formation, and the problem of common measure” (p. 4). Aquino concludes that Newman and the Naturalist tradition, and the depth of Newman’s thought on epistemological issues, require further analysis and development. Mark McInroy’s essay examines the Roman Catholic interpretation of the Grammar since the time of its publication. McInroy demonstrates the initial difficulties in the early reception of the Grammar due to its non-neo-Scholastic methods, and traces how it became an option for “Transcendental Thomism” as a third alternative between neo-Scholastic rationalism and Modernism.

The two essays that make up Part III focus on the reception of Newman’s The Idea of a University. Among the challenges noted in the first essay by John Sullivan is that community was central for Newman’s vision of the university. Many university educators today tend to reject this notion, making Newman’s vision difficult to accept for contemporary educators. Colin Barr’s essay places Newman’s Idea within its historical context and traces the misuses and misinterpretations of Newman’s educational ideas and his work in Ireland.

Part IV is interested in Newman’s reception within specific regions and traditions. Peter Nockles’ essay analyzes the various Tractarian responses to Newman’s participation in the Oxford Movement, especially at the time of Newman’s conversion to Rome in 1845. Nockles attends to the divergence between those who see the Movement as “the providential means of...