“Newman Belongs to the Great Teachers of the Church, Because He Both Touches our Hearts and Enlightens our Thinking”

EDITORIAL PREFACE 3 “NEWMAN BELONGS TO THE GREAT TEACHERS OF THE CHURCH, BECAUSE HE BOTH TOUCHES OUR HEARTS AND ENLIGHTENS OUR THINKING.” JOSEPH CARDINAL RATZINGER With these words, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, prior to his election as Pope Benedict XVI, summarized his appreciation of John Henry Newman.1 Ratzinger’s statement highlights two aspects of Newman’s writings that were particularly attractive in his own time and continue to be influential today:first of all, Newman had the intellectual acuity to see the core of problems, to tease out their implications, and to express his thoughts in such a cogent fashion that it compelled the attention of his contemporaries—even those who disagreed with him. The second, and even more advantageous, aspect of Newman’s talent was his ability to express his thoughts in persuasive ways that touched the hearts of his audience— both then and now. For Newman, communication was not merely a matter of mens ad mentem loquitur—“mind speaks to mind”—but, as his cardinalatial motto proclaimed, cor ad cor loquitur—“heart speaks to heart.”2 Ratzinger’s summary statement seems an appropriate way to characterize the contents of this issue,which contains a varied menu of essays concerning Newman’s thought that testify both to his wide-ranging interests during his life, as well as a corresponding spectrum of scholarly interest in present-day Newman studies. Hopefully, these essays will provide not only intellectual illumination, but also touch the lives of readers. The first essay by Elizabeth-Jane Pavlick McGuire considers Newman’s“Spiritual Theology of theAngels”—a topic that has rarely been treated,but shows a devotional side of his spirituality. Walter Conn’s essay then explores Newman’s view of conscience—which was a recurring leitmotiv in his writings and also represented his continuing concern that his audience would not only think about revelation, but realize its message in their lives. Next David Fleischacker, who earlier investigated Newman’s Medical School,3 presents his panoramic view of the “History of the University”—an institution that Newman felt must not only to train the intellect, but also impart moral values. Daniel J. Lattier complements his earlier discussion of Newman’s Anglican views of fasting4 by examining “Newman’s Silence on Fasting as a Roman Catholic”—for 1 Ratzinger’s presentation appeared in the English edition of L’Osservatore Romano 22 (1 June 2005): 9, and is available at: www.newmanfriendsinternational.org/newman/?p=74. 2 For the background of Newman’s cardinalatial motto, see the Editorial Preface, Newman Studies Journal 1:1 (Spring 2004): 3–6. 3 David Fleischacker,“John Henry Newman’s Vision of the Catholic Medical School,” Newman Studies Journal 4/2 (Fall, 2007): 21–30. 4 Daniel J. Lattier,“Newman’s Theology and Practice of Fasting as an Anglican,”Newman Studies Journal 5/2 (Fall, 2008): 56–68. NEWMAN STUDIES JOURNAL 4 Newman,asceticism was a self-discipline important in forming the moral dispositions necessary not only to apprehend, but also to actualize the meaning of revelation. In a companion piece to his earlier treatments of Newman in relation to Modernism,5 C. J.T.Talar discusses Newman’s contribution to the “New Apologetics” as proposed by Maurice Blondel—who was seemingly influenced by Newman’s distinction between notional and real assent. In the final essay of this issue, Gerald McCarthy examines Newman’s contribution to foundational theology in dialogue with Alasdair Macintyre—in their joint search for certitude in a subjectivistic and relativistic world. In the rest of this issue, Alvaro Silva reviews the new edition of Newman’s Apologia pro Vita Sua—along with six sermons—that has recently been published by Yale University Press; then John Ford provides a detailed review of two recent volumes published by Family Publications (United Kingdom): first, John Henry Newman in His Time, which has fourteen essays devoted both to places related to his life and to his various activities; second, John Henry Newman: Doctor of the Church, which contains sixteen essays treating major aspects of his thought. This issue also includes a memorial tribute to Stanley Ladislas Jaki , O.S.B., a Newman aficionado, as well as a recipient of the Templeton Prize. As...