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John Henry Newman and the Writing of History
- Newman Studies Journal
- The Catholic University of America Press
- Volume 8, Number 2, Fall 2011
- pp. 29-41
- 10.1353/nsj.2011.0018
- Article
- Additional Information
Abstract:
Can Newman be classified as an “historian”? On the one hand, Newman did not adhere to, indeed cared very little for, modern scientific methods of empirical research; he detested the cold, clinical nature of German intellectualism of the mid-ninetheenth century. On the other hand, Newman’s historical investigation relied upon conservative methods of historical research: the use of original sources and the rules of historical criticism; his techniques were self-taught, but they were adequate to meet the historical standards of his times. Most importantly, Newman never conceived of himself purely and simply as an historian: he studied history in the service of religion and, for example, examined the fourth century in order to provide answers to the theological questions of the nineteenth.