John Henry Newman, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine

Marion Spies (Bergische Universität-GHS Wuppertal)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Jessica Gossling (Goldsmiths College, University of London)

Domains

Christianity
History/ Philosophy of Religion

Dates

First circulation or publication 1845

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Essays/ Lectures (any)

Resources

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Earlier in his life, Newman had regarded the Roman Catholic Church of his day – although the historical continuation of early Christianity – mainly as an institution which had undergone far too many changes, especially in doctrine, since Apostolic times. He had seen these changes as deviations from the teachings of Jesus and the early Church Fathers. But in the early 1840s, while he was considering conversion to Roman Catholicism, he increasingly began to doubt that the Anglican Church could justly see itself as a branch of world-embracing, 'true' Catholicism. Instead, his intensive study of the Church Fathers led him to believe that the development of Christian doctrine from the time of Jesus until the nineteenth century, and consequently the way in which the Roman Catholic Church of…

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705 words

Citation: Spies, Marion. "An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 January 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6676, accessed 21 November 2024.]