Newman: His Life and Spirituality

by Louis Bouyer

"No voice from beyond the grave speaks to us powerfully as Newman does; because there is no one who speaks more directly to the heart, as there is no one who speaks more directly from the heart."
- Louis Bouyer John Henry Newman, recently Beatified by Pope Benedict XVI, was a famous Anglican convert to the Catholic Church, an Oratorian priest, a brilliant author of novels, poems and acclaimed spiritual works, and a renowned preacher. Newman had a great impact on the intellectual and spiritual journey of the author, Fr. Louis Bouyer, who became a famous theologian and spiritual writer. His exchange with the thought of Newman over the years is a model of theological dialogue as Bouyer understood the passionate engagement with and free assimilation of all that can illuminate Catholic truth. Bouyer does not see in Newman the eminent Victorian, but a "potential contemporary"; not the subtle philosopher, but a Christian of integrity who sought all his life to follow Christ and did so with an edifying fidelity. Bouyer studied important unpublished documents by Newman at the Birmingham oratory and addressed the delicate question of Newman's sensitive temperament, the key to entering the world of this great theologian. For Bouyer, one of the principle elements of the spiritual universe of Newman is a genuine mysticism of "Irreplaceable mirror outside of which God's radiance eludes fallen man and only appears as shadow." Bouyer shows that as St Augustine was the great apostle to the early Church, and St. Thomas Aquinas was to the Middle Ages, so is Newman that for modern times. A work of major significance for anyone who wants to approach the towering figure of John Henry Newman.

Genres: Biography, Catholic

410 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2011

About the author

Rev. Louis Bouyer (1913-2004) was a member of the French Oratory and one of the most respected and versatile Catholic scholars and theologians of the twentieth century.

A friend of Hans Urs von Balthasar, Joseph Ratzinger, and J.R.R. Tolkien, and a co-founder of the international review Communio, Bouyer was a former Lutheran minister who entered the Catholic Church in 1939.

He became a leading figure in the Catholic biblical and liturgical movements of the twentieth century, was an influence on the Second Vatican Council, and became well known for his excellent books on history of Christian spirituality. In addition to his many writings, Bouyer lectured widely across Europe and America.

Woman in the Church (with an epilogue by Balthasar and an essay by C.S. Lewis), was one of the first three books published by Ignatius Press, in 1979. Other Ignatius Press books by Bouyer include The Word Church and Sacraments in Protestantism and Catholicism, Women Mystics, and the introduction to John Henry Newman: Prayers Verses Devotions (Bouyer wrote a biography of Newman).

He was chosen by the Pope to be part of a team to initiate the International Theological Commission in 1969.

Reviews

[Carson Gorton · Rating 5 out of 5]

God bless the English

[Rev. M. M. Walters · Rating 2 out of 5]

I first became aware of Louis Bouyer when I was studying theology and I remember liking what I heard. So, when my book club wanted to read something about Cardinal Newman I suggested this one. It did not prove to be a happy choice. Unfortunately, Fr. Bouyer writes almost in the style of a Victorian novelist. Everyone in the group found it difficult to plod through, but plod we did. I think we were hoping for more of a biography in the current sense than an intellectual/spiritual history. Although I am not a person who thinks of history as solely a collection of dates, I found Bouyer's lack of dates to be somewhat frustrating. The lack of dates when things happened often left me at a loss in following the trajectory of Newman's life. Bouyer also has a habit of throwing in Latin and Greek words or phrases without translation; while I usually understood them without reference to a dictionary, I wonder if a reader unlettered in those languages would grasp the full import of what he was trying to say. Granted most of these words were Newman's own and he was writing either for himself or someone conversant with Latin and Greek, but it would have been better if Bouyer had provided a translational footnote (as he does with the quotation from Cardinal Bernabo suggesting that Newman be prevented from returning to Oxford).

Newman was above all a writer. His sermons were more essays than homilies (which would not be unusual for the time but somewhat foreign to us who begin to squirm after five minutes). This leads me to my second problem with this book. Bouyer quotes a number of letters but rarely does he quote anything from the major works. He makes mention of them but does not really delve into them. It would have been better, I think, to use Newman's writings as illustrations of his thought by quoting them more extensively.

Criticism of the book aside, I come away from it with a renewed sense that Newman was truly ahead of his time. His understanding of the Church and what it is called to be is found in the spirit that animated the Second Vatican Council. His canonization, like his creation as a cardinal, is a recognition of the correctness of his thinking and his ultimate orthodox fidelity to the Church of Christ.

[Christopher Moellering · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give it six stars if I could. Fr. Buyer has done the Church, the world, and those of us devoted to Saint Newman a great service in this biography. In it, as in no other work I have read about Newman thus far, do I come face to face with the man, John Henry Newman, his disappointments, his hopes, his dreams.

Written in the decade just before Vatican II, Buoyer was in a position to see the triumph of Newman’s thought, and as a former Protestant himself, to sympathize with his journey.

I especially appreciate that this volume doesn’t get us just to his conversion, kind at the Apologia, and end. Fr. Bouyer gives tender and sober treatment to Newman’s experience as a Catholic as well.

[Joseph Pearce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fr. Bouyer spiritual biography of St. John Henry Newman is not a conventional biography rather than telling a straight account of St. Newman's life he tries to show the deep spirituality of Cardinal Newman. It can be a challenging read for someone just discovering St. John Henry Newman but it does present an image and view of him that traditional biographies do not.

[Matthew David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nearly through my second reading in six months. A spiritual biography of a future saint mostly misunderstood—even misrepresented—in his lifetime. Great survey of the development of his theological thought as well. Bouyer writes as a fellow contemplative, with sympathy and insight.

[Patrick Koroly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful insight into Newman’s spiritual development and mind of the world. Seems to presume a small bit of familiarity with Newman’s work, so fair warning if a few things seem slightly confusing.

[Mark Mcintyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has to be my favourite biography of Blessed John Henry Newman