Newman on Doctrinal Corruption

by Matthew Levering

Newman on Doctrinal Corruption examines John Henry Newman’s understanding of history and doctrine in his own context, first as an Oxford student and professor reading Edward Gibbon and influenced by his close friend Hurrell Froude, then as a new Catholic convert in dialogue with his brother Francis, and finally as an eminent Catholic during the controversies over the dogmas of the Immaculate Conception (in dialogue with Edward Pusey) and papal infallibility (in dialogue with Ignaz von Döllinger).  Author Matthew Levering argues that Newman’s career is shaped in large part by concerns about doctrinal corruption. Newman’s understanding of doctrinal development can only be understood when we come to share his concerns about the danger of doctrinal corruption―concerns that explain why Newman vigorously opposed religious liberalism. Particularly significant is Newman’s debate with the great German Church historian Döllinger since, in this final debate, Newman brings to bear all that he has learned about the nature of history, the formation of Church doctrine, the problem with private judgment, and the role of historical research.

Genres: Catholic

448 pages, Hardcover

Published November 9, 2022

About the author

Matthew Levering (PhD, Boston College) is professor of religious studies at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including Ezra & Nehemiah in the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible. He is also coauthor of Holy People, Holy Land and Knowing the Love of Christ.

Reviews

[Nathan Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. I’d love to teach a class on doctrinal corruption, and if I did, this would certainly be required reading.

[J. Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Framing the concern for doctrinal development as a response to doctrinal corruption, whether an accusation or the presence thereof, makes Dr Matthew Levering's book on Newman on Doctrinal Corruption a unique contribution. The argument he makes for Cardinal Newman casts doctrinal development as a negative statement about what the Church cannot do, which is to say defect or teach error, rather than a positive statement about the Church in every instance. Levering fairly and comprehensively treats the historical context for each of the five figures he examines in contrast to Newman - Gibbon, Froude, Francis Newman, Pusey and Döllinger - but the rigid structure of each chapter leaves a lot to be desired for demonstrating his case. Newman's own response seems a bit tacked on or sometimes deflated especially if he tended to agree with his critics or mentors.

The book itself like any Word on Fire publication has a make of the highest quality. The book has heft which complements the topic's gravity, and with its dust jacket the book stands firm and has a great shelf presence. I wish the pages and font choice were different but otherwise it is a phenomenal book materially.

I admire Cardinal Newman and believe he did well in several respects, especially in recognizing the inherent subject-object-act relationship in the teachings of the Church. One thing I must say however is that it is clear Newman never decisively settled the problems he most came to represent, even to his own satisfaction. This has led to his legacy being divided up more than a saint's remains, which Levering does well on several fronts to correct. Levering shows erudition in many places especially with British history, of which I have little acquaintance. I do wish however that Levering took a less editorializing perspective since his Communio allegiances percolate and discolor his analysis. The obtuse insertion of Hans Urs von Balthasar left me stranded, and I would certainly be suspect that Pope Benedict XVI meant what Cardinal Newman meant by his 'hermeneutic of continuity' versus rupture. Some of this also takes on a peculiar perspective on key issues like Reinhard Hütter's unusual interpretation of Newman, with which Levering concurs. I likewise do not think Levering did justice to Alexandrian theology, however brief its inclusion.

One thing Levering may have done intentionally, though it was not mentioned explicitly, was his writing of Newman on Doctrinal Corruption against the biggest critics of Newman - not Anglicans, but the Anglicans who converted. The Eastern Orthodox authors Levering cites are all Anglican converts or were taught at Oxford: David Bentley Hart, Andrew Louth and Timothy Ware for instance. It implies, even if Levering did not mean it so, the trend of disputing Newman is the wrath of the scorned. Truly I do not know of many harsh critics of Newman who are not or formerly were Anglicans, and ultimately the concern over doctrinal development is one regarding its preservation in the hands of sinners. If a sinner cannot be trusted to teach, we are doomed; if sinners were the origin of our doctrinal principles, we are similarly doomed. Therefore Newman's proposal, even if it is itself nascent and still somewhat obscure, is the only way to understand a Church in and above historical circumstance.