John Henry Newman’s influential work as a great religious philosopher, theologian, and literary scholar, during his lifetime from 1801-1890, had largely impacted many peoples’ view of Catholicism and various aspects of religious interpretation and religious structure. One of his most well known literary topics focused on the opposition of liberalism, the idea of progress or reform in religion structure, which he classified as being “Anti-Dogmatic”, or accepting of the idea that “there is no positive truth in religion, but that one creed, or system of principles or beliefs, is as good as another” (Komonchak, 445). Newman’s writings also examined the interpretation of inspired scripture and the human conscience, which he saw as “the connecting principle between the creature and his Creator”. Conscience, as Newman described in the Letter to the Duke of Norfolk, is “not a long-sighted selfishness, nor a desire to be consistent with oneself; but it is a messenger from Him, Who, both in nature and grace, speaks to us behind a veil, and teaches us and rules us by His representatives” (Pell, 22). In relation to the human conscience and how the teachings of the Church were to be received, Newman emphasized to readers that the interpretation of biblical scriptures involves looking beyond the logical definition or solution, with the guidance of the Church Fathers, to find the abstract knowledge that is necessary in attaining the truth (Barbeau, 53).
Considering Newman’s extensive work and involvement within the Roman Catholic Church during the second half of his life, one might presume that he came from a Catholic upbringing, but it was not until 1845 that he converted from Anglicanism to Catholicism, after intellectual studies at Oxford University and leadership a ...