Parochial and plain sermons eBook John Newman
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Parochial and plain sermons. 396 Pages.
Parochial and plain sermons eBook John Newman
Format: A nicely formatted, kindle-friendly edition of Newman's Parochial and Plain Sermons (including all 8 volumes).Content: A treasure of English prose and Christian theology from one of the great English-speaking Christians and Catholics (though these sermons were written before his conversion to Catholicism in 1845).
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Parochial and plain sermons eBook John Newman Reviews
Newman is a master with English prose, craftily writing each sentence, paragraph, page, and chapter thoughtfully and eloquently. As a master of prose, if, for no other reason, he deserves wide readership.
But, alas, Newman is first and foremost a theologian. Now this may cast aspersions on him to a larger audience, but at considerable distress to all concerned. He wrote as both an Anglican and a Roman Catholic (most of these sermons were written while he was a priest in the Church of England). Most of the sermons were delivered while he served as priest at Oxford. There he had a demanding audience, who wouldn't sit still for such simple ejaculations, such as, "the Bible says so."
Newman revered Holy Scripture, but he saw it through a prism of manifold colors and applications. It was above all else a book of spiritual perfection, dense and more complex than often acknowledged, and he set forth to elucidate many passages with his incisive prose. Some of these sermons address the Christian liturgical year; others address some spiritual issue of the day or of perennial value. But in any event, his use of scripture is devoutly and reverential, even a tad dogmatic, but never in the evangelical sense. For Newman, the Word was a catalyst to self-discovery and illumination, not some sword to cut believer from infidel.
This book is large, and fortunately will take a good deal of time to read. Each sermon is about four pages, which makes for relatively-short meditations upon ideas catholic and universal. While Scripture forms his benchmark, his methodology is atypically in the English Empiricist school. He doesn't pontificate as though an authority, but examines like a scientist; he's heuristic, and we share in his discoveries. And his method allows him to reach the largest possible audience, knowing, as he did, that he was fighting both modernism and scepticism that ravaged the Church of England at the time, and continues to this day.
His method prevents sentimentality, although he is immensely sensitive and spiritual. He appeals to reason, the one thing that distinguishes man from beasts, and he does so with such eloquent prose that the reading alone is itself a delight. His insights have made him the "Father" of Vatican II, and many of his ideas can be found in documents of the Council. He doesn't seem to have a personal agenda, just an unabashed search for revealed truth as it is applied by reason. At times, his Victorian Age comes through loudly and clearly, but even so, his temperament is not one of self-righteousness, but of universal holiness. He's mediating the search for truth and holiness, not making it his own.
Roman and Anglican Catholics will be pleased with the results. Curious non-Christians will find Newman to be more than capable exegete, a rigorous and deft rhetorician, and a charming voice in a wasteland of mediocrity.
Cardinal John Henry Newman is rightly regarded as one of the greatest Catholic theologians and thinkers of all time. While I disagree with some of Newman's directions and emphases in his work, I agree with his biographer Ian T. Ker that Newman is both a great saint and will also in the future be recognised as a doctor of the church.
As with his contemporary Gerard Manley Hopkins (who interestingly enough, Newman received into the church as a Cardinal), Newman is a consummate master of the English language. This is shown abundantly in his prodigious writings, from his beautiful devotions on the Virgin Mary to his apologetics essays (i.e. Grammar in Aid of Assent) to his sermons.
Newman's finest sermons are collected here in this volume. Unfortunately for some reason the 'Plain and Parochial Sermons' are difficult to find, usually being out of print or only available in extremely old editions. Ignatius press have done a great service in collecting Newman's sermons together in a single binding, and represent a reasonable introduction to his thought.
Despite the long gap between Newman and the 21st century, the sermons in this volume all contain great complexity, depth, devotion, attention to detail, and theological insight. Newman is able, as few others are, to bring into extremely sharp focus the mysteries of faith, the mysteriousness of God, the terror and horror of sin, the subtle and gentle workings of grace, and the difficult task of striving for holiness in an indifferent world. With a combination of theological depth and rhetorical power, in sermon after sermon Newman jolts and harries the reader (and no doubt his hearers) into another atmosphere, one that breathes a profoundly prayerful spirituality that one can only perhaps find in Meister Eckhart (another master of theology and preaching) and the fathers of the church. Not since Bernard of Clairvaux has a great teacher and saint of the church combined deep devotion, learning and insight and communicated it in homiletic form.
I have few doubts the PPS are Newman's finest works, and the best sermons of any English churchman (Anglican or Catholic). Some other divines such as John Keble or Jewell come close, while Newman is surpassed in poetic ability by George Herbert (Anglican) and Hopkins (Catholic). Yet they merely represent the pinnacle of a generally extremely clear, lucid and beautiful series of prose writings across a wide range of areas. Such are Newman's consummate talents even his sermon notes make fascinating reading.
Newman of course is not perfect - asides from some rather quaint approaches to Catholicism and the Bible, and a spirituality that is deeply tinged with the dark theological ideas of his Calvinistic upbringing (such as human depravity and predestination), this volume is also marred by a lack of critical apparatus, good editing and style changes to update Newman's language to a more contemporary tone. The uncritical approach Newman often takes to Christian doctrine and the church is also irritating at times.
Yet Newman's achievements far outweigh his weaknesses. In his appreciation and reverence before the mystery of God (especially the Trinity and Incarnation), he anticipates many 20th century Catholic theologians such as Karl Rahner who describe God as 'absolute mystery.' He also anticipates many of the themes of Vatican II, and is rightly called a kind of 'hidden father' of the Council, but that aspect of his thought is better covered elsewhere.
Thomas Merton was right to put Newman alongside Julian of Norwich as the greatest of the English theologians. I only hope in future the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches return to this great and often underestimated thinker.
There are so many typos, the text is unreadable.
There are zero paragraphs. Just line after line of text. Not for me.
I appreciate very much this book with all sermons together!
It's a treasure for my whole life to reed the wisdom of this church father of the modern timesParochial and plain sermons
This is one of the best purchases I have made. Love, love, love Newman. So clear and thorough in what he says.
I have never read a complete Newman sermon and I have missed so much because of that. I read one each morning and I am trying to live his very, very practical advice.
Format A nicely formatted, kindle-friendly edition of Newman's Parochial and Plain Sermons (including all 8 volumes).
Content A treasure of English prose and Christian theology from one of the great English-speaking Christians and Catholics (though these sermons were written before his conversion to Catholicism in 1845).
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