Essays Critical and Historical I

John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 - 11 August 1890) was an English theologian and poet. His major writings include the Tracts for the Times, his autobiography Apologia Pro Vita Sua, the Grammar of Assent, and the poem "The Dream of Gerontius." He also wrote the popular hymns "Lead, Kindly Light," "Firmly I believe, and truly," and "Praise to the Holiest in the Height."Newman was a controversial figure in the religious history of England, being one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement, an influential and controversial group of Anglicans who wanted the Church of England to bring back many beliefs and rituals from before the English Reformation. The movement was somewhat successful and in 1845 Newman, joined by some of his followers, left his position as the vicar at St. Mary's, Oxford, and was received by the Catholic Church. In 1879, he was created a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in recognition of his services to the cause of the Catholic Church in England and was canonised as a saint in 2019.

John Henry Newman's Essays Critical and Historical are articles he originally wrote between 1829 and 1846 and later collected together and republished in 1871. In them Newman deals with some of the key theological issues of his day. They show both the consistency of his theological principles and the trajectory of their development during the Oxford Movement. The essays are more combative than his title suggests¿Newman engages with his subjects with vigour, forensic skill, wit, and even satire. We can also detect the approaching crisis of his Anglican belief and his conversion to the Catholic Church in 1845. Many of Newman's insights have turned out to be prophetic about the controversies of 20th and 21st century Christianity. This is the first critical edition of this work. The Editor has provided an Introduction setting each essay in its context and giving a critical analysis of it. There are also detailed Editor's Notes to the text, explaining the theological, literary and historical references which are often obscure to the modern reader. A comprehensive Textual Appendix reveals for the first time how radically Newman revised some of the essays for his 1871 edition.