Following Bob Carr’s advice, I have been listening to an “audio book” of Newman’s Development of Doctrine. Although disconcertingly read by a female voice, and rather too soft at that, it is a reasonably good and clear reading in the public domain. And I must say that in this classic Newman puts his finger on the real point between Protestantism and Catholicism. If you are not Catholic, and have ever asked yourself the question “WHY am I not Catholic?”, you might benefit from reading (or listening) to this book. As Fr Andrew Hamilton said with uncharacteristic wisdom in a recent Eureka Street article:
We judge books partly by their content but even more by their voice. Writers of another age speak oddly. They stop to reflect on what we slip lightly past, acquiesce in what we find outrageous.
He was speaking specifically of Augustine. But it applies to Newman as well.
PS. If you enjoy Jane Austen, you will love listening to Newman. He has just the same elegant late Regency/early Victorian “voice”. Poetry and logic rolled into one.
It almost appears by the picture that Newman himself is listening to the audio version of his book.
Mmmm… you might be right. A bit hard of hearing, perhaps?
I’ve improved the picture!
Perfect! This demonstrates Newman’s ability to communicate the development of doctrine from age to age.