THE
P RTAL
February 2019
Page 23
Apologia Pro Beata
Maria Virgine
A review by Simon Dennerly
T he life
and work of John Henry Newman (1801-90), the main leader of the Oxford Movement who
later turned Catholic convert in 1845, is back in the spotlight with the Catholic Church recognising a
second miracle attributed to him. This recent book shines light on an often overlooked aspect of Newman’s
thought: his Mariology.
Robert M Andrews’ Apologia Pro
Beata Maria Virgine: John Henry
Newman’s Defence of the Virgin
Mary in Catholic Doctrine and Piety
(Academica, 2017) not only shows
the development of Newman’s Marian
thought, but also offers this discussion
within the historic context of the
Oxford Movement and the Church of
England during the period.
The book contains a foreword from
one of the foremost experts on the
Oxford Movement, the Reverend
Professor Austin Cooper.
As someone who has a deep interest in the Oxford
Movement, I deeply respect the acknowledgement
Andrews shows to the role of Edward Bouverie Pusey
and how his contributions are “Unfairly hidden—
along with John Keble—in the shadow of Newman’s
scholarship for much of the twentieth and twenty-first
centuries”.
The essence of Newman’s most well known work,
An Essay on Development of Christian Doctrine is seen
in Apologia Pro Beata Maria Virgine with Andrews
showing not only Newman’s personal journey, but
the development of Newman’s apologetic thought
regarding the role of the Mother of God in Salvation
History. As Andrews writes:
“Not only does Newman’s Anglican Mariology
contain theological ideas that Newman would
carry over into his Roman Catholic ministry,
there is at the same time a tension in Newman’s
balance between his discerning notion of the
need for a more patristic ecclesial hermeneutic,
and his need to maintain faithfulness to the
Protestant foundations of his Church... this
tension eventually became delicate and, in time,
unworkable...”
The book is not only engaging,
its accessible format makes it a
great introductory text, with many
meaningful quotes from Newman
that tempt you into a further, deeper,
reading of his works.
Andrews’ book reminds us how we
take so many of Newman’s developed
conclusions for granted, without
properly understanding the complex
history of those ideas and the personal
struggle that went into reaching their
conclusions.
Indeed,
Andrews
highlights
the ‘development of doctrine’ in his case study of
Newman’s Marian thought—from “implied and not
denied” in Early Christianity, to ‘the abuse does not
take away the rightful use’ when it comes to some
Catholics overdoing Marian devotion (which was
always sensitive to English Protestant sensibilities).
Developing his Marian Theology as a public figure
in a proudly Protestant nation hostile to his work,
following where he believed the Holy Spirit was guiding
him, took the heroic courage of a saint. Apologia Pro
Beata Maria Virgine is not just a case study in the
development of modern theology, it is part of a life
story that the Catholic Church will likely soon honour
with canonisation.
Dr Robert M Andrews is Lecturer in Church History
at the Catholic Institute of Sydney, Australia, and a
member of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of
the Southern Cross.
Robert M Andrews’
Apologia Pro Beata Maria Virgine:
John Henry Newman’s Defence
of the Virgin Mary in Catholic
Doctrine and Piety (Academica, 2017)