An Essay on the Development of Christian DoctrineNewman, John Henry
Religion
An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine
Newman, John Henry
Catholic Church -- Doctrines; Dogma, Development of
In like manner every calling or office has its own type, which those who
fill it are bound to maintain; and to deviate from the type in any
material point is to relinquish the calling. Thus both Chaucer and
Goldsmith have drawn pictures of a true parish priest; these differ in
details, but on the whole they agree together, and are one in such
sense, that sensuality, or ambition, must be considered a forfeiture of
that high title. Those magistrates, again, are called "corrupt," who are
guided in their judgments by love of lucre or respect of persons, for
the administration of justice is their essential function. Thus
collegiate or monastic bodies lose their claim to their endowments or
their buildings, as being relaxed and degenerate, if they neglect their
statutes or their Rule. Thus, too, in political history, a mayor of the
palace, such as he became in the person of Pepin, was no faithful
development of the office he filled, as originally intended and
established.
3.
In like manner, it has been argued by a late writer, whether fairly or
not does not interfere with the illustration, that the miraculous vision
and dream of the Labarum could not have really taken place, as reported
by Eusebius, because it is counter to the original type of Christianity.
"For the first time," he says, on occasion of Constantine's introduction
of the standard into his armies, "the meek and peaceful Jesus became a
God of battle, and the Cross, the holy sign of Christian Redemption, a
banner of bloody strife. . . . . This was the first advance to the
military Christianity of the middle ages, a modification of the pure
religion of the Gospel, if directly opposed to its genuine principles,
still apparently indispensable to the social progress of men."[173:1]
On the other hand, a popular leader may go through a variety of
professions, he may court parties and break with them, he may contradict
himself in words, and undo his own measures, yet there may be a steady
fulfilment of certain objects, or adherence to certain plain doctrines,
which gives a unity to his career, and impresses on beholders an image
of directness and large consistency which shows a fidelity to his type
from first to last.
4.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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