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
These are specimens of the teaching of the Ancient Church on the subject
of Faith and Reason; if, on the other hand, we would know what has been
taught on the subject in those modern schools, in and through which the
subsequent developments of Catholic doctrines have proceeded, we may
turn to the extracts made from their writings by Huet, in his "Essay on
the Human Understanding;" and, in so doing, we need not perplex
ourselves with the particular theory, true or not, for the sake of which
he has collected them. Speaking of the weakness of the Understanding,
Huet says,--
"God, by His goodness, repairs this defect of human nature, by granting
us the inestimable gift of Faith, which confirms our staggering Reason,
and corrects that perplexity of doubts which we must bring to the
knowledge of things. For example: my reason not being able to inform me
with absolute evidence, and perfect certainty, whether there are bodies,
what was the origin of the world, and many other like things, after I
had received the Faith, all those doubts vanish, as darkness at the
rising of the sun. This made St. Thomas Aquinas say: 'It is necessary
for man to receive as articles of Faith, not only the things which are
above Reason, but even those that for their certainty may be known by
Reason. For human Reason is very deficient in things divine; a sign of
which we have from philosophers, who, in the search of human things by
natural methods, have been deceived, and opposed each other on many
heads. To the end then that men may have a certain and undoubted
cognizance of God, it was necessary things divine should be taught them
by way of Faith, as being revealed of God Himself, who cannot
lie.'[332:1] . . . . .
"Then St. Thomas adds afterwards: 'No search by natural Reason is
sufficient to make man know things divine, nor even those which we can
prove by Reason.' And in another place he speaks thus: 'Things which may
be proved demonstratively, as the Being of God, the Unity of the
Godhead, and other points, are placed among articles we are to believe,
because previous to other things that are of Faith; and these must be
presupposed, at least by such as have no demonstration of them.'
7.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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