ŚLĄSKIE STUDIA HISTORYCZNO-TEOLOGICZNE

Franz Michel Willam’s interpretation of John Henry Newman’s philosophy
The main aim of the article is to put forward the interpretation of Newman’s philosophy according to F.M. Willam. In order to study the paper, the following steps were taken: firstly, Willam’s method of research was shown in which he concentrated on the difference between deductive and reductive reasoning. Secondly, the terms epagoge and probability was analysed in a Newman’s thought. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of Willam’s interpretation were considered.

Person and the Method of Personation
The term “person” from the beginning was the foundation of both Christian anthropology and theology. Today, we are inclined to understand this notion in the way proposed by Karol Wojtyla and other representatives of the so-called Christian personalism. This paper has two goals: to familiarize the reader with a theory of the person (which had a significant influence on twentieth-century personalism), developed by nineteenth-century theologian and philosopher, John Henry Newman, and to describe and verify Newman’s “method of personation”.
These two elements – the concept of the person and the method of personation – form an original and inspiring anthropology. While the first one is a kind of a classical theory of the person, the second is an important novelty in philosophy and theology. “Method of personation” is a very brave thesis that appears throughout the works of Cardinal Newman: the value of a theory largely depends on the authorities supporting it. Can the history and theology find evidence of the fundamental role of outstanding persons in identifying and spreading the truth?

The aim of the present paper is to analyse the structural, pragmatic, cognitive and stylistic aspects of the linguistic genre of sermon in Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman C.O.’s Parochial and Plain Sermons. When it comes to the structural aspects, Newman’s sermons lack any compositional schema, described by rhetoric theories. In the Anglican Church of the Victorian era, sermons constituted a kind of “oral literature”, read from the pulpit during the service. From the pragmatic perspective, Newman’s example of life played a special role in his preaching as a means for communicating the Word of God. Newman’s sermons were delivered in a kind of supernatural atmosphere and created a mutual magnetism between the preacher and the listeners. In the cognitive dimension, Parochial and Plain Sermons constitute almost a compendium of Christian dogma, with emphasis on the practical application of theological truths in the Christian life. There are also numerous references to Newman’s personal life. From the stylistic perspective, Newman’s sermons strike with simplicity, connected with the so-called “real style”: Newman uses conventional language, avoids sophisticated rhetorical figures, and provides concrete examples from the Bible, everyday life, and the lives of saints and Church Fathers.

This paper focuses on the relationship between faith and reason in the writings of Bl. John Henry Newman, one of the greatest personalities of nineteenth- century Britain. The topicality of Newmana is stressed today in the context of social, political, and theological considerations. He is called in invisible peritus of the Second Vatican Council. In his sermons and essays, sought to show that there is no contradiction between faith and reason because in our daily matters we more often than not act on faith. If such is the case, we must find a broader sense of rationality. In this broader sense, Newman finds certitude. This certitude is different than certainty of logical propositions, for it concerns concrete acts, therefore it is personal rather than merely logical. Certitude resembles personal maturity in which we assent to certain truths and follow what we have thus assented to. This following, this personal readiness Newman calls realization. To realize something in faith means to transcend natural difficulties and grasp the truth.

The relationships between the clergy and the laity in terms of John Henry Newman
John Henry Newman cared for the formation of lay Catholics. His desire was educated laity. So he created the idea of the university. He wanted the Church had informed their faith and healthy pious laity. Newman courted their „culture of the mind”. He built the place of the faithful in the English Church. He appealed for counting the „teaching Church” (clergy) of the „Church of the hearers” (laity) in doctrinal matters. Lay in fact opposed to the Arian heresy.

Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman’s (1801-1890) theology of conscience. Summary
Newman’s teaching of conscience unites originality and continuity. His originality manifests itself especially with regard to the Catholic theology of his era. Through his Anglican background, Newman belonged to a culture and the philosophical tradition, each of which was growing apart from the Catholic Church. Through dialogue – and often polemic – with his contemporaries, he was successful in handing on in a new language the contents of the faith and of religious experience, used concepts drawn from his own time, although not without renewing them profoundly.

Bl. John Henry Card. Newman (1801-1890). Doctor Ecclesiae?
This presentation is provided two main topics: first, a review of the history of the role of Doctors of the Church and how the discernment process contributed to the development of the Church’s understanding of this title, using the recent evaluation (1997, 2012) and the conferral of the doctorate; secondly, a careful and systematic evaluation of Newman’s fulfilment of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s Norms and Criteria was offered based upon the commentaries of Pope John Paul II and his successor Benedict XVI regarding Newman’s eminent doctrine. The final part of the article shows the possibility of Newman’s inclusion in the exclusive college of the Doctores Ecclesiae.