ABSTRACT

"The rubric 'development of doctrine' has been in use since John Henry Newman, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine", observes George A. Lindbeck (13n). Fellow theologian Jaroslov Pelikan observes that Newman's essay is "the almost inevitable starting point for the investigation of the development of doctrine". An important aspect of Newman's early years is his dedication to the arduous task of composition. In an autobiographical memoir of 1874 he says, "though in no respect a precocious boy, he attempted original composition in prose and verse from the age of eleven, and in prose showed a great sensibility and took much pain in matters of style". Newman's "classroom" is one where uniquely individual minds struggle to communicate with other uniquely individual minds amid constantly changing times and circumstances. Thus Newman advocated the tutorial method because teaching is a pastoral activity and teachers and students form a community of learners.