Newman Studies Journal

Volume 10, Issue 2, Fall 2013

David P. Long
Pages 18-31

John Henry Newman and the Consultation of the Faithful

This essay examines the strengths and weakness of Newman’s argument in “On Consulting the Faithful in Matters of Doctrine” that the lay faithful throughout history are the guarantors of orthodox doctrine by examining Newman’s understanding of the lay faithful, the sensus and consensus fidelium, and his historiographical methodology.