An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine: Free Audiobook and Listening Guide

An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, credited to John Henry Newman, is available as a LibriVox volunteer audiobook. This guide identifies the recording, its source summary and its audio tracks.

About the work

The LibriVox catalogue summary, preserved with the recording, reads:

LibriVox recording of An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine by John Henry Newman. Read in English by Eduardo After a long struggle against liberal tendencies in the Church of England and an unsuccessful attempt to establish the position of Anglicanism as a branch of historical Christianity whose doctrines could be proven to be identical with those of the primitive Church, John Henry Newman came to the painful realization that he could no longer remain a member of the Anglican Church. Increasingly drawn to Catholicism, he was nevertheless repulsed by the idea that the Roman Church, while preserving many ancient doctrines, had contaminated the faith by mixing into it its own invented traditions. Or could it be that these "new" doctrines were truly already present from the beginning, having only become more explicit and better understood with the passage of the centuries? "So, I determined to write an essay on Doctrinal Development; and then, if, at the end of it, my convictions in favour of the Roman Church were not weaker, to make up my mind to seek admission into her fold" (Newman, Apologia Pro Vita Sua). - Summary by ekortright

Recording facts

• Recording title: An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine
• Author credits: John Henry Newman
• Language: English
• Original MP3 tracks: 23
• Listed recording duration: 16:39:25

Catalogue topics

• Christianity
• Catholicism
• development of doctrine
• early christianity

Track guide

1. 00 - Introduction, Part 1 — 36:46
2. 01 - Introduction, Part 2 — 34:27
3. 02 - CHAPTER I. The Development of Ideas — 50:06
4. 03 - CHAPTER II. The Antecedent Argument in behalf of Developments in Christian Doctrine, Part 1 — 47:26
5. 04 - CHAPTER II. The Antecedent Argument in behalf of Developments in Christian Doctrine, Part 2 — 56:10
6. 05 - CHAPTER III. The Historical Argument in behalf of the existing Developments — 51:18
7. 06 - CHAPTER IV. Instances in Illustration, Part 1 — 1:00:01
8. 07 - CHAPTER IV. Instances in Illustration, Part 2 — 40:06
9. 08 - CHAPTER V. Genuine Developments contrasted with Corruptions, Part 1 — 46:31
10. 09 - CHAPTER V. Genuine Developments contrasted with Corruptions, Part 2 — 37:25
11. 10 - CHAPTER VI. Application of the First Note of a true Development to the Existing Developments of Christian Doctrine: Preservation of its Type, Part 1 — 49:55
12. 11 - CHAPTER VI. Application of the First Note of a true Development to the Existing Developments of Christian Doctrine: Preservation of its Type, Part 2 — 44:28
13. 12 - CHAPTER VI. Application of the First Note of a true Development to the Existing Developments of Christian Doctrine: Preservation of its Type, Part 3 — 59:43
14. 13 - CHAPTER VI. Application of the First Note of a true Development to the Existing Developments of Christian Doctrine: Preservation of its Type, Part 4 — 52:53
15. 14 - CHAPTER VI. Application of the First Note of a true Development to the Existing Developments of Christian Doctrine: Preservation of its Type, Part 5 — 56:24
16. 15 - CHAPTER VII. Application of the Second: Continuity of its Principles, Part 1 — 34:27
17. 16 - CHAPTER VII. Application of the Second: Continuity of its Principles, Part 2 — 36:47
18. 17 - CHAPTER VIII. Application of the Third: its Assimilative Power, Part 1 — 30:48
19. 18 - CHAPTER VIII. Application of the Third: its Assimilative Power, Part 2 — 34:29
20. 19 - CHAPTER IX. Application of the Fourth: its Logical Sequence — 35:59
21. 20 - CHAPTER X. Application of the Fifth: Anticipation of its Future — 42:38
22. 21 - CHAPTER XI. Application of the Sixth: Conservative Action on its Past — 40:51
23. 22 - CHAPTER XII. Application of the Seventh: its Chronic Vigour. Conclusion — 19:46

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