NEWMAN, JonN HENRY (1801-90). An English religious leader, first in the Church of England and later in the Roman Catholic Church. lie was born in Londlm, February 21, 1801, and educated first at a private school at Ealing, then at Trinity College, Oxford. which he entered when he was not quite sixteen. He won a scholarship two years later, and took his degree in 1S20. In 1822 he was elected to a fellowship at Oriel, then the highest distinction of Oxford scholarship, which brought him into close rela tions with many of the most distinguished men ° of the time; among them was a Edward Bouverie Pusey, with whom he was to be most closely associated in the work of tile Oxford Movement. Ile was ordained deacon in 1824, and combined with his college position the curacy of Saint Clement's Church. A year later. his friend \\lately having become principal of Saint Allan's Hall, Newman was made vice principal, but resigned the appointment on being named tutor in his own college (1826). In 1828, on the election of Hawkins as provost of Oriel (partly through Newman's influence, though Belle was also a candidate), Newman succeeded him as vicar of Saint Mary's, the university church, and the position whieh he thus gained gave him a commamling power. by the wonderful sermons which he preached in this pulpit, over a whole generation. He resigned his tutorship in 1832, owing to differences with Hawkins as to college arrangements. Ile made his first visit to the Continent soon afterward and returned in time to hear Keble's famous assize sermon on National Apostasy (July 14. 1833). which he al ways considered as the actual origin of the Movement. ( For the complete history of its de velopment. see (?xFotm MovEmExr.) Here it is enough to say that from the tirst Newman was its acknowledged head; the charm of his per sonality, the ascetic fervor of his life, and the fame of his preaching gave him a tremendous power. He was one of the chief contrihutors to the 'Tracts for the Times, twenty-nine of which, including the famous No. 90, which proved the
end of the series, are from his pen. The same year that witnessed their beginning (1833) saw the publication of his book on The Arians, which was followed in 1837 by The Prophetical Office of the Church; in 183S by works on Justifiea tion, on the Canon of scripture, and on Anti christ. In this year also Newman became editor of the British Critic, holding the position until 1841, and began in conjunction with Keble and Pusey to publish a Library of Translations from the Creek and Latin Fathers. On a formal re quest from the Bishop of Oxford, he discontinued the publication of the Tracts in 1841, after the storm of opposition which No. 90, "Remarks on Certain Passages in the XXX1X. Articles." had aroused.
Already in 1839 in the course of his study of the history of the NIonophysite controversy a doubt hail come to hint whether, after all, the Anglican position was tenable; and the condemnation of his position IT bishops and heads of colleges showed him that his place in the Movement. was gone. Parallel reasoning on the history of the Arian controversy, and the curious compromise of the Jerusalem bishopric (see JERUSALEM), still further shook his allegiance to the Church of England.
In 1842 he retired from Oxford to the neigh boring village of Littlemore, where he passed three years in seclusion. with a number of young men who had attached themselves to him, wrest ling in silence with the problem thus presented to him. In the early part of 1842 he published a formal retractation of his adverse criticisms of the Roman Catholic Church. and in the following autumn, while he had not yet made up his mind, it seemed to him more honest to resign his living. The train of reasoning which occupied him througholit 1845, when lie was engaged in the composition of his Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, finally brought him to the point, and on October 9t1: he became a Roman Catholic.