This monograph delineates John Henry Newman’s `theology of history’,
which refers to his theological understanding, or `view’, of history
that one finds pervading his work like a rich atmosphere. Newman’s view
led to his crafting of provisional theories that not only were more
historically conscious, but also could support and promote revealed
religion and religious epistemology in the present. This project traces
these developing theories and the presuppositions on which they rested,
as well as distills from them Newman’s `theological imaginary’, which
can be understood as his `idea’ of the church, an idea which he believed
must become manifest in the world. Newman’s theology of history is thus
inextricably bound up with the realization of Christianity in its
authentic ecclesial manifestation. This monograph highlights the import
of Newman’s theology of history for our own theological `imaginaries’ in
the present, post-Vatican II context, ultimately developing an original
`relational-developmental model of doctrine’.