The Authority of Tradition: John Henry Newman (1801-1890) and Legal Theory
Recommended Citation
Michael P. Moreland,
The Authority of Tradition: John Henry Newman (1801-1890) and Legal Theory,
Christianity and the Making of Irish Law
162
(2025).
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.law.villanova.edu/facpubs/237
Abstract
John Henry Newman's contributions to political and legal thought have been largely neglected, even if some recent work has begun to address that shortcoming. Although Newman's major works were primarily theological, some of his writings also have implications for legal and political theory. Moreover, even if most of his life was spent in England, Newman spent a crucial decade of his life's work in Dublin as part of the effort to found a Catholic University of Ireland. It was during this period shortly after his conversion to Catholicism living in Ireland and working on the creation of the Catholic University of Ireland that Newman composed his only sustained work of legal theory as well as his famous set of lectures on The Idea of a University and other occasional writings that touch on legal and political themes. Examined as a whole, this “Irish period” of Newman's life and work constitutes a significant contribution to Irish thought in politics and law, including on such topics as the nature of legal reasoning, constitutionalism, church and state, and the relationship of law to other disciplines.
Isbn
9781041037422
Publisher
Routledge
Additional Information
Chapter 9
Disciplines
Law | Law and Politics | Legal Biography | Legal History | Religion Law
Book Editors
David H. McIlroy